Revelation 1:17-18
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
This will hopefully shed the light of our marvelous Lord Christ Jesus on these false teachings and false beliefs associated to death, Hades, Tartarus, Hell, and Purgatory.
Strong's Concordance
Greek: thanatos: death (Greek added)
Strong's number: G2288 (Strong's number added)
Original Word: θάνατος, ου, ὁ
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: thanatos
Phonetic Spelling: (than'-at-os)
Definition: death
Usage: death, physical or spiritual.
HELPS Word-studies
2288 thánatos (derived from 2348 /thnḗskō, "to die") – physical or spiritual death; (figuratively) separation from the life (salvation) of God forever by dying without first experiencing death to self to receive His gift of salvation.
Strong's Concordance
Greek: hadés: Hades, the abode of departed spirits (Greek added)
Strong's number: G86 (Strong's number added)
Original Word: ἅ́δης
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: hadēs
Phonetic Spelling: (hah'-dace)
Defined as: Hades, the abode of departed spirits
Usage: Hades, the unseen world.
HELPS Word-studies
86 hádēs (from 1 /A "not" and idein/eidō, "see") – properly, the "unseen place," referring to the (invisible) realm in which all the dead reside, i.e. the present dwelling place of all the departed (deceased); Hades. Luke 16:23, Revelation 20:13-14;
Strong's Concordance
Greek: tartaroó: to cast into hell (Greek added)
Strong's number: G5020 (Strong's number added)
Original Word: ταρταρόω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: tartaroó
Phonetic Spelling: (tar-tar-o'-o)
Definition: to cast into hell
Usage: I thrust down to Tartarus or Gehenna.
HELPS Word-studies
5020 tartaróō – properly, send to Tartarus ("Tartaros"). The NT uses 5020 (tartaróō) for the netherworld – the place of punishment fit only for demons. Later, Tartaros came to represent eternal punishment for wicked people.
"5020 (tartaróō) is a Greek name for the under-world, especially the abode of the damned – hence to cast into hell" (A-S); to send into the subterranean abyss reserved for demons and the dead.
[In Greek mythology, Tartarus was a "place of punishment under the earth, to which, for example, the Titans were sent" (Souter).]
Strong's Concordance
Greek: geenna: Gehenna, a valley W. and South of Jer., also a symbolic name for the final place of punishment of the ungodly (Greek added)
Strong's number: G1067 (Strong's added)
Original Word: γέεννα, ης, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: geenna
Phonetic Spelling: (gheh'-en-nah)
Definition: Gehenna, a valley west and South of Jerusalem, also a symbolic name for the final place of punishment of the ungodly
Usage: Gehenna, and originally the name of a valley or cavity near Jerusalem, a place underneath the earth, a place of punishment for evil.
HELPS Word-studies
1067 géenna (a transliteration of the Hebrew term, Gêhinnōm, "the valley of Hinnom") – Gehenna, i.e. hell (also referred to as the "lake of fire" in Revelation).
Gehenna ("hell"), the place of post-resurrection torment (judgment), refers strictly to the everlasting abode of the unredeemed where they experience divine judgment in their individual resurrection-bodies. Each of the unredeemed receives one at the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev 20:11-15), i.e. a body that "matches" their capacity for torment relating to their (unique) judgment.
A man-made religion “Catholicism” originated from distorting and corrupting the inspired word of God, all the aspects of life from before birth till death and of faith with God the Father, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
This man-made belief and teaching of a place called “Purgatory” known within their belief has no truth to it. Their false document that supports this false belief and teaching is “CCC 1030–1
In Section “1030” states: “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, to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.
In Section “1031” states: The church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. The church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. the tradition of the church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire:
As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come.
In Section “1032” states: This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture: “Therefore Judas Maccabeus] made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin.” From the beginning these churches honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God. These churches also commend almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead:
"Let us help and commemorate them."
If Job’s sons were purified by their father’s sacrifice, why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them. (End Citation Section “1032”)
Job 1:4-5
4 His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.
The Catholic churches scriptural reference of Job 1:4-5 where Job's desire to offer burnt offerings for his sons and daughters in case they had sinned and cursed God in their hearts,
Job’s sons and daughters were alive as written and not dead in a false realm called purgatory as the Catholic religion would have you to believe.
The Catholic church states the concept of an after-death purification from sin and the consequences of sin are stated in these New Testament passages to support their false teaching of and their false doctrine of “purgatory” (Matthew 5:25–26, Matthew 12:32, Luke 16:19,26, Luke 23:43, 1 Corinthians 3:15, Hebrews 12:29).
They also reference to books and letters that are outside the inspired word of God. The book is called II Maccabees chapter 12 verse 46 that is being used to support purgatory. This reference to this book is none other than creating false doctrine. These false teachings come from these books and letters called “deuterocanonical books, or Apocrypha, and the Gnostics gospels.”
These books which consist of a total of fourteen books, eight were translated and canonized into the Old Testament and these eight books and the thirty-nine inspired by God were translated from memory by 70 Jewish scribes into the Greek Old Testament called the Septuagint LXX, this was done in the 2nd to 3rd century B.C.E. Eight books that were canonized to be included with the Old Testament. These eight additional books were not found in the Hebrew Text or Hebrew canon of the Old Testament, and they have been determined to be not to be part of the inspired word of God. These man-made religions known as the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and the Assyrian Church of the East include these along with the Gnostic gospel letters and consider all these to be part of the Bible.
The accepted canon of the inspired word of God contains thirty-nine books of the Old Testament and In the New Testament the Old Testament is known as known as the “Sacred writings” or the “Holy Scriptures” or “Scriptures” (Matthew 21:42, Romans 1:2, 2 Timothy 3:15) and the twenty-seven books or epistles are known as the New Testament or New Covenant.
These following scriptural references are reflecting the scriptural reference that are being used by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and the Assyrian Church of the East Catholics false teaching and false belief of “purgatory” and the scriptural references context of the original writings given us and the interpretation.
Matthew 5:25–26
25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26 Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
Matthew 5:21-26
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26 Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
The interpretation of Matthew 5:21-26, is that Our Lord Christ Jesus is telling us that we need to reconcile quickly with our brother or sister in the body first before attending worship services on the Lord’s Day because we will be judged for being angry or hating our brother or sister in the body because it is like killing them in your heart and walking in darkness (John 12:35, 1 John 2:9-11, 1 John 3:15, 1 John 4:20-21). Their use of the scriptural references has been and still is being taken out of context and distorted by the Catholic church.
The Catholic church also states, as for certain lesser faults, we must believe that before the final judgment there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in
this age nor in the age to come.
From this Catholic teaching states that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain other offenses can be forgiven in the age to come.
These following scriptural references are reflecting the scriptural reference that are being used by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and the Assyrian Church of the East Catholics false teaching and false belief of being “pardoned in this age and the age to come” and the scriptural references context of the original writings given us and the interpretation.
Matthew 12:31-32
31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
Matthew 12:31-37
31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. 33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The interpretation of Matthew 12:31-37, is that our Lord Christ Jesus is telling us that every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, and whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit by rejecting the gospel and or by rejecting the Holy Spirit within your heart and or by accusing the Holy Spirit to be an agent of Satan will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. By our words of everyone who’s heart is good out of their mouth the words spoken will be good and by their fruit they will be known, and everyone who’s heart is words are bad out of their mouth will be evil and by their fruit they will be known. Each person will be known by their fruit. On the day of judgement everyone will give an account every careless word they spoke, by your heart produces your words and by your words you will be justified or condemned.
An additional in-depth explanation of the eternal sin of the Holy Spirit can best be explained as that the Pharisees knew that Lord Jesus was righteous and contrary to this, they said “he has an unclean spirit” they put falsehood for truth, darkness for light, evil for righteousness and closed their eyes and heart to the Lord. Their blasphemy was of a kind that blotted out the hope of heaven, and there can be little doubt that the same type of blind, senseless opposition to the Lord today would have the very same consequences. (Cited from “Coffman’s commentaries on the Bible Matthew 12” verses 31-32.)
The reference to Judas Maccabeus is from doctrine that has been determined to be false doctrine and not scriptural writings, they are deemed not to be inspired by God, due to the errors inherent in them and should regarded as false doctrine.
These following scriptural references are reflecting the scriptural reference that are being used by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and the Assyrian Church of the East Catholics false teaching and false belief of being “purified from sin and made holy after death to go to heaven” and the scriptural references context of the original writings given us and the interpretation.
The Catholic churches scriptural reference to verse 15 in 1 Corinthians 3, “If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”
1 Corinthians 3:10-15 ASV
10 According to the grace of God which was given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder I laid a foundation; and another buildeth thereon. But let each man take heed how he buildeth thereon. 11 For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 But if any man buildeth on the foundation gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 each man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove each man’s work of what sort it is. 14 If any man’s work shall abide which he built thereon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as through fire.
The interpretation of 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 ASV
If any man's work shall abide which he built thereon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire.
The fact that people do not fully understand this passage is implicit in the truth that some have built up the theory of purgatory, based partly on what is stated here. The whole concept of purgatory is foreign to the word of God, but the advocates of it are still deriving immense revenues through the preaching of it.
Again from Macknight: The Romish clergy, seeing that this doctrine properly managed, might be made an inexhaustible source of wealth to their order, have represented this fire of purgatory as lighted up from the very beginning of the world, and have kept it burning ever since, and have assumed to themselves the power of detaining souls in that fire, and of releasing them from it; whereby they have drawn great sums of money from the ignorant and superstitious.[23]
This writer is grieved to know that even now there are some, who were once baptized into Christ and served as elders of God's church, whose children are paying to get them prayed out of purgatory! What this verse actually means is that the persons led to Christ through the efforts of any Christian may defect from the faith, proving themselves wood, hay or stubble, and that the loss of such souls will not affect the salvation of a Christian teacher, whose reward would in some manner unknown to us have been far greater if they had not defected, and whose salvation "so as through fire" is understood by such language to be only by the narrowest margin, "by the skin of his teeth" (Job 19:20).
Yet so as through fire ... has the meaning of "something resembling" an escape from fire, as in "snatching them out of the fire" (Jude 1:1:23); and it is certain that this phrase has absolutely nothing in it of actual fire. It is a figure of speech, prompted possibly by Paul's reference to the judgment and the fire of that day, but not to be identified as the same thing.
The doctrine of purgatory is not merely unscriptural and anti-scriptural, there being not one word in the entire scriptures to support such a monstrous thesis; but it is effectively refuted in a single question: "If any church believes in such a thing, and in their own power, through prayer, to deliver people from it; why do they not pray all people out of it immediately for sweet charity's sake?" (Cited from "Coffman’s commentaries on the Bible 1 Corinthians 3" Verses 14-15.
Conclusion
These are some of the scriptural verses and passages that speak about the ones that have passed away from this world waiting for the day of judgement. It is not a place for purification or cleansing of your sins as false teachers and false religions teach.
Our Lord Jesus spoke of the rich man and Lazarus in (Luke 16:19-31), when a person dies their spirit goes to a place written as “Hades” a place of torment, agony and fire for the ones that were rich and the ones that cared only for this world, and the ones who serve money and not God (Job 21:13-17, Psalms 17:13-15, Psalms 50:22, Matthew 6:24, Matthew 25:41-46, Luke 6:24-26, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, 1 Peter 4:15-19, Revelation 9:1-21, Revelation 20:11-12) and the ones being un-repentant (Matthew -3:2,4:17,11:20, Mark 1:15,6:12, Luke 3:7-9,13:3,5,16:30,17:4, Revelation 2:5,16,21,22, Revelation 3:3,13, Revelation 3:3,13, Revelation 9:15-21).
A soul that is placed into Hades is a place in torment, agony and fire (Matthew 11:23-24, Luke 16:23-25, 2 Peter 2:9 NASB, Jude 1:6 NASB) where that soul cannot cross because a great chasm that has been fixed (Luke 16:25-26).
The ones that their soul goes to where it is comforted are for those being repentant and bearing fruit and saved through the grace of God (John 1:1-18 ASV, Luke 3:8-14, Luke 16:25, Acts 2:1-47, Acts 11:1-26, Romans 4:13-5:11, 2 Thessalonians 2:13-16, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11) where that soul cannot cross because a great chasm that has been fixed (Luke 16:25-26).
There are “NO” prayer or prayers that can help anyone after they have passed away as many false teach others to believe (Psalms 49:14, Psalms 50:22-23, Isaiah 13:6-11, Luke 16:19-30, John 3:1-7, John 3:36, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Hebrews 12:14-17, James 1:14-15).
Seek the gift of salvation, do not trust man but trust in God and in His inspired word so that when the Lord Jesus comes to bring home the children of God we will be gathered by his angels to be joined with Him in the clouds in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11).