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Mikey Lynch on Excuse me, but what's ‘mission’? (04/12/2008).
Nigel Statham on The second commandment (03/12/2008).
Dave Woolcott on Evaluating truth (03/12/2008).
sandy Grant on The second commandment (03/12/2008).
Sandy Grant on Evaluating truth (03/12/2008).
Ben Hudson on Job and prayer (03/12/2008).
Dave Woolcott on Evaluating truth (03/12/2008).
Sandy Grant on Evaluating truth (03/12/2008).
Brad Hansen on Getting rid of the killer but (03/12/2008).
Paul Grimmond on Getting rid of the killer but (03/12/2008).
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Excuse me, but what’s ‘mission’? by Peter Sholl (1 comment). As a new missionary visiting a church recently, this was a question asked by one keen enquirer. He explained that he … more
The second commandment by Lionel Windsor (2 comments). Church as we know it can sometimes be a bit weird and jarring. A few weeks ago at church, we heard … more
Getting rid of the killer but by Paul Grimmond (8 comments). I admit it, the title is a serious temptation: I feel an overwhelming desire to make bad jokes about posteriors (perhaps … more
What are we doing anyway? by Tony Payne (11 comments). One of the pitfalls most non-profit organizations fall into at one stage or another is endless discussion about vision and mission … more
Factotum #2 by Paul Grimmond (2 comments). Here is the next one in our line of Saturday blasts from the past. If you're new to us, let me … more
You must read this book by Gordon Cheng (0 comments). I am struggling to find reasons to avoid reading a few things, including a small pile next to the bed, and … more
Evaluating truth by Paul Grimmond (17 comments). I spent two days last week at a writing conference. It was a great couple of days, and I learned … more
Christian ministry and normal Christians by Tony Payne (19 comments). I count it one of the privileges of my life to have grown up in a time and a place when … more
An interview with Jean Williams by Sandy Grant (7 comments). Today we interview Jean Williams. Jean, how did you come to Christ? It's not an exciting story, but in … more
Guilt-edged pages? by Nicole Starling (5 comments). While ploughing my way through The Shack1 recently (and it was a matter of ploughing my … more
Paul Grimmond
Paul is one of the Staff Editors at Matthias Media. He is married to Cathy and has three fantastic kids. He loves student ministry, reading, writing music and playing the saxophone, and is looking forward to meeting Jesus face to face.
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What about Revelation chapter five,. there we have the image of 24 elders offering up bowls of incense, “ which are the prayers of the Saints.” the 24 elders represent the Old and New Testament Church.
If the prayer of a righteous man availeth much..how much more the prayers of just men made perfect, who encompass us as a cloud of
witnesses.
They are not dead , they are alive in Christ Jesus and nothing can separate them from us.
That is what Communion of Saints means in the Nicene Creed.
Go to the catacombs and see the inscriptions..right from the beginning the first Christians prayed to the Saints and for the
dead.
I believe, Robert, that the key word in your description of Revelation 5 is ‘image’. It’s picture language emphasising that the whole of creation and in particular the whole people of God (as represented by the 24 elders) are offering praise to God.
This is not the same as dead saints interceding on behalf of living Christians.
Dear Gordon,
Whilst I think your explantion is plausible..one has to look at the consistant exegesis of the Scripture in Christian history.Seems a strange God, who would allow prayers for the dead in the normative Judaism of Our lords day, and early Christianity and then wait 1500 years to abolish them.
Hi Robert
I think you’ve misunderstood Revelation 5. The prayers of the ‘saints’ are the prayers of Christian people, still living on earth. That is the way the NT consistently uses saints (or, ‘holy ones’).
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