Blessed Teachings Against Purgatory

Not only is there no scripture to support the false Roman Catholic teaching of Purgatory, but their own teachings regarding Indulgences overthrow the necessity for the torment of flames to purify the souls of sinful believers.

But this false teaching has the effect of sucking out all the goodness and precious comforts of true Bible doctrine, spiriting away the believers' hope in Christ's saving work for us.

Consider Christ's teaching regarding the rich man and Lazarus. Lazarus was a poor, terribly sick begger who lived on the street before the rich man's house. When Lazarus died, Jesus assures us that the angels took Lazarus to paradise, to rest with Abraham and all the other saints of olden times. There, Jewish teachings held, the Lord's people would remain in comfort until the resurrection at the end of the ages.

But the rich man died and opened his eyes in hell, a place of fiery torment. He begged for mercy, but was informed by Abraham that was impossible.

It turns out that the rich man had not had mercy on Lazarus. Good deeds can never make a man righteous, but failing to help a helpless neighbor out of one's blessings from God, proves the wickedness and unrighteousness of the rich man.

He tacitly acknowledged that he had never repented from defying God's commandments, but hoped that Lazarus could return to his brethren, so they might repent and avoid the torments of Hell.

But Christ made it clear: if men will not listen to and obey Moses and the prophets, they won't do so even if someone comes back from the grave to warn them of impending wrath from God.

There is no room to shoe horn Purgatory into Christ's teaching here.