WHY PRAYING FOR DEAD LOVED ONES IS A GOOD

PRACTICE

IF WE SHOULD PRAY FOR THE DEAD, IT WOULD BE SAD IF WE

NEGLECTED THIS DUTY.

PRAYER WILL LEAD GOD TO DO WHAT A LACK OF PRAYER MIGHT

LEAVE UNDONE.

IF WE SHOULD NOT PRAY FOR THE DEAD, WE MIGHT OFFEND GOD BY

DOING SO.

CATHOLICS PRAY FOR DEAD PEOPLE WHILE PROTESTANTS REJECT

SUCH PRAYERS.

CATHOLICS BELIEVE THAT PRAYERS CAN HELP ONLY SOME DEAD

PEOPLE, NOT ALL.

PROTESTANTS BELIEVE OUR PRAYERS WILL BE OF BENEFIT TO NO ONE

WHO IS DEAD.

BEFORE THERE WERE PROTESTANT CHRISTIANS, THERE WERE

CATHOLICS AND JEWS.

LIKE SO MANY JEWS THEN AND TODAY, EARLY CHRISTIANS PRAYED

FOR THE DEAD.

ACCORDING TO SECOND MACCABEES CHAPTER 12, JEWS PRAYED FOR

THE DEAD.

CATHOLICS BELIEVE THAT SECOND MACCABEES IS A HISTORICAL BOOK

OF THE BIBLE.

IF NOT PART OF THE BIBLE, THIS WRITING MENTIONS FACTS ABOUT

JEWISH PRAYERS.

SECOND TIMOTHY IS A BIBLICAL BOOK THAT PROTESTANTS AND

CATHOLICS ACCEPT.

IN IT (2 TIM. 1:18), PAUL PRAYS FOR GOD TO SHOW MERCY TO A DEAD

LOVED ONE.

THIS MAKES SENSE ONLY IF THIS LOVED ONE IS NOT IN HELL AND NOT
YET IN HEAVEN.

ST. PAUL BEGINS BY PRAYING FOR THE RELATIVES OF HIS DEAD

FRIEND ONESIPHORUS.
NEXT PAUL PRAYS FOR GOD TO BESTOW MERCY ON ONESIPHORUS ON
“THAT DAY.”

“THAT DAY” IS JUDGMENT DAY, WHICH TAKES PLACE AT CHRIST’S

SECOND COMING.

WHEN ALL THE DEAD RISE TO BE JUDGED, ONESIPHORUS WILL NEED

GOD’S MERCY!

ALL SOULS IN HELL ARE FOREVER GUILTY AND WILL NOT EXPERIENCE
GOD’S MERCY.

ALL SOULS IN HEAVEN ARE PERFECT AND HAVE NO MORE NEED FOR
GOD’S MERCY.

“SPIRITS OF THE JUST” ARE EITHER PERFECT OR MUST BE “MADE

PERFECT” (HEB. 12:23).

ALL SAVED SOULS GO TO HEAVEN AFTER DEATH, BUT ONLY SOME

ENTER AT DEATH.

CATHOLICS SAY SAVED SOULS WHO MUST POSTPONE HEAVEN ARE IN

“PURGATORY.”

HOWEVER ONE DESCRIBES IT, PRAYER HELPS TO SANCTIFY SOME

SOULS AFTER DEATH.

CHRISTIANS WHO DIE WITH SOME SINS ARE NOT YET READY TO SEE
GOD (HEB. 12:14).