Can I pray for a dead person? Other religions talk about there being second chances after the point of death and so there might be a good reason to pray for a dead person or be baptized for the dead. However, from a Christian perspective, my answer would be “No, you should not pray for a dead person.” The main reason is because it’s not going to change their fates. Their decision has been made and their destiny has been set. Hebrews 9:27 talks about this where it says that for all people, they are appointed to die once and then after that there’s judgment. Judgment happens right after you die.
Also we see in the parables of Jesus teaching about the importance of being ready now, not knowing when the end will come and making the decision here in this life, that there are no more second chances. From a Christian view, this should motivate us, that should encourage us to recognize there aren’t any second chances. It’s not like I can die and then realize my mistake as now I realize there is a life after death, I died but I’m still alive now, I need to make another choice. We need to help people see the importance of good decisions. We need to help people see the importance of knowing and following Christ and the importance of recognizing the decisions that we make here in this life have eternal significance. There’s not going to be a second chance and so there’s not a reason to pray for the dead; we need to pray for people now while they’re alive and while they still have the opportunity to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.