The Strand Study Bible

LUKE 16:18

LUKE 17:1

1671

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. 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. 27 Then 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 Abraham saith unto him, They have 6 Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31 And he said unto him, 7 If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead . Luke 17 CHRIST teaches on forgiveness Date - AD 31 1 Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: 8 but

18 Whosoever 1 putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery. Parable #28 - The rich man and Lazarus [A lesson for the unsaved - Learn to avoid equating death with soul sleep, the temporal with the eternal, and the miraculous with the message of God - Acts 24:14-15 & Psa 49:16-20 & Heb 11:6] 19 There was a certain 2 rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores , 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. 22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into 3 Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in 4 hell he lift 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 5 tormented in this flame.

1. or, “divorces” - Mt 5:31-32 & 19:9 & I Cor 7:10-11 2. Note - According to the Bible, the rich won’t be the only ones having a difficult time gaining entrance into Heaven. The self-righteous (Mt 19:16-26) and the religious (Lk 18:9- 14) will have just as difficult a time. 3. or, “heaven” - Mt 8:11 4. Gr., “hades, temporary hell” 5. Mk 9:43,45,47 & Isa 66:24 6. or, “the Bible” - Lk 24:25-27 & Jn 5:46 7. II Pet 1:19 8. Mt 18:6-7 & Mk 9:42 & I Cor 8:11-12

16:19 You can ignore reality ( and fared sumptuously every day ), but you cannot ignore the consequences of ignoring reality ( the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments – vs 22,23). Sadly, people rarely take things seriously (vs 19) until something serious happens (vs 23-24). 16:23 a The rich man who died is pictured as self-conscious ( he lift up his eyes ). He was aware, able to see, feel, and remember. There is no biblical basis whatsoever for the notion that death is an unconscious state. Jesus taught us three truths concerning life after death in Hell for the unsaved: 1. They’re conscious (fully alert and awake), not annihilated ( And in hell he lift up his eyes – vs 23) 2. They’re tormented, not comforted ( being in torments – vs 23) 3. They’re tormented forever, not just for awhile ( and thou art tormented – vs 25 ) 16:23 b Hell is as terrible a place as Heaven is wonderful. In Hell things change dramatically for the worse ( being in torments ) once a person passes into it. The opposite is true for those going to Heaven (Rev 7:13-17). Some people foolishly think, “I don’t mind going to Hell because most of my friends will be there anyway.” While that may be true, Hell holds no parties. 16:24 There are some who would question the eternality of Hell ( this flame ). Is Hell really a place of everlasting torment, in which God has the last say (vs 26)? Some would argue: 1. Why should people suffer eternally for a temporal action (sin) that occurred at a moment in time? In other words, why should people spend eternity in Hell for something they committed during a temporal lifetime? The answer is, “They shouldn’t.” God does not send people to Hell based on their temporal actions, whether they are right or wrong. Just as “good” people don’t go to Heaven (Eph 2:8-9 and Titus 3:5), so “bad” people don’t go to Hell ( Mt 19:16 – point #4). Robert Farrar Capon in an internet interview with Floyd Brown said:

…who is in heaven? People think it is good guys. There is nobody in heaven but forgiven sinners because there was nobody available to go to heaven except forgiven sinners and there is nobody in hell except forgiven sinners. The difference is that in heaven they accept the forgiveness, in hell they reject it. That’s it. You can’t get into hell by being bad. You get into heaven by being bad and accepting forgiveness. 1

God is just. The only punishment for a temporal wrongdoing is a temporal death (Gen 2:17). God does not consign men to their eternal destinies based on their temporal actions; rather He consigns men to their eternal destinies based on their choice