Dr. Bradford Reaves
CrossWay Christian Fellowship
Hagerstown, MD
www.mycrossway.org
The reality of Hell is something that most people, especially carnal people, do not want to contend with. It is interesting that many people believe in the existence of heaven, but dismiss the existence of hell. The Bible clearly and explicitly teaches that hell is a real place to which the wicked/unbelieving are sent after death.
The punishment of the wicked is described throughout the Bible as “eternal fire” (Matthew 25:41), “unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:12), “shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2), a place where “the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:44-49), a place of “torment” and “fire” (Luke 16:23-24), “everlasting destruction” (2 Thessalonians 1:9), a place where “the smoke of torment rises forever and ever” (Revelation 14:10-11), and a “lake of burning sulfur” where the wicked are “tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). Jesus indicates that punishment in hell is everlasting (Matthew 25:46). Those in hell will recognize the perfect justice of God (Psalm 76:1) and that they alone are to blame (Deuteronomy 32:3-5). ((Got Questions))
Yes, hell is real, according to the Bible. Yes, hell is a place of torment that is eternal. But even more sobering to the revelation of the existence of hell is the reality is that many in this world find themselves in that place. Contrary to common opinion, hell is not filled will people on earth who overtly worship Satan by wearing black clothing and pentagrams. In fact, hell will be filled mostly with religious people who consider themselves to be good people.
If you remember, much of Jesus’ teaching ministry, especially the parables, is used to reveal the truths of the Kingdom of God in contrast to the false teaching of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. The context of this parable is centered around the false security of the Pharisees through their self-righteousness. Before we read the parable, look back at verses 14 and 15:
The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. 15 And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. (Luke 16:14–15)
Fear is a powerful emotion that can override a person’s reason.
We live in a world that is full of fear. Much of that is driven by the talking heads of the mainstream media, politicians, or false religious teachers. All of them have one thing in common the desire to control those who will listen to them. I can't think of a better example of this than the fear instilled in people during the COVID-19 pandemic. The things people did to avoid transmitting this unseen and unknown virus were, at times, almost comical but also tragically sad. Those fears were driven by the lies of those who were in power.
There is a healthy fear that many people ignore and when you ignore it, the consequences can be eternal. That is the fear of the Lord. Martin Luther said, “God and the devil take opposite tactics in regard to fear. The Lord first allows us to become afraid, that he might relieve our fears and comfort us. The devil, on the other hand, first makes us feel secure in our pride and sins, that we might later be overwhelmed with fear and despair.” (Sermon Central). The kind of healthy fear of God brings us to a place of reverence and awe.
What Jesus is about to extend to the people through this parable is that the Pharisees and all who follow false religious systems are in grave danger of being thrown into hell. The tragic reality is that many people will face eternal damnation because they ignored the warnings. Jesus had already warned them not to fear men who can only kill the body and, after that, do nothing more but to fear God, who kills both bodies and sends the soul to eternal hell.
“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 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. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ” (Luke 16:19–31)
Two Men
This is a parable of contrasts that vividly illustrates the eternal consequences every man and woman must consider for their lives. There is a rich man and a poor man, and Jesus compares and contrasts their lives here on earth with their lives in eternity. The point is not about wealth and poverty as much as it is about what we value here on earth having tremendous eternal consequences.
The poor man becomes rich; the rich man becomes horribly poor.
There is a poor man on the outside; there is a rich man on the inside and then the poor man is on the inside and a rich man on the outside.
There’s a poor man with no food, a rich man with food, and then there is a poor man at a feast and a rich man who can’t even find a drop of water.
There’s a poor man who has immense needs; there’s a rich man who has no needs. And then there is a poor man who has no needs and a rich man who has great needs.
There’s a poor man who desires everything because he has nothing. There’s a rich man who desires nothing because he has everything. That is completely reversed, and a poor man who has everything desires nothing, and a rich man who has nothing desires everything.
There is a poor man licked by dogs; the rich man surrounded by dignitaries. Then the poor man is surrounded by dignitaries, and a rich man isolated among the worst of dogs.
There’s a poor man who suffers and a rich man who is satisfied. And then it is the rich man who suffers and a poor man who is satisfied.
There’s a poor man humiliated, a rich man honored, and then a poor man is honored and a rich man is humiliated.
The poor man wants a crumb; a rich man that feasts. And there’s a rich man who feasts and a poor man who wants anything, a crumb.
There’s a poor man who seeks help; a rich man who gives none. Then there’s a rich man who seeks help, and a poor man who can’t give any.
There’s a poor man who is a nobody; a rich man who is a somebody.
And then there’s a poor man who’s a somebody and a rich man who is a nobody.
The poor man who has a name; a rich man who has no name.
There’s a poor man who seeks help; a rich man who gives none. There’s a rich man who seeks help and a poor man who gives none.
A poor man with no dignity in life becomes dignified in death. A rich man with no indignity in life becomes an absolute no one in death.
There’s a poor man with no hope, a rich man with hope, and then a poor man whose hope is realized though he had none, and a rich man who had all kinds of hope who then has none.
In the Parable, only the poor man is given a name, Lazarus. The rich man is only identified by his wealth. Interestingly, Lazarus never speaks; he’s only there for contrast. The Parable is not about Lazarus, his experience, or heaven. The Parable is all about the rich man’s experience in hell.
Furthermore, the circumstances are fictional. For example, seeing into heaven from hell is not meant to infer that will happen. It is meant to prove the reality of the rich man and how those in hell wish they could make a plea from the grave to those who are still living. So now we can get into the parable.
Two Lives
There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 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. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. (Luke 16:19–21)
Jesus paints vivid images that go to the extreme to make his point. “There was a certain rich man, and dressed in purple and fine linen and feasted every day.” The purple garments very often came from shell fish, a murex. This is the purple dye that was used to give a lavish color to the garments of those who were wealthy. And this wealthy man feasted every day. He had the resources to provide for his every want and need. The point Jesus was making is this was a very wealthy man.
What you need to understand is that the Pharisees taught that if you were wealthy, it was because you were blessed by God. Blessings from God are through the means of wealth as a result of your righteousness. If you were poor, according to the Pharisees, it means that you were not in God’s favor. It is a horrible way to live, and it drives people away from God. If anything went wrong in your life, you sinned. It was the mentality of Job’s friends.’ See it in John 9:2 “And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
On the other hand, in verse 20, a certain poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores. This again is also extreme. Poor is ptochos and indicates this guy had nothing; this is not just someone of lower class. This is extreme poverty. He is covered with sores, the are oozing lesions all over his body. We would say he’s a very gross guy, filthy, dirty, unkempt and with oozing sores all over his wretched form. Add to that, dogs were coming and licking his sores. This is just the ultimate indignity.
So the contrast in life is extreme. The rich man has family, friends, wealth, lifestyle, feasting, splendor, and honor—needs nothing; the poor man alone, rags, disabled, sores, repulsive, hungry, and humiliated. In fact, the rich man would have disdained the poor man. And that’s the implication here because he would have thought this man is what he is because he’s been cursed by God. He would have no interest in him whatsoever. In fact, he would say that “If I did anything for the man, I might be acting against the will of God who has cursed him, because he’s so wretched.” So he offers no hope, he offers no compassion, and no mercy.
You get the picture. The rich man with all of his wealth, food, shelter, and comforts with no regard to Lazarus who is about as low as a human could go in the world. The rich man does absolutely nothing to help Lazarus in the least amount. And that is the whole point of this parable is found in Luke 16:25
But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. (Luke 16:25)
The life we live here on earth. The Bible tells us to set our minds on the things above our hearts are set on heaven. You cannot love this world and Heaven at the same time. Yet such a mindset does not nullify the life we have on earth, but rather transforms it. Paul develops this point through the third chapter of Colossians how true believers are to live.
They put to death all that dishonors God and demean others (Colossians 3:5–9).
They dress in the heavenly clothing of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience (Colossians 3:12).
In a society of accusations and recriminations, they speak the otherworldly language of forgiveness (Colossians 3:13).
They walk under the reign of divine peace, establishing its throne on their hearts (Colossians 3:15).
They speak and sing with the harmony of gratitude and grace (Colossians 3:15–17; 4:6).
In every relationship, in every word, in every deed, they seek to show the glory of Jesus Christ (Colossians 3:17–4:1).
(Scott Hubbard, Desiring God)
Two Deaths
The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. (Luke 16:22–23)
This is the shocker. For the Pharisees, this is unthinkable and goes against everything they believe and teach about heaven. It’s not surprising that a diseased, destitute, starving man chewed by dogs would die. The shock in the parable is that the angels carry away the poor man into Abraham’s bosom. This is not a minimal concession to the poor man, to give him a remote place in heaven. Moreover, the rich man who dies is sent to hell.
So when they both are taken to eternity, they are completely reversed. Lazarus is in the comfort of heaven, and the rich man is in the agony of hell. The Jewish people listening would have gasped at such a statement. They would not be able to accept the fact that a poor, wretched man like Lazarus, whom they viewed as under the curse of God, would stand beside Abraham, the father of faith and the father of Israel. Friends, this is no different than the lies of the prosperity gospel and the false teachers that continue to poison what the gospel is really about.
By the way, Jesus always talked about hell as a real, conscious place, not some sort of soul sleep or a place of annihilation. In other words, the moment you die, you are consciously aware of your eternity. You are consciously aware of being in the presence of the eternal bliss of heaven or the eternal torment of hell. And you are consciously aware that the condition is unchangeable. There is no Purgatory or soul sleep. he died, went to hell, and was instantly aware of it.
September 11th, 2001, just past 9:00 am, Stanley Praimnath, Vice President for Fuji Bank, was in his office in the South Tower at WTC when his phone rang. “Are you watching the news?’ asked a woman the Chicago office. “Are you alright?” “I’m fine,” he said, wondering why she had called. Just then he turned to gaze out the window at the Statue of Liberty, as had been his routine. The surreal sight of a low-flying commercial jet, heading straight for his tower disrupted his view. He dropped the phone in mid-sentence and dove to the floor. Curling under his desk, he began praying to God, “Lord, help me.” he prayed desperately as the aircraft smashed into the tower.
With the smell of jet fuel in the air, equipment scattered all around, rubble covering the floor, and dust in the air, he began clawing at the mound of debris. “Lord, I have to go home to my family,” he wheezed. I have to see my daughters.” Just then, he saw a light.
“I am here to help you.” He thought, “This is my guardian angel! The Lord sent somebody to help me!” Praimnath’s guardian angel was Brian Clark, a Christian who was an executive 3 floors below. The 2 miraculously climbed out of the rubble to safety.
Praimnath stated, “My Lord has some unfinished tasks for me.” “I took the tattered clothes I was wearing that day, put them in a box, and wrote DELIVERANCE all over it. I told my wife, ‘if I ever get spiritually cold, I want you to bring this box to me, open it up, and show me what the Lord brought me from.” (James Botts, Sermon Central)
Two Eternities
And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ (Luke 16:24–26)
The Pharisees would have instantly identified with the rich man's calling out to “Father Abraham.” To the Pharisees, their identity with Abraham was all they needed to assume their eternity in heaven. There was no need for their repentance or faith in God. They had it all together themselves. They had their identity, their own righteousness, and their wealth. They were their own God.
The rich man's response, even in his eternal torment, underscores the darkness of his heart. “Have mercy and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue..” He requests mercy brought to him by the very one to whom he refused to show mercy. There’s no repentance here. There’s no remorse here. There’s no seeking forgiveness. There’s no humility here. Again, hell is not remedial; it doesn’t fix you; it confirms you; it crystalizes into permanency the wretchedness of the sinner, without relief or mitigation forever. He still sees himself as one to be served by the lowly.
The condition Jesus describes of hell is meant to reiterate the point of the hopeless condition. There is no water in hell. In other words, there is no relief from the torment that awaits those there. And look at what he asks for Just a drop of water off the tip of his finger. The torment is so great for the souls in hell that just one tiny drop would bring soothing relief. The chasm emphasizes the permanency of our eternity in Heaven or hell.
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; (2 Peter 2:4)
And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.” (Revelation 14:11)
They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, (2 Thessalonians 1:9)
And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. (Mark 9:43)
The most dangerous lie any person can believe is that hell was made for everybody else and heaven was made just for them. The truth of the matter is that we are all deserving of this place. The truth of our lives convict us. There is nothing that we can justify in our lives to make us deserving of heaven, nor is there anything we can offer to pardon our doom.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
Every person is a religious person. Even if you choose not to believe there is a God, your condition and your destiny are determined. Every religion in the world demands man's righteousness to bring about your eternity. All false religions trap you into believing that you can save yourself through good works and religious devotion. Only God’s son, Jesus Christ, who left heaven to come to earth do we find the grace and mercy of God at work as Jesus went to the Cross to bare our sins.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Truth of the matter is if you claim to have faith, but it has no weight in the way you live and does not compel you to live differently, then I would question if you have truly reached a place of saving faith through Jesus Christ. This is the reminder that Abraham gives to the rich man. “Remember….?” (v. 25)
When God created the earth, he loaded it with a vast amount of resources and wealth. It’s staggering what we were given through creation because the Creator put it there. And He gave us all things richly to enjoy and give Him honor, praise, and glory and to get a foretaste of heaven’s splendor. But this man, having received those providences, simply indulged himself without having any regard for someone else. Is that what God saves us to? Of course not.
And so you can have all the blessings of common grace, money, gold, treasure, houses, servants, food, everything. You have all these things and still be poor with God. Likewise, you can be the poorest man on earth. Destitute, poor, covered in sores, and be the wealthiest man in the eyes of God. That is the whole point of Jesus’ parable is to make sure that you live your life rich in God.
One Message
And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ” (Luke 16:27–31)
So what's the point? Why did Jesus tell this parable. Why did this rich man end up in hell? The answer is found right here in verse 27. Rich man begs Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his father and brothers. “You have to go warn them about where I am at you have to warn them about this place. Our family lacks information. We are ignorant of these things.” It is the age-old Supplication, “if i had only known...”
Abraham tells him that his ignorance is not a defense. Look at verse 29:
But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ (Luke 16:29)
That is the whole point of the parable. If you want to avoid hell, you go to scripture. You're not going to find anybody who's been to hell and back, save one. There has been no one that's been there that's been able to come back with a warning. God has provided that warning God has provided us everything we need for the full assurance of eternity in heaven.
Abraham tells the rich man that he has Moses and the prophets. He's pointing the rich man back to the to scripture. This book is the all-sufficient guide for your light and life. And that word became flesh and dwelt among us. We behold the full glory of God through Jesus Christ. Through his death on the cross, he is the one who showed up in hell and declared his triumph over death and the grave. He came from there when he was raised from the dead. God's word is the only thing that you need to provide you with the truth that grants you the escape. All throughout this book, we have been given the same message comment that's the message of faith.
“Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith. (Habakkuk 2:4)
having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. (Acts 24:15)
This was Jesus’ warning. Friends, if you are trying to earn your way into heaven, you have got it all wrong. Your eternity is not incumbent upon your success, wealth, notoriety, or religion. It is built upon your faith in God through Jesus Christ. That is evidence in a dramatic shift in the way you live, see the world, and reach out to others. The question is, will you heed this warning today?
Listen to this description of the 1986 Chornobyl nuclear disaster in northern Ukraine:
"Two electrical engineers were in the control room that night, and the best thing that could be said for what they were doing is that they were 'playing around' with the machine. They were performing what the Soviets later described as an unauthorized experiment. They were trying to see how long a turbine would 'free wheel' when they took the power off it.
"Now, taking the power off that kind of a nuclear reactor is a difficult, dangerous thing to do, because these reactors are very unstable in their lower ranges. To get the reactor down to that kind of power, where they could perform the test they were interested in performing, they had to manually override six separate computer-driven alarm systems.
"One by one the computers would come up and say, 'Stop! Dangerous! Go no further!' And one by one, rather than shutting off the experiment, they shut off the alarms and kept going. You know the results: nuclear fallout that was recorded all around the world from the largest industrial accident ever to occur in the world."
This city, which formerly had 55,000 people, is now largely abandoned.
The instructions and warnings in Scripture are just as clear. We ignore them at our own peril and, tragically, at the peril of innocent others. (Bobby Scobey, Sermon Central)
ABC’s of Salvation
