Scene # 3: At the Gulf: Luke 16:23-31
“23) In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and *saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. 24) And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ 25) But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. 26) And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’ 27) And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house 28) — for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29) But Abraham *said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30) But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ 31) But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’ ””
Luke 16:23-31
There are some very important lessons to learn from this text. First, there is consciousness after death. Both the rich man and Lazarus had conscious existence after physical death.
Second, there are two very different eternal destinations. We could call them Paradise and Hades. It appears the Abrahams bosom was another phrase for Paradise..
Third, blessing and punishment both start immediately after death. The rich man was in agony in the flames.
Fourth, there is no second chance after death. The rich man begged for mercy but it was too late. There was a great gulf or chasm fixed between the righteous and unrighteousness. There was no crossing over from one to the other.
Fifth, hades is far worse than can be imagined. The rich man suddenly became very concerned about world missions. He wanted his family to be warned. The rich man became a 100% looser.
Sixth, Paradise is much better than can be imagined. Lazarus was being comforted. (With the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Paradise was emptied. Ephesians 4:8-10; 2 Corinthians 5-1-10) Lazarus became a 100% winner.
Seventh, Gods word was given to point all people to salvation. Moses and the prophets refer to the Old Testament. The Bible the rich man had scorned and ignored contained everything needed to change his eternal destiny. I highly advise you to study your Bible.
Finally, God answered the rich man’s final request. A few weeks later Jesus Christ did indeed rise from the dead. He died and rose again that people might be saved and transformed.
I encourage you to diligently study the story of The Rich Man and Lazarus. It is packed with truth, insights, warnings and blessings. It contains the most comprehensive teaching by Jesus on the subject of life after death and eternal destiny!
Daily Bible Commentary
By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global.
