QUESTION:
  Is there such a place a Purgatory?

ANSWER:
   The Catholic church has declared the existence of "Purgatory" in the Decree of Union drawn at the Council of Florence in A.D. 1439 and also at the Council of Trent.  The Decree is a follows:

"The Catholic church, instructed by the Holy Spirit, has from sacred Scriptures and the ancient traditions of the fathers taught in sacred councils and very recently in the ecumenical synod, that there is a purgatory, and that the souls therein detained are helped by the suffrages of the faithful, but principally by the acceptable sacrifice of the alter."

The Catholic church teaches that believers can become involved in two types of sins and only one of the two will consign the soul to purgatory:    

1.  Mortal sins are those for which the soul will be damned.
2.  Venial sins are those for which the soul will be consigned to purgatory.

Thus, all souls who die in "Venial sins", sins for which they have not paid any punishment, will atone for these sins in purgatory.  The Catholic church also believes that the faithful, the Saints in Heaven, and all souls in purgatory are united in prayer.  According to Catholic doctrine, purgatory is a place where souls who have died in a condition of grace, but with some element of sin in their life, suffer for a time before they are admitted to Heaven.  During the souls' stay in purgatory they become cleansed of their venial sins and converted to a state of worthiness whereby they may be admitted into the glories of Heaven.

The Bible teaches us exactly nothing about the doctrine of "Purgatory".  In Hebrews 10:19-22, Apostle Paul states, "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say the flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."  All believers, by accepting the blood of Yeshua, have complete citizenship in Heaven when God calls them home to glory. 

According to Catholic doctrine, prayer for the dead cannot be completely effective without the priests acting as intermediaries, and no priestly function can be administered without special payment.  Thus, Yeshua said, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation" (Matthew 23:14).

Regarding prayer for the dead, Apostle Paul wrote, "Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all?  Why are they then baptized for the dead" (I Corinthians 15:29)?  There are four basic reasons why prayer and baptism for the dead are unscriptural:    

1.  The Corinthians were involved in many erroneous religious practices such as in I Corinthians 11:19.
2.  Baptism in water does not save a living soul who repents and meets the gospel conditions of salvation (Matthew 3:11).  Thus, it will not save a dead soul who did not meet the conditions of salvation (Luke 13:1-5; Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-9; I John 1:9).
3.  Salvation is a personal matter and cannot be achieved or purchased by proxy of another (Mark 16:16; Luke 13:1-5; John 3:16-20; Acts 3:19; Romans 1:16, 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-9; Revelation 22:17).
4.  Paul was simply showing the inconsistency of false teachers at Corinth in denying the doctrine of the resurrection of Yeshua.

The Catholic church doctrine of purgatory is pagan and has zero Scriptural support.  It merely becomes a way for a corrupt religious system to utilize its religious cloak of deceit, as an instrument for extorting money from unsuspecting and grieving individuals, who have experienced the death of a loved one.  The Bible teaches, "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life" (I John 5:12).  Furthermore, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment;" (Hebrews 9:27).

If a man or woman leaves this life without having accepted the way of eternal life (blood of Yeshua) they will unquestionably face eternal damnation.  Make no mistake, eternal life cannot be purchased with money by anyone, but is a free gift from God, to all those who by faith believe that God sent His only begotten Son to suffer and die on a cross for our sins.