You're arguing with Webster's, not me.
Angels and elders offering up prayers before the judgments of the last days in memorial (Rev. 5:8 and 8:3,4; f. Lv. 2:2,15,16; 24:7; Num. 5:15) is not a continuous postal service, and does not constitute praying to them, or the ability to hear all prayer from Heaven, which is unique to God.<./i>
So why are they concerned in 6:9 about what's going on on earth, then?
Because all Scripture was written by that time.
And you only know this because of writers from the 2nd century and later who talked about it, so why are you implicitly citing them but then arguing they're irrelevant when they don't support your position?
Just admit it does not rest upon the weight of of Scriptural substantiation, but is a later development of tradition. As with purgatory and other Catholic distinctives which are simply not manifest in the record of the NT church, and contrary to it.
Well, Paul does command Christians to hold to the traditions he taught in 2 Thessalonians 2:15, and he also commands obedience to church authorities, so your disregard for tradition and the teaching of the early bishops is un-Biblical. But apart from tradition, there are various references to purgatorial fire and purification in the NT, as well as references to purgatory in the books of the OT that the radical Reformers arbitrarily excluded because they incorrectly assumed the Greek manuscript tradition was less authentic than the Hebrew manuscript tradition (something not even Protestant scholars would maintain today).
So why are they concerned in 6:9 about what's going on on earth, then?
Sure. They are in Heaven, and simply ask God, not anyone else, when judgment will come. You simply cannot get prayer to created beings in Heaven out of this, and it makes you look careless or desperate, which is understandable.
And you only know this because of writers from the 2nd century and later who talked about it, so why are you implicitly citing them but then arguing they're irrelevant when they don't support your position?
"Why?" For the same reason we can invoke the Jews by whom we have out OT texts and yet reject their conclusions on them. Because it is one thing to pass on copies of Scripture, and it is another to not be consistent with it. And have a vast multiplicity of Biblical mss testifying against fabrication.
And as Scripture is the only substantive body of Truth that is wholly inspired of God then that must be the standard, as it became as it was written.
Moreover, Rome judges the so-called early church fathers more than they judge here, and does not concur with all they wrote, nor are they in 100% concord with each others.
Well, Paul does command Christians to hold to the traditions he taught in 2 Thessalonians 2:15,
Another fallacy. A evangelical preacher can also enjoin obedience to his oral preaching, under the premise that it is Scriptural, and the Holy Spirit commends thoser lovers of Truth who subjected his preaching to testing by Scripture.
However, Paul also could preach as wholly inspired of God, and also could provide new revelation, neither of which even Rome claims to do. Thus obedience to Paul is not the same things as obedience to Rome.
In addition, Paul's "traditions" were that of known contemporary preaching, not anything like requiring belief in an even over 1700 years after it allegedly occurred, and which was/us so lacking in early testimony (where it ought to be found) that Rome's own scholars were against it being made binding belief.
Furthermore, the evidence that anything called the "word of God/the Lord" was normally written down, and Rome cannot tell us what they traditions were that Paul referred to, while it is because of Scripture that we know he did.
and he also commands obedience to church authorities
And to civil authorities as well, but which in both cases is always conditional upon absence of real conflict with Scripture.
But apart from tradition, there are various references to purgatorial fire and purification in the NT,
Extrapolating Purgatory out of "purgatorial fire" is also desperate, as it does not teach. Go ahead and try if you want.
as well as references to purgatory in the books of the OT that the radical Reformers
Wrong again, there are no references to purgatory in the deuteros 2Mac does not teach it, nor praying to created beings in Heaven.
arbitrarily excluded because they incorrectly assumed the Greek manuscript tradition was less authentic than the Hebrew manuscript tradition (something not even Protestant scholars would maintain today).
Also wrong: it was far from arbitrarily, but had significant Catholic support, and the deuteros was subject to doubts and disagreements early one and right into Tren t. Which provided the first indisputable complete canon of Catholics, after the death of Luther.
In addition, the early LXX did not contain these books, which were a latter addition to it.
Ain't strawmen wunnerful!?
Indeed.
And the Bereans were commended for searching the SCRIPTURES to see if what he taught was to be found there.
This is all that Prots want from Catholics:
Do NOT read INTO them what you've been taught from another source.