This is a‘’prayer’’ commonly and often offered in sympathy for the departed souls, of loved ones. In MATTHEW 22:29, Jesus said and I quote, ‘’YE DO ERR, NOT KNOWING THE SCRIPTURE NOR THE POWER OF GOD.’’ This kind of prayer is offered by those who do not know the scripture about the state of souls, who are departed into eternity. They also do not know the scripture that perfect peace, is not the peace of mind, and that to have perfect peace, here on earth and in eternity, is to be at peace with God, and that peace of mind is temporal, but peace with God is eternal. This peace can only be obtained through Jesus Christ, by those who have been justified by faith in Him, as written in ROMANS 5:1, and I quote, ‘’Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ.’’ Jesus Christ also said in JOHN 14:27a, and I quote, ‘’Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, NOT AS THE WORLD GIVETH, GIVE I UNTO YOU.’’ And in JOHN 16:33a, He said and I quote, ‘’These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace.’’
In this world, no doctrine apart from the doctrine of Christ, can give man peace, neither can the world or any world leader give peace, except Jesus, who is the Prince of peace. And Jesus said this doctrine is the doctrine of God, His Father, that sent Him. Peace is the FRUIT of the Spirit of Christ. And the scripture says in ROMANS 8:9c, that if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of Christ, and in the sight of God, such a man is a wicked man, and can never have peace here on earth and in eternity, as written in ISAIAH 48:22, and I quote, ‘’THERE IS NO PEACE, SAITH THE LORD, UNTO THE WICKED.’’ And the wicked can never have rest to his/her soul, right here on earth and in eternity. In MATTHEW 11:28, Jesus said and I quote, ‘’COME UNTO ME ALL YE THAT LABOUR (IN SIN) AND ARE HEAVY- LADEN ( WITH INIQUITY AND WICKEDNESS) AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST (TO YOUR SOULS). It is only those whose souls have been sanctified through the truth, by the Spirit, that will have rest to their souls here on earth, and in eternity. And it is the will of Jesus that every soul be sanctified by His Father, through the truth, as written in JOHN 17:17.
But workers of iniquity, even though they profess to know Jesus and they call Him LORD, L0RD, and even though, they profess to have cast out devils and have done many wonderful works, in His Name, as written in MATTHEW 7:22, yet, after death, their troubled souls will have no rest or peace, because while here on earth, they resisted the truth and never obeyed all the doctrines of Christ, as Jesus said in LUKE 6:46, and I quote, ‘’AND WHY CALL ME, LORD, LORD, AND DO NOT THE THINGS WHICH I SAY?’’ And the most importantthing amongst all other things that Jesus is saying to all believers in Him, is that they should not be of the world, and should not love the world and the things in the world, because HE HAS CHOSEN THEM OUT OF THE WORLD, as written in JOHN 17:16; and in 1 JOHN 2:15-16. And the Spirit of the Lord even says that friendship with the world is enmity with God. Therefore, those believers in Christ, who are friends of the world, as written in JAMES 4:4, are the enemies of God. And those believers in Christ, whose God is their belly, and who mind earthly things, are the enemies of the cross of Christ, as written in PHILIPPIANS 3:18-19. These enemies of God can never have peace with God, or rest to their souls, while here on earth, and after their death. In 1 JOHN 2:16, it is written that all that is in this world is lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and pride of life.
Jesus spoke about the rich man,who while here on earth, was always committing this sin of pride of life,which we shall read in LUKE 16:19, and I quote, ‘’There was a certain rich man which was clothed in purple and fine linen (costly array) and fared sumptuously every day (revellings, surfeitings, banquetings), And in VERSES 22-23, Jesus said the rich man died and was BURIED. Jesus said, in hell, the rich man lifted up his eyes, and found himself in torments. His troubled soul, in hell, was neither at rest nor in peace. Therefore, this popular ‘’prayer’’ – May his soul rest in peace- could never have made the soul of this rich man, to be at rest or to be in peace. No wonder Jesus said in MATTHEW 19:23, and I quote, ‘’Verily I say unto you, thata rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.’’ Why? Because majority of these rich men, love the world and they are of the world, and the world loves them, and, being friends of the world, they are enemies of God. And the souls of enemies of God, cannot have rest in hell, because it is a place of torments in an unquenchable fire!
The rich man, mentioned by Jesus in LUKE 16:20, while in torments of hell, remembered his five brothers, who probably were also of the world, and who probably must have been giving their late brother, a‘’befitting’’ burial, on earth. The rich man was now the one ‘’praying’’ for the repentance of his five brothers, on earth, so that, their souls would also not come into hell, where he found himself. Unfortunately, the ‘’prayer’’ of the rich man in hell, for his brothers, was a useless and meaningless prayer, because the prayer of the wicked is an abominationto God, here on earth and in eternity, as written in PROVERBS 28:9.
In LUKE 16:26, Abraham told the rich man in hell that between Paradise and hell, there is a great gulf, fixed, hence the souls of those in hell, cannot cross over into Paradise and vice versa. And this story given by Jesus, simply nullifies Satan’s doctrine of PURGATORY, because it is also written in HEBREWS 9:27, and I quote, ‘’AND IT IS APPOINTED UNTO MEN, ONCE TO DIE AND AFTER THIS, THE JUDGMENT.’’ It was appointed unto the rich man, once to die, and after this, the judgment of hell. And it was alsoappointed unto poor Lazarus, once to die, and after this, he was carried by the angels of God into Abraham’s bossom, and so, Lazarus is now in heaven. The soul of Lazarus is already in perfect peace, while the soul of the rich man is troubled and in torment.
It is now obvious that the people of God do actually err, not knowing the scripture and not knowing that it is in the power of God alone to destroy both soul and body in hell, and because of the lack of this knowledge,people no longer have the fear of God. BUT THIS GOD WHO CREATED THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND WHO CREATED MAN IN HIS IMAGE AND LIKENESS, OUT OF THE DUST, MUST BE FEARED ABOVE EVERY MORTAL MAN AND ABOVE ALL THE ‘’gods’’ OF ANY LAND. In EXODUS 20:1, 3-5, God says He is a jealous God, and gave this warning to all who fear Him,and I quote, ‘’AND GOD SPAKE ALL THESE WORDS, SAYING, THOU SHALT HAVE NO OTHER ‘’gods’’ BEFORE ME. THOU SHALT NOT MAKE UNTO THEE ANY GRAVEN IMAGE, OR ANY LIKENESS OF ANYTHING THAT IS IN HEAVEN ABOVE, OR THAT IS IN THE EARTH BENEATH, OR THAT IS IN THE WATER UNDER THE EARTH. 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.’’
Those who transgress this commandment of God, HATE HIM, and if they do not repent NOW, their souls, after death, shall not know peace, throughout eternity.
‘’MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PERFECT PEACE,’’ IS THEREFORE A PRAYER OF VANITY!!
And ye shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you free, thus saith the LORD GOD, and it is only those who are of the truth, that will hear the voice of Jesus, and repent, as written in JOHN 18:37c, and I quote ‘’EVERYONE THAT IS OF THE TRUTH HEARETH MY VOICE.’’
