:Purgatory:       

:The word "Purgatory" like the words "Incarnation" and "Trinity" are not in Scripture, but every Christian believes in the Incarnation and the Trinity. Catholic Christians believe in purgatory as well. For Christians who believe in "sola scriptura" (only what is in scripture) although "sola scriptura" is not itself scriptural (an example of the error of circular reasoning), the scriptural basis of Purgatory is instructive.

At his death, our Lord "preached to the spirits in prison" (1 Pet. 3:19). Who and where were these spirits? They were those who died before the Redemption was effected and who were bound for heaven, but were not yet there because heaven was not open to anyone until after the Resurrection. Where were they if not on earth, nor in heaven, nor in the hell of the damned, since Christ took them with him to heaven (Eph. 4:8-10)? Those in hell have already made that choice of separation, so he cannot preach to them as they have closed themselves to Him.

Our Lord's preaching to the "prisoners" wasn't a preachy lecture or a chastisement. It was a welcome announcement: "Your salvation is here at last. You will now be enterring your true home, heaven." So where were they from death up to that moment, if not in heaven and not in hell? The "prison" is not otherwise named in Scripture, but we know it as a third state, distinct from heaven and hell.

This Prison state was the precursor of what later came to be known as Purgatory. If such a fourth scriptural state existed prior to the Resurrection, why not after? If the pre-Christians who died bound for heaven had to pause in the"prison" until heaven was ready for them, why wouldn't God turn it into a Healing Spa for those who die today in the state of grace but with a need for purgation of all that is in them that is not fit for heaven? And since those who died in old testament times certainly needed purgation as well, the healing function was always the active principle, while the identity as a prison dominated as the Christocentric view of salvation history.

Revelation 21:27 tells us that "nothing unclean shall enter" heaven. To die with any inclination to or affection for sin, even the smallest sin, is to die with a blemish, not entirely clean. The repentant sinner, dying in the state of sanctifying grace, still needs a final perfecting which must be complete before entering heaven itself, and is certainly not a function of hell. Thus a state of cleansing or purgation (purgatory) a short-term "prison" is essential in God's economy of the spirit.

The economy of healing on Earth can be likened to this in the model of the 5 Phases of health:

Phase	Character	State
5	Balance	Heaven
4	Cleanse	Purgatory
3	Regenerate	Earth
2	Rejuvenate/Age (brief)	Womb
1	Energize/Degenerate	Hell

Human spirits are cells in the mystical body of Christ. Cancer cells are much like human souls in Hell, out of communication with the living body. They are immortal cells, living in isolation, abomination and desolation. Yet they can be healed and restored to life as prodigal cells, and indeed, all rejoice more at this than for the cell that never left the communion of the community of Life.