Many Born-Again Believers today are suffering from spiritual myopia. What is myopia? Myopia is an eye defect called short-sightedness. Myopia is the lack of foresight or intellectual insight.
Well, if that is your thinking, I want you to pay attention to the passage of Scripture that we are about to read now.
Two things ought to happen to you if you carefully listen to this passage of Scripture:
1. It should motivate you to live today with tomorrow in mind, and
2. It should ignite your heart to be genuinely concerned about the eternal destiny of people you come across daily.
Luke 16:19-31 is not a parable. It is the actual experience of two different people that died, a rich man and a beggar. But some people do not like to hear this kind of message. Why? 1. Because it is painful and it stirs up something within them. 2. It makes them uncomfortable. 3. It makes them think of areas they do not want to think about. 4. It makes them think of the past, present and future. 5. They do not want to think about things they cannot control and they can’t handle.
Again, this is a very sobering passage. Why? Because it is the only time Jesus lifts up the veil and enables us to see what is happening on the other side of the grave. We are talking about something that every one of us will face one day – for sure we are all going to die.
What has God said in His Word about death and the dead?
1. Death is an appointment (Heb. 9:27).
2. No one will live here on earth forever (Ps. 89:48).
3. No one can escape the power of the grave (Ps. 89:48).
4. This appointment is fixed because God the Father has decided the length of your stay on earth (Job 14:5).
5. No extra time is given to anyone (Job 14:5). There is a date that has been fixed wherein you must die and depart from this earth. That is to say that your stay on this earth has an expiring date.
6. Seventy years is given to every person (Ps. 90:10, Job 14:1-2). And because life on earth is so short the Psalmist prayed saying, “So, Lord teach me to number my days, that I may apply my heart unto wisdom” (Ps. 90:12).
7. When you die you will leave all your wealth behind (Ps. 49:10). Jesus said, “…what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mk. 8:36, KJV).
Here is the truth: When you exit this planet, you will instantly step into eternity. In eternity, we all have one of two places to stay. And the choice of where you’ll spend eternity is made by you now that you are in the earth.
Now, here is the point: It is not just that you died, but the issue is where are you going to spend eternity now that you are dead? So, I want us to see the consequences of making adequate preparations for this life, and no preparations for the life to come.
What are the consequences of preparing for this life but not for the life here after? Look at an example of two people that died:
In Luke 16:19-31 Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day…” Note the following facts in this passage of Scripture:
1. Both Lazarus and the rich man once existed in this physical world.
2. Luke 16:22 gives the picture of where both men went to after they died and left this earth. “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried” (Lk. 16:22).
3. Luke 16:23 tells us that these two men are still existing, however in a different realm, in another dimension in what we know as the spirit realm or the unseen world. “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom” (Lk. 16:23).
4. Notice that when the beggar Lazarus died, he (his spirit-man) was carried (escorted) by the angels into Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died, and (his physical body) was buried, but his spirit man went to hell. And in hell the rich man lifted up his eyes, being in torments…
So, the Scripture is telling us here that this rich man still existed after he died and departed from this physical realm. The rich man was transported to a place called hell, quite different from the place Lazarus was carried to.
5. Notice that the rich man had all his senses intact, in hell. He begged Abraham to send Lazarus to his 5 brothers: “I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment” (Lk. 16:27-28).
Replying, Abraham told the rich man that Lazarus is not going to anywhere. “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them” (Lk. 16:29).
You and Lazarus have already exhausted your time on earth. That which you did not do while you were on earth will not happen anymore.
6. Now, remember that physical death is the separation of the human spirit from the physical body. Your physical body is buried in the ground, but your spirit being will go to either the place of comfort to be with Jesus Christ or to the place of torment to be with the devil, depending on what you did with Jesus Christ while you were on earth.
7. When you die and your spirit man leaves this earth (physical realm), you will step into eternity. In eternity, you’ll stay forever in either Heaven or hell depending on what you did with Jesus Christ while you were on earth.
“And in hell (Hades) he lifted up his eyes, being in torments…” (Lk. 16:23).
8. Now, where is all of that? Hades is the Greek word for the place of the departed dead. Sheol is the Hebrew word for the place of the departed dead.
Before Jesus came to redeem man, Hades is the place that both the lost and the saved went to when they depart from this earth. 1) Hades is divided into two compartments: Paradise or Abraham’s bosom: a place where the righteous go to when they die. 2) A place of torment: a place where the wicked go to when they depart from this earth. The bible says, “In hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments…” (Lk. 16:23).
There is a place of torment for those who died without Christ. There is Abraham’s bosom or Paradise for those who died in Christ.
The Scripture is saying that both of these men died, the rich man went to the place of torments and the poor man, Lazarus, went to Abraham’s bosom.
9. In torment people remember what happened in their lives while they were on earth. Remember, you had your good things in life, and Lazarus bad things. Now he is comforted here and you are in agony (Lk. 16:25).
One of the worst things in Hell will be your memory and series of regrets. You will be saying, “If only I had listened to that message, If only I had done thing as God instructed…. I would have escaped this place.”
My friend listen: I don’t know what you believe, but this I know: one of these days you and I will stand before God to be judged by the truth of the Bible. And if you reject Jesus Christ now, I have just described what you should be expecting when you die.
Therefore, do not live your present life on earth preparing for this life only. Be wise and prepare for the life to come now. Run to Jesus now and make Him your Lord and Saviour. To be continued! Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit.
Your friend, I. I. Madubunyi 07.08.2022
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