Posted By: dedication
Meaning of Lazarus and the Rich Man - 06/02/22 03:38 PM
Quote
Luke 16:19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
16:20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
16:21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
16:24 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 tormented in this flame.
16:25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
16:26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that [would come] from thence.
16:27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
16:28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
16:29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
16:30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
16:31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
16:20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
16:21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
16:24 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 tormented in this flame.
16:25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
16:26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that [would come] from thence.
16:27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
16:28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
16:29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
16:30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
16:31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
The Jewish nation had put their trust in Abraham, in being the descendants of Abraham, rather than putting their faith in God. "We be Abraham's seed," they said proudly. (John 8:33) thinking this was their ticket to salvation and acceptance by God, while they rejected Jesus.
"If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill Me, a man that has told you the truth, which I have heard of God. This did not Abraham." John 8:39, 40.
One named Lazarus (Mary and Martha's brother) was raised from the dead, a living proof that Christ had the power of life over death. But they would not believe, proving the statement "though one were raised from the dead " it would do no good.
Also, in Galatians 3:29 "And if ye are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. " The rich man claimed to be Abraham's son, but he was separated from the promises made to Abraham by a great gulf. A gulf that only Christ can span, and has spanned for all that will believe and make Him their Lord and Savior.
The parable can have application to the final event after the millennium when those in Christ stand with Christ (in the great throng of redeemed in the New Jerusalem) while the raised but lost stand outside fully realizing they have lost everything because they rejected Christ and the salvation HE offered. There is a fire that will consume them