PURGATORY A GRAVE REJECTION OF THE GOSPEL - It is time for all who love the Lord Jesus Christ to stand on the authority of His word and renounce the doctrine of purgatory as a blasphemous substitution for His precious blood. The truth must be proclaimed to set Catholics free from this terrible bondage - the consequences for believing in purgatory are eternal not temporal. To believe in purgatory is to reject the perfect sacrifice of Christ and thus be lost for all eternity - Catholics must repent and believe the glorious Gospel of grace - The Roman Catholic Church deny what the Scriptures have clearly affirmed concerning the expiation of sin. Rome dares to say that purgatory is necessary because Jesus is unable to fulfill His promise — “to present the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing… holy and blameless.” The new Catechism of the Catholic Church defines purgatory as a place where those “who die in God’s grace, but still imperfectly purified… undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” The Catechism teaches: “every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death in the state called purgatory. This purification frees one from what is called the ‘temporal punishment’ of sin.” Many Catholics say their church no longer teaches the existence of purgatory.

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Purgatory

A Grave Rejection of the Gospel

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It is time for all who love the Lord Jesus Christ to stand on the authority of His word and renounce the doctrine of purgatory as a blasphemous substitution for His precious blood. The truth must be proclaimed to set Catholics free from this terrible bondage - the consequences for believing in purgatory are eternal not temporal. To believe in purgatory is to reject the perfect sacrifice of Christ and thus be lost for all eternity - Catholics must repent and believe the glorious Gospel of grace

By Mike Gendron

The John Ankerberg Show

Was the atonement of Jesus Christ sufficient to purify all sins? The Roman Catholic Church says an emphatic “No!”

In this article Mike Gendron explains what the Roman Catholic Church teaches and supplies Scriptures which answer their claims.

Purgatory — A Grave Rejection of the Gospel

Was the atonement of Jesus Christ sufficient to purify all sins? The Roman Catholic Church says an emphatic “No!”

They deny what the Scriptures have clearly affirmed concerning the expiation of sin.

Rome dares to say that purgatory is necessary because Jesus is unable to fulfill His promise — “to present the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing… holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:27).

The new Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) defines purgatory as a place where those “who die in God’s grace, but still imperfectly purified… undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven” (CCC 1032).

The Catechism teaches: “every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death in the state called purgatory. This purification frees one from what is called the ‘temporal punishment’ of sin.” (CCC 1472)

Many Catholics say their church no longer teaches the existence of purgatory.

Let us put that notion to rest with the very words of Pope John Paul II.

In a message he delivered on June 2, 1998 entitled: “I Urge Catholics to Pray for the Dead,” he not only affirms purgatory but, at the same time, rejects the sufficiency and necessity of Jesus Christ for salvation:

Those indeed who are in ignorance of Christ’s Gospel and of his Church through no fault of their own, who search for God in sincerity of heart, and who, acting according to conscience, strive under the influence of grace to fulfill his will…can obtain eternal salvation. Others have died and are being purified, while still others are in glory. During the Eucharist, through the Memento for the dead, the assembled community presents to the Father of all mercies, those who have died, so that through the trial of purgatory they will be purified, and attain eternal joy. The Church believes that the souls detained in purgatory “are helped by the prayers of the faithful and most of all by the acceptable sacrifice of the altar” as well as by “alms and other works of piety.”

I therefore encourage Catholics to pray fervently for the dead, for their family members and for all our brothers and sisters who have died, that they may obtain the remission of the punishments due to their sins. As I entrust the faithful who will pray for the dead to the intercession of Our Lady and of St. Joseph, patron of a happy death, I cordially grant my Apostolic Blessing to them. I willingly extend it during the millennial year to all…who offer sacrifices for the dead (emphasis mine).

Purgatory was first defined as a dogma by the Council of Florence.

The essential com­ponents of the doctrine of purgatory are:

(1) that a purification after death exists,

(2) that it involves some kind of pain, and

(3) that the purification can be assisted by the prayers and offerings of the living to God.

It is obligatory for all Catholics to accept and believe the existence of purgatory under the threat of anathema.

From the Council of Trent we read:

“If anyone says that after the reception of the grace of justification the guilt is so remitted and the debt of eternal punishment so blotted out to every repentant sinner, that no debt of temporal punishment remains to be discharged either in this world or in purgatory before the gates of heaven can be opened, let him be anathema”(Canon 30).

Rome’s Invention of Temporal Punishment

The doctrine of purgatory is based on Rome’s denial that all sins are mortal.

In one of the many traditions that oppose God’s word, the Catholic Church creates another classification of sin called “venial.”

They are “small” less serious sins that bear only temporal punishment which can be purified by personal charity or purgatory. (CCC 1394)

Purgatory is said to be under the jurisdiction of the pope, who has the power and authority to transfer merit from an invisible treasury to those who are being purged.

This transfer of merit is done in the form of indulgences and is said to shorten the time of suffering.

The most common indulgence is the sacrifice of the Mass — a re-presentation of Jesus as a “victim” on Catholic altars.

The Catholic Church defines an indulgence as the means of remitting the temporal punishment for sin. (CCC 1471-1479)

Rome’s Distortion of Scripture

The Vatican would want Catholics to believe that its doctrine of purgatory is confirmed and supported by Holy Scripture.

However, the Roman Catholic Church makes invalid attempts to do so by misconstruing the following Scriptures and Apocryphal writings:

“Under the tunic of each of the dead they found amulets sacred to the idols of Jamnia. Turning to supplication, they prayed that the sinful deed might be fully blotted out. He then took up a collection among all his soldiers, amounting to two thousand silver drachmas, which he sent to Jerusalem to provide for an expiatory sacrifice. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from this sin.” - (2 Maccabees 12:40-46)

The book of Maccabees, along with the other Apocryphal books, were never included in the Jewish canon because they contain historical, geographical and theological errors.

The Vatican added these books to its canon in the 16th century in a futile attempt to validate its doctrine of purgatory.

It only shows the ignorance of the Jews regarding the unchanging destiny that awaits those who die in sin.

For the Catholic Church to support a dogma based on this heretical practice of the Jews only perpetuates the error.

Furthermore, in Catholic theology, the sin of idolatry is mortal and punishable in hell, not purgatory.

Paul wrote: “…each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward.” - (1 Corinthians 3:13-15).

Paul is clearly teaching that man’s “work” will be judged and tested by fire.

He does not say man must suffer a temporal punishment in order to be purified from sin. The teaching here is about loss of rewards not punishment.

Whatever works a man does for Christ and His glory will survive the fire and bring reward while whatever works are done for self-glory and personal gain will be burned and lost.

Peter wrote: “…the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perish­able, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” - (1 Peter 1:7)

Peter is explicitly teaching about a man’s “faith” being tested by fire, not the purging of the man’s sin.

It is faith that is more valuable than gold which has to reach a certain temperature to be purified.

Peter uses gold as a metaphor for faith which grows stronger when it encounters the heat of certain trials and tribulations.

Jesus said: “I say to you, you shall not get out of there until you have paid the very last cent.” - (Luke 12:59)

In this passage Jesus is exhorting his listeners to get right with God the judge. Otherwise, when He comes, they would be found guilty and condemned to pay an eternal punishment.

When Jesus says they would not come out until they had paid the very last cent, He means they would never come out because it is impossible to satisfy the eternal debt for sin.

 “And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in the age to come.” - (Matthew 12:32)

Jesus is saying the sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. He then makes it emphatically clear what “never” means: neither in this age or the future age.

For Catholics to suggest that sins can be forgiven in a future age after death violates Scripture.

Finally, Rome points to this verse for the necessity of purgatory: “nothing unclean… shall ever come into it (heaven.)” - ( Revelation 21:27)

Rome interprets this verse correctly but incorrectly teaches that purgatory is what purifies and cleanses souls for entrance into heaven.

The Scriptures conclusively and irrefutably teach that only Jesus and His shed blood can purify sin.

He (Jesus) has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach. (Colossians 1:22)

When He (Jesus) had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Hebrews 1:3)

He (Jesus) is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)

(Jesus) who gave Himself for us, that He might… purify for Himself a people for His own possession. (Titus 2:14)

“… the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” - (1 John 1:7)

And according to the Law… all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. (Hebrews 9:22)

No man can buy any means redeem his brother, or give to God a ransom for him, for the redemption of his soul is costly, and he should cease trying forever. (Psalm 49:7-8)

With its doctrine of purgatory, Rome not only denies the blood of Christ is sufficient and necessary to purge sin but it blasphemes the efficacy of Christ’s blood with this common funeral prayer:

O gentle Heart of Jesus, ever present in the Blessed Sacrament, ever consumed with burning love for the poor captive souls in Purgatory, have mercy on them. Be not severe in Your judgments, but let some drops of Your Precious Blood fall upon the devouring flames. And, Merciful Savior, send Your angels to conduct them to a place of refreshment, light and peace. Amen.

It is time for all who love the Lord Jesus Christ to stand on the authority of His word and renounce the doctrine of purgatory as a blasphemous substitution for His precious blood.

The truth must be proclaimed to set Catholics free from this terrible bondage. The consequences for believing in purgatory are eternal not temporal.

To believe in purgatory is to reject the perfect sacrifice of Christ and thus be lost for all eternity. Catholics must repent and believe the glorious Gospel of grace.

Dr. John Ankerberg is founder and president of The John Ankerberg  Show, the most-watched Christian worldview show in America. His television and radio programs are broadcast into 106 million American homes and are available in more than 200 nations in 12 languages. Author, co-author, or contributor of 158 books and study guides in 20 languages, his writings have sold more than 3 million copies and reach millions of readers each year online.

https://jashow.org/articles/purgatory-a-grave-rejection-of-the-gospel/

THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS - Most Catholics do not seem to realize that the Church teaches that the Mass is a real and true sacrifice, that a prime function of the Catholic priesthood is to offer sacrifice, that an altar is a place of sacrifice, and that the word host is from the Latin word hostia, meaning sacrificial victim. Rome holds that Christ must be constantly re-presented in His victimhood to God through the Mass for our salvation. With each offering of the Mass, some 120 million times a year, the Church says that “the work of our redemption is continually carried out.” The Pope, not finding Hebrews 9:12 to his liking, simply changed it. This was not a slip of the pen, but a calculated alteration of God’s Word to make the Sacrifice of the Mass appear biblical. The cross was a horrific event. It was the enemies of the Lord Jesus, not His disciples, who crucified Him. Why would anyone calling himself a Christian want to participate in the continuation of the cross? As the Lord died on the cross, He cried out, “It is finished!” Why then does the Church want to continue His sacrifice? He died “once for all.” How then can the Church say that each offering of the Sacrifice of the Mass appeases the wrath of God? The Lord “entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” Why then does the Church seek to continually represent Christ in His victimhood to the Father? The Lord is not in a state of victimhood. He is the risen, glorified, crowned King of Glory.

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The Sacrifice of the Mass

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Is the Mass the Real Sacrifice of Christ?

Most Catholics do not seem to realize that the Church teaches that the Mass is a real and true sacrifice, that a prime function of the Catholic priesthood is to offer sacrifice, that an altar is a place of sacrifice, and that the word host is from the Latin word hostia, meaning sacrificial victim. Rome holds that Christ must be constantly re-presented in His victimhood to God through the Mass for our salvation. With each offering of the Mass, some 120 million times a year, the Church says that “the work of our redemption is continually carried out.” The Pope, not finding Hebrews 9:12 to his liking, simply changed it. This was not a slip of the pen, but a calculated alteration of God’s Word to make the Sacrifice of the Mass appear biblical 

By: James McCarthy

By: The John Ankerberg Show

Is the Mass a real sacrifice? This is the question that most Catholics seldom discuss, but one that is nonetheless central to their faith.

In this month’s article, Jim McCarthy examines the Church’s answer and how Pope John Paul II defends it from Scripture.!

Few Catholics think about this question. The reason is that most Catholics are not aware that the Church teaches that the Mass is an actual sacrifice.

They know that the rite is called the Sacrifice of the Mass, that it is performed by a priest, that the congregation assembles before an altar, and that the consecrated bread wafers are called hosts.

Never­theless, most Catholics do not seem to realize that the Church teaches that the Mass is a real and true sacrifice, that a prime function of the Catholic priesthood is to offer sacrifice, that an altar is a place of sacrifice, and that the word host is from the Latin word hostia, meaning sacrificial victim.

When I told Anthony, a Catholic catechism teacher, that he was going to a sacrifice for sins each week, he denied it.

Anthony’s sister, Teresa, had been born again several years earlier and had left the Catholic Church.

She had been sharing the gospel with Anthony, and he too now was claiming to be trusting Christ alone for his salvation. He remained, however, loyal to the Catholic Church and its practices.

“Anthony, you can’t say you are trusting in Christ’s finished work on the cross and keep going to a weekly sacrifice for your sins,” I told him.

“But it’s not a sacrifice,” Anthony insisted.

“Look at the Eucharistic prayer,” I said, handing him an open copy of the Vatican II Sunday Missal, the book containing the words recited by the priest during the Mass.

“What does the priest pray after consecrating the bread and wine?”

“‘We offer to you, God of glory and majesty,’” Anthony read, “‘this holy and perfect sacrifice the bread of life and the cup of eternal salvation.’”

He then added, “I don’t remem­ber the priest ever saying that.”

“Read on,” I asked.

“‘Look with favor on these offerings and accept them as once you accepted the gifts of your servant Abel, the sacrifice of Abraham, our Father in faith, and the bread and wine offered by your priest Melchizedek. Almighty God, we pray that your angel may take this sacrifice to your altar in heaven. Then, as we receive from this altar the sacred body and blood of your Son, let us be filled with every grace and blessing.’”

Anthony studied the prayer for a few moments in silence, and then added, “Well, I never heard this at the Mass.”

“I’m not making this up, Anthony,” I told him.

“Next Sunday sit near the front of the church and listen carefully to the words of the priest. You’ll see for yourself. According to your Church, in some mystical way the cross transcends time and is made present by the liturgy of the Eucharist. I know this doesn’t make a lot of sense, but Catholicism teaches that the Mass is one and the same as the sacrifice of Calvary.”

The next time I saw Anthony he admitted that he had been wrong.

Despite almost forty years in the Catholic Church and experience as a catechism teacher, he didn’t know that the Mass was supposedly the actual sacrifice of Christ.

Neither did he realize that he was not only attending Christ’s sacrifice, but he was participating in it.

It is indeed the priest alone, who, acting in the person of Christ, consecrates the bread and wine, but the role of the faithful in the Eucharist is to recall the passion, resurrection and glorification of the Lord, to give thanks to God, and to offer the immaculate victim not only through the hands of the priest, but also together with him; and finally, by receiving the Body of the Lord, to perfect that communion with God and among themselves which should be the product of participation in the sacrifice of the Mass. — Second Vatican Council (emphasis added)

One must ask: What kind of worship is this? The cross was a horrific event.

It was the enemies of the Lord Jesus, not His disciples, who crucified Him. Why would anyone calling himself a Christian want to participate in the continuation of the cross?

Furthermore, as the Lord died on the cross, He cried out, “It is finished!” (John 19:30).

Why then does the Church want to continue His sacrifice? He died “once for all” (Hebrews 7:27, 9:12, 9:26, 9:28, 10:10).

How then can the Church say that each offering of the Sacri­fice of the Mass appeases the wrath of God?

The Lord “entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12).

Why then does the Church seek to continually re-present Christ in His victimhood to the Father? The Lord is not in a state of victimhood. He is the risen, glorified, crowned King of Glory.

Rome’s theologians, you can be sure, have responses to each of these questions.

But don’t expect any simple or straightforward answers.

While writing The Gospel According to Rome, I asked Michael, a scholarly colleague with advanced theological degrees, to cri­tique the section of the manuscript that reviewed the Church’s rebuttal to criticism of the Mass.

About to complete a doctorate in biblical Hebrew at a leading university, I was confi­dent that, if anyone could make sense of them, it was Michael.

I was expecting him to carefully analyze each response, delving into the finer points of theology.

To my amaze­ment, he simply wrote in the margin, “WHAT A BUNCH OF HOOEY!”

Michael was right. Rome’s explanation of the glaring contradictions of the Mass amount to nothing more than mystical mumbo-jumbo and high-sounding nonsense.

Even more distressing is the way the Church distorts the Scriptures in an attempt to provide a biblical basis for the Mass.

Take, for example, the following reference to the Mass in Pope John Paul II’s recent best-seller, Crossing the Threshold of Hope:

. . . the Church is the instrument of man’s salvation. It both contains and continually draws upon the mystery of Christ’s redemptive sacrifice. Through the shedding of His own blood, Jesus Christ constantly “enters into God’s sanctuary thus obtaining eternal redemption” (cf. Hebrews 9:12). — Pope John Paul II

Here the Pope actually changes the Scriptures. Though he modifies the wording of Hebrews 9:12, he puts his new version in quotation marks and retains the reference, sug­gesting that it compares well to the original.

Three alterations, however, have so distorted the meaning of the verse that the Pope’s new version teaches the very opposite of what the original did.

Before examining how the verse has been changed and why the Pope would want to modify it, consider first the original meaning of the verse and its context.

At Mount Sinai God showed Moses a tabernacle in heaven, and instructed him to build a similar tabernacle on earth, carefully following its pattern (Exodus 25:9, 40; Acts 7:44; Hebrews 8:5).

It was to be a rectangular tent with a single entryway and no windows. Inside a curtain was to divide the structure into a large outer room and a smaller inner room.

The earthly tabernacle was to serve as the focal point of Israel’s worship (Exodus 25:8; 29:42).

Each day Jewish priests were to enter its outer room and perform various duties (Exodus 30:7-8; Leviticus 4:18, 24:1-9).

Once a year on the Day of Atonement the Jewish high priest was to enter the inner room, presenting the blood of sin offerings to make atone­ment for himself and for the nation (Leviticus 16:1-34).

In front of the tabernacle, God told Moses to construct a bronze altar upon which the priests were to continually offer animal sacrifices (Numbers 28-29).

Hebrews 9 reviews many of these details. There the emphasis is placed on the frequency with which the Jewish priests were to enter the tabernacle to perform their duties:

“Now when these things have been thus prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle, performing the divine worship, but into the second only the high priest enters, once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.” — Hebrews 9:6-7 (emphasis added)

The verses that follow contrast the continual and yearly ministry of the Jewish priests in the earthly tabernacle with the once for all ministry of the Lord Jesus in the heavenly tabernacle.

“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” — Hebrews 9:11-12 (emphasis added)

These verses speak of an event following the crucifixion when the Lord Jesus entered into the presence of God in the heavenly tabernacle.

There He presented His shed blood on our behalf (Hebrews 9:24-25).

Unlike the Jewish priests, however, who “are continually entering” (Hebrews 9:6) and the high priest who “enters once a year” (Hebrews 9:7), the Lord Jesus, our High Priest, entered the holy place of the heavenly tabernacle “once for all, having obtained eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12).

Only one presentation of His blood was necessary for God accepted it as the perfect and complete satisfaction for our sins.

Now consider how Pope John Paul II has altered the meaning of Hebrews 9:12.

He writes that “… Jesus Christ constantly ‘enters into God’s sanctuary thus obtaining eternal redemption’” (cf. Hebrews 9:12).

Three changes are apparent.

The original text of Hebrews 9:12 says that Christ “entered” God’s sanctuary.

The Greek verb is in the indicative mood and the aorist tense. This portrays Christ’s entrance into the heavenly sanctuary as an event in past time, freezing the action as if taking a snapshot of it.

The Pope changes the verb to the present tense, writing that Christ “enters into God’s sanctuary.”

This makes Christ’s entrance an event that is now occurring, viewing the action as something that is in progress.

Further distorting the meaning of the verse, the Pope introduces it with the word con­stantly, writing that “… Jesus Christ constantly ‘enters into God’s sanctuary’ (cf. Hebrews 9:12).”

The verse, however, says that Christ “entered the holy place once for all"  (Hebrews 9:11).

In Hebrews 9 it is the Jewish priests who are constantly entering into the tabernacle.

This is contrasted with the Lord Jesus who entered only once.

Finally, John Paul changes the ending of the verse to teach that by constantly entering the heavenly sanctuary Jesus Christ is “‘thus obtaining eternal redemption’” (cf. Hebrews 9:12).

The Bible says that Christ entered the holy place once for all, “having obtained eternal redemption.”

The work of redemption is finished, not ongoing.

Now why would the Pope want to change the Scriptures?

Why would he want his readers to think that the Bible teaches that Christ “constantly ‘enters into God’s sanctuary thus obtaining eternal redemption’” instead of what it actually teaches, that Christ “entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption”?

Why? Because Rome holds that Christ must be constantly re-presented in His victimhood to God through the Mass for our salvation.

With each offering of the Mass, some 120 million times a year, the Church says that “the work of our redemption is continually carried out.”

The Pope, not finding Hebrews 9:12 to his liking, simply changed it. This was not a slip of the pen, but a calcu­lated alteration of God’s Word to make the Sacrifice of the Mass appear biblical.

Adapted from Conversations with Catholics by James G. McCarthy (Harvest House Publishers: Eugene, 1997)

For more than 37 years The John Ankerberg Show has offered Real Answers to Real Questions and presented and defended the Christian faith. In all areas of ministry and through a variety of media outlets, our mission is to provide answers to tough theological questions in order to proclaim biblical truth, encourage the believer, and challenge the skeptic.

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