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 Purgatoryby Sebastian R. FamaIn 1 John 5:17, we see that there are different degrees of sin: "All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly." The Greek word used for deadly, Thanatos (θάνατος), signifies spiritual death as a consequence of sin – what we would call eternal damnation. The book of Revelation tells us that nothing unclean shall enter heaven (21:27). What would happen if we did not repent of a sin that was "not deadly" and we died? We are neither damned nor forgiven – yet we must be forgiven to enter heaven.Temporal punishment, which is...

Layoffs, Death and PreparationJan 7th, 2012 by Gary Zimak.  A man must always be ready,for death comes when and where God wills it.(St. John Neumann)Several weeks ago, an email was sent from the president of our company.  He spoke of the need for a reduction in staff and informed us that a layoff would take place on or before a certain date.  Immediately upon receiving this email, people began to do one or more of the following: Worry that they would be one of those laid off. Prepare for a possible layoff by updating their resumes and exchanging email addresses....