"ETERNITY MESSAGE #1"

LUKE 16:19-21 ““There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.”

>>>Jesus told this story about a rich man and a poor man named Lazarus (not Jesus’ friend).

*The phrase “there was” and the specific name given to the poor man may indicate that Jesus is telling a real story about real people.

>>>Notice throughout the story all the opposites.

*The rich man was clothed in expensive and costly clothing and celebrated in luxury every day, while Lazarus was outside his gate covered in sores.

*The rich man seemed to have no regard for Lazarus, yet the dogs came to lick his sores.

LUKE 16:22-29 “The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on 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.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And 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.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’”

LUKE 16:30-31 “And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ””

>>>Both men died and went somewhere in eternity.

>>>This is the base passage for this series on eternity.

>>>This week will be on some general observations of the story.

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TWO DIFFERENT PLACES (ABRAHAM’S SIDE/HADES)

>>>There are two different places the men go when they die-Abraham’s Side and Hades.

*A PLACE OF PEACE/COMFORT

LUKE 16:22 “The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried,”

LUKE 16:25 “But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.”

>>>Lazarus went to Abraham's side (Paradise/Heaven).

>>>Not much is said about this place except that it is a place of comfort.

*A PLACE OF TORMENT/ANGUISH

>>>The rich man went to Hades.

*In Hebrew, the word is “Sheol”-the place of the dead.

>>>Much is said that describes Hades. The perspective of this half of story is from the perspective of Hades.

LUKE 16:23-24 “and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on 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.’”

>>>The rich man was in anguish and torment while in Hades.

*“torment” means “great suffering”/“anguish” means “pain and agony”

*torment caused by flame of Hades.

>>>Notice he “lifted his eyes”-looking up.

>>>The closest thing to mercy for the rich man was to have a drop of water on his tongue.

*A CHASM IN BETWEEN

LUKE 16:26 “And 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.’”

>>>A “chasm” is a deep, gaping gulf. It was securely placed/established to keep people from crossing to the other side.

*Everybody stays where they go forever.

*This great chasm explains Abraham being “far off” in verse 23.

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TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE (RICH MAN/POOR MAN)

>>>I struggled to interpret how/why the poor man goes to Heaven while the rich man goes to Hades.

>>>They represent two types of people.

*RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WORLD

LUKE 16:19-21 ““There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.”

>>>The rich man was consumed with the pleasures of the world, while Lazarus struggled to live in it.

*The rich man had everything he wanted, while Lazarus had nothing.

>>>This does not mean that people who are wealthy automatically go to Hell while people rejected in the world automatically go to Heaven. There’s something more.

*RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

>>>It is very clear in the grader context of Scripture that the only way to Heaven is through Jesus-giving a person a relationship w/God.

>>>Lazarus obviously had a relationship w/God and would have gone to Heaven even if he was the rich man.

>>>Ultimate point: people w/o a relationship w/God will always be consumed w/what the world offers, while believers will have times of suffering in the world.

*Suffering for believers can mean persecution but definitely a longing-knowing this is not where they belong.