Don't pray to saints!
View this page in 103 different languages!
Teaching Outline:
- Introduction
- What is the true nature of death?
- Who or what are you actually praying to?
- Who should you be praying to?
- Who are the real saints?
- Summary
INTRODUCTION
There are no bible verses where God commanded or even sanctioned praying to dead people!But wait, aren't all the saints up in heaven?!
First off, we need to establish if there is even life after death.
Now that we know there are no saints in heaven, who or what are you actually praying to?!
Pay attention to the details below and use some basic critical thinking skills.
I Thessalonians 4
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [precede] them which are asleep [dead in Christ].
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and THE DEAD IN CHRIST SHALL RISE FIRST:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
In verse 16, notice the CAPITALIZED, bolded and italicized text!!!
The dead in Christ shall rise first:
This means that no christian that has already died is alive because verse 16 says THEY ARE DEAD, which means they are not in heaven, but are in the grave!!!
Another reason they cannot be in heaven because verse 16 also says they will rise. How can you rise from the highest place available [heaven] ??
A christian can only rise from a lower point to a higher point, such as from the grave up to heaven AT THE RETURN OF CHRIST!!
WHAT IS THE TRUE NATURE OF DEATH?
Here is a section taken from the article linked to above:Definition of enemy
Enemy
noun
1. a person who feels hatred for, fosters harmful designs against, or engages in antagonistic activities against another; an adversary or opponent.
Antonyms
1. friend.
2. ally.
Therefore, by definition, death cannot help anybody or perform any good thing for anybody, such as take a person to heaven. Therefore, christians do not go to heaven when they die. They go to the grave instead.
Death is an enemy and not a friend. A friend would take you to heaven, but not an enemy. Enemies take you to the grave, but not friends.
Job 21:13
They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave.
Psalms 6:5
For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?
Psalms 49
12 Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish.
14 Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them...
Psalms 89:48
What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah [pause and consider this].
Psalms 146:4
His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
Ecclesiastes 9
5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.
10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
Hebrews 9:27
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
I Corinthians 15:26
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
The word "death" in verse 26 comes from the Greek word Thanatos, which means "the natural end of earthly human existence". Death is a continuing state of existence, so a very accurate translation of death is gravedom - the reign of the grave.
Therefore, purgatory is false. It's is another lie from Satan.
WHO OR WHAT ARE YOU ACTUALLY PRAYING TO?!
Now that we have established beyond any doubt whatsoever that the Roman Catholic so-called saints you are praying to are not alive and they are not in heaven, then who or what are you really praying to?Audio teachings by Rev. L Craig Martindale: Depth Beyond Depth - 8 sessions July 4-August 15, 2020. This teaching series focuses on the discerning of spirits field and zeroes in on only 1 devil spirit: familiar spirits and how they work. Many thanks to Rev. Martindale, the apostle of our times, for this great enlightenment that does not exist any place else that I am aware of.
Job 4
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2 If we assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? but who can withhold himself from speaking?
3 Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands.
4 Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.
5 But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.
6 Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?
7 Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?
8 Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.
9 By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.
10 The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken.
11 The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion's whelps are scattered abroad.
12 Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof.
13 In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men,
14 Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake.
15 Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up:
16 It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying,
15 Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up:
16 It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying,
17 Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?
18 Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly:
19 How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?
20 They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it.
21 Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? they die, even without wisdom [this is the last verse in Job 4].
Job 5:1
Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; and to which of the saints wilt thou turn?
What does Eliphaz the Temanite believe? He falsely believes that the dead saints are alive because of the familiar devil spirit's influence from the previous chapter.
Just because somebody in the bible believes something, says something, or does something does not automatically mean its good. You have to read, think and see what its talking about first before deciding whether its good or not.
The book of Job was the first book of the bible written chronologically and in the 4th chapter, its already warning us about the evil influence of familiar devil spirits.
That speaks volumes. Chronologically, familiar devil spirits are the first kind of devil spirit mentioned in the bible.
In Job 4:15, the spirit that Eliphaz the Temanite saw and heard and was possessed with was a familiar devil spirit whose primary function is to IMPERSONATE THE DEAD.
Therefore, if you are praying to a Roman Catholic "Saint", [including mother Mary!], you are actually praying to a familiar devil spirit.
Therefore, the entire Roman Catholic church is based upon the operation of familiar devil spirits.
Proverbs 21:16
The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.
Therefore, if you are praying to a Roman Catholic "Saint", [including mother Mary!], you are actually praying to a familiar devil spirit.
Therefore, the entire Roman Catholic church is based upon the operation of familiar devil spirits.
Proverbs 21:16
The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.
Psalms 96 [kjv]
4 For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared [reverenced] above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.
In verse 5 in the Septuagint, [the Greek translation of the old testament], the word "idols" is the Greek word daimonion [Strong's number 1140] and refers to a devil spirit!
See the screenshot of a Greek interlinear of Psalms 96:5!
Definition of "idol":
noun
1 an image or other material object representing a deity to which religious worship is addressed.
2 Bible.
a an image of a deity other than God.
b the deity itself.
3 any person or thing regarded with blind admiration, adoration, or devotion: Madame Curie had been her childhood idol.
4 a mere image or semblance of something, visible but without substance, as a phantom.
5 a figment of the mind; fantasy.
6 a false conception or notion; fallacy.
Therefore, praying to a Roman Catholic saint [a familiar devil spirit] is idolatry.
John 8
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
WHO SHOULD YOU BE PRAYING TO?
Ephesians 5:20Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Philippians 4:6
Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Colossians 1
3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet [qualified; able] to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
I Timothy 1:17
Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
376 reasons to pray to God and not Jesus!
Even in the Lord's prayer, Jesus prayed to God in heaven and never taught anybody to ever pray to himself!
John 16:23
And in that day [future—after Jesus Christ’s ascension and the day of Pentecost in 28AD] ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father, in my name, he will give it you.
WHY?
John 5:19
Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
And in that day [future—after Jesus Christ’s ascension and the day of Pentecost in 28AD] ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father, in my name, he will give it you.
WHY?
John 5:19
Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
This is why its critical to go to God in prayer in the name of Jesus Christ.
WHO ARE THE REAL SAINTS!
That's a great question: just who are the real saints, anyways?The root word "saint" is used 101 times in the KJV of the bible: that's 39 times in the OT and 62 times in the NT.
For example, let's take a look at Romans:
Romans 8:27
And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because
The gift of holy spirit is gender neutral: its neither masculine or feminine because its holy spirit.
Definition of "saints":
Strong's Concordance #40
hagios definition: sacred, holy
Part of Speech: Adjective
Phonetic Spelling: (hag'-ee-os)
Usage: set apart by (or for) God, holy, sacred.
HELPS Word-studies
40 hágios – properly, different (unlike), other ("otherness"), holy; for the believer, 40 (hágios) means "likeness of nature with the Lord" because "different from the world."
The fundamental (core) meaning of 40 (hágios) is "different" – thus a temple in the 1st century was hagios ("holy") because different from other buildings (Wm. Barclay). In the NT, 40 /hágios ("holy") has the "technical" meaning "different from the world" because "like the Lord."
[40 (hágios) implies something "set apart" and therefore "different (distinguished/distinct)" – i.e. "other," because special to the Lord.]
So all the Christians in the age of grace, from the day of Pentecost in 28A.D.,, until the return of Christ, are holy in the eyes of God.
Now whether or not they are actually living a holy life could be another story, but ideally, shouldn't be.
It's called sanctification.
1 Corinthians 1:30
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
Here's the definition of "sanctification":
Strong's Concordance #38
hagiasmos definition: consecration, sanctification
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Phonetic Spelling: (hag-ee-as-mos')
Usage: the process of making or becoming holy, set apart, sanctification, holiness, consecration.
HELPS Word-studies
Cognate: 38 hagiasmós (a masculine noun derived from 40 /hágios, "holy") – sanctification (the process of advancing in holiness); use of the believer being progressively transformed by the Lord into His likeness (similarity of nature). See 40 /hagios ("holy").
Sanctification in I Corinthians 1:30 has the same root word as "saints" in Romans 8:27!
SUMMARY
- I Thessalonians 4:13-18 details the events of Christ's return for the Christian believers where the dead in Christ shall rise up out of the grave first. Therefore they are not in heaven and are dead in the ground.
- There are no thoughts, feelings or even any consciousness whatsoever in the state of death in the grave.
Death is an enemy and not a friend. A friend would take you to heaven, but not an enemy. Enemies take you to the grave, but friends don't. - Eliphaz the Temanite in Job 4 was possessed with a familiar devil spirit [whose primary job is to impersonate the dead] and believed there were alive saints in heaven as a consequence.
- The entire Roman Catholic church is based upon the operation of familiar devil spirits because they pray to the dead saints which are actually familiar devil spirits which is idolatry. Therefore, this is the congregation of the dead [Proverbs 21:16].
- All Christians should be praying TO God in the name of Jesus Christ, the name above all names. We should show our thanks TO God FOR his perfect son Jesus Christ.
- The definition of saints in the bible is holy and sacred and is also the root word for sanctification, one of our rights as a son of God.