Luke 16:27-31

Send Lazarus to my father's house. He first thought of himself. Now he wants to warn his family. This is brought up to emphasize what follows. Your brothers have Moses and the prophets to warn them. The rich man and his brothers thought worldly wealth was the only REALITY. The warning was there, loud and clear, but they did not listen! They will not be convinced. If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, Lazarus returning from the dead would not make them listen. JESUS DID RETURN FROM THE DEAD! But many of the enemies of Jesus paid no attention to it! Compare 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16. [Hades is the Greek name for the world of the dead, and is the same as Sheol in the Old Testament. Hades sometimes means the abyss, a place of punishment for the wicked awaiting judgment (see note on Revelation 9:2). But also in this spirit world of Hades is Paradise "heaven" before the Judgment. In Hades we see the wicked in great pain; while the good enjoy their rewards. The joys of Paradise were thought of as "the feast in heaven. " After the resurrection and the Judgment, the good will inherit the Eternal Kingdom; while the wicked, death, and the world of the dead (Hades) will be thrown into the lake of fire (see Revelation 20:14-15).]