James L. Thornton

The 14th, 15th, And 16th Chapters Of Luke Consist Of A Collection Of Parables, Eight In All.

The Story Of The Rich Man And Lazarus Deserves Special Attention As It Is The Only Passage Of Scripture Which Describes The Feelings Of The Unconverted After Death.

It Is Given Especially For The Pharisees Who Turned Up Their Nose And Sneered At Him.

Luke 16:14. And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. (And Jesus Answered Them)
19. There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21. And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23. And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
28. For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. (KJV)

Luke 16:14. And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. (KJV)

Jesus Was Rebuking Their Selfishness, Worldliness, Lack Of Charity, And Forgetfulness Of Responsibility.

In This Story Jesus Is Telling Them Of The Terrible End Of The Neglect Of The Word Of God.

There Are Six Things We Want To Look At In This Parable.

1. A Man’s Worldly Condition Is No Test Of His State In The Sight Of God.

2. That Death Is The Common End To Which All Classes Of Mankind Must Come.

3. That Souls Of Believers Are Specially Cared For By God In The Hour Of Death.

4. We Learn Of The Reality And Eternity Of Hell.

5. Unconverted Men Find Out The Value Of A Soul, After Death, When It Is Too Late To Pray.

6. The Greatest Miracles Would Have No Effect On Men’s Heart If They Will Not Believe God’s Word.

This Is A Story Of Two Men Who Lived At The Same Time In The Same General Area But, In Vastly Different Circumstances.

One A Very Rich Man "which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:"

The Other A Beggar, "named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores."

1. A Man’s Worldly Condition Is No Test Of His State In The Sight Of God.

Many Think That To Have Abundance Is To Have God And His Blessings.

In (Luke 12:22-41) We Have A Parable That Jesus Gave About A Rich Fool.

In This Parable Jesus Is Telling Them To Beware Of Covetousness.

Luke 12:15. And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. (KJV)

In Another Instance Jesus Is Telling His Disciples How Hard It Was For Rich Men To Enter The Kingdom Of Heaven.

Matthew 19:23. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
24. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. (KJV)

Jesus Is Not Saying That Rich Men Cannot Be Saved, But He Is Emphasizing The Dangers Of Riches When One Lets Riches Become The Sole Possessions Of Their Lives.

Luke 12:21. So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. (KJV)

The Prophet Jeremiah Gives Us The Words Of The Lord Concerning The Things Of The Earth Which Men Glory In.

Jeremiah 9:23. Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
24. But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD. (KJV)

2. Death Is The Common End To All Mankind.

"And it came to pass, that the beggar died, ..."

And His Bodily Wants Were At An End.

"the rich man also died, and was buried; ..."

And His Feasting Was Stopped For Evermore.

Hebrews 9:27. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (KJV)

It Is The Common Theme Which Runs Throughout The Bible, "And They Died."

The Best Of Men And The Worst Of Men, Along With The Richest And The Poorest, The Kings And Peasants, The Prophets And Sorcerers, Will All Come To The Same End, "And They Died."

3. The Souls Of Believers Are Especially Cared For By God In The Hour Of Death.

"The Beggar Died," "...and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: ..." (Luke 16:22)

All Who Fall Asleep In Jesus Are In Good Keeping.

They Are Not Homeless Wanderers Between Life And Death.

They Are Among Friends... "With Abraham, Isaac And Jacob." (Matthew 8:11)

Paul Says They Are "With Christ." (Philippians 1:23)

Jesus Told The Thief On The Cross,

Luke 23:43. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. (KJV)

This Indicates That There Is A Place Where The Righteous Dead Go To Await The Resurrection Of Their Bodies.

John Saw The Souls Of The Righteous And They Were Under The Altar Near The Throne Of God.

Revelation 6:9. And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11. And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. (KJV)

4. We Learn Of The Reality Of, And Eternity Of Hell.

"The Rich Man Died,"

Luke 16:23. And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments (Plural), and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. (KJV)

In Hell The Rich Man Still Had His Eyesight, And All The Rest Of His Physical And Mental Facilities, Including Memory.

In Hell The Rich Man Recognized Abraham And Lazarus.

In Hell The Rich Man Cried For Mercy, But In Hell There Is No Mercy.

Luke 16:24. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. (KJV)

The Rich Man Cried For Just A Moment Of Relief From His Torments.

He Also Found That There Was No Way Out Of Hell.

John Milton Says It So Plain In Paradise Lost When He Posts A Sign At The Entrance Of Hell Which Reads, "Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here."

The Rich Man Learned That Great Changes Take Place At Death, And That The Roles Had Been Reversed Between The Rich Man And Lazarus.

Luke 16:25. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. (KJV)

"A Great Gulf Fixed..." Modern Science Are Just Beginning To Realize How Big And Unfathomable The Universe Really Is. They Realize That There Are Places So Far Away That Man Can Never Go There On His Own Power.

5. The Unconverted Men Find Out The Value Of A Soul, After Death, When It Is Too Late.

Luke 16:27. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
28. For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. (KJV)

The Known Impossibility Of Ever Escaping From This Place Of Torment, Or To Have Any Alleviation Of One’s Misery In It, Forms A Part Of The Punishment Of Ungodly Men.

The Wicked Conduct Of Relatives And Friends, Who Have Been Perverted By The Bad Example Of Those Who Are Lost, Is A Source Of Present Punishment To Them; And If They Come Also To The Same Place Of Torment, Must Be, To Those Who Were Partly Responsible For Bringing Them Thither, An Eternal Source Of Anguish.

His Five Brothers Had Been His Companions In Worldliness.

They Were Selling Their Birthrights And The Rich Man Did Not Want Them To Come To That Awful Place Of Torment.

Those Who Have Been The Influence Of Bringing Others Into Hell Shall Suffer The Deeper Perdition On That Account.

We Learn From This That There Is No Skepticism, No Unbelief, No Infidelity, After Death. "Send Lazarus Back To My Father’s House To Preach To Them, To Warn Them, To Pray With Them.

6. The Greatest Miracle Would Have No Effect On Men’s Hearts If They Will Not Believe God’s Word.

Luke 16:29. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. (KJV)

This Plainly Supposes They Were All Jewish Believers: They Had These Writings In Their Hands, But They Did Not Permit Them To Influence Their Lives. We Do Not Need More Evidence Than God’s Word.

"if one went unto them from the dead, ..." (Luke 16:30.)

Many Are Desirous To See An Inhabitant Of The Other World, And Converse With Them, In Order To Know What Passes There.

In This Story Jesus Brings Us The Only Dammed Soul Which We Have Record Of Which Speaks To Us From The Hell Of Fire. Hear Him! Hear Him Tell Of His Torments! Hear Him Utter His Regrets!

But We Cannot See Him. No: God Has Spared Us For The Present This Punishment. How Could You Bear The Sight Of This Damned Spirit? Your Very Nature Would Fail At The Appearance Of Such A Sight.

Luke 16:31. ".., If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. ..."

The Holy Scriptures Contain Such Proofs Of A Divine Origin, That Though The Dead Were To Arise, To Convince An Unbeliever Of The Truths Therein Declared, The Conviction Could Not Be Greater, Nor The Proof More Evident, Of The Divinity, And Truth, Of These Sacred Records Than That Which They Themselves Afford.

To Escape Eternal Damnation, And Get At Last Into Eternal Glory, A Man Must Receive The Testimonies Of God, And To Walk According To Their Dictates.

The Answer Abraham Gave To The Rich Man Show The Sufficiency And Perfection Of The Holy Scriptures.

If Man Will Not Receive The Holy Scripture, What Influence Could The Personal Appearance Of A Departed Spirit Have On An Unbelieving And Corrupted Heart?

None, Except To Terrify It For The Moment, And Afterwards To Leave It Ten Thousand Reasons For Uncertainty And Doubt.

Jesus Exemplified This In The Most Literal Manner By Raising Lazarus From The Dead.
And Did This Convince The Jews? No.

They Were So Much The More Enraged; And From That Moment Conspired To Both The Death Of Lazarus And Jesus. (John 12:10)

I Feel That Is The Reason That Jesus Wept At The Thought Of Raising Lazarus From The Dead Because He Knew What Great Persecutions He Would Undergo In The Weeks, Months, Years Ahead, Because Such A Notable Person Could Not Have Escaped It. (Acts 8:1-4)

There Is No Place Like Hell. No Poet, No Artist, No Theologian, No Writer, Nor Any Other Source, Has Ever Given An Adequate Description Of Hell.

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