The Rich Man and Lazarus

The Rich Man and Lazarus

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.

At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side.

The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

“‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

Luke 16:19-31
The Holy Bible, New International Version. Pradis CD-ROM:

In response to my concern that people are going to be fooled by the enticements offered by Carlton Pearson’s Universalism, I was going to go into a long proof that Hell actually exists. But I figured it would be a waste of my time; other than to say, as horrible as it is here for some people; Hell will be worse than you can even imagine.

So let me share what’s on my heart now. When I was a child, I used to wonder how I would feel at the judgment when I saw my ungodly friends sentenced to eternal suffering in Hell. Would I run in front of God and beg for mercy and compassion for them? How would I deal with it?

Recently, I realized that I have an example of how the Righteous feel about the inhabitants of Hell, and its right here in The Rich Man and Lazarus.

When the Rich Man shrieks in agony for the smallest drop of water, because he dare not even ask for a glass of water, how do Abraham and Lazarus reply?

Abraham says, “you had your good things in life.”

Now most people will glance over that part and miss what he’s truly implying, so stay awake here.

What Abraham is saying is, “God is just by sending you to Hell.”

Ouch!

Abraham didn’t say, “Oh you poor man, I ache for you. Lazarus will be right over and he’ll bring you lots of refreshing water.”

Abraham didn’t say, “Hey dude, it hurts me to see you suffer like that, but I can’t help you because of the chasm between us.”

Abraham didn’t say anything that even implied that he had even the slightest sympathy and compassion for the Rich Man in Hell. Now why not?

It’s easy. Abraham is a servant of God. He loves God with all his heart, soul, and being. Abraham’s Number one desire is bring glory to God and further the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Rich Man is a rebel. All his life he refused to listen to the message of the prophets and turn to God. The Rich Man sneered in the face of a just, and holy, and sovereign God.

There is no way that Abraham can approve of such behavior in another being – not when his own heart is completely set on glorifying God. If Abraham had sympathy for the Rich Man and sided in with him, it would put Abraham in direct opposition to the Justice of God. In essence he would be calling God unjust for punishing this criminal.

And so it should be with us also. Our first goal must be to bring glory and honor to God. We can never side with sinners. We can never oppose God, and think him unjust for punishing sinners. To do so would be grand blasphemy, and prove that we know little of the goodness and mercy of God.

John