College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

Luke 16:19-31

Butler's Comments

SECTION 3

19 There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, full of sores, 21who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried;23and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus in his bosom. 24And he called out, -Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.-' 25But Abraham said, -Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.-' 27And he said, -Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house, 28for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.-' 29But Abraham said, -They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.-' 30And he said, -No, father Abraham; but if some one goes to them from the dead, they will repent,-'31He said to him, -If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead.-'

Luke 16:19-21 Selfishness: Jesus told about a rich man who used his riches selfishly to illustrate what happens to such people after they die. Some have called this a parablebut Jesus does not call it a parable. Jesus even gives the name of the beggar. We believe it was an event that literally happened and is true to the facts in every detail. There was such a rich man; there was such a beggar; there is such a place as Hades. Even if it was a parable Jesus would not make up a fantasy which had no basis in fact about such a serious matter as life after death. He would not concoct a fable which was untrue just to scare someone. Besides, what He teaches here about life after death for the impenitent is substantiated by the rest of the New Testament.

Note the contrasts between the two men:

The rich man

The beggar

dressed in a purple robe (Gr. porphuran) and fine linen (Gr. busson); sign of luxury.

covered with open, festering sores (Gr. eilkomenos) licked by the dogs; destitution

rich (Gr. plousios)

poor (Gr. ptochos)

feasted sumptuously every day (Gr. euphrainomenos lampros, lit. made merry flamboyantly) show of ostentation; he flaunted his riches.

wished to be fed with crumbs from rich man's table (Gr. epithumon chortasthenai apo ton piptonton apo tes trapezes, lit. desiring to be satisfied from the table.) shows humility.

The beggar, Lazarus, lay every day at the gate of the rich man. The implication is that the rich man had to be aware of the beggar's destitution. Apparently the beggar expressed his desire to be fed crumbs from the rich man's table but nothing was offered him. This side of the grave the scoffing Pharisees and most of the world today would have contempt for the poor beggarif not contempt then inactive pity (if there is such a thing). The avaricious Pharisees and most of the world today would envy the rich man. That is how it is in this worldbut what about after this life is over?

Luke 16:22-25 Suffering: Here are two men at opposite ends of the economic and social spectrumthe very rich and the utterly destitute. Both of them died, of course, for every man does! Neither riches nor poverty can circumvent death. One had a funeral (the rich man was buried) and the body of the other was probably cast into Gehenna (Jerusalem's city-dump). The beggar was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. Abraham died himself when he was 175 years old (Genesis 25:7) and he was gathered to his people. Since none of his ancestors were buried in the cave of Machpelah (where he was buried) the phrase gathered to his people does not simply refer to Abraham's death and burial. Apparently the phrase refers to Abraham's existence after death with those who before him had died in faith (Hebrews 11:1-16). This is why the location of the departed spirit of this beggar son of Abraham was actually called Abraham's bosom. The rich man went to Hades and was in torment. Death comes to all but it does not end existence. The dead apparently go to some intermediate state where they are conscious, knowing and being known, as they wait the final judgment and eternal existence. This intermediate state is an actual place. Samuel was recognized by both the witch and Saul (1 Samuel 28:13-19) and Samuel was conscious. There are beings in another existence all around us if we could see them. God adjusted the eyes of Elisha's servant to see the fiery chariots and horses (2 Kings 6:16-17). The apostles saw Moses and Elijah and recognized them as they were transfigured with Jesus (Matthew 17:3; Mark 9:4; Luke 9:30-31).

There have been declarations that the Old Testament does not teach life after death. That is sheer nonsense. Job believed (Job 19:25-26); Daniel believed (Daniel 12:2 ff.); David believed (2 Samuel 12:23); Abraham believed (Hebrews 11:19); many O.T. saints believed (Hebrews 11:35); Martha believed (John 11:24); many of the Pharisees believed (Acts 23:6-8). For an extensive study of the O.T. teaching on the Future Life, see Isaiah, Vol. II by Paul T. Butler, College Press, pgs. 287-299.

Hades (Gr. Haides) in Greek mythology was the god of the underworld, the son of Cronos and Rhea and the brother of Zeus; the word came to be used to denote the kingdom ruled over by Hades, or the abode of the dead. The Greek conception of Hades was that of a locality receiving into itself all the dead, but divided into two regions, one a place of torment, the other of blessedness. Almost without exception the Septuagint uses hades to translate the Hebrew word Sheol which is the O.T. name for the abode of the dead. Although the word itself in Greek had its origins in Greek mythology, the concept Jesus and the rest of the N.T. teach about the abode of the dead is from the O.T. revelation of God. Admittedly the O.T. is vague and dim about life after death, still, once one gathers all that is said and inferred about Sheol from the O.T. it appears clear there was belief in a continuity of consciousness after physical death; there was rest and blessedness for the believer and torment for the infidel (cf. Isaiah 14:12 ff. for example). The O.T. as well as the N.T. places emphasis on the final judgment and redemption and leaves many things connected with the intermediate state in darkness.

The clearest picture we have in all the Bible on the intermediate state of the dead is in Luke 16:19-31. The N.T. seems to teach that life immediately after death will be a state of:

Consciousness: 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; Luke 23:43; Luke 16:24 ff.; 2 Corinthians 12:2-4; Revelation 14:13.

Disembodiment: However, the spirit will be reunited with a new and appropriate body at the final resurrection; 1 Corinthians 15:35 ff.; Revelation 6:9.

Incompleteness; No part of the church is complete without the whole fellowship of the saints; Ephesians 3:18; Hebrews 11:40.

Restfulness: Revelation 7:13 ff.; Revelation 14:13; Luke 16:25; John 11:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13.

Presence with Christ: 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23.

Torment for Unbelievers: Luke 16:24; Revelation 14:9-11; Revelation 19:20.

What these passages appear to teach is that at the time of physical death, there is no break in memory, mentality or change in personality. What a man chooses to be in this world he apparently chooses to be in the next world. Of course, just like the rich man, many will cry out in anguish at the torment. But that has to do with a desire for relief from unpleasant circumstances, and has nothing to do with a willingness to repent and surrender to God's sovereign will.

The Bible seems to teach that there are four states of existence for man:

The Innocent State: Infants and young children are apparently in a state of moral innocence until they come to the point of mental and moral maturity where they clearly know the will of God and choose to disobey it; (cf. Matthew 18:1-6; Matthew 19:13-15). Only those who have the mental and moral maturity to repent are commanded to do so in the N.T. Should these innocents die before they have made an intelligent, free, moral choice to disobey God's will, they apparently go to be with Jesus (in the intermediate state; see 2 Samuel 12:23, etc.). There is no categorical determination in the Scriptures as to the age a person will be when he reaches moral accountability. The Hebrews arbitrarily declared young men to have reached that age at 12-13 when they were given their Bar-Mitzva (Son of the commandment).

The Choice, or Probationary (Proving) State: All persons who remain alive in this world long enough to make an intelligent, free, moral choice to disobey God's will do so! All men sin (Romans 3:23). But God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance so He has declared His plan of redemption in a New and Final Testament. All who hear that and believe it by obedience to the terms become citizens of the Kingdom of Christ. Those who do not repent and obey are sons of darkness and servants of the devil. Every sinner is dead in sinseparated from God. Every sinner who believes the Gospel and obeys has been resurrected to a new life in Christ and is reconciled to God.

The Intermediate State: All persons die physically. All human beings must eventually be separated from this earthly body. When that occurs, the real personthe spirit of the person apparently goes to a disembodied, intermediate state of conscious existence. In the intermediate state there are two existencesParadise (Luke 23:43) for the saved and Torments (Luke 16:23) for the unsaved. There is a great gulf or chasm separating the two realms over which mankind cannot pass (Luke 16:26). There, all mankind awaits the Final State which will be realized at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, etc.).

The Final State: At the Second Advent of Jesus Christ the Great White Throne Judgment and Him who sits upon it will judge all mankind (Revelation 20:11 ff.). Eternal existence will be determined on the basis of what is written in the bookssome will go to eternal blessedness and some will go to eternal separation from God in Hell (cf. Revelation 21:1 to Revelation 22:21). Those who by faith and obedience to the Gospel have taken part in the first resurrection (Romans 6:1-11; John 5:24-29; Revelation 20:1-6) will be forever in the fellowship of God and will not suffer the second death.

Critics of the Bible have always felt rather smug about attacking this account of Jesus at the point in the story where the rich man is said to be in anguish in this flame. Their contention is that the Bible states an impossibility since flame consumes and it is a logical impossibility for something to be eternally consumed. We must remember, however, the Bible is written in human language, describing unseen, spiritual and supernatural things in natural terms. God must communicate to man in terms of man's experience, so He likens eternal torment unto eternal flames. It is altogether possible, of course, for God to create a literal, eternal lake of fire and brimstone (Revelation 14:9-11; Revelation 19:20; Revelation 20:14-15; Revelation 21:8) and create a body for the impenitent spirit that will never be consumed but burned in flame forever. But the emphasis seems to be in this passage on the mental anguish and conscious moral suffering of the rich man in Hades. The Greek word basanos (torment) is sometimes translated toil and means primarily, to rub on the touchstone, to put to the test, to examine by torture. The word odunomai is translated anguish (RSV) and tormented (KJV) in Luke 16:24; it is translated pain or anguish of the heart (Romans 9:2; 1 Timothy 6:10). Mary uses the word of her mental anguish when she could not find the lad Jesus (Luke 2:48) and Paul's departure from the Ephesian elders brought deep sorrow to his heart (Acts 20:38). Every human being knows that mental and spiritual anguish is more severely tormenting than any physical torture. Men without faith in God have been able to endure excruciating physical tortures and survivebut without faith in God and His Word, mental anxiety or spiritual guilt is devastating. Unforgiven sin, unreconciled guilt and unpacified animosity forever and ever would certainly qualify to be described as a lake of fire and brimstone of torment. An unrelenting, unappeased conscience burns and consumes like fire. Eternal torment consists of total and final confinement in cowardliness, untrust-worthiness, pollution, murder, fornication, sorcery, idolatry, lying (Revelation 21:8; Revelation 22:15) forever and ever.

The beggar, in Abraham's bosom, is comforted (Gr. parakaleitai, strengthened). The eternal state of the comforted is described in Revelation 21:1-4; Revelation 21:22-27; Revelation 22:1-5.

THE FOUR STATES OF MAN

See pages 309 and 310 for scripture references and explanations,

Luke 16:26-31 Sentenced: The report on the rich man and Lazarus parts the veil on life after death and dispels many human heresies about it. First, there is no such thing as second probation (called by some, purgatory). The solemn reality taught by Jesus is that all who die in unbelief pass on to a lost eternity. There are no second chances. The great chasm (Gr. chasma, lit. yawning) is impassable and immoveable. The state of the wicked and righteous is fixed (Gr, sterizo, established) after physical death. There are no scriptures anywhere in the Bible which teach a second chance, The passage in 1 Peter 3:18-20 refers to the preaching of the Spirit of Christ who was in the prophet Noah (cf. 1 Peter 1:10-11) when Noah preached to the antediluvian sinners (1 Peter 3:20). The spirits of those disobedient were in prison when Peter was writing his epistle, not during the preaching of the Spirit of Christ, (see Letters From Peter, by Clinton Gill, College Press, pgs. 90-91). Second, there is no such thing as soul sleep. The same soul that was alive and conscious on earth was alive and conscious after death. The essential characteristic of spirit is life. There can be no such thing as a non-living or unconcious spirit. Consciousness is that which is the essence of spirit. Death is not extinctiononly separation. Physical death is the separation of spirit from mortal body; spiritual death is separation of the eternal spirit from its Creator. Some verses used by those who teach soul-sleep are: (John 11:11-14; Matthew 9:24;: Acts 7:60; 1 Corinthians 15:51; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14; Ecclesiastes 9:5-6; Ecclesiastes 9:10; Psalms 13:3; Psalms 6:5; Psalms 115:17; Psalms 146:3-4; Daniel 12:2). But these simply describe the person only as he appears from the human viewpoint which is limited to seeing the visible, physical manifestations of life. Jesus plainly indicates that there is consciousness beyond death. Abraham and the rich man recognized one another. There was thinking and feeling (emotions, at least). Jesus knew what reality was beyond death (cf. John 14:1 ff.). He would not deceive His hearers about so imperative a concept.

Third, there is no such thing as spiritism. The spirits of dead men do not return (unless God permits a special case, like Samuel). Death causes a complete break with this world as far as communication is concerned (cf. Job 10:21; Job 7:9-10; 2 Samuel 12:23; 2 Corinthians 5:8). The attempt to communicate with the dead is forbidden by the Bible (Deuteronomy 18:9-12; Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 20:6; Isaiah 8:19-20; 2 Kings 1:3, etc.). What is thought to be spiritism today may be either human hoax or the lying signs of the devil (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12; Revelation 13:13-15). The famous magician Houdini wrote a book entitled, A Magician Among The Spiritsa well documented and thorough exposure of spiritism. In his book he said, Mine has not been an investigation of a few days or weeks or months, but one that has extended over 30 years, and in that 30 years I have not found one (spiritist) that did not reek of fraud, one that could not be reproduced by earthly powers,. up to the present time everything that I have investigated has been fraud.

There are some extremely important lessons to be learned from this story. The right use of privilege and possessions in this life is significant for all eternity. The conditions beyond this life result from a godly, merciful use of money to help those in need (cf. Matthew 25:31-46). Life which is not affected by morality now will not be affected by the miraculous now or after this life! Neither a miraculous apparition or someone returning from the dead, nor a tragic story of the torture and suffering of the damned would effect the repentance of the rich man's brothers! Miracles are to establish the faithfulness of God's revealed Wordthey do not in themselves bring people to repentance. Hardship, persecution, tragedy seldom produce repentance (cf. Amos 4:6-13; Revelation 9:20-21; Revelation 16:10-11). It is the proclamation of the absolute faithfulness and mercifulness of God as demonstrated in the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ that is the power unto salvation. Miracles simply confirm that what God has said about atonement, forgiveness, salvation and heaven is to be trusted. Plenty of miracles were performed by God's messengers in Bible times. Man does not need any more miracles. God's word is sufficiently validated to engender trust in Him. Men who will not believe now would not be convinced (Gr. peisthesontai) if another miracle were wrought before their very eyes. Men did not believe or trust Jesus even when He -brought a different Lazarus back from the dead (John 11:45-57). Miracles which could not be denied did not produce discipleship in and of themselves (cf. Acts 4:15-22). The task of the disciple of Jesus is to communicate the word of God clearly, plainly, understandably and lovingly to the unbelieving world and then to let every hearer make his own decision. Every human being deserves the opportunity to hear the Word presented in an understandable and winsome way at least once. Disciples of Jesus are not responsible for the choiceonly for the communication. This starkly realistic look at eternity should motivate every Christian for evangelism immediately!

STUDY STIMULATORS:

Why, if material possessions are only temporary, does God's word say so much about how men use or misuse these possessions?

Do you consider all you own yours? After all you earned it! Or is it all God'S? Why?

What is the best investment for your money?

Do you think some Christians or Christian endeavors are meeting the demand of Christ to be as wise as children of the world in their use of money? Why?

Have you ever thought there must be some people about half way between being lost and saved? What do you think about Jesus-' categories?

Why can-'t a man serve two masters? How did the Pharisees prove that?

Do you agree with the religious denomination that today says John the Baptist founded the church?

What connection does Jesus-' teaching on entering the kingdom by violence have to do with the proper use of money?

How is the subject of divorce connected to misuse of money?

10.

Is divorce a sin? Can it be forgiven? What should the Christian attitude be toward remarriage of those who have been divorced?

11.

Is the account of the rich man and Lazarus a parable? If it is how can we accept it as an accurate description of life after death?

12.

Where is Hades? What is it like?

13.

Are the unsaved really going to burn forever in flames?

14.

What are the four states of human existence?

15.

Three religious heresies are disproved by the account of the rich man and Lazaruswhat are they?

16.

Why wouldn-'t sending a man back from the dead have convinced the brothers of the rich man?

HELL

(Matthew 10:28)

By Paul T. ButlerOBC Chapel, September 1975
INTRODUCTION

MY NAME IS NOT HARRY TRUMAN AND I-'M NOT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT, But I propose to give you a sermon on Hell this morning.

HELL MAKES THE NEWS OCCASIONALLY.

In May, 1967, Time magazine ran an article on it. Some theologians interviewed had doubts about whether there is an afterlife, and others absolutely disavowed the existence of an eternal hell.

A 30 year old preacher in one of our western communities suddenly became a popular sensation and a national figure because he publicly and proudly denied the existence of helland was so quoted in Timehe said, Hell is a damnable doctrineresponsible for a large measure of this world's hatred. According to this doctrine, God, who commands us to love our enemies, plays the hypocrite by damning his enemies. This in turn stimulates the hatred of God by people who abhor hypocrisyand it gives sanction to our hatred of certain selected enemies.

Of the doctrine of the Second Coming and all mankind, except a few, being extinguished or tormented for ever, Nels F. S. Ferre says (Sun and the Umbrella, pg. 33), It seems doubtful that Jesus ever taught such a doctrine.

II.

BUT THERE IS A RETICENCE, EVEN OF BIBLE BELIEVING PREACHERS, TO PREACH ON HELL.

Billy Graham says, in one of his tracts,

Hell ... is the most unpopular subject a minister can choose.

In glancing through the books in my library I found that there have been few sermons written on this subject in the past 50 years.

I have had a number of ministers tell me that they have never preached a sermon on hell and yet, as I read the New Testament, I am amazed at the number of direct references to this subject, especially by Christ.

In a tract from the Back To God Hour the results of a survey taken and indicated that 99% of the people in this country believe in God, but only 58% believe in hell (Tract #112).

III.

FEAR OF HELL IS A BIBLICAL MOTIVATION FOR REPENTANCE AND CONVERSION.

Halley's Handbook, pg. 459, Jesus talked much about the future life. He appealed to the hope of heaven and the fear of hell.. It is a pity that the present day pulpit so generally deprecates the very motives that Jesus himself appealed to. Maybe that is one of the reasons the pulpit has lost so much of its power. One of the most powerful stimulants to good and deterrents from evil in this life is a profound conviction as to the reality of the future life, and that our estate there will depend on our behavior here..

C. S. Lewis, Letters to Malcom: I have met no people who fully disbelieved in hell and also had a living and life-giving belief in heaven.

C. S. Lewis, in The Problem of Pain, pg. 118: There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than this, if it lay in my power. But it has the full support of Scripture and, specially, of Our Lord's own words.

Dwight L. Moody once said, The word of God teaches us plainly that there is future retribution; if it does not teach that it does not teach anything.. Now some people say, -Oh, you are just trying to scare us, you say such things just to alarm us.-' I would consider myself an unfaithful servant if I did not so warn you. The blood of your soul would be required at my hands if I did not so warn you.. No one spoke of the judgment as Christ did; none knew it as well as he.

Paul the apostle said, Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. (2 Corinthians 5:11).

Peter wrote, ... pass the time of your sojourning here in fear. (1 Peter 1:17).

Donald F. Tweedie, Jr., Eternity, April 1965, said: ... I personally am not negative about fear as an inducement to a crisis which will culminate in a Christian conversion. Probably at least some element of fear is a necessary part of such a crisis experience. Certainly, if the dangers of lostness and hell are real, fear is a most appropriate emotion.

TO LET A LOST AND DOOMED WORLD OF MANKIND GO MERRILY, LAUGHING AND JOKING AND ENTERTAINING ITSELF WITH POSITIVE FEELINGS AND UNFOUNDED OPTIMISM TOWARD AN ETERNAL HELL IS LIKE LETTING A CHILD RUN MERRILY OUT INTO A BUSY STREET LAUGHING, THINKING HAPPY THOUGHTS ALL THE TIME AND NOT WARNING IT OF IMPENDING CATASTROPHE!

I am not contending that fear and hell and judgment is the most expedient way to motivate conversion. Trusting in the faithfulness, mercy, love and goodness of God is the most significant basis for a lasting and maturing conversion. But as easy as it is for any of us and all of us to fall into hypocrisy, presumptiveness upon the grace of God, or returning to a life of self-indulgence, WE NEED TO REMIND OURSELVES FREQUENTLY OF THE DANGER OF ETERNAL HELL!

IV.

ILLUSTRATION:

A number of years ago four men were fishing from a boat in the Niagara River some distance above the world-renowned falls. As the fish were not very hungry the fishers got into a controversy regarding future punishment. Three of the number contended that there was no such place as hell, whilst the fourth accepted the testimony of Scripture on the subject. The discussion became so heated they failed to observe that their boat was getting perilously near the sweep of the current. Perceiving their danger, they seized the oars, and rowed with all their might to a safe spot on the river. If there is no such place as hell, said the believer in God's Word, why were you so afraid to go over the falls? One of them replied, The -No Hell-' doctrine is good enough to go fishing with, but it is very poor to go over the falls with.

DISCUSSION

HELL IS A REAL PLACE.

There are four words translated Hell in the KJV.

Sheol: The Hebrew word which represents the locality or condition of the dead (keber means tomb; shahkath means corruption). Sheol is not as precise about endless, retributive character of the life beyond as New Testament. Still, wherever used, it does usually represent the place of future retribution (Deuteronomy 32:22; 2 Samuel 22:6; Job 17:15; Job 21:13; Job 26:6; Psalms 9:17; Psalms 18:5; Psalms 89:48; Psalms 116:3; Psalms 139:8; Proverbs 23:14; Proverbs 15:11; Isaiah 14:15; Ezekiel 31:16-17; Amos 9:2; Jonah 2:2).

Tartarus: 2 Peter 2:4the place where God cast the angels who sinned and who are delivered into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.

Hades: Most frequently used as antithetical to heaven, Matthew 11:23; Matthew 16:18; Luke 10:15; Luke 16:23; Revelation 1:18; Revelation 6:8; Revelation 20:13. Sometimes simply the place of departed dead.

Gehenna: or Valley of Hinnom; Matthew 5:22; Matthew 5:29-30; Matthew 10:28; Matthew 18:9; Matthew 23:15; Matthew 23:33; Mark 9:43; Mark 9:45; Mark 9:47; Luke 12:5; James 3:6. Most used word and most associated with judgment.

The words in themselves do not prove hell's existence. They merely describe in human language that which man has not yet fully experienced. The existence of hell is proven from three lines of evidence.

Natural Revelation (we shall equate judgment with hell).

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of men who by their wickedness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. clearly perceived in the things that have been made. receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error (Romans 1:18 ff.).

The very fact that built into our universe and its moral structure there are penalties, judgments and executions of those judgments has indicated to the pagan world some place of future retribution.

Many would like to believe there is no such place and some even use the word hell to swear there is no such place, but God has not left Himself without witness to the whole world. so they shall be without excuse!

I-'ve known some rounders in my day and every one of them except one believed there was a place of retributionhell.

Man's Conscience

When Gentiles who have not the law do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or perhaps excuse them. (Romans 2:14 ff.).

Alfred M. Rehwinkel has written a masterful book on The Voice of Conscience.

Conscience is absolute in its verdict. There is no bargaining or compromising. We may attempt to excuse ourselves, but conscience will prevail. The judgment of conscience is final. Conscience does not change its verdict unless the standard or law is changed or done away. This is the very essence of the Christian's passing from death to lifeJesus has taken away the law that stood against us. This is the only escape from conscience. Without the removal of the law, judgment and retribution are inevitable. Conscience is no respecter of persons. It pronounces its unimpeachable judgments regardless of the opposing authority by which it may be confronted.

Conscience is man himself speaking as a moral being to himself. God has placed this voice in man at his creation and man cannot rid himself of it, even if he would.

Men have cried out to die and have committed suicide attempting to escape from the horror of a tormenting conscience. In the torments of an aroused conscience, man experiences a foretaste of everlasting torture in hell.

On the Authority of Jesus Christ

Never were there words as solemn and as searching as those in which Jesus warned of hell and the judgment to come. In 12 out of 35 of his parables he depicts men as judged, condemned, and punished for their sins. In one, (Lazarus and the rich man) he draws back the veil on the conditions men in the hereafter. a chasm that is forever unbridgeable (Luke 16:19-31).

More than the love of God is revealed at the cross. There we see, unsheathed, the implacable hostility of God's wrath against sinpast, present and future. It is a precursor of the last judgment.

The documents that make up our New Testament have been submitted to nearly 2,000 years of intense, scientific, archaeological, textual, investigation. They have been verified, authenticated, accredited as historically trustworthy. They have never, by any authentic evidence, been contradicted. They are a record of one Jesus of Nazareth who walked on the sea, healed the sick, cast out demons, raised the dead and was himself raised from the dead.

HE SAID THERE WAS A PLACE OF FINAL AND ETERNAL RETRIBUTION IN THE LIFE BEYOND THIS ONE.. I BELIEVE HIM! UNTIL SOMEONE COMES ALONG WITH BETTER CREDENTIALS THAN HIS, I WILL CONTINUE TO BELIEVE HIM!

Madalyn Murray O-'Hair, speaking on the campus of Drake University, said, There is absolutely no conclusive evidence that Jesus ever really existed.. These stories about him must be considered nothing more than folk tales.. But there is never going to be any way of verifying them one way or another.. I reject the idea of a life hereafter on the same grounds. Do you know anybody who has come back with a firsthand report on heaven? If you do, let me know. Until then you-'ll pardon me if I don-'t buy it. I agree with Mark Twain, who wrote about the hereafter, that there is no sex in it; you can-'t eat anything in it; there is absolutely nothing physical in it. You wouldn-'t have your brain, you wouldn-'t have any sensation, you wouldn-'t be able to enjoy anythingunless you were queer for hymn singing and harp playing. So who needs it? SPEAKING FOR MYSELF, I-'D RATHER GO TO HELL.

II.

HELL IS THE ETERNAL HOME OF THE IMPENITENT

It is described as:

the outer darkness (Matthew 8:12)

weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12)

the pit of the abyss (Revelation 9:2; Revelation 9:11)

eternal punishment (Matthew 25:46)

torment or anguish (Luke 16:24; Revelation 14:10-11)

eternal sin (Mark 3:29)

second death (Revelation 21:8)

eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might (2 Thessalonians 1:9)

Hell is the penitentiary of the moral universe in which all impenitent are sentenced for eternity to share with the devil and rebellious angels.

Obviously its essential characteristic is lostness, separation from God and the fellowship of the godlike.

It is eternal remorse, despair, hopelessness and guilt.

C. C. Crawford, Survey Course in Christian Doctrine, Vol. II, Hell has been prepared for the devil and his angels. Wicked men will eventually go to hell, not because God will cast them into it, but because their own consciences will drive them, instinctively, to their proper place (as in the case of Judas, Acts 2:23). As water seeks its own level, they who in this present life fit themselves only for the society of the rebellious, wicked, unbelieving, will instinctively seek that type of society in the next world. For, without a doubt, the devil and all his kind would be miserable in heaven.

A place where sin and wickedness is rampant

Judging from the manner in which God deals with unrepentant sinners (Romans 1:1-32), that is, allowing their sin to go unrestrained, it follows that man's destiny is the free expression of pride, selfishness and greed, hate, hurtfulness.

God says: You have lived for yourself, now you may have just that.. Man who was created a social being, is in the end cut off completely from God and goodness.

When you were born into this world, you came to a place that had been prepared for you. Generations of blood and breeding and tradition. and, of course, the particular preparation of parents, etc. You were expected; you were prepared for; and so you arrived, not at just a place, but a prepared place. IN OTHER WORDS, YOU ARRIVED AT HOME. HELL IS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO WANT IT!

IT SHOULD NOT BE A STRANGE THOUGHT THAT, EVEN AS THERE WAS PREPARATION FOR MAN'S ARRIVAL INTO THIS WORLD, THERE IS ALSO PREPARATION FOR HIS ARRIVAL IN THE NEXT WORLD!

A place of utter ruin and lostness and destruction of reality

C. S. Lewis in The Problem of Pain (p. 125-126), To enter heaven is to become more human than you ever succeeded in being in earth; to enter hell, is to be banished from humanity, What is cast (or casts itself) into hell is not a man: it is remains. To be a complete man means to have the passions obedient to the will and the will offered to God: to have been a man would presumably mean to consist of a will utterly centered in itself and passions utterly uncontrolled by the will.

By virtue of God's moral law, the sinner reaps as he has sown, and sooner or later is repaid by contempt, selfishness, hate, hurtfulness. Then the selfishness of one sinner is punished by the selfishness of another, the ambition of one by the ambition of another, the cruelty of one by the cruelty of another. The misery of the wicked hereafter will doubtless be due in part to the spirit of their companions. They dislike the good, whose presence and example is a continual reproof and reminder the height from which they have fallen, and they shut themselves out of their company. The Judgment will bring about a complete cessation of intercourse between the good and the bad (Strong, Systematic Theology, p. 1035).

Uncle Screwtape, writing to Wormwood says:

To us a human is primarily food; our aim is the absorption of its will into ours, the increase of our own areas of selfhood at its expense.. We want cattle who can finally become food; He (God) wants servants who can finally become sons. We want to suck in, He wants to give out. We are empty and would be filled; He is full and flows over. Our war aim is a world in which Our Father Below has drawn all other beings into himself..

HELL IS A PLACE OF TOTAL SELFISHNESS. WHERE EVERYONE DEVOURS, EXPLOITS, ABUSES, PERVERTS, DESTROYS, REBELLS.
Prisoners of hell enjoy forever the horrible freedom they have demanded and are therefore self-enslaved.
The blessed, forever submitting to obedience, become through all eternity more and more free.
What went on in Sodom and Gomorrah; what people did to people in the decadence of Rome; the hateful, hurtful tortures of the German Third Reich; the agonies and torments of the millions in Russian and Chinese concentration camps; the ruin, destruction, hopelessness, despair of thousands of American skid-rows, bars, brothels, and drug addicts.. MULTIPLY A MILLION TIMES A MILLION AND YOU STILL DO NOT KNOW THE HORROR OF HELL.
IT IS A PLACE WHERE ALL THE HORRIBLE CONSEQUENCES OF UNBELIEF AND REBELLION ARE ALLOWED TO RUN RAMPANT FOREVER AND EVER!

III.

HOW TO GO TO HELL

Just want to!

God created all of us with the power of will and choice. He will not revoke that power. He will give us what we choose.

C. S. Lewis, Problem of Pain, p. 127, I willingly believe that the damned are, in one sense, successful, rebels to the end; that the doors of hell are locked on the inside.. they (occupants of hell) do not will even the first preliminary stages of that self-abandonment through which alone the soul can reach any good.

Just want this worldwant what the devil wantsnot the globe, but worldliness or mind-of-the-world (rebellion, license, greed, exploitation).

To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, indeed it cannot; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God (Romans 8:6).

... friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God (James 4:4-5).

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.. No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other.. You cannot serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:21; Matthew 6:24).

DO NOT THINK YOU CAN PRETEND TO BE SOMETHING OR DESIRE SOMETHING OTHER THAN WHAT YOU REALLY WANT IN YOUR HEART AND MIND. JESUS-' MOST SCATHING JUDGMENTS FELL UPON THE GREAT PRETENDERS THE PHARISEES, OF HIS DAY. WE MAY FOOL ONE ANOTHER, BUT WE CAN-'T FOOL GOD ABOUT WHAT WE REALLY WANT.

It comes down to this: If you really do not want to do the will of God, God will grant you your choice and all eternity to make that choice and suffer the consequences.

Because, you become what you want

The Lord has the power to make us become what we want but He will not make us become something we do not want!

The people of the Old Testament wanted a king like the nations, worshiped gods like those of the nations, and became like the wicked people of the nations! (Hosea 9:10).

The Pharisees went over land and sea to make proselytes and by their hypocrisy made them two-fold more sons of hell than themselves (Matthew 23:15).

Those who worship and serve the beast in the book of Revelation are stamped with the beast's image and character just as certainly as God's people are stamped with His Holy Spirit (sealed).

What do those who do not want to do the will of God become? ... filled with all manner of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity, they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. (Romans 1:29-31). THEY NOT ONLY DO THEM BUT APPROVE THOSE WHO PRACTICE THEM.

... immoral, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

... immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing and the like. (Galatians 5:19-20).

... reject authority, revile whatever they do not understand, grumblers, malcontents, following their own passions, loudmouthed boasters, flattering people to gain advantage, act like instinctive, irrational animals (Jude).

One may actually do nothing, and go to hell.

To him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin (James 4:17).

The tree that produced nothing was hewn down and cast into the fire (Luke 13:6-9).

The parables of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) and the pounds (Luke 19:11-27) indicates those who did nothing incurred the wrath of the master.

ANXIETY, LETHARGY, SLOTHFULNESS ARE ALL SIGNALS OF UNBELIEF, WHAT YOU WANT, YOU BECOME; WHAT YOU BECOME YOU DO OR REFUSE TO DO!
The safest road to Hell is the gradual onethe gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, with signposts (Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis).

CONCLUSION

HELL OR HEAVEN?

These are the alternatives in the Word of God for the whole human race.

By its warnings, threats, invitations and commands, it urges men to recognize the decisiveness of this life.

It permits no silly, superficial view of life or of death, or of destiny.

Instead, it insists on the inevitable fact that a man shall have what he has chosen.. Let the evil doer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy (Revelation 22:11).

It further declares that now is the acceptable time and now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).

It is unthinkable that a follower of Christ should take an indifferent attitude toward the issues of life.

If the apostle Paul sought to persuade men, prompted by the terror of the Lord, it is difficult to see how we can become unconcerned for the salvation of the lost.

Today's generation needs to be told what the New Testament teaches about hell and the awful reality of eternal retribution.

It is not a congenial tasknot popular, but it is necessary.

It must not be done sadistically, but seriously.

II.

THE PLAIN FACT IS THAT WE ARE ALL CLOSER TO ETERNITY THAN WE MAY REALIZE!

The judgment day is nearer than any of us think. In a very real sense it is here right now.

The night is far spent; the day is at hand, right here, right now.

The Day is here, pressing upon us all with the immediacy of the constant call of Christ for our personal surrender to Him.

The call is to engage now in a battle in Christ's Name in all the areas of the devil's ursurpation of the throne of our hearts and lives.

As C. S. Lewis says, In all discussions of hell we should keep steadily before our eyes the possible damnation, not of our enemies nor our friends. but of ourselves. This sermon is not about your wife or son, nor about Nero, Hitler or Judas Iscariot; it is about you and me.

III.

GOD IN HIS UNSEARCHABLE GRACE HAS PUNISHED OUR SINS IN HIS SON ON THE CROSS AND OFFERED US THE CHOICE OF LIFE IN HIS NAME.

The offer is to all men everywhere.

Christ Himself is the source and the manifestation of that Life.

The Scriptures are the invitation and the covenant terms of that Life.

Applebury's Comments

The Rich Man and Lazarus
Scripture

Luke 16:19-31 Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, faring sumptuously every day: 20 and a certain beggar named Lazarus was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21 and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table; yea, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and that he was carried away by the angels into Abraham's bosom: and the rich man also died, and was buried. 23 And in Hades he lifted 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 in anguish in this flame. 25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things: but now here he is comforted, and thou art in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that they that would pass from hence to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from thence to us. 27 And 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 But Abraham saith, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one go to 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, if one rise from the dead.

Comments

Now there was a certain rich man.Some raise the question whether or not this is a parable in the true sense. Luke does not say that it is a parable, but it has the general characteristics of a parable and may be treated as one. This does not weaken the truth taught by it nor permit us to indulge in fanciful interpretation. The flames in which the rich man found himself and the torment which he was experiencing cannot be explained away by saying that this is just a parable. In this illustration, Jesus contrasted the lives of the two men in this life and in death and after death.

and a certain beggar.Jesus had just been warning the Pharisees about their practice of exalting the love of money above their love for God. The rich man in the parable had been doing just that. But a poor man can be guilty of doing the same thing, although it is clear that Lazarus was not.

laid at his gate.The language does not suggest that he was gently laid at the rich man's gate; rather, it appears that he was dropped off in a rough manner and left to take care of himself. His condition was unbearable; his body was full of sores and his suffering was made worse by the fact that unclean dogs of the street came and licked his sores. There is no indication that his desire to eat what fell from the rich man's table was granted.

the beggar died.Nothing is said about his funeral, but angels carried him to Abraham's bosom. This was the place of highest honor in the kingdom of heaven.

Angels are ministering spirits sent forth to do service for the sake of those who shall inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14). To be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). In the resurrection, the disease-ridden body of the beggar will be fashioned anew to conform to the glorious body of the Lord (Philippians 3:20).

the rich man also died, and was buried.The contrast is striking; and after death it is even greater. Jesus said, In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Hades is the abode of the dead, the intermediate state between life and heaven or hell. Hades is not hell, although the wicked who are in Hades are in torment. But the righteous are in Paradise (Luke 23:43), a term equivalent to Abraham's bosom.

Peter says that Jesus was not left in Hades (Acts 2:22-36), a fact that shows that the righteous dead are in Hades but certainly not in torment.

Son remember.There are some pertinent facts about the state of the wicked in these words of Jesus: (1) the rich man was conscious; (2) he was able to recognize Abraham and Lazarus; (3) he was in torment and anguish; (4) he was able to remember his own life and that of his five brothers.

a great gulf fixed.The chasm was fixed so that those who would cross from one side to the other could not. After death, there is no opportunity to prepare for heaven. It is true that sin separates sinner and saint in this life, but there is a way to cross it, the way of the cross of Christ. It calls for faith in Christ, repentance of sins, and baptism for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). Those who cross from a state of sin to a state of forgiveness and remain faithful unto death will receive the crown of life (Revelation 2:10). Those who fail to continue steadfastly will be with the wicked in Hades (Acts 2:42; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Hebrews 3:7 to Hebrews 4:11; 2 Peter 2:20-22).

I have five brethren.The time to have helped them was while he was living. He wanted Lazarus to go from the dead to warn them not to come where he was in that place of torment. But Abraham said, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. The Word of God gives all the necessary direction, motivation, and help that a sinner could possibly use to help him to escape the bondage of sin in this life. The word of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. If a sinner will not hear the Word, he will not be persuaded though one arise from the dead to urge him to do so. Jesus was soon to prove the point by His own resurrection.

Hardship, persecution, tragedythese seldom produce repentance (Revelation 9:20-21; Revelation 16:10-11). Let those who imagine that persecution such as existed in the days of the martyrs would lead to repentance ponder these Scriptures. It is the preaching of the Word that leads to repentance as men learn of the goodness of God and find their way out of the sorrow of sin, (Romans 2:4; 2 Corinthians 7:10).

For the teaching of the Scriptures on the second coming of Christ and the resurrection and the judgment see Hebrews 9:27; John 5:28-29; 1 Corinthians 15:50-58; Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:11-15. Death and Hades will be abolished; heaven and hell follow. See Revelation 21:1-8; Revelation 21:26-27; Revelation 22:1-5; Revelation 22:14-15.

Summary

The two parables of this chapter complete a series of five which begins with the three parables of grace given in chapter fifteen. The series has a common topic since the parables of grace have to do with saving the lost sinner while the parables of this chapter are about the necessity of preparing for life after death.
The parable of The Unrighteous Steward teaches the lesson of wisdom in preparing for the future. The unrighteous steward was commended by his master, not because of his dishonesty, but because he had the wisdom to prepare for the future. Jesus indicated that it is necessary to make friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness that when it fails these friends, the heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, may receive you into the eternal home.
Jesus said, You cannot worship God and mammon. Wisdom indicts the necessity of worshipping God in this life in order to have that eternal home in heaven.
The Pharisees who were lovers of money were listening and began to scoff at Jesus-' views of wealth. He said, The thing that is exalted by men is an abomination in the sight of God. The Pharisees were proud of their claim to be keeping the Law of Moses. Jesus reminded them that no part of it was to fall and indicated that their views on the subject of divorce contradicted what God had said on the matter.
The story of the Rich Man and Lazarus enforces the same lesson by showing what happens after death. The state of the two was not determined by riches or poverty, but by the use to which the rich man put his wealth and the manner in which Lazarus conducted himself in poverty and sickness. In Hades, the abode of the dead, the rich man lifted up his eyes and saw Lazarus in Abraham's bosomthe place of highest honor for a Jew. But the rich man was in torment, and begged that Lazarus might be sent to relieve his suffering. Abraham reminded him that in his lifetime he had enjoyed good things, but Lazarus had evil things. Besides, the chasm that separated them made it impossible to grant his request.
Then the rich man remembered his brothers and begged that someone be sent to warn them not to come to the place where he was. But Abraham said, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them, for if they do not neither will they hear one from the dead.
The time to prepare for life after death is now!

Questions

What is there to suggest the connection between the subject of this chapter and that of the preceding one?

What is the subject of this series of parables?

Why did Jesus use the story of the dishonest steward to illustrate the necessity of preparing for life after death?

For what did his master commend him?

What do the Scriptures teach about every one giving account of his life?

What did the steward do when he learned that he was to lose his position?

Why did he have the debtors change the records?

In what way are the sons of the world wiser than the sons of light?

What does mammon mean? Why called unrighteous?

10.

Can men of wealth also be men of faith?

11.

How can one use wealth so as to have God's approval?

12.

What did Jesus say about faithfulness in much or in little?

13.

Why did He say that no man can serve two masters?

14.

How did Jesus-' statements about money apply to the Pharisees?

15.

What were men doing that was an abomination in the sight of God?

16.

Why did Jesus mention the Law and the prophets in this connection?

17.

What does the law and prophets were until John mean?

18.

In what way was the kingdom suffering violence?

19.

What does this mean? How can one enter the kingdom?

20.

How did Jesus show that the Law could not be set aside?

21.

What did this have to do with the Pharisees views on divorce?

22.

What does the New Covenant say about the duration of marriage?

23.

What can the church do to uphold the dignity and sanctity of the home?

24.

What may be said about treating the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus as a parable?

25.

What similarity between the rich man and the Pharisees?

26.

How did Jesus describe the condition of the beggar?

27.

What happened to him when he died?

28.

What service do angels render those who inherit salvation?

29.

What change in the beggar's body will there be in the resurrection?

30.

What does Hades mean?

31.

What was the state of the rich man in Hades?

32.

What does this story teach about recognition after death?

33.

What does it teach about consciousness after death?

34.

What is said about the impossibility of changing one's state after death?

35.

How and where may a change of state be made?

36.

What was the rich man's concern for his brothers?

37.

Why was his request refused? Of what significance is this to the Christian?

38.

What leads to repentance?

39.

When will Hades be abolished?

40.

What is to follow after that happens?

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