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If you believe that, upon death, a person is immediately in heaven (as opposed to sleeping until the Resurrection), then consider that it makes a lot of sense that they would pray for you.When I need pray, I may ask my dad or others to especially pray for me. Do I think that my dad, if he passes on, would be any less inclined to intercede for me? Doesn't Jesus ever live to make intercession?I feel confident that if I were to die, and if I were ABLE TO, I would for sure be praying for folks. I might even have a better understanding of what they are going through, etc.But can you ASK Mary, Peter, your aunt, your dad, etc. to pray for you if you have passed on? Well, yes, you can ASK...but do they hear/know? Maybe. We simply do not know.Now, one more step.... If you want pray, you don't just walk up to anyone on the street and ask for pray. You ask someone whom you believe can pray effectively, who can get a prayer through, as they used to say. Well, you can see why so many would think that Mary had the inside edge on getting prayers answered. Or why the saints/apostles might have an edge, due to their close walk with the Lord in this life. I am NOT saying that we should pray to Mary. I don't (nor the saints/apostles, just to be clear). HOWEVER, if I died, and IF I could know you wanted me to pray for you, etc., I certainly would.

Sounds like Perry Stone sensationalism, Aaron.

Our understanding of heaven

I have long held the belief that most really misunderstand the difference between heaven and the New Earth (i.e. Streets of gold, pearly gates)New Earth happens after tribulation and IMO after millennial reign.

Funny, then, how the martyrs' souls that are under the altar seemed to remember quite vividly that they were martyred, right?

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Randall, I had an uncle who drilled that truth into me. In fact, he put up a 125 acre farm in Cleveland for anyone could show where Jesus ever promised anyone a home in heaven, a trip to heaven, etc. But over time, although I tread carefully due to his influence, I have come to know that there are people in heaven (the great multitude mentioned, etc.). Now, are those there immediately upon death? Is that some matter that we should not take as a chronologically the case, etc.?

Funny, then, how the martyrs' souls that are under the altar seemed to remember quite vividly that they were martyred, right? Limited memory for a singular purpose. An Enoch or Elijah kinda thing. Now, whose stretching? We will know people in eternity as they are known.We will know there is a devil who is cast into the Lake of Fire.We will obviously know there is a hell and a heaven.I think that the whole tears thing is not that we cannot remember...but PERHAPS that we will have an understanding that, despite it all, God is loving, merciful, and just.

Aaron is right here.Take away our memory and our past, and we are no longer us.Why put us through earth to have it all wiped away?And when exactly do the tears fet wiped away? I believe we have a cloud of witnesses in heaven.Except for the praying to Mary stuff,...hes been watching too many knute rockne movies

As I understand the RCC's concept of Mary, whom they venerate as the Mother of God and deify as co-redeemer with Jesus - she being both sinless by Immaculate Conception and by her sinless life ending with her Assumption to heaven - that she is assisting Jesus in the His redemptive office. Now beyond the Bible imperative not to communicate with the dead, as well as the overt addition to the Godhead (the Queen of Heaven), it seems clearly out of step with Jesus (alone) as the first fruit of the Resurrection.It has been explained to me that sometimes Jesus (in the RCC dictum) is just too holy to approach, so intermediaries (the Saints and His Mother) are entreated for intercessory prayer from their holy position so near the Savior. This heavenly congress of priest (the saints and Mary) is out of step with a large body of scriptures found in the Book of Hebrews, not to mention the Words of Jesus in the Gospels and the preaching of the Apostles.I'll sure those who practice Hinduism are fine with a growing number of Gods and demigods, but for me, give me Jesus.