“Does the Bible say to pray for the dead?”

Steve Brown:
Does the Bible say to pray for the dead? The answer to that and other questions on Key Life.

Matthew Porter:
If you think laughter isn’t spiritual, or that faithfulness to God means conformity to Christian stereotypes, then this program probably isn’t for you. But if you’re looking for honest Biblical answers to hard questions, then welcome to Key Life. Here’s our host, author, and seminary professor Steve Brown, along with Pete Alwinson from ForgeTruth.

Steve Brown:
Thank you Matthew. Hi Pete.

Pete Alwinson:
Hey man. Happy Friday.

Steve Brown:
Listen, I haven’t seen you in a tie since you were an infant. When he came in, I said, Oh, you dressed up for me. And you, it turned out somebody died and you had to do a funeral.

Pete Alwinson:
Yeah. So, but you know, I mean, you guys, you guys are big stock, so dressing up for you is no big deal for me.

Steve Brown:
That’s Pete Alwinson. As you know, Pete comes in each Friday. We’ve been doing that for over 25 years and he and I answer questions together and we love to get your questions. By the way, go to ForgeTruth.com I keep telling you that, and if you haven’t done it, you’re going to get the hives. You will be amazed at the depth of that website. And you can also listen to a great podcast. As I said, we love to get your questions. You can pick up the phone and call 1-800-KEY-LIFE, 24 7, and follow directions and record your question, and sometimes we’ll put that on the air. Or you can send them to

Key Life Network
P.O. Box 5000
Maitland, Florida 32794

in Canada, it’s

Key Life Canada
P.O. Box 28060
Waterloo, Ontario N2L 6J8

or you can e-mail your question to [email protected] and if you can, and you feel moved to do it, do help us financially. This is an expensive ministry and the bills have been paid to this point, but I don’t know about tomorrow. So, if you want to help me sleep, send some money if you can, and I’m kidding, I’ll certainly understand. Do say a prayer for this ministry. Pete, why don’t you lead us in prayer, and then we’ll get to some of these questions.

Pete Alwinson:
Let’s do it. Our Father, we come to you today so thankful that we belong to you. Thank you for the life that you have given us in Jesus, the eternal life, the hope of how to live here and how to live hereafter. And what a joy, Lord, it is to be your children. And yet, Lord, we know we struggle, and all of us have issues, that have come out of this week and it’s been a long week. And Lord, we need your wisdom and strength. We need guidance and how to solve some of the problems that popped up this week. We have bills to pay we have relationships that have to be restored. And Lord, we have fears, and we pray that you would help us face those. And then get us ready, we pray, for Sunday. Thank you for our priests, and pastors, and leaders, and teachers, and worship directors. Lord God, we ask that you would empower them to lead us and guide us this week-end. And so, we commit this time of Q&A to you as we lift our leaders up to you now. In the strong name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Steve Brown:
Pete, this first question is an e-mail question. Does it say in the Bible, that we’re to pray for the dead? And if it does, where?

Pete Alwinson:
Alright so, we are to pray without ceasing. We know that’s true, right?

Steve Brown:
Yeah.

Pete Alwinson:
We’re to pray for people who are dead spiritually.

Steve Brown:
True.

Pete Alwinson:
But nowhere does it say we should pray for those who are dead physically.

Steve Brown:
Now, if you want to do that, you can go ahead. But don’t do it because God told you to do it. There is some confusion in I Corinthians 15, and that’s where Paul is using an analogy of people who did pray for the dead. And he’s saying you’re inconsistent. You say there’s no resurrection and yet you’re praying for the dead. But you’ve got to, when you read that, that’s not a commandment to do something stupid.

Pete Alwinson:
Right. Right.

Steve Brown:
It’s simply a statement and an analogy to make a particular point.

Pete Alwinson:
Yeah. Right. Right. And so, the doctrine that Scripture interprets Scripture would remind us that in Hebrews it says.

After death comes judgment.

So, there is no further opportunity, after death or salvation. And that’s what provides a really good urgency for us to stay engaged and on mission with people.

Steve Brown:
This is not a trial period. This is the real thing.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s right. That’s right.

Steve Brown:
So, don’t mess around. Do what you need to do. Pete, I’ve thought about whether or not to play this question that we got on our phone lines. You know, I’ve never heard this question before. Never even thought about it, but I guess a number of people have and it’s a legitimate question and it may not be proper, but he says that in a pretty proper way. So, we’re all adults. Let’s go to our phone lines.

Caller 1:
Is there going to be any excretion in heaven? I know that we see where Christ came into the Upper Room after his resurrection. He did eat and there will be celebration of festivals, eating in heaven. Kind of a curious question, not to be sarcastic or be silly, but I just thought that. So, whatever you’re comfortable with answering. I mean, I have no problem with that. You have a blessed day. Thanks again for your ministry.

Steve Brown:
First, let me compliment you. Pete and I, neither one have ever heard that question before.

Pete Alwinson:
I know.

Steve Brown:
And it’s a legitimate question. It reminds me of the The Gatlin Brothers sang a song called The Bowery Mission or something like that. And one of the lines, it’s the choir in the Bowery who sing, and one of the lines is.

If there’s no Mogen David in heaven, I don’t want to go.

Well, that’s a misunderstanding of heaven. And we’ve got an e-mail that we’ll answer after this and talk about heaven a little bit. But you’ve got to remember that what Jesus did when he ate with his disciples after the resurrection was another deal. Now, personally, if there’s no steak in heaven, I don’t want to go. But it’s a whole different deal there. And that issue is not one that will even come up because we won’t be eating anything but spiritual stuff, but it’ll be a lot better than anything you ever got here on earth.

Pete Alwinson:
Yeah, in terms of the spiritual, for sure. Now, do you think we’re going to be, I’m going to throw it back. Are we going to, is there going to be steak in heaven? Are we going to eat?

Steve Brown:
Yeah. Well, I hope so. Like the Bowery Choir, you know, there’s some things that I, and I’m not a big eater. I’m not big on the foods that I like and stuff. But when I’m hungry, there are certain things that I want. Right. Right. Right. And every hunger would be satisfied in heaven.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s true. That’s true.

Steve Brown:
And that’s all we know. And I don’t think we ought to talk about this anymore.

Pete Alwinson:
We’re going to get into heresy.

Steve Brown:
That’s true. Who knows. Okay. Since that question was asked the first time we’ve ever heard that. This is an e-mail question. What will heaven be like?

Pete Alwinson:
Yeah. And with that, we can be a little bit more specific. We know it’ll be the new heavens and the new earth. Right. So, Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us, but in that Revelation tells us that it’s going to come here and the earth is going to be remade. So, we’ll have physical bodies on a physical planet and maybe all of the planets. I don’t know? Maybe we get to inhabit other planets.

Steve Brown:
Is it going to be one big worship service?

Pete Alwinson:
You said that with a scowl on your.

Steve Brown:
I can go an hour or two. Listen, I don’t know if I can do that for eternity.

Pete Alwinson:
Right. Right. Yeah. I don’t envision it as being that.

Steve Brown:
Elyse Fitzpatrick, our friend, wrote a book on heaven and she said, and there was a lot of Biblical quotes and warrant for having said it, said.

That heaven will be the place where we can do the stuff we wanted to do but couldn’t because we didn’t have the time on earth.

And I know for a fact that I’m going to have hair in heaven, Jesus told me that I would. It’s going to be a wonder.

And eye has not seen. And ear has not heard. And the mind of man has not conceived, what will be prepared for us in heaven.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s right. That’s right. And so, imagine the perfect world, the perfect lifestyle. And that’s really what we have and that’s what we’re looking forward to. In Titus the apostle Paul says.

The blessed hope is the second coming of Jesus.

We’re not afraid of death and we’re not afraid of him coming back and cleaning up the mess.

Steve Brown:
That’s true.

Pete Alwinson:
It’ll be great.

Steve Brown:
That’s true, most of the time.

Pete Alwinson:
No matter what age you are right now, heaven and the second coming is our blessed hope.

Steve Brown:
This is an e-mail. How long, how young can a child be to understand the gospel and be saved?

Pete Alwinson:
That’s a really good question. I was eight when my mom shared the gospel. I grew up in church, but she shared it to me. And then she brought me in from playing outside and said, all right, I think you need to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord now. She, after presenting the gospel, and I did, and I was baptized, and I feel like I understood it at eight.

Steve Brown:
Oh, I think you did. Well, I used to kick child evangelism people out of my office, until my wife.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s a nice pastor.

Steve Brown:
Well, it was, I just thought, man, this is, they’re dealing with children. They’re too young. You’ve got to wait till they can. And then Anna said, Robin’s ready to receive Christ. I said, no, she’s six. And I said, no, she’s not. She said, well talk to her. So, I went up and fully expecting that she wouldn’t understand. She got it.

Pete Alwinson:
She did.

Steve Brown:
And she got it in a childlike, wonderful way. And you have no idea how humbling it can be to kneel down with your daughter at six and see her come to Christ in a way I didn’t even know was possible.

Pete Alwinson:
Boy, that is so important. And I want to say a word to dads. Dads, I remember when I led my two sons to Christ and behind my back, my wife led our daughter to Christ. So, that was not fair.

Steve Brown:
She wouldn’t let you do it.

Pete Alwinson:
No, I was ticked off, but what a privilege it is to do that and always, and really I think parents ought to be the ones

Steve Brown:
I do too.

Pete Alwinson:
to lead them.

Steve Brown:
And if at all possible, I think so. And it makes a difference. They become covenant children.

Pete Alwinson:
That’s right.

Steve Brown:
If you spend much time with children, and I’ve heard this so often, you can tell the difference between those who are and those who aren’t.

Pete Alwinson:
I believe it. Yep.

Steve Brown:
And probably, it’s easier for a child than it is for an adult.

Pete Alwinson:
Yeah. Yeah.

Steve Brown:
Jesus did have something to say about that.

You must become as a child.

Pete Alwinson:
As a child. Yeah.

Steve Brown:
Well, that’s it. We’ve done all the damage we can do for today, but before I go, Key Life is a listener supported production of Key Life Network.