Purgatory

One won’t see “church militant,” “ church triumphant,” “ nor church suffering” in the Bible, but that fact doesn‘t mean they don’t exist, in the same way that, try as one might, he will never see the word “trinity” in the Bible ( but again that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist).

In Rev 5:8 and 8:3, the saints in heaven lay the prayers of the holy ones on earth at the feet of God, that is, they support them with their intercession. All the Church did was to give a name – “church triumphant” – to those who made it to heaven, as distinct from the living on earth, which the Church also gave a name- “church militant.”

In 2 Tim 1:18, Paul desires God’s mercy on the day of judgment for his loyal helper Onesiphorus , who apparently was already dead at the time of the writing of 2 Timothy.

In the same way, the Church simply gave a name to those in purgatory—“church suffering.” I cannot understand why Protestants – who would readily accept “sola fide” even if the same is nowhere found in the Bible, and yet bristle with contempt over “church militant,” “church triumphant,” and “church suffering.”

I cannot likewise understand why Protestants – who pride themselves with their total familiarity with the Bible, dismiss offhand many Catholic teachings as unbiblical, only to be shown, probably much to their chagrin, about how Biblical these teachings are.