...or it could be in Hell:
What about that place called "Hell"? Does it really exist, or is it just a story made up by preachers to scare people into church? In this age of "Positive Thinking" and warnings of the consequences of being too negative, the concept of "Hell" is unpopular indeed among virtually everyone.
Yet our Lord devoted much of His teaching time to discussing just such a place. Heaven and Hell are invariably mentioned together. The two ideas, that of reward on the one hand and punishment on the other, are so closely linked that they stand or fall together. If you accept the existence of Heaven, you must also accept that there is a Hell–for in the Bible the same expressions are used to describe both .
Jesus spoke of the last-day general resurrection as a resurrection into life for some, but a resurrection into damnation for others (John 5:28-29). In His picture of the Judgment scene in Matthew 25, He spoke in terms of "the sheep and the goats" (v. 32); those on His right hand and those on His left (v. 33); those who will "inherit the kingdom prepared for them (v. 34) and those who will "depart into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (v. 41). Plain language for what some consider to be an imaginary place! Again, Jesus spoke of the danger of going into a Hell described as "the fire that never shall be quenched: where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:43-48). And in the midst of that beautiful description of Heaven in Revelation 21, the apostle John interrupts himself to remind us that "the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (Revelation 21:8).
Perhaps most graphic is the remarkable account in Luke 16 of two men, one evil and one righteous, who both died about the same time. The same dualism, or contrast, is seen here: The one went to a place of comfort called "Abraham’s bosom" (Luke 16:22); while the other found himself "in Hell" (v. 23) in a condition which was described as "being in torments". This shows us, among other things, that Hell is not "just the grave" as some try to say, for there is consciousness there: The man himself said "I am in torment in this flame" (v. 24) and begged for relief and mercy–a request that was denied him, showing that Hell is also both permanent and eternal.
Why such a horrible description in God’s word? If you said "To scare you into Heaven", you’d not be far wrong! God said to the Israelites of old, long ago, "I have set before you life, and death; blessing, and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19). God presents a very similar choice to us today: That picture of Hell in the Scriptures is meant as a warning, that we may avoid going there--God "is not willing that any should perish" (II Peter 3:9), but He would "have all men to be saved" (I Timothy 2:4). God never prepared Hell for man; instead, it was prepared "for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41). But God won’t force Himself on anyone! He has given man the power of choice, and if a man chooses to follow Satan to that Hell of torment, God will allow him to do so. And so God has said, in effect, to us today: "I have set before thee Heaven, and Hell: therefore choose Heaven, that ye may live."
Don’t let your fear of Hell lead you to deny that it exists; rather, let it–as God intended–motivate you to seek out the road to Heaven. "Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men" (II Corinthians 5:11).
Think about it!
Interesting analysis, but this is also parable. Sometimes parables aren't to be taken completely literally. But even so, the problem with the analysis in bold is that the Greek translation for hell in the verse is still the
grave...
Using a Parable to Make a Point
Ángel Manuel Rodríguez
Does the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) suggest that we are not totally unconscious when we die?
Perhaps the basic question is whether this story is a parable or a historical narrative. If it is historical, then Jesus is describing what really happened to the rich man and Lazarus after they died. If it is a parable, we need to look at its purpose.
1.
A Historical Event? A reading of the passage indicates that it is not describing a literal event that took place in the afterlife. If it was historical, a literal reading would be required; yet a literal interpretation reveals some serious problems.
First, there is no explicit reference to the soul or the spirit of Lazarus or the rich man. Those who believe that the story describes conditions during the intermediate state between death and resurrection also teach that the soul or the spirit survives after death, but not the body. But a literal reading of the text clearly indicates that they were in "hell" (Greek, hades) in bodily form. Jesus mentioned the rich man's tongue, Lazarus's finger, and verbal communication. Their eyes enabled them to see each other. That language and imagery indicate that we are not dealing here with disembodied spirits.
Second, the place of rest for the saved is not God's presence but Abraham's bosom, a place of felicity in Jewish literature; obviously not a literal place. The phrase was used among Jews to refer to the high privilege of sitting at the right hand of Abraham.
Third, the parable suggests that the righteous and the wicked coexist close to each other. If the righteous were able to see the pain and suffering of the wicked, that would not lend itself to a universal state of peace and rest.
Fourth, the term hades (hell) is not used anywhere else in the New Testament as a place of eternal torment, but simply as the tomb or realm of the dead. Therefore a literal interpretation of the story would contradict what the Bible teaches elsewhere on that topic.
Fifth, a literal interpretation also contradicts the biblical teaching that rewards are given after the second coming of Christ, and not immediately after a person dies (Matt. 25:31, 32; Rev.22:12).
2.
A Parable? It is likely that Jesus was not discussing the condition of the dead during the intermediate state, but simply telling a parable. This parable, like all parables, has one of several purposes. The text itself reveals two main purposes. The first one provides comfort to the oppressed followers of Christ: The time is coming when their fortune will be reversed; the wicked will be humiliated and the righteous will be exalted by God.
The second, and possibly the most important element in the parable, teaches that our decisions in this life become irrevocable after we die. There is no such thing as, a purgatory. We must listen to "Moses and the Prophets" while we are alive. Scripture is enough to enlighten us concerning God's eternal purpose for us.
3.
Why Did Jesus Choose This Parable? Jesus told this story as a vehicle to teach His hearers animportant lesson; it is merely an illustration.
But why would He use a story with such bad theology? In a sense, what He did here was similar to what He did with the parable of the unrighteous servant (Luke 16:1-10). There Jesus was not teaching that the dishonest administration of money is right; He was emphasizing the importance of placing our resources at the service of others and of God.
In the parable of the rich man, Jesus was retelling a story well known by His audience. The background of this parable was a folk story going back to Egyptian sources. In the Jewish version a contrast was made between the experience of a poor scholar and a rich publican. In a dream a friend of the poor scholar saw him enjoying heavenly bliss in a paradisiacal garden with streams of water, while the rich man was standing by a stream unable to drink from the water.
Jesus told this fictional story and dramatized it in order to make His discourse more relevant to His audience. His point: We only have this life to choose our eternal destiny.
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