hey welcome back does the story of
Lazarus and Abraham's bosom teach us
about death it's time to unlearn the
lies people often use the parable of the
rich man and Lazarus as a proof text to
say that we go to immediately to heaven
or hell when we die but is that really
what you sure was trying to teach with
the story some people claim that the
story of Lazarus and Abraham's bosom is
a true story about Lazarus as death
however Yeshua was not in the habit of
telling true life stories if the story
of Lazarus was a real event then it was
the only one he ever told in fact the
Bible tells us specifically that he
always spoke in parables to the crowds
all of these things Jesus spoke to the
multitude in parables and without a
parable he did not speak to them that it
might be fulfilled which was spoken by
the prophets saying I will open my mouth
in parables I will utter things kept
secret from the foundation of the world
he was parables to conceal the
understanding so that it would not be
available to everyone
he spoke in parables when he was in
public so that he could teach things to
the people who had ears to hear while
concealing the understanding from those
who did not if we look at the context in
which the story was told we will find
out that he was addressing a multitude
of people at a meal that was hosted by
the Pharisees furthermore he tells a
series of parables leading up to the
story of the rich man and Lazarus which
all appear to have a common theme the
catalyst for this series of parables has
to do with the healing a man with dropsy
on the sabbath now it happened as he
went into the house of one of the rulers
of the pharisees to eat bread on the
sabbath that they watched him closely
and behold there was a certain man
before him who had dropsy and jesus
answered and spoke to the lawyers and
Pharisees saying is it lawful to heal on
the Sabbath after healing the man Yeshua
told the parable of the wedding feast
explaining that a
guests should choose to sit in a lowly
position and not a high place of honor
next he said when you have a feast
invite the poor and the lowly because
they cannot pay you back he continued
the series of parables with the story of
a man who threw a banquet but none of
the invited guests would join him so he
sent his servants to gather up anyone
who would be willing to come after this
he explained that the one that one must
count the cost if they are to become his
disciples then the Bible says that all
of the tax collectors and sinners who
near to him which upset the Pharisees
and scribes so your shrio told the
parable of the lost sheep the lost coin
and the prodigal son then he continued
in chapter 16 with the parable of the
unfaithful steward which of which
offended the Pharisees because they
loved money and finally he told the
story about the rich man who was in
torment while a poor man found comfort
all of the events in the parables that
are described in Luke chapters 14
through 16 are about wealth and poverty
health and sickness lost and found and
in each of these parables the weak the
sick the poor find favor and help the
man who takes the lowly seed is exalted
the poor man is invited to the feast the
one who is lost is found likewise the
one who sat at the seat of Honor is
dishonored the invited gets missed the
feast the unfaithful steward was removed
from his position
each of these parables was pointed at
the sins of the Pharisees now the
Pharisees who were lovers of money also
heard all of these things and they
derided him this leads us to the parable
of the rich man and Lazarus
the story begins by describing a rich
man who ate well every day in contrast
for the poor man who begged for crumbs
both men died and the rich man was
punished while the poor man finds
comfort that is the most basic and
simplified explanation of the story and
it is consistent with the other parables
that have been told previously this
series of parables was given in
opposition to the prosperity message of
the Pharisees who equated wealth and
health with God's favor so why was the
beggar named
Lazarus many people have argued that
because a specific name was given then
you sure must have been speaking about
it a real event perhaps the name Lazarus
was not given to identify specific
person but a quality of that person the
Greek named Lazarus comes from the
Hebrew name Eliezer
which means God has helped obviously the
poor man did find favor from God so the
name is fitting another possible reason
for giving the name Lazarus is the
obvious connection between Eliezer and
Abraham Eliezer was the servant of
Abraham and it would and he would have
received all of Abraham's acceptance if
it had not been for Isaac being born but
Abraham said Lord God what will you give
me seeing I go childless and the heir of
my houses Eliezer of Damascus then
Abraham said look you have given me no
offspring indeed one born in my own
house is my heir and behold the word of
the Lord came to him saying this one
shall not be your heir but one who will
come from your own body shall be your
heir the Pharisees were consistently
boasting about Abraham being their
father yet in the story the poor and the
lowly servant who was not a son of
Abraham was welcomed by Abraham into his
bosom this is the only reference to
Abraham's bosom in the Bible and some
people think it is a name of a location
perhaps a compartment in Sheol or a
reference to paradise or even heaven
itself however all of these opinions are
merely speculation and cannot be found
anywhere in the Bible to claim that
Abraham's bosom is a compartment in
Sheol is no different than saying
Abraham's bosom is a crater on the moon
because neither of those opinions can be
found in the Bible the idea that
Abraham's bosom is a compartment in
Sheol lines up more with Dante's Inferno
than it does with the Bible that's why
we must be careful not to follow man's
opinions and theories Abraham's bosom is
not a reference to heaven because we
will not be watching our family and
friends being tortured in hell
it is a sadistic misrepresentation of
the story to say that Lazarus
was really in heaven watching someone
else being tortured and hearing him
crying out for help most people would
not be able to tolerate watching someone
they hate suffer such a fate so how
would they be able to handle seeing
someone they love face that type of
torture the Bible says the dead know
nothing and they go down into silence so
how are they able to carry on a
conversation with each other also if
they are disembodied souls that means
they have no tongue no mouth no vocal
cords no eyes no brain so how are they
able to look at each other and carry on
a conversation there is nothing real
about this story it is the most comical
and unrealistic parable that you should
ever told and it is in no way meant to
be understood as a real or true event
the Hebrews believe that when a person
died he was gathered to his ancestors
this was a comforting thought to the
Jewish people and the Pharisees often
boasted about having Abraham as their
father so when you show up oak about
Lazarus being gathered into Abraham's
bosom
it would have been understood that
Lazarus was gathered to his people
however the rich man was not gathered to
his people but found himself in torment
and regret for the way he lived out his
life let me submit to you that Yeshua
was not trying to teach anything about
death at all but that he was making a
very bold statement about rich people
who refused to help those in need this
parable was an extreme exaggeration used
to illustrate his point about wealth it
was not given to build a doctrine about
death the message of this parable is
that beggars will receive mercy while
the selfish received judgment the
righteous are not literally in Abraham's
bosom but they are figuratively waiting
with him for the resurrection at the end
of the parable Yeshua makes the
statement if they do not fear Moses and
the prophets neither that will they be
persuaded though one rise from the dead
he knew that even his resurrection would
not be enough to convince certain people
to believe him if you have any questions
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was an excerpt from the book immortal
the truth about heaven hell and the
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