Is Earth becoming Purgatory or Hell?

Dan Miller's Blog ^ | March 20, 2013 | Dan Miller

[goat granny]

I think the earth turned into the insane asylum of the universe.

[A Formerly Proud Canadian]

Obviously, none of the above; we live in neither Heaven, nor hell, nor ‘purgatory’.

By His nature, God is perfect and cannot allow imperfection (sin) in His presence. Therefore, life on this is not Heaven. (Genesis 3:17-18: To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.”; Romans 8:22: “For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.”)

Hell is the absence of God. There is no beauty, love, light, etc. in hell. Therefore, this is not hell. (Several descriptions of hell: 2 Thessalonians 1:9: They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might; Matthew 22:13: “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
God’s glory reflected in the earth: Psalm 19:1: The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.; Psalm 8:1: Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens.)

‘Purgatory’ is a creation of the Roman Catholic church from the late 11th century. On the cross, Jesus told the thief who acknowledged Him as Lord that, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43). This repentant thief claimed his guilt so, if he had to suffer in ‘purgatory’, I do not understand how Jesus could then have said what He said. (Incidentally, this verse also shows that salvation is through faith and that works follow from allowing Jesus to live through you.)