Praying to Dead Saints or love one

Do you know where you stand on the subject of speaking to the dead?

"Some 'Christian' denominations teach that you can pray to your loved ones or to saints who have died and that they will hear you. Hmm, do they really? You may argue that you do not pray to them but talk to them only, so what is wrong with that?

A young man with a deep problem went to consult a pastor for support and guidance. Unsatisfied with the result, he left to visit his father's grave and spoke to him. A few days later, his problem was resolved, and everything turned out well. On all saint days, in his message, the pasture explained that there was nothing wrong with that. But what does the bible have to say about speaking to the dead loved one?

This usually happens when someone teaches the tradition of man instead of the doctrine of God. "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ," Colossians 2:8.

Deuteronomy 18:10-11 teaches us to avoid the medium and consult the dead. "There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritism, or one who calls up the dead."

Now, you may retort by saying that this young man was not consulting a medium that he was talking to his deceased dad and that it only shows how much he misses his dad. You would tell me, "What right do I have to judge him, and that I should not leave him alone?" It is his grief and his problem.

Have you ever experienced talking to a friend on a cell phone only to find out that the signal was cut off, and you only noticed it a few minutes later? All that time, you were talking to nobody. This is what happens when you talk to the dead; no one is listening. That is explained in Ecclesiastes 9:5: "For the living know that they will die, But the dead know nothing, And they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten."

What proof do I have that the dead cannot help or communicate with us? If you are not a Christian, outside of the word of God, I have no proof to argue the contrary, but I have a few arguments for a Christian who talks to decease.

What would be the purpose of a Christ resurrection? So, Christian did ask that question in 1 Corinthians 15:12: "Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?" Please read the following commentary titled "The Resurrection Gospel."

There is a resurrection, and this is the sequence of how it will happen. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.  And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord."

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You may argue that while they await the resurrection, nothing stops them from helping their close one who is still alive, and you may argue that the dead saint intervenes on our behalf; after all, they are closer to God than us. By saying this, you are showing your doubt about the presence of Jesus in your life. He is never too busy and tired to listen to and help you. Jesus continually invites us to rest in Him. It pleases Him that you trust Him and that you wait for Him.

Being saved by believing in Jesus does give us eternal life, yet the dead who are waiting for the resurrection have no power and no authority to help anyone.

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."  As Christians, are we not called to trust in Him for all our needs?   We are invited to be in fellowship with Him and the Father. That is the reason Jesus died for us: to close the gap ( caused by sin) that was separating us.

Jesus instructs us to avoid those who intervene on our behalf and those who encourage doing so. Leviticus 19:31: "Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God." God considers adultery those who talk to the dead." Leviticus 20:6  "And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people."

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Jesus does not want you to be deceived by the false spirit as Saul has been.  Saul sought advice for a coming battle against his enemies. 1 Samuel 28:7  "Then Saul said to his servants, find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.  And his servants said to him, in fact, there is a woman who is a medium at En Dor."

Now again, you will argue that this young man who spoke to his deceased father got his prayer answered since his entire problem went away.  That is proof that his dad heard him. This is the greatest deception. He was drawn away from God instead of being drawn closer to God.  Satan causes this deception. That is Satan's device. He wants to make a man turn away from God. Isaiah 8:19  "And when they say to you, "Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter," should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?"

This man first sought advice from his pastor, and since the answer of his pastor was unsatisfactory, he went to his deceased father's grave. Satan accomplishes his goal by taking away the problem that he had caused in the first place. This man is not any closer to God and to salvation.

Jesus describes Satan in this manner: John 8:44: "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it."  Revelation 12:9: "So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."

Do not talk to the dead, even the loved ones that you miss. Tell the Father in Heaven that you miss them. Follow the real example of all the saints who were waiting for our blessed hope, the rapture; they trusted Jesus and prayed to the Father only. By the way, whoever believes in the One that God had sent is also considered a saint. God justified you.  He makes you righteous in His presence; you are, therefore, a saint.

Make the right choice. 

"And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people,"

Leviticus 20:6

But instead, 

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need," Hebrews 4:16.

I used to believe that the dead were not going to heaven and were waiting for the resurrection when Jesus returned for them and for the Church at an event called the rapture. Not anymore.  The soul goes to heaven and then waits for the event called the rapture. This video explains how that's possible. 

Where Did Jesus Go for Three Days and Three Nights after He was Crucified - by Hank Lindstrom