"There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and
fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring
to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was
that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his
eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom” (Luke 16:19-23)
That Jesus teaches
about two separate lives is clearly evident from this passage. One lived in uncompassionate luxury away from God and learned in eternity the foolishness of his choices. However, Lazarus, would gladly live in poverty
with God and reap the wealth of divine grace and favor in the next life to come. To conclude that the Lazarus was saved because
he was merely a beggar and that the rich man was lost simply because he was rich is absurd and destroys the entire significance
of Jesus’ teaching.
The pinnacle
of this passage is found in verses 27-31:
“Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s
house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ Abraham
said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but
if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’”
There is a hellish
place called “torments” where all the wicked will go. They do not cease to exist as Seventh-Day Adventists assume,
but continue to be tormented forever as the Apostle John states,
"And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or
night. . .” (Rev. 14:11).
But the wicked
are not always necessarily limited to “murders” and “deceivers,” but encompass all who refuse to hear
and obey what is written. One of the tormenting things in hell (besides the flame) is to know that you have relatives who
are lost and may be joining you in your misery. It may be your son or daughter, your mother or father, brothers or sisters.
This rich man’s plea was for something sensational to happen to save his family. God does not use a religion of gimmicks
and sensationalism to attract and save men; however, the power is in what is written.
Are you reading your
Bible? Is worship a regular part of your life? Are your choices leading to “torments”?
Will your decisions help send your loved ones to hell or heaven? Are you honoring God and preparing for judgment? Why not
begin to worship the Creator with the Church of Christ
in Sunnyside? Everything taught is documented with a book, chapter and verse. All questions are welcomed. We encourage all
to investigate the scriptures for their own salvation.
