Your comment: “Thanks for your note, but you did not prove your case from Scripture.”
It is very clear to me, so I have stated it 3 times: “4The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel.”
“The Bible encourages Christians to approach the saints in heaven”
Not once. Not ever in Scripture. (Your comment)
Well here it is: (twice)
In Revelation 5:8 John saw the Lamb, Christ Jesus, on a throne in the midst of four beasts and 24 elders. When the Lamb took the book with the seven seals, the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb in worship, “each one having a harp and golden bowls of incenses, which are the prayers of the saints.”
Similarly, in Revelation 8:3-4 we are told that something similar happened when the Lamb opened the seventh seal of the book: “Another angel came and stood on the altar, having a golden censer, and many incenses were given to him, in order that he will give it with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne. And the smoke of the incenses went up with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God.”
The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel.
Your comment: “Praying for one another *to God* is different than *praying to each other.* The latter is not commanded.”
Again, your interpretation. We pray to the Saints and the Blessed Mother Mary for their help as members of the Body of Christ as they are with Christ in Heaven as they offer our prayers to God.
Since you agree that we can pray for each other, what is better than to ask the Saints in Heaven to pray for us.
8 When he took it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones.
11 I looked again and heard the voices of many angels who surrounded the throne and the living creatures and the elders. They were countless* in number,e
REV 8:3-5
Another angel came and stood at the altar,* holding a gold censer. He was given a great quantity of incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the holy ones, on the gold altar that was before the throne.c 4The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel. 5Then the angel took the censer, filled it with burning coals from the altar, and hurled it down to the earth. There were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
You can advise daniel to respond to the specific scripture so that he does not go off with his personal opinion and the false statement of the non believer about the quoted words of Jesus Christ in the Bible that one needs to eat His Body and Blood for eternal life.
...That is the problem. Instead of trying to find a pre-existing belief, you would be better off going to the Scriptures to see what they actually teach, then believing God.
In Revelation 5:8 John saw the Lamb, Christ Jesus, on a throne in the midst of four beasts and 24 elders. When the Lamb took the book with the seven seals, the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb in worship, “each one having a harp and golden bowls of incenses, which are the prayers of the saints.”
...A brief examination of this passage demonstrates that your claims are not found here.
Incense, which symbolizes the prayers of the saints.
Elders carry the bowls of incense.
They don't pray.
They don't receive prayers. They carry the bowls.
There is no Scriptural statement as to where the prayers come from - other than contextual.
There is no Scriptural statement that the carrier knows the content of the prayers.
There is no Scriptural statement that the carrier was prayed to by Christians on earth.
The Elders carry harps - they do not play them.
The Elders carry incense to symbolize prayers - they do not pray them.
There are exactly 24 Elders who carry out these actions - no saint is mentioned specifically.
The vials of incense symbolize the prayers of God’s people, as they do elsewhere in Scripture (Ps. 141:2; Luke 1:10).
This does not mean that Christians on earth can access believers now in heaven.
Similarly, in Revelation 8:3-4
... exactly. It is similar in that none of your claims are found in this passage. In this instance, it is an angel carrying the incense and prayers. Not a saint.
What is pictured in Revelation is Worship in Heaven of the Lamb of God - not a prayer-forwarding service.
You can advise daniel to respond to the specific scripture so that he does not go off with his personal opinion and the false statement of the non believer about the quoted words of Jesus Christ in the Bible that one needs to eat His Body and Blood for eternal life.
... As it turns out, I can no more advise dear br'er Daniel1212, than I can advise you! I will point out that he actually documented his belief from Scripture, over and over. You have not.
Best to you.
What? Very clear to you? Where oh where do you see these beings "offering prayers for the saints on earth"??? As said in refutation, which you blithely ignore in doubling down like a Hillary on you fantasy, Rev. 5:8 and 8:3,4 says that they were offering the prayers OF the saints. And which is not a continuous practice, but which cries will be brought forth in the future as a memorial (cf. Lv. 2:2,15,16; 24:7; Num. 5:15) for the final judgments.
There simply is no "offering prayers for the saints on earth" here, including as a normal postal service, and your disrespectful abuse of Scripture in trying to compel it to support you is an argument against being an RC!
You can advise daniel to respond to the specific scripture so that he does not go off with his personal opinion and the false statement of the non believer about the quoted words of Jesus Christ in the Bible that one needs to eat His Body and Blood for eternal life. Are you so blind that you only see what you want? It is you which has gone off with personal opinion and false statements, while I have contextually and extensively demonstrated the fallacious nature of RC teaching here by the grace of God.