Pod prep
The True Meaning of Lazarus and the Rich Man Parable?
NO MAN HAS ASCENDED TO HEAVEN YET
THE CLEAR MEANING OF THE PARABLE IS THAT ONE MUST REPENT USING GOD’S WORD, THE BIBLE, NO OTHER METHOD WILL BE EFFECTIVE. See Lk 16:30-31. However most of the world does not understand this parable. How do they use it? They use it to prove their heaven and hell doctrine. Are our relatives who have passed away in heaven or hell? What does the Bible say? John writes that no man has gone to heaven. See John 3:13. John is quoting Jesus Christ in saying no man has gone to heaven. The first Christian era sermon declared that David one of the Bible’s greatest heroes, is not in heaven. David is so significant that he was chosen to write the very feelings of Jesus during His sacrifice. See Psalm 22 and 23 among others.
Where are the passed saved saints? They are in spiritual sleep or stasis awaiting the second coming of Christ and the great trumpet blast IN OUR FUTURE. See I Thess 4:13-17.
Does the Bible Contradict itself, no of course not. The parable of Lazarus is not intended to tell a real story of a man tortured in hell fire and one in heaven.
LAZARUS AND THE RICH MAN PARABLE
Read aloud the Parable Luke 16:19-29
What is the true meaning of this parable? Many churches in the world believe that this parable shows that God will condemn those who don’t obey Him to ever burning hell. Churches have used this threat to try to evangelize for hundreds of years. However, God wants us to have a relationship with Him, based on love, obedience. Some respect and fear of God is appropriate and wise. But he is not a sadistic monster as some people secretly feel, as the result of the Heaven and Hell doctrine. He wants us to love Him and emulate Him because of who He is, His wonderful character, and what He has done for us, given us his son. Let’s look into this parable and other parables in order to understand what was really going on. A parable is defined as a short story to teach a point. Parables are not to be taken literally. They are made up situations.
In Greek, Lazarus means God is my help. This is a slur to the Pharisees because they knew that Jesus was insinuating that they did not help the poor. The Pharisees were the upper class and wouldn’t even think of helping a poor person like Lazarus. He suffered terribly during his life and finally died. Pharisees would not think of eating with the poor. That is one reason that they grew to hate Jesus so much. He hung out with the poor and the outcasts of society and ate with them and it embarrassed them. Luke 15:1-2. Undoubtedly the people saw the contrast.
PARABLES ARE A STORY TELLING VEHICLE MEANT TO CONVEY A POINT FOR THE ENLIGHTENED ONLY
One cannot take every word in a parable as doctrine some parts of parables are meant to even conceal the meaning for those not called. Christ was asked why he spoke to the crowds in parables. Did he say to deliver doctrines in every part of the parable? NO! He said it was to mislead them for it was not given for them to know. See Math 13:9-13. Most of their hearts’ were not open for conversion at that time, they will be later. Parables are a teaching method that uses comparisons. By their very nature they are not to be taken literally in all details. The basic comparison in Luke is the rich greedy heartless rich man (Pharisees) and the humble Lazarus. One was headed toward salvation and other to damnation. The reason the world uses this parable to support the heaven, hell doctrine is because they do not have a lot of other Biblical evidence. The Heaven & Hell doctrine makes God into a mean sadist while the Devil is rewarded for his tremendous evil by being able to torture, torment and burn more people forever. These are the ungodly premises behind the hell doctrine.
THE WORD OF GOD IS THE ESSSENCE OF WHAT WE NEED FOR CONVERSION AND GROWTH
The parable is telling the rich man that miracles are not enough for true conversion. If one will not listen to the Bible they will fall prey to the lake of fire. Even one coming back from the dead cannot force one to be converted. Further the lake of fire in the parable is not the same as an ever burning, ever torturing hell fire that never consumes the victim. People like to assume that meaning as proof of the heaven & Hell myth. See Mal 4:3, Math10:28. The soul that is a castaway after a fair chance to convert will die and become ashes not live forever in a torture pit. See Ez 18:4. Getting rid of evil people is good for them and the rest of Gods family. They will not be able to make themselves and others unhappy again. Why the mental torment? The rich man sees the approaching lake of fire.
WE MUST ABIDE IN THE LOVE OF GODS WORD AND COMMANDMENTS
Those who abide in Jesus abide in his words and his testimony which is also the Ten Commandments. See I John 2:1-3 and John 14:21, 15:10. We must abide in Jesus and to do that we must keep his commandments. Those who do not teach that are liars. See I John 2:4. John then tells us that those who keep his word the LOVE of GOD IS IN THEM. If we love God we will show it by obeying his word. It means we must know the word, the Bible. John says when we keep God’s word the love of God is perfected in us, meaning maturing in us. God’s word the Bible is the prime vehicle for our growth. This is what the Parable of Lazarus tells us. Abide in God’s word abide in God’s love. Christ is telling the money loving Pharisees, and all us not to rely on wealth signs and miracles but only on the Bible (that existed at the time, the Law and the Prophets for salvation).
