Praying for the deceased family member?
Yesterday was ‘All Saints’ Day’ in Poland. In this context, I received a question from someone that went something like this:
My mother passed away a few years ago. Could you pray for her that God will guide her in the afterlife?
An interesting question… After some inquiries, it turned out that the question directed to God was, is asking if He could ensure that she would not spend so long in purgatory before entering heaven. The questioner believed that there is a purgatory (which is not mentioned in the Bible and thus is a fabricated and false doctrine) that serves as a kind of intermediate state where souls are purified until they can enter heaven. A sort of temporary, painful, intermediary portal…
I responded to him, based on the Bible, in the following way:
Imagine that you have to take an exam. Should you pray before the exam or afterward?
Well, that was quite clear. Of course, you pray before the exam and also study for it before the exam begins. Studying only after the exam and praying afterward simply doesn’t work.
This led to the following opening in our conversation: When you pray after the exam, it’s as if you are asking God to manipulate your grades. That is not possible because God is just. He cannot deceive the outcome; He cannot cheat. When we die, the exam is over. We can no longer change our fate. Hebrews 9:27 literally states the following:
And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment (Hebrews 9:27)
There is no second chance or intermediary state, and there is no God who can change the grades. That judgment is fixed immediately after death. The loss of your family member affects me and makes me sad as well, but we can no longer pray for her for that reason. We must understand the Gospel while we are still alive; this is crucial because after this life, our eternal future is determined. Therefore, we must also accept Jesus as Lord and Savior before it is all over and manage our talents well while we are still alive.
It was a painful and difficult conversation because if you have heard that story of purgatory your entire life… how do you ever unlearn that? For that reason, I concluded with the following:
It is about what you, I, and we do today. Do we believe in Christ? Then there is no judgment anymore, despite the sins we have committed. We will go directly to heaven without an intermediary portal, where we are temporarily punished for our sins. Because if we believe in Christ, those sins no longer exist for God:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
The judgment that determines the outcome of heaven or hell will no longer apply to us, and we therefore do not need to fear it anymore. So do not be afraid; God wants to give you hope today. It is up to you to choose whether you believe in that. Today.
So, yes, I would love to pray with and for you, that God will guide you, through Jesus Christ, to Him. Today.
