Saint John the Apostle tells us in Rev 21:27, "Nothing unclean will enter heaven."

"Who does John think he is?" you ask, "trying to frighten us with his words: nothing unclean will enter heaven? How does he know? Does he think he's God?"

No he doesn't think he's God. He knows exactly who he is. He's the Apostle whom Jesus loved. He's one of the twelve who spent three years listening to and learning from the only Son of God. John is the human author to whom the Holy Spirit dictated the Word of God for the final book of the New Testament: the Book of Revelation.

Do not be misled by those who preach a lukewarm Christianity. They contend that a loving and caring God would never condemn anyone to hell. In one sense, they are correct: Jesus does not condemn anyone to hell; we condemn ourselves by our refusal to turn from sin and to grow in holiness. You must accept this reality: if you have one sin on your soul at the time you breathe your last breath; or, if you have no sins on your soul at the time you breathe your last breath but only the temporal stain of confessed mortal sin; you are not going to heaven. My words, like those of Saint John, are meant to frighten you. They are meant to awaken you to the reality of what Christ and His Church have taught for two thousand years: nothing unclean will enter heaven.

When we die and come before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ, we will have sealed our fate based on how we chose to live our life. Heaven and hell will be our two choices. There is no second chance after we breathe our last breath. We will rejoice in heaven's eternal bliss or suffer in hell's eternal torment.

"Whoa. Slow down," you say. "What about purgatory? I know that Christ and His Church teach that purgatory fits in there somewhere. Tell me where. Please!"

Okay, I will tell you, but you must first understand and repeat after me, "Purgatory is not a second chance to get into heaven. Purgatory is not a second chance to get into heaven. Purgatory is not a second chance to get into heaven." Most non-Catholic Christians think that purgatory is a second chance to earn one's salvation after death. Unfortunately, too many mistaken Catholics think likewise. There are no second chances after you die: either you're going to heaven or you're going to hell. It's that simple.

Purgatory is a pit-stop on the road to heaven. It's where your venial sins, the temporal stain of your confessed mortal sins, and your attachment to earthly things are cleansed from your soul before your perfection makes you presentable to see God in heaven. Jesus says in Mt 5:48, "So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." Purgatory, this state or place of cleansing, is necessary because reparation for one's sins must be offered to God. Cleary the Bible shows that reparation for sin dates back to our first parents, Adam and Eve.

In a nutshell, here's the teaching of Christ and His Church on purgatory.

Jam 1:14-15 tells us, "Each person is tempted when he is lured by his own desire. Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death." Adam and Eve listened to Satan as he told them they could be like gods who know what is good and what is bad. He convinced them that they simply had to eat from the fruit of the tree of which God had forbidden them. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, their sin brought pain, suffering, and death into the world (Gen 3:1-20). God in His mercy forgave Adam and Eve for their sin; but for the rest of their earthly life they paid reparation for their sin. (Reparation is the act of making amends for one's sin.)

The Bible gives us an excellent example of reparation in 2 Sam 12:1-25. You know the story. King David sleeps with a married woman, Bathsheba; and she conceives David's son; and David murders Bathsheba's husband, Uriah. David's strong love for God causes him to brake down and to repent of his sins. God, in His infinite mercy, forgives David; but He requires David to pay reparation for his sins of adultery and murder. The prophet Nathan tells David that his son, born of Bathsheba, will get sick and die; and his son's death will be the reparation he will pay for the sin of adultery.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church in paragraph 1030 says, "All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven." The Bible speaks of a cleansing fire after death in 1 Cor 3:10-15. The Early Church Father, Saint Gregory the Great stated, "As for lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire."

Without the existence of purgatory, it is difficult to explain Mt 12:32: "Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or the age to come." The age to come is that age after death. The forgiveness of sin cannot occur in heaven or hell; so there must be another place for this forgiveness after death to occur. Christ and His Church call this place purgatory.

Why have Christians always prayed for their dead? Because purgatory exists, and the "poor souls" who wait there---so near to God in heaven---desire our prayers and offerings.

For more insight read CCC paragraphs 1030-32, 1472, 2302, 2412. Also, pull out your "Catholic" Bible and reference Gen 3:14-20; 2 Sam 12:12-14; 2 Mac 12:38-46; Mt 5:25-26, 48; 12:31-32; 18:21-35; Lk 12:57-59; 16:19-31; 1 Cor 3:10-15; Col 1:24; Heb 9:27; 12:14, 22-23; Jam 1:12-15; 1 Pet 2:18-20; 4:6; 1 Jn 5:16-17; Rev 21:9-27.