![]() We bring together all of the scriptures about the afterlife in our booklets Heaven and Hell: What Does the Bible Really Teach? and What Happens After Death? They also contain further background information about this parable. His point is that we must live in a godly manner when we are alive, just as the man Lazarus did in the story. Jesus' straightforward point is that it is too late to change one's behavior and character after death. If we take its lesson at face value, it is in complete harmony with the rest of the Bible. However, we must understand that this is a parable-"an imaginary story…to illustrate and inculcate some higher spiritual truth" ( International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, "parable"). Reading this parable to mean that the dead are conscious in an ever-burning hell or in heaven would be a clear contradiction with the broader context of the entire Bible. What does the Bible say about the state of the dead? A single phrase in Ecclesiastes 9:5 summarizes the Bible's teaching about the state of the dead: "The dead know nothing." (See also Ezekiel 18:20 1 Corinthians 15:22-23, 51-52 John 3:13, 16 Acts 2:29, 34 Romans 6:23 and many other passages that show that the soul can die, that physical death is like sleep and that the dead will be resurrected in the future, that no one has gone to heaven, that sin leads to death-not eternal life in another place, etc.). He meant that every section of the Bible on any given subject must be in agreement with every other section that addresses the same topic. Jesus said, "The Scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35). Though Lazarus was a poor man who suffered greatly during his time on Earth, God dealt kindly with him and blessed him with comfort amongst the patriarchs. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the. Lazarus, a poor beggar, dies and goes to Abrahams bosom while a rich man dies and goes to. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. Luke 16:1931 contains the story of the rich man and Lazarus. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. The immediate context (the verses before and after the parable) doesn't clearly provide us with further information, so let's go on to the second rule. 19 There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. ![]() Let's apply the proper rules systematically to the parable. ![]() By contrast, attempting to understand a difficult passage by human reasoning is bad scholarship. Second, look at the broader context of the entire Bible. Greek: chasma (G5490) is used to refer a gaping opening, a chasm, an impassible gulf so that none would pass between the two compartments of hellt neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Two fundamental rules of good biblical scholarship will help us to understand a difficult scripture almost every time. The higher the vote, the further up an answer is. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |