- XIX. Does The Bible Teach Eternal Life In Hell?
(Continued)
- C. Does The Story Of The
Rich Man And Lazarus Teach Ever lasting Torment?
- Luke 16:
- 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 mans 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 fathers 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.
- NOTE:
- 1. This story is a parable,
used by Christ, to emphasize a point. The point Christ was making is
found in verse 31.
- Matthew 13:
- 34 All these things
spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and
without a parable spake he not unto them:
- Parables cannot be taken literally or one
would have to believe that trees, vines, and bramble can talk.
- Judges 9:
- 8 The trees went
forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said
unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.
- 9 But the olive tree said unto them,
Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and
go to be promoted over the trees?
- 10
And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.
- 11 But the fig tree said unto them,
Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be
promoted over the trees?
- 12 Then
said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.
- 13 And the vine said unto them,
Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be
promoted over the trees?
- 14 Then
said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.
- 15 And the bramble said unto the
trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put
your trust in my shadow; and if not, let fire come out of the bramble,
and devour the cedars of Lebanon.
- 2. Abraham’s bosom is not heaven.
Abraham looked forward to heaven which has a city, for the saints, built
by God.
- Hebrews 11:
- 8 By faith
Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he
should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not
knowing whither he went.
- 10 For he
looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is
God.
- 16 But now they desire a better
country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not
ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a
city.
- 3. People in hell can’t talk to those in heaven.
- Isaiah 65:
- 17 For, behold, I
create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not
be remembered, nor come into mind.
- Psalms 37:
- 10 For yet a little while,
and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently
consider his place, and it shall not be.
- 36 Yet he passed away, and, lo,
he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be
found.
- Revelation 21:
- 4 And God shall wipe
away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for
the former things are passed away.
- 4. The dead are in their graves.
- Job 17:
- 13 If I wait, the grave
is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness.
- John 5:
- 28 Marvel not at this: for
the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves
shall hear his voice,
- 29 And shall
come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and
they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
- 5. Man is rewarded at Christ’s
second coming, not at death.
- Revelation 22:
- 11 He that is
unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be
filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and
he that is holy, let him be holy still.
- 12
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to
give every man according as his work shall be.
- 6. The wicked are separated from the
righteous at the end of the world, not when they die.
- Matthew 13:
- 40 As therefore the
tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end
of this world.
- 41 The Son of man
shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his
kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
- Malachi 3:
- 18 Then shall ye
return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between
him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
- Matthew 25:
- 31 When the Son of
man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him,
then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
- 32 And before him shall be gathered all
nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a
shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
- 7. In this parable the rich man is in
bodily form with eyes, tongue, etc. Taking this parable literally would
require that ones’ body as well as his soul would go right to hell
at death.
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