What does the Bible say about praying to the dead?

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What does the Bible say about praying to the dead? We're going to answer that question.

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Praying to the dead is strictly forbidden in the Bible. Deuteronomy tells us anyone who consults with the dead is detestable to the

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Lord. The story of Saul consulting a medium to bring up the spirit of the dead Samuel resulted in his death because he was unfaithful to the

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Lord. He did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance. Clearly, God has declared that such things are not to be done.

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Consider the characteristics of God. God is omnipresent, everywhere at once, and is capable of hearing every prayer in the world.

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A human being, on the other hand, does not possess this attribute. Also, God is the only one with the power to answer prayer.

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God is omnipotent, all -powerful. Certainly this is an attribute a human being, dead or alive, does not possess.

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And finally, God is omniscient. He knows everything. Even before we pray, God knows our genuine needs and knows them better than we do.

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Not only does he know our needs, but he answers our prayers according to his perfect will.

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So in order for a dead person to receive prayers, the dead individual has to hear the prayer, possess the power to answer it, and know how to answer it in a way that is best for the individual praying.

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Only God hears and answers prayer because of his perfect essence and because of what some theologians call his imminence.

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Imminence is the quality of God that causes him to be directly involved with the affairs of mankind.

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This includes answering prayer. Even after a person dies, God is still involved with that person in his destination.

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Man is destined to die once, and after that, to face judgment. If a person dies in Christ, he goes to heaven to be present with the

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Lord. If a person dies in his sin, he goes to hell, and eventually everyone in hell will be thrown into the lake of fire.

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God has provided his son, Jesus Christ, to be the mediator between man and God.

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With Jesus Christ as our mediator, we can go through Jesus to God. Why would we want to go through a sinful, dead individual, especially when doing so risks the wrath of God?

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That answers the question, what does the Bible say about praying to the dead? Research this question further on our website,

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