The KJV says: “..which are the prayers of saints.”
Both versions say ‘of’, not ‘to’.
The prayers are not to them, but are prayers by them.
The saints in heaven are presenting the prayers of the saints on earth to God. How did the saints in heaven come upon these prayers?
The saints are those sanctified, born of the Holy Ghost. Paul wrote to several of the churches he helped establish, addressing them: “to the saints at...”.
Yes, and the saints in heaven are presenting the prayers of these saints to God.
As Scripture indicates, those in heaven are aware of the prayers of those on earth. This can be seen, for example, in Revelation 5:8, where John depicts the saints in heaven offering our prayers to God under the form of "golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints." But if the saints in heaven are offering our prayers to God, then they must be aware of our prayers. They are aware of our petitions and present them to God by interceding for us.But along comes ‘tradition’ of the RCC, to make superheros of certain people.Some might try to argue that in this passage the prayers being offered were not addressed to the saints in heaven, but directly to God. Yet this argument would only strengthen the fact that those in heaven can hear our prayers, for then the saints would be aware of our prayers even when they are not directed to them!
In any event, it is clear from Revelation 5:8 that the saints in heaven do actively intercede for us. We are explicitly told by John that the incense they offer to God are the prayers of the saints. Prayers are not physical things and cannot be physically offered to God. Thus the saints in heaven are offering our prayers to God mentally. In other words, they are interceding.
Since the earliest times, the Church has publicly proclaimed some saints as saints. It is certainly within the competence of Christ's Church, what the Bible calls "the pillar and foundation of truth," to do so.
And the Church had been doing so for 1500 years, long before Luther arrived on the scene with his assorted un-biblical, ahistorical, and unprecedented doctrines.
**How did the saints in heaven come upon these prayers?**
Those in heaven you are referring to as saints are called elders. Now, maybe you can prove that they aren’t OT saints (prophets maybe), although I’m sure not going to say either way.
Are you saying that God knew nothing of these prayers until the elders got a hold of them? Surely not.
2 Kings 20:5 God speaking: “..I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears..”. No middleman accredited for those incoming prayers there.
The many prayers (psalms) of David are directed straight to God.
The Lord told Cornelius that his prayers and alms had come up before him. No middlemen mentioned.
I think it’s great that we can ask someone still here on earth to pray to God for us, because that is multiplying faith toward God. I just don’t ask those that are dead.
Of those that have passed on, which ones are awake?
Paul tells the CHURCH not to fret about those that ‘sleep in Jesus’, and that ‘the dead in Christ shall rise first’.
So, why even pray TO someone other than Almighty God, who only is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. His glory he will not share with another.
Mary was used to help produce the fleshly sacrifice with a soul, God saw to it that it was sinless, and provided the Spirit which was not given by measure unto him. In other words, he was given unlimited Spirit of God (”the Father in me, he doeth the works”). Mary’s body did not create the Spirit.
Mary was blessed to be chosen for the task, but later you will find her in the upper room waiting for the outpouring of the Holy Ghost. She HAD to receive it, just like the others present. “Ye must be born again”.
**And the Church had been doing so for 1500 years, long before Luther arrived on the scene with his assorted un-biblical, ahistorical, and unprecedented doctrines.**
A brief anti-proddie rant?
Just like anyone hungering and thirsting for righteousness, I believe that God sent a witness to Luther, showing him the truth. Unfortunately, he only accepted some of it.
God wants people born again his way, but some want their ‘riches’ (religious pride and position) and God too.