I agree, she is physically dead, but is still alive. Just because she is no longer alive on this earth, does not mean she isn't still worshiping God. She is among the saints whose prayers are mentioned in Revelation 5:8.
I would say for sake of argument, that she is physically dead and spiritually alive. Ecclesiastes deals with that distinction and states that both the spiritually living and the spiritually dead share a common destiny that is an evil to both, that they must bodily die and after that can have nothing more to do EVER in the things that go on under the sun. Period. End of statement. If they can't have anything to do with what happens here on earth, that would include our mumblings and carrying on. They can't get involved. Which literally means you could talk to Mary till you literally fall over dead and the only thing you will have accomplished is to have spent that whole time sinning against God by trying to communicate with the dead. You literally will have sinned endlessly and gotten nowhere in the doing.
Just because she is no longer alive on this earth, does not mean she isn't still worshiping God.
Oh, I in no way disagree on this one. But it has nothing to do with what we have been discussing.
She is among the saints whose prayers are mentioned in Revelation 5:8.
Uhm, you'll need to point that one out and then remember too that we are talking about symbolism in a prophecy. Mary isn't mentioned there. Nor does the prophecy say that saints are either prayed to or that angels are. Remember, it says the angel is involved in this and scripture already has spoken to the idea of praying to angels - a major no no. Interpreting it therefor to say that the angels are being prayed to becomes blasphemy. If the angel is doing the same thing as the elders, then the elders are not being prayed to either. Rightly dividing scripture requires that an interpretation cannot cause God to lie or to contradict himself. That's rule number one. If it does so, it is either bad interpretation or a false prophecy. And we know it is neither.
I would say for sake of argument, that she is physically dead and spiritually alive. Ecclesiastes deals with that distinction and states that both the spiritually living and the spiritually dead share a common destiny that is an evil to both, that they must bodily die and after that can have nothing more to do EVER in the things that go on under the sun. Period. End of statement. If they can't have anything to do with what happens here on earth, that would include our mumblings and carrying on. They can't get involved. Which literally means you could talk to Mary till you literally fall over dead and the only thing you will have accomplished is to have spent that whole time sinning against God by trying to communicate with the dead. You literally will have sinned endlessly and gotten nowhere in the doing.
Just because she is no longer alive on this earth, does not mean she isn't still worshiping God.
Oh, I in no way disagree on this one. But it has nothing to do with what we have been discussing.
She is among the saints whose prayers are mentioned in Revelation 5:8.
Uhm, you'll need to point that one out and then remember too that we are talking about symbolism in a prophecy. Mary isn't mentioned there. Nor does the prophecy say that saints are either prayed to or that angels are. Remember, it says the angel is involved in this and scripture already has spoken to the idea of praying to angels - a major no no. Interpreting it therefor to say that the angels are being prayed to becomes blasphemy. If the angel is doing the same thing as the elders, then the elders are not being prayed to either. Rightly dividing scripture requires that an interpretation cannot cause God to lie or to contradict himself. That's rule number one. If it does so, it is either bad interpretation or a false prophecy. And we know it is neither.