Pray for a Glorious Land

Posted By admin on June 30, 2010

I cannot count the times I’ve been told this parable is about the evils of riches and the blessing of poverty. Sometimes I’ve heard this parable used to show we go to a glorious place as soon as we die and the unsaved go to a place of punishment and torment. (Luke 16:19-31)

You will be amazed at some of the insights concerning this story. This parable has nothing to do with money. If the beggar was rewarded for poverty, why would King David write he’d never seen the righteous begging bread? (Ps. 37:25)

This parable says nothing about a location folks are appointed to upon death. If the rich man is in flaming torment, Judgment Day has already occurred. How can someone be sent back to the living to warn his five brothers after the Lord has already returned? We can not take part of a verse or use part of a parable and make doctrine out of it.

I wanted to take a look at some important points in this parable. The rich man is clothed in purple (royalty) and fine linen (priesthood). (Verse 19)

When they both were dead in the grave, the rich man not only recognized Abraham but called him “father Abraham.” (Verses 23, 24) Is there a Hebrew relation to Abraham? If so, does Lazarus represent the Gentiles?

The rich man wanted a dip of a finger to cool his tongue because of the torment in the “flame” (singular). (Verse 24) The word “torment” does not mean writhing in fire. It means “to be pained or emotional grief.” If he was in the eternal lake of fire, I would think a drop on the tongue would provide little or no relief. Is this a reference to the Living Water of the Gospel?

There was a great chasm between them. (Verse 26) Did you notice those who “wanted” to go from Abraham to the rich man could not, nor could anyone with the rich man get to Abraham. If this were a picture of heaven and eternal punishment, why would anyone in Abraham’s bosom “want” to go across and join the rich man?

I looked up the words for “pass” or “cross over” in my Concordance. They are two different words. The first is “diabaino” and the second is “diaperao”. The Greek gives the impression the great chasm is something that is full of water and can be “ferried” over! Why would the rich man want “a drop of water” if there was a chasm full of water between them? (a drop of Living Water?) This could be a reference to the Israelites looking across the Jordan River to the Promised Land the Lord gave them. (Deut. 12:10) Or this could be a reference to Moses looking across the Jordon. (Deut. 34:4) The rich man (Israel) is looking across the chasm (separation) at the Promised Land (salvation in Messiah).

The rich man begged for Lazarus to be sent to his father’s house to warn his five brothers. Abraham replied they have Moses and the prophets, let the brothers listen to them. (Verses 27-29) This strongly implies the rich man is Hebrew. Even though there 12 tribes of Israel named for 12 brothers, the brothers were not all from the same mother. Was this a reference about Judah, who had five brothers?

The rich man told father Abraham someone returning from the dead would cause his brothers to “repent.” (Verse 30) What would the Hebrew brothers be repenting for? Rejecting Messiah? The time frame when the brothers can still repent could only be prior to the second coming.

Abraham responds they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead. (Verse 31) Who is the only One who rose from the dead?

Categories: Pray for a Glorious Land
Tags: