Your revelation examples are symbolic language. The whole book of revelation has many symbolic passages. It is symbolism. Further your example does not mention any specific dead person by name that the prayers were offered to, only that the prayers are in a bowl being held or moved around by angels or an elder. No names. Symbolic. You need to learn the difference between symbolism and literal language.
Second, the whole do I forget to pray for someone if I don’t have their phone # or email? You’re talking about people who are still alive on the earth that I can actually physically contact in some way.
You fail to understand that there is a divide between the living and the dead. Yes the dead in Christ are part of the Church Universal, but that does not mean that those still alive on the earth can communicate to them as if there were still here in their bodies. Once someone dies, Christian or not, there are certain avenues of communication that no longer work. Being part of the body of Christ does not mean you can access every part of the body of Christ the same way. God’s Word says you don’t try to talk to the dead (those no longer in their physical bodies).
Cmon people it’s not that hard.
What is your source for these statements of fact?
It seems to me that the argument that communicating with the saints in Heaven is "necromancy," and therefore a sin, contradicts this argument, in which it's claimed that communicating with the saints in Heaven is impossible. I would suggest that the Biblical evidence, presented by others up the thread, supports the contention that communication with the saints (and perhaps with the non-sanctified) is quite possible. After all, why forbid something that's impossible anyway?
"Dead" is just a materialist obfuscation. "All live to Him."
"Oh death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"
I think we come about our "failure to understand" that "divide" pretty honestly. In fact, we reject it outright.
Of course! And what it symbolizes, obviously, is those in heaven offering prayers for us on earth.
You need to learn the difference between symbolism and literal language.
LOL! (Sorry.)
OK, what do you think it symbolizes?
And why should I prefer your personal interpretation to the beliefs held by the overwhelming majority of Christians (1.4 billion Catholics + Orthodox + Anglicans out of 2.1 billion world Christians)-- for over 19 centuries?
Yes the dead in Christ are part of the Church Universal, but that does not mean that those still alive on the earth can communicate to them as if there were still here in their bodies.
That's not quite an accurate description of historic Christian belief. We don't believe we can communicate in exactly the same way. We can't, for instance, see them or touch them. They can, however, pray with us and for us. It's a spiritual thing.
God’s Word says you don’t try to talk to the dead
No, it doesn't. God's word forbids necromancy. It does not forbid us to talk to those you the dead. Jesus --- and He is not God of the dead, but of the living -- showed us that.