What is Purgatory! (General Knowledge)

"Eternal Truths" are part of the doctrine of eschatology, or the study of Last Things. Eschatology is a branch of theology concerned with the end of the world and the final destination of a soul after death.

Death, judgment, heaven and hell are the four "eternal truths" sometimes referred to as the four Last Things.

[The Catholic Church, being the oldest Church of 2000 years, and a mega-scale organisation, has lots of ideas and teachings written down, but not taught to the average church-goers. If you are interested in a certain topic, you need to seek an expert and ask.]

The Catholic Church believes in and teaches the doctrines of heaven, hell and purgatory.

Heaven is described as the happiness of the just, who will one day be with Christ.
Hell, by contrast, is the eternal punishment of the unrepentant sinner, deprived of the sight of God.
Purgatory is the possibility of purification for repentant sinners before they see God. This purification is very different from the punishment of the unrepentant sinner in hell.

... Just a bit of general knowledge...

Paradox: God the Father, God the Son, are in Heaven. But they are here!

Jesus foretold His death, and told His disciples that He could not bring them along. He went back to Heaven to be with the Father. In Acts 7:56, Stephen said "Behold I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

God the Father and God the Son are now in Heaven. They are not here on Earth.

However, go ahead and pray to the Father and the Son. They are omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. They are here by your side and listening and answering your prayers. (This is a paradox - They are in Heaven, yet They are here.)

Before Jesus returned to Heaven, He promised to send the Holy Spirit. And yes, after a few weeks, at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came in a spectacular manner, empowering the believers, changing them from discouraged people to mighty men and women.

So now, who is on Earth, and who is in Heaven ? Answer is obvious.

The Holy Spirit is here on Earth with us. He is our Helper. Pray in the Holy Spirit.

Mira asked, "Can non-Christians get to heaven? "

Can non-Christians get to heaven ?

I am always intrigued by this questions. Many of you have family members and friends who are non-Christians and we hope that they would be in heaven with us one day.

I was taught in bible studies to believe that non-Christians CANNOT go to heaven. John 14:6 "I am the Way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father, but through me."

This is what Jesus said ! The questions on everyone's mind were:
-How about the babies and young children who died without an opportunity to accept Christ?
-How about the patriarchs of olden times, of Abraham, of Moses, all the prophets, all the old Testament heroes and godly people? They do not know Christ. The idea of a Triune God only pop up in the New Testament times.
-How about the godly and holy Jews today, who love and serve God, but do not accept Christ?
-How about the wonderful people of other religions, the buddhists, the muslims, who live lives of humility, selflessness and servitude, but who do not accept Christ.

In recent years, I am aware that many Christian groups adopt the idea that Christ is not the only way. Non-Christians can get to heaven.

I keep a copy of 'DEAR PADRE (Nov 20, 2005 issue)'. This is how Father Joseph Nolen, C.Ss.R. replied to Mira's question...
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Dear Mira,
Put your mind at ease. A person who is not a Christian CAN go to heaven. I imagine we will see many more people than we think in heaven. Heaven is not just for Christians, but for everyone who loves God and responds to God's will in his or her life.
We know that God wants all people to be saved, not just Christians. Jesus began a church to help people achieve salvation. What I know as a Catholic is that God called me into the Church. It is there that I will work out my salvation. I do not know why there are some people who have never heard of Jesus or who do not have the faith to join the Church. I do know that God wants them in heaven just like God wants me in heaven.........
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Personally, I do not know whether Father Joseph Nolen's view is the official position of the Catholic Church.

But I know God is kind, merciful and fair.

By my accepting Jesus, I am a child of God, and heir also, and fellow-heir with Christ. Roman8:17.

But others who did not accept Jesus, they are not children of God. But they still can be citizens of Heaven. (Sounds like heresy to some ?)

I am of the view that there is hope that the little children who died before knowing Christ could be in heaven also; and my non-Christian friends could be too.

What do you think ?

End

Happiness In Heaven

For centuries, people had been seeking to understand what comes after death.

Some believe in the existence of Heaven and Hell.
Some believe in the realm of nothingness.

When we leave this world, we go to the afterworld.

One thing for sure is that there is no religion in the afterworld. Religion is a manifestation in the human world. A result of humans trying to understand what is, what is important, and what is not important in this world, and the afterworld.

I was wondering whether there are many languages in the afterworld. Are there English, Mandarin, Malay, Latin, French and German Languages ?

I was wondering whether there are different skin colours in the afterworld. Are there black, white, pink, yellow, brown ?

I would prefer to rationalize that Heaven is a wonderful place. A place where there is no division, no strife, no sorrow, no misunderstanding, no quarrel, no shame... There are probably only 3 groups of afterworld beings in Heaven - the HAPPY, THE VERY HAPPY, and THE MOST HAPPY. And each member of the 3 groups does not know or see any difference between the different groups. Once there are differences, there is unhappiness.

So in heaven, there is no difference between the rich and the poor, the black and the white, the pretty and the ugly, the HAPPY and the MOST HAPPY.

Now what about Hell ?

Tell me what you think...