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Copyright © 2012 J. Neely. All rights reserved.
Chapter 10 - Lazarus and the Rich Man
Luke 16:22-23
22 And [de] it came to pass [ginomai] , that the beggar [ptochos] died [apothnesko] , and [kai] was carried [apophero] by [hupo] the angels [aggelos] into [eis] Abraham's [Abraam] bosom [kolpos] : the rich man [plousios] also [de] [kai] died [apothnesko] , and [kai] was buried [thapto] ;
23 And [kai] in [en] hell [hades] he lift up [epairo] his [autos] eyes [ophthalmos] , being [huparcho] in [en] torments [basanos] , and seeth [horao] Abraham [Abraam] afar [makrothen] off [apo] , and [kai] Lazarus [Lazaros] in [en] his [autos] bosom [kolpos] . KJV-Interlinear
22 'Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. 23 'And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom. NASB
If there is one truth which everyone can see and understand in life, that truth is that everyone dies sooner or later. And of those who have lived before each of us in generations past, none are here to day. They are all gone and none of us have had any contact with anyone who has gone to the next life.
Sure there are lots of cults and seers of various sorts, but they are all frauds.
We are all faced with the same fate - our life will one day end. Whether rich or poor, that fate awaits us all.
Job 21:26
26 'Together they lie down in the dust, And worms cover them. NASB
So where do we go, what can we expect, and how do we prepare for that change in life.
First, lets look briefly at this life.
2 Kings 6:15-17
15 Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, 'Alas, my master! What shall we do?' 16 So he answered, 'Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.' 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, 'O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.' And the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. NASB
While we are alive, nothing can change what God has planned for each of us in this life. If we live our life as unto the Lord (grow up spiritually), then we have tremendous protections surrounding us. No war, no disease, nothing in life and no one in this life can change anything which God has designed for us in this life.
For negative people, negative toward God that is, then there are the added punishments and disciplines in life which are designed to bring them to their spiritual senses. If they remain stubborn, then the pressures in life increase until such time as they either change positively toward God, or until they are removed from this life through death.
We have already seen that God knows who will believe and who will not. God already knows who will advance in their spiritual lives, and who will not. God already knows who will reject Him and who will maintain that stubborn attitude.
God defines each persons life as best fits their needs and gives them the greatest opportunity for spiritual success. Some are simply not interested and will never respond.
Death is the common to both the rich and poor. Your social standing, your balance sheet, your titles and recognition's you have received in life mean nothing when death comes calling.
Lazarus had a name which will live on forever. The rich man had a name which was lost to history and time. Lazarus lived a difficult life, but God allowed Lazarus to suffer because He knew that Lazarus trusted in Him and knew that God would take care of Him in the long run.
The rich man did not see the importance of a spiritual life, and he saw no responsibility toward the scriptures nor the needs of Lazarus.
Lazarus died and his body was probably rolled into a common grave with little ceremony. The rich man died and his death was most likely followed with great ceremony. A ceremony over an empty body which was decaying even as the ceremonies were going on.
Lazarus received an escort of angels, with great honors, into Paradise (Abraham's bosom). Paradise is one of four compartments located in the underworld which is called Hades. Abraham's bosom was a term used synonymously with Paradise, Luke 23:43; 2 Cor 12:4.
Torments is the second of the four compartments located in the underworld. Tartarus and the Abyss are the third and fourth compartments located in Hades (the underworld). See the chart of Hades located on the web site index page.
In the Old Testament, when believers died they went to Paradise and they remained there until the time of the Cross. Immediately after the Cross, Jesus Christ led a huge procession (everyone located in Paradise) out from Paradise and into a new Paradise located in heaven. The old Paradise is now empty and will never be used again.
Unbelievers on the other hand, go even to this day, into the place called Torments. There they will remain until the Great White Throne, and from there, they will go into the Lake of Fire at the end of human history. They will remain there, in the Lake of Fire, forever, with no one to save or rescue them - ever.
Therefore, the extreme importance for everyone to believe in Jesus Christ, simply believe, simply form those six little words in your thoughts, 'Father, I believe in Jesus Christ.' And that is all it takes to defeat eternal condemnation (the Lake of Fire), forever. You should now see how foolish and stupid are those who refuse to believe.
Over death none of us have any control. We cannot postpone it. We cannot prevent it. It will come to us all one day. Perhaps sooner than you think.
In death, Lazarus closed his eyes and opened them with an angelic honor guard escort to Paradise. Today when we die, we receive an honor guard escort directly to heaven and into the presence of the Lord, Jesus Christ. The rich man closed his eyes, seeing for the last time the pleasures of his world. He opened them in Torments and met the beginnings of eternal misery. There is no delay into the next life when we die.
When a person meets up with difficult times, the normal person will immediately call out to God for help. Not so with unbelievers. Even in dire straits, even in the midst of Torments in the next life, they look not to God for help, but to the worldliness they have left and for relief still, from that environment. Unbelievers are hard core and when they face the Great White Throne, when they face the Lake of Fire, they will still remain defiant toward God and truth.
If a person will not change their mind in this life, then they will not change their mind regardless of their circumstances, despite all of Gods appeals, despite all of Gods warnings, despite all of Gods grace.
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