The altar in Hebrews 13:10

Hebrews 13:10 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. 

Catholic Apologetics use this verse to justify of having an altar of graven image.

Refutations:

FIRST: Christians have ONE ALTAR and not ALTARS. Catholic Church around the world has many altars in the churches, cathedral and in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

SECOND: Notice the verse well. There was an altar which the servers of the tabernacle eat. but on the Christian altar, the tabernacle servers have no right to eat there.

Who were the servers of the tabernacle in another altar? The Jewish priests in the Temple of Solomon.

Hebrews 9:2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.

Hebrews 9:6 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.

In the Catholic altar of a Catholic church, a priest eats a host sometimes there while performing Mass (I'm speaking based on my experience when I attended some Mass when I was a pious Catholic before)

THIRD: The Christian altar in Hebrews 13:10 is not made by hands while the Catholic altars were made by mens' hands.

Hebrews 9:11 But Christ being come a high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

The word ALTAR is synonymous of tabernacle. click here: http://thesaurus.com/browse/altar?s=t

FOURTH: The Old Testament altar is where the children of Israel put their offering to God.

Leviticus 1:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock.

 
Leviticus 1:3 If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.  

Leviticus 1:4 And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.

Leviticus 1:5 And he shall kill the bullock before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Leviticus 1:6 And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces.  

Leviticus 1:7 And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire:

Leviticus 1:8 And the priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar:

In the New Testament, the Christian altar is in heaven.


Revelation 14:17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.

Revelation 14:18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.

If the Jewish temple has an altar, the same with the temple in heaven.

Again in Hebrews 9:11, the tabernacle or the altar of the Christians IS NOT MADE WITH HANDS it is because the altar of Christians is in heaven.

If the altar made with hands was used where to pour out the blood of the animal offering to God for the errors of the people (read the verse below)

Leviticus 4:18 And he shall put some of the blood upon the horns of the altar which is before the LORD, that is in the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall pour out all the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

The Christian altar which is THE ALTAR IN HEAVEN whose blood to be poured out there is not of animals but of the Lord Jesus Christ

Hebrews 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

We must remember that the holy place of the CHRISTIAN ALTAR is not made with hands because IT IS IN HEAVEN because the Christian altar is in heaven.

Hebrews 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.

Because the holy place of the tabernacle made with hands also has a holy place.

Hebrews 9:2 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;

Where a high priest pour out the blood for the sins of the people.

Hebrews 9:7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:

ADDITIONAL REFUTATIONS:

God will not favor of using graven images even for the purpose of using it to worship Him.

In fact, God said to any of his servants that he may be cursed FOR JUST MAKING OF IT. What's more if you will also kneel and pray infront of it?

Deuteronomy 27:15 Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.

God will also not agree to have a graven image which any man will make infront of his altar.

Deuteronomy 16:21 Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee.

Deuteronomy 16:22 Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the LORD thy God hateth.

So having an altar of graven images which the Catholics have in their homes and in their churches is surely an abomination to God Almighty.

Catholic documents testify that Papacy is unhistorical and without basis

 THE FLAG OF THE VATICAN

"Most scholars reject as unhistorical The tradition that the Apostle Peter was ,and was recognised as being the first Bishop of Rome."(The Christian Society ,Neill Stephen.London :Great Bretain Collins Clear -type press.1952 p.36)

A testimony of a Catholic bishop about "PAPACY" who is Bishop Joseph George Strossmayer

"Now having read the whole New testament ,I declare before God ,with my hand raised to that great crucifix, that I have found no trace of the papacy as it exits at this moment ."(p.4)

"Finding no trace of the papacy in the days of the apostles, I said to my self I shall find what I am search of in the annals of the church. Well,I say it frankly I have sought for a pope in the first four centuries, and I have not found him." (Bishop Strossmayer's Speech( in the Vatican council of 1870 ,p.10)

"Ignasius wrote six of his letters outside Rome urging the people to rally behind their bishop as a sign of unity ,but in his letters to Romans he never mentioned a Roman bishop.(Saints & sinners by Eamon Duffy p.7)

Limbo does not exist and part of Catholicism's official teaching before

What is Limbo according to the Catholic Church's teachings?

 

 

Catholic Apologists will simply say that it is never part of OFFICIAL CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHINGS so there is nothing wrong about it.

This is being attested by Philip St. Romain in his book named CATHOLIC ANSWERS TO FUNDAMENTALISTS' QUESTIONS page 31.


Q. Finally what about limbo?

A. Belief about Llimbo has no biblical basis and has never been part of official Church teaching. The idea perdured through Middle Ages and into the 20th Century.


If they say so, It will still imply that the Church allowed to teach this unbiblical doctrine making it STILL AS PART OF CHURCH'S TEACHINGS.

This proves that the Roman Catholic Church is not the pillar and ground of Truth tantamount to saying that It will never be God's True Church.


Sadly for them to say that it was never been part of Church's official teachings contradict to what was shown in their Catholic Encyclopedia above that says:

"This is the teaching of the ecumenical councils of Trent and Florence"

This will make them liars or perhaps deceived and misinformed.

Jesus the first born

Matthew 1:25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
For Catholic Defenders, being a first born may mean the only child. and they use a verse.

Exodus 4:22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:

Israel was God's first born son. does it mean that God will not have another child in the future?

In the Bible, there are another children of God after Israel and they are Christians.

2 Corinthians 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

2 Corinthians 6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

According to the verses above, Those who are in the power of sin concorded with Belial. so if you turn away from it, you will concord with Christ as a Christian of course with God's help.

Colossians 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

You will not be called FIRST BORN if you are the only child. in fact, God himself called Abraham's son to Sarah as THE ONLY SON and not FIRST BORN.

Genesis 22:12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

We must remember that God's testimony is greater than men as mentioned in the verse below:

1 John 5:9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

So if Lord Jesus was called the first born in Matthew 1:25, it will imply that he has brothers and sisters in the flesh.

CATHOLIC APOLOGETICS say that the word BRETHEN in Greek includes relatives as well as brothers and sisters.

If that is true, these will be the right refutations for this:

FIRST: Since the Latin Vulgate's New Testament was translated from the Greek Bible, you can read there that THERE IS A word COUSIN and not BROTHER IS ALSO COUSIN.

Luke 1:36 And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren.

Luke 1:36 et ecce Elisabeth cognata tua et ipsa concepit filium in senecta sua et hic mensis est sextus illi quae vocatur sterilis

SECOND: The context makes that very plain. And the scriptures use the Greek word [suggenes] or [suggeneia] when referring to kinsman, relatives, or cousins, not [adelphos] Brethren. These brethren were Mary's other children.

THIRD: He 'Knew her' not (didn't have physical sexual union with her) until she had brought forth her Firstborn, Jesus. From this statement, it is clear that He knew her (in the biblical sense) AFTER the birth of Jesus. As a practical example, if someone were to say that they took a wife, but didn't consummate the marriage until after January, and in reply I stated that this means they never consummated the marriage, you would think that ridiculous. And you'd be right. But this is exactly what Roman catholics do in regards to the above verses of scripture.

And so, that anyone can read all these scriptures and still believe that Mary was a perpetual virgin is a testimony to the indoctrination of traditions. To believe this, they must ignore or wrest scriptures that say Mary was the Mother of Jesus' Brethren, ignore scriptures which say Jesus was the brethren of Mary's children, and ignore scripture which says Joseph knew (in the Biblical sense of union) her not "until" after the birth of the firstborn (Jesus). And that's just for starters!

The deeper question is not was Mary a perpetual virgin (no scripture says that), but why should/would she be? Mary was a Chosen vessel, not a deity! Is there anything wrong with Joseph and Mary having more children? It was a perfectly normal thing for a husband and a wife to do. In fact, it would be abnormal for them not to do (1st Corinthians 7:3-5).

Last thing that a Catholic Apologetics use to disprove the Lord Jesus has brethen in the flesh is it use John 19:27 that he commended Mary to the care of St. John of Apostles. if he has brethen in the flesh, he will not do it.
The right answer for this is: Who are you to know the mind of God (Jesus is God right) and his real intention for this? No one.

Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

Isaiah 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Even Jesus has brethen in the flesh, so what if He wants his mother to be under the care of John rather than to his brethen?

Are you implying that Christ was wrong if he should do is to ask his flesh brethen to take care of their mother for Him?

What if Christ did not see his flesh brethen at Mt. Cavalry and rather sawJohn instead and wants him to take care of his mother for Him, Who are you to question it?

The fact that Christ was called first born, IT MEANS HE IS NOT THE ONLY SON OF MARY AND JOSEPH.

If he is the only son, He should not be called first born.

as simple as that.

When the word Pope was mentioned?

Now it is safe to say that Peter was never called Pope and will  never be the 1st Pope of the Catholic Church.

besides it is a violation of Jesus' commandment of calling no man FATHER in religion as mentioned in Matthew 23:9.

Another, there is no office of the Pope in this verse mentioned as part of the Christian Church:

1 Corinthians 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

Underneath the Vatican EVIDENCE SATANIC

Catholic Heresy Replacing Christ with Mary! 2011

Catholic "Bible references" on Procession

ALIBI ONE: Psalms 68:24 Your procession has come into view, O God,

the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary.(New International Version)

REFUTATION: Catholic defenders use this verse from a Protestant Bible if I am not mistaken.

I myself say that this is mistranslation. I want to quote from the one of the original manuscripts and I chose Latin Vulgate to see the real translation of this verse.

Let their eyes be darkened that they see not; and their back bend thou down always.

contenebrentur oculi eorum ne videant et dorsum eorum semper incurva

Besides, the verse clearly says PROCESSION OF MY GOD.

Does the Catholic Church have procession for God? NO! THEY HAVE PROCESSION OF SAINTS AND WORSE WITH GRAVEN IMAGES OF THEM.

Look at this picture

Will God agree to have graven images when worshipping Him? NO!

A) Jesus said to WORSHIP HIM IN SPIRIT as mentioned in John 4:24

A spirit has no form and it cannot be touch.

IT MEANS WE MUST WORSHIP GOD W/O ANY VISUAL AIDS LIKE GRAVEN IMAGES OR PICTURES SIMILAR OF WHAT THE HINDUS AND BUDDHISTS ARE DOING.

B) A bronze serpent which Moses created was destroyed for just burning incense on it.

WHAT'S MORE PARADING IT FOR PROCESSION PLUS TO KNEEL AND PRAY ON IT?

2 Kings 18:4 He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.

C) God himself said IT IS CORRUPTION FOR HIS SERVANTS if they will make images of man and woman:

Deuteronomy 4:16 Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,

D) God himself not to bow down on images.

Exodus 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:  

Exodus 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

Sadly Catholic bow down on images

E) God himself said that HIS ALTAR SHOULD NOT HAVE GRAVEN IMAGES WITH IT.

Deuterenomy 16:21 Thou shalt plant no grove, nor any tree near the altar of the Lord thy God:

non plantabis lucum et omnem arborem iuxta altare Domini Dei tui

Deuteronomy 16:22 Neither shalt thou make nor set up to thyself a statue: which things the Lord thy God hateth.

nec facies tibi atque constitues statuam quae odit Dominus Deus tuus

In fact God became furious when an image was made and WORSHIPPED IT during the FEAST OF THE LORD.

Exodus 32:4And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.  

Exodus 32:5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD.  

Exodus 32:6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.  

Exodus 32:7 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: 

Exodus 32:8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

SADLY, CATHOLIC DOCTRINE TEACHES TO WORSHIP GRAVEN IMAGES

“13. Is the worship of the saints confined to their persons?

 No; it extends also their relics and images…

15. Ought we to worship holy images?

-- We should have, particularly in our churches, images of our lord, as also of the blessed Virgin and the saints, and we should pay them due honor and veneration.”

(Catechism of Christian doctrine, no. 3, p. 87)

 

ALIBI TWO: 2 Corinthians 2:14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.

REFUTATION: Another mistranslation!2 Corinthians 2:14 Now thanks be to God, who always maketh us to triumph in Christ Jesus and manifesteth the odour of his knowledge by us in every place. (Latin Vulgate)

Deo autem gratias qui semper triumphat nos in Christo Iesu et odorem notitiae suae manifestat per nos in omni loco

Processsion in Christ does not require graven images.

In fact, The New Testament says about these idols or graven images which the worshippers rely or trust.

1 John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

WHAT ARE IDOLS IN THE BIBLE? They have body parts similar to humans but cannot hear, see etc.

Psalms 135:15 The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.

Psalms 135:16 They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not;

Psalms 135:17 They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths.

Psalms 135:18 They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them.

Christians were commanded not to worship the idols but to flee from it. so they should not use images while worshipping God.

1 Corinthians 10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

Idolatry will make them not inherit the Kingdom of God as mentioned in Galatians 5:20-21.

Because Jesus taught them to worship God in Spirit as mentioned in John 4:24.

A Spirit has no form to be seen. They must worship God w/o visual aids like images or pictures.

Jesus Christ taught us on how to pray to the Father. We are taught to worship HIS NAME and not the image.

Matthew 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

There is no commandment by Jesus Christ or his apostles to make graven images as a way to remember God also instead these were taught to Christians:

2 Corinthians 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

2 Corinthians 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 

John 20:29 Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Do we need images to remember God? NO NEED!

The name of God is the one we Christians should worship as Jesus taught and not the graven image (read again on Matthew 6:9)

Idol worshippers/Idolaters in fact are commanded to be removed from the Christian Church.

Idols are with ears, eyes, mouth which cannot see, hear or speak and they do not have breath and those who trust them will be like them (not physically but spiritually) - Read Psalms 135:15-18

In the Bible, the thing that can make us remind of God is this: (HIS CREATIONS AND NOT THE GRAVEN IMAGES)

Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Does the Catholic Church rely or trust on graven images according to her doctrine? YES!

[[ Kung ating SINASAMBA ang LARAWAN NI KRISTONG NAPAPAKO SA KRUS, dinadasalan natin: 'Sinasamba kita at pinupuri, Panginoon kong Jesu Cristo,...." (Siya Ang Inyong Pakinggan: Ang aral na Katoliko p. 12 ni P. Enrique Demond, S.V.D.) ]]

In English: If we worship the image of Christ nailed on the cross, we pray: "I worship and worship you Lord Jesus Christ.. 

[[ Pagbangon mo sa banig ay agad kang manikluhod sa harap ng isang Cruz o isang mahal na larawan. Kung maninikluhod ka sa tapat ng Altar ay magwika ka ng ganito "Sinasamba kita" (Catecismong tagalog p.82 ni Padre Luis de Amezquita) ]]

In English: When you wake up on a mat, you immediately kneel infront of a cross or to a beloved image. If you will kneel infront of the altar is say this: "I worship you.."

Eduard Syndicus, a Jesuit Priest says:

“Moreover, following other schoolmen, Thomas also showed in a wonderful section of his summa Theologica, his understanding of the irrational element in the cult image and its veneration: When one turns to an image, he says in so far as it is a thing—either a painting or a statue—it deserves the same reverence as Christ himself. ‘Since Christ is worshipped with humble veneration, it follows that his image, too, must be worshipped with (relatively) humble veneration’ ”

(Summa Theol. III, pu. 25, art. 3)(Early Christian Art, p.151)

 

Praying to saints

 
ALIBI: Some may grant that the previous objections to asking the saints for their intercession do not work and may even grant that the practice is permissible in theory, yet they may question it on other grounds, asking why one would want to ask the saints to pray for one. "Why not pray directly to 

Jesus?" they ask. The answer is: "Of course one should pray directly to Jesus!" But that does not mean it is not also a good thing to ask others to pray for one as well. Ultimately, the "go-directly-to-Jesus" objection boomerangs back on the one who makes it: Why should we ask any Christian, in heaven or on earth, to pray for us when we can ask Jesus directly? If the mere fact that we can go straight to Jesus proved that we should ask no Christian in heaven to pray for us then it would also prove that we should ask no Christian on earth to pray for us. 

REFUTATION: There are no saints in heaven to ask prayers to them because they are still dead and just as Christ resurrected from the dead, THE SAME WILL HAPPEN TO DEAD SAINTS BEFORE MEETING WITH CHRIST AND BE WITH HIM IN THE PARADISE.

1 Thessalonians 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

1 Thessalonians 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.  

1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.


Praying for each other is simply part of what Christians do. As we saw, in 1 Timothy 2:1–4, Paul strongly encouraged Christians to intercede for many different things, and that passage is by no means unique in his writings. Elsewhere Paul directly asks others to pray for him (Rom. 15:30–32, Eph. 6:18–20, Col. 4:3, 1 Thess. 5:25, 2 Thess. 3:1), and he assured them that he was praying for them as well (2 Thess. 1:11). Most fundamentally, Jesus himself required us to pray for others, and not only for those who asked us to do so (Matt. 5:44). Since the practice of asking others to pray for us is so highly recommended in Scripture, it cannot be regarded as superfluous on the grounds that one can go directly to Jesus. The New Testament would not recommend it if there were not benefits coming from it. One such benefit is that the faith and devotion of the saints can support our own weaknesses and supply what is lacking in our own faith and devotion. Jesus regularly supplied for one person based on another person’s faith (e.g., Matt. 8:13, 15:28, 17:15–18, Mark 9:17–29, Luke 8:49–55). And it goes without saying that those in heaven, being free of the body and the distractions of this life, have even greater confidence and devotion to God than anyone on earth. 

Also, God answers in particular the prayers of the righteous. James declares: "The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects. Elijah was a man of like nature with ourselves and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit" (Jas. 5:16–18). Yet those Christians in heaven are more righteous, since they have been made perfect to stand in God’s presence (Heb. 12:22-23), than anyone on earth, meaning their prayers would be even more efficacious. 

But this does not mean that we should not also ask our fellow Christians, including those in heaven, to pray with us. In addition to our prayers directly to God and Jesus (which are absolutely essential to the Christian life), there are abundant reasons to ask our fellow Christians in heaven to pray for us. The Bible indicates that they are aware of our prayers, that they intercede for us, and that their prayers are effective (else they would not be offered). It is only narrow-mindedness that suggests we should refrain from asking our fellow Christians in heaven to do what we already know them to be anxious and capable of doing.

REFUTATION: We cannot read to pray to Apostle Paul. If Christians will pray for Paul, they will ask it to God because Paul himself said to PRAY TO GOD IN YOU ASK SOMETHING TO HIM.
Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

In fact, Elders of the Church will ask inthe name of the LORD. to heal their sick brethen. THEY WILL NOT PRAY TO ANOTHER SAINT. READ BELOW THE VERSE:

James 5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

AGAIN, There are no saints in heaven to ask prayers to them because they are still dead and just as Christ resurrected from the dead, THE SAME WILL HAPPEN TO DEAD SAINTS BEFORE MEETING WITH CHRIST AND BE WITH HIM IN THE PARADISE.

1 Thessalonians 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

1 Thessalonians 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.  

1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

WE HAVE PROVEN THAT THERE ARE NO SAINTS IN HEAVEN AND STILL DEAD.

Now can the dead do anything for you? NO! read below!

Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

ALIBI: The Bible directs us to invoke those in heaven and ask them to pray with us. Thus in Psalms 103, we pray, "Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, hearkening to the voice of his word! Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers that do his will!" (Ps. 103:20-21). And in Psalms 148 we pray, "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his host!" (Ps. 148:1-2).

REFUTATION: It is clear in the verses above which Catholicism uses as an alibi that we should ask prayers to God. not to human saints like the Catholics are doing.

We must only pray to God if you want to ask to Him for something and give thanks to Him according in the Christian doctrine of the New Testament:

Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

ALIBI: Not only do those in heaven pray with us, they also pray for us. In the book of Revelation, we read: "[An] angel came and stood at the altar [in heaven] with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God" (Rev. 8:3-4).
REFUTATION: AN ANGEL and not a saint in heaven which it said here to be praying for us according in the alibi above.

Dead saints are still in the grave as Apostle Paul said:

1 Thessalonians 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

1 Thessalonians 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.  

1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

See, No dead saint will go first to heaven according to 1 Thessalonians 4:14-15.

What will happen after they are resurrected and they join with Christ?

Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Revelation 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

They will reign with Jesus Christ for 1,000 years.


ALIBI:  And those in heaven who offer to God our prayers aren’t just angels, but humans as well. John sees that "the twenty-four elders [the leaders of the people of God in heaven] fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" (Rev. 5:8). The simple fact is, as this passage shows: The saints in heaven offer to God the prayers of the saints on earth.

REFUTATION: The problem Catholics did not ask prayers to 24 elders.

Why God created the 24 elders?

Revelation 4:9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,  

Revelation 4:10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,  

Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

The 24 elders were created to worship God AFTER THE 4 BEASTS IN REVELATION 4:8 GIVE GLORY AND HONOR TO GOD.

Again, dead saints are not yet in heaven but still asleep or dead. THEY STILL NEED TO BE RESURRECTED LIKE WHAT HAPPENED TO CHRIST TO BE WITH HIM IN PARADISE

1 Thessalonians 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

1 Thessalonians 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.  

1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
 
PRAYING TO DEAD SAINTS ALSO DOES NOT FAVOR THE LAWS OF THE TORAH ESPECIALLY TO THE JEWS WHOSE FAITH IS JUDAISM:

Sacrament of Confession in the Bible

ALIBI ONE: John 20:23 Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained. (Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible)

Catholic apologists concluded that they can forgive sins as well as their successors (Catholic clergy) by means of a Catholic confessing his sins to a priest

REFUTATION: Another private interpretation!

If this is how Christ wants his apostles to forgive sins by a Christian will confess their sins to them, What about for a non Christian? how will the apostles forgive their sins?

IT IS BY MEANS OF BAPTISM!

Acts 2:38 But Peter said to them: Do penance, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins: and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Douay-Rheims Version)

Did Peter say to confess their sins to him? NO.

he said they must do penance. IT MEAN THEY SHOULD REPENT and be baptized.

In fact, when a Christian named Simon the magician sinned, Peter did not say to confess his sins to him but he said Simon must repent.

Acts 8:18 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,

Acts 8:19 Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.

Acts 8:20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.  

Acts 8:21Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.

Acts 8:22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.

Apostle Peter said to Simon to REPENT and PRAY to God to be forgiven. NOT TO GO TO A PLACE WHERE THE SIMON MUST CONFESS HIS SINS TO PETER.

In fact, BY PRAYER as Apostle Peter said is you can confess your sins to God:

1 Kings 8:33 When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they have sinned against thee, and shall turn again to thee, and confess thy name, and pray, and make supplication unto thee in this house:
 
1 King 8:34 Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers.

So for a Christian to confess to God, YOU SHOULD CONFESS IT BY PRAYER and God will forgive as mentioned in 1 Kings 8:34.

Because Apostle Peter said to Simon to REPENT (Turn away from doing sin) and PRAY to God for forgiveness.

GOD IN THE SCRIPTURES SAVE A MAN WHO REALLY REPENT FROM THEIR SINS:

Psalms 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Now what about if a baptized Christian sins? how will the apostles forgive him?

2 Corinthians 2:10 To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;

If a Christian forgives a Christian, The minister of God forgives him.

How will this happen that you must be forgiven by a Christian? YOU MUST CONFESS TO THE PERSON IF YOU DO ANYTHING WRONG TO HIM.

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

In fact, James 5:16 is one of alibi verses for the Sacrament of Confession of Catholicism.

But if this is true, WHEN DID A PRIEST CONFESS HIS SINS TO A CATHOLIC member when a Catholic laity confesses his sin to him?

It will imply that the Roman Catholic Church did not imitate what was said on the verse.

they must confess one to another.

It should happen that A PRIEST WILL CONFESS TO A MEMBER and A MEMBER WILL CONFESS TO A PRIEST.

but it never happens.

Now, WHAT IS THE PROPER WAY OF CONFESSING YOUR SINS TO GOD?

Psalms 32:5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

You must CONFESS IT TO GOD because every time you do sin, YOU REALLY SIN AGAINST HIM!

LAST ALIBI: We need someone for us to say that we are forgiven. (It means that you'll know if you are forgiven if a priest says "You are forgiven")

If you confess your sins to God and to know how you are forgiven, THE BAD THING YOU DID IN THE PAST IS YOU'RE NOT DOING ANYMORE!

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. See, you are now a new creature. you are not a bad person anymore if you are forgiven by God.

WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A RENEWED CHRISTIAN?

1 Peter 4:2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

We do not live in the lusts of men (it means we do not live a sinful life anymore)

                                               What are those sinful life?

1 Peter 4:3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:

A man forgiven by God does not walk anymore in lusts of men like mentioned in 1 Peter 4:3 (colored in sky blue)

As a baptized Christian, We NEED TO CONFESS OUR SINS TO GOD to CLEANSE US FROM UNRIGHTEOUSNESS!

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

Confessing to a priest was once a tool to eliminate the threat for them.

My country The Philippines was once under the Spanish rule. The secret revolutionary society named Katipunan whose intention is to rebel against Spain in order to gain independence from her rule was exposed by means of a man confessing it to a Spanish friar.

"On August 19, 1896, Teodoro Patiño confessed to Spanish friar, Fr. Mariano Gil, of the existence of the Katipunan. A crackdown on its suspected supporters and members immediately followed and hundreds of people, mostly innocent men, and including prominent and wealthy members of the colonial society, were rounded up and incarcerated. Subjected to torture or threats of death, many were forced to confess to untruths. Meanwhile, the Katipuneros lost no time in regrouping and devising contigent plans for the start of the uprising despite a lack of guns and ammunition. Andres immediately decided to convene a final general assembly on the Tagalog region to inform all the Katipunan leaders, including Aguinaldo, about it."

Source: http://www.oocities.org/sinupan/bonifaciopro.htm

Procession of Catholic Church in 2 Samuel 6:12-15

2 Samuel 6:12 And it was told king David, saying, The LORD hath blessed the house of Obededom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom into the city of David with gladness.  

2 Samuel 6:13 And it was so, that when they that bare the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings.  

2 Samuel 6:14 And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.  

2 Samuel 6:15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.

REFUTATION:

If we will use well our mind, we will realize immediately that the alibi that Catholicism quoted from the Bible is not followed the same way what we can read in the verse (SEE THE PIC BELOW)

Now did Catholicism follow her alibi? It is not the Ark of the Covenant that is going in procession.

If using of images is okay for the purpose of worshipping God, God should not be angry when the Israelites made a golden calf and use it during the Feast of the Lord. BUT INSTEAD God became angry.

Exodus 32:5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD.  

Exodus 32:6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. 

Exodus 32:7 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:  

Exodus 32:8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

Exodus 32:9 And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:  

Exodus 32:10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.

In the New Testament, Lord Jesus said to worship God in spirit (read John 4:24)

A spirit has no form. it means you will not use any visual aids to worship God. It means you will not face to a statue or picture while worshipping God.

Jesus said to worship the NAME OF GOD (read Matthew 6:9) and not the IMAGE.

In fact, St. John the Apostle said to KEEP themselves from idols (read 1 John 5:21)

It means that idols are not good for Christians.

The idols are things that people relied (or trust) which have human body parts but cannot see, hear, smell etc. 

⁴ They have idols of silver and gold, made by human hands.

⁵ These have mouths but say nothing, have eyes but see nothing,

⁶ have ears but hear nothing, have noses but smell nothing.

⁷ They have hands but cannot feel, have feet but cannot walk, no sound comes from their throats.

⁸ Their makers will end up like them, and all who rely on them. 

(FROM PSALMS CHAPTER 115 OF NEW JERUSALEM CATHOLIC BIBLE VERSION)

Today, Catholics rely on these idols while doing their worship to God.

Is Mary the queen in Psalms 45:9?

Psalms 45:9 Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.

REFUTATION:

We must read very well that the queen has gold of Ophir. If Mary is the queen in the verse, does it mean that there is a place called Ophir in heaven where she got the gold? Mary today according to Catholicism is now in heaven.

In the Bible, there is no Christian who will go first to paradise.

1 Thessalonians 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.  

1 Thessalonians 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

It means that all dead Christians will experience the same thing what happened to Jesus Christ before they will be with Him in paradise.

They will be raise from the dead and be with Lord Jesus in paradise.

In fact continue in verse 16 of 1 Thessalonians 4:
1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1 Thessalonian 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

 In fact, Jesus said that he will prepare a place for Christians and once done, he will come back to get them.

It means not a single Christian will go TODAY where Christ is presently there today which is PARADISE.

John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  

John 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  

John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Lord Jesus himself that those who saw and believe in HIM will be resurrected in the LAST DAY. It means that it's not true that Mary today is in heaven because Christ brought her there before other dead Christians.

John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. 

Now we have proven that really it is not Mary is the queen in Psalms 45:9 because it will contradict some verses of the Bible and we believe that the words of God in the Bible should not contradict each other.

Now who is the queen in Psalms 45:9?

1 Kings 2:19 Bathsheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the king's mother; and she sat on his right hand.

That queen is Bathsheba. the mother of King of Solomon! and not Mary