The Apostle Paul said if we are Christ's, we are considered by God as Abraham's seed-children-and are then also heirs with Abraham to receive this promise (Galatians 3:29). We must first understand that God gave Abraham and his descendants the promise of the earth for an eternal inheritance (Romans 4:13). ![]() According to Jesus' story, Lazarus died and was carried by angels to "Abraham's bosom" (Luke 16:22). Through this parable, Jesus intended to illustrate an important lesson that most fail to understand. Not perish…? Right here the Bible again makes it very clear that the fate of the sinner is to perish – to die – not to live and suffer forever! And of course, Ecclesiastes 9:10 also says very clearly that there is " no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave…" If the soul that sins dies, and if there is no knowledge or wisdom – no "consciousness" or "thinking" in the grave, then there is no way that the parable of Lazarus and the rich man can mean that the sinner is sent off to eternal torment in hell! So, what does the parable really mean? The Bible says plainly that " The soul who sins shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4), and Jesus Himself said that he who believes in Him " should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). ![]() But is that what this parable is really teaching us? Is the parable of Lazarus and the rich man telling us that Lazarus is in heaven, and the "rich man" is being tormented in hell? No, that is not what this parable is showing. Answer: Quite a number of people believe that the parable of Lazarus and the rich man proves that the dead go to heaven or hell when they die…the righteous to the arms of Jesus and the sinners into hellfire and eternal torment.
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