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Praying for the Dead



My major concern about being concerned about if the dead pray for us or vice versa is that it takes our eyes of Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and antichrist actually doesn't mean against Christ, it means to replace Christ (Matthew 24:24) in our hearts, worship, and focus. Then there are verses in the Pentateuch or Torah which describe contacting the dead as a sin (Deuteronomy 8:10-11, Leviticus 19:11, 1 Chronicles 10:13-14), and while having dead pray for you does not fall into direct contact, it is awfully close in same vein of thinking, and I  encourage us the Bible says, "Abstain from all appearance of evil." (1 Thessalonians 5:22).

The counter argument is there is no more death (1 Corinthians 15:55-57), that Jesus is Resurrection and Life and all who abide in Him aren't dead (John 11:25-26, Hebrews 2:9, Hebrews 2:14), and even Elijah and Moses appeared to Jesus in Transfiguration (Matthew 17) but neither Elijah or Moses talked to the Apostles, only to Jesus who is God (Colossians 2:9, Titus 2:13). However, this is not totally an accurate counter argument, because death is not completely eradicated until Jesus throws it in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:14). Besides that the point of there being no more death, is to say there is no more separation between us and God, and death does not hold us anymore just as it didn't hold Jesus, it isn't a free license to talk to dead, pray to them, or receive their prayers. And why would we want prayers of saints, when we can have prayers of Jesus, "Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us," (Romans 8:34), "Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them," (Hebrews 7:25), "Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted," (Hebrews 2:18), and "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet he did not sin," (Hebrews 4:15), Why would we want those who were weak, former sinners now in heaven to pray for us? when we can have Jesus who is God and Man (Colossians 2:9, 1 John 4:1-3), who knows our afflictions and struggles, but has the power of God pray for us. It would be like if someone is given a choice, talk with God directly or go through a third party? And besides God lives in us (Colossians 1:27, 1 Corinthians 3:16), and so He knows ate needs and prayers already, but he waits for us to ask Him, he's a gentleman and wants to relate to us. It would be like parent who can read our thoughts, but they would rather her us tell them because they want to relate to us and hear us.

I just think we should stay away from something not communicated to us by Christ or Apostles as an essential, a focus, and main part of the Christian walk. We are suppose to be communing with Christ (having relationship with him), preaching the Gospel (Matthew 28:19, Matthew 24:14), and operating in gifts God has given us to serve His Kingdom.

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