Praying for the Dead?

Recently I reposted a powerful story circulating on social media. A church visitor requested prayer from the pastor because his cousin had died. “Pray that God will guide him in the afterlife.”

The pastor asked, “Suppose you’re taking an exam. Should you pray before the exam or after?”


“Obviously, before the exam.”


“Right. When you pray after the exam, it’s like you’re asking God to change the grades. That is not possible because God is faithful. He cannot deceive the result. Similarly, when we die, the exam is over. We can no longer change our destiny. Hebrews 9:27 says that we die once and then face judgment. That means no second chance. I’m sorry for your relative. He can no longer be prayed for. That is why people need to understand the Gospel while they are still alive. They had to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior before it was all over.”


One Facebook friend asked what I thought about praying for the dead. I replied, “Praying for deceased people is not biblical except when God leads one to raise someone from the dead. I've yet to do that but heard testimonies of dead raisers.” One of them is Dr. Chauncey Crandall.


Another Facebook friend posted a comment claiming God told her to pray for the salvation of dead people. I replied, “Unless you have Scripture to back up this type of praying, I’m afraid you’re wasting your time.” Revelation 22:11 says, “He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”


This woman then claimed she heard from the Holy Spirit and didn’t need to prove anything. I then asked if she had seen confirmed results from her prayers for those who died and if she would share a testimony. Jesus said in Matthew 7:20, "Therefore by their fruits you will know them." She refused to answer my question. So I unfriended her. I’m open to reasoning together but won’t stay friends with individuals who aren’t teachable and resort to making insults when confronted about their unbiblical claims.


Once again, Jesus encouraged us to raise the dead, but praying for the deceased after they’ve been in the grave for a while won’t help them. The longest delayed resurrection in the Bible was four days when Lazarus came back to life (John 11:38-44). Sinners who believe in purgatory and think they can receive salvation after their death will get the shock of their lives. They won’t be resting in peace. The time to get right with God is now!


“God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” - Matthew 22:32

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