Is it all right to pray for deceased loved ones that the Lord would receive them into His heavenly kingdom?
There are many things that we are told to pray for in the Bible, but the Word of God tells us that we choose our eternal destiny while we are alive. Hebrews 9:27 (KJV) declares, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”
From my understanding of the Scriptures, we can do nothing about our eternity once we have died. For this reason, Jesus gave us very specific instructions on how to get into the kingdom of heaven while we are alive and able to make that decision.
He said, “…I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3 NIV). This born-again experience has to take place while we are alive on the earth.
The steps to becoming born-again are outlined in Romans:
…That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
(Rom. 10: 9-10 NKJV)
Notice how we must confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts in order to be saved. We can pray for those who are alive that they would be saved, but once a man or woman dies, his or her eternity is sealed.
For this reason I am zealous to proclaim the Gospel to our community and the world. Remember, Jesus is the answer and those who call on His name will spend eternity with God the Father in Heaven!
“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 3:37 NIV).
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Joe Cameneti Sr. is the lead pastor of Believers Church, located in his hometown of Warren, Ohio. Pastor Joe, along with his wife Gina, pioneered Believers Church in 1983 following his graduation from Bible School.
In addition to leading a thriving local church, Pastor Joe is the host of a weekly show called "BCTV." The program is aired locally on WFMJ, the NBC affiliate, reaching thousands weekly.
Pastor Joe is a gifted communicator, skilled in the art of building bridges to unchurched America. Transparent and authentic, you'll walk away challenged and encouraged to connect with God in a deeper way.