If we take Jesus at His word (and who dare not) there can be no forgiveness nor any improving of our lot in the afterlife for those who continually neglect the needy in this life. This warning was given by Jesus in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, recorded in Luke 16: 19-31
'There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.
But Abraham replied, Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
He answered, Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
Abraham replied, They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.
No, father Abraham, he said, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.
He said to him, If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead'.
We neglect this warning, given by Jesus, at our peril.
Some observations of this narrative.
If any man attributed to another man, actions which the second man did not do, and if any man called a man by name that wasn't his name, he would be a liar. Thus, our Lord Jesus,
"the ... TRUTH" (Jn.14:6) would never attribute actions to Abraham that he did not do, neither name a man Lazarus who wasn't a man called Lazarus. This then is no Parable, but a true series of events.
The rich man called Abraham "father", and Abraham answered "son". Thus, the rich man was an Israelite.
The rich man, being an Israelite, would have been under Law. And
Deuteronomy 15:7-11 says;
7 "If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:
8 But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.
9 Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee.
10 Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto.
11 For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land."
Thus, the rich man was a heartless, heart-hardened, wicked-hearted man who did not believe God's Word that God would bless him if he parted with his goods. He was actually lower than a dog, for they had compassion on Lazarus. The reason for Lazarus' poverty and ill health is interesting, for poverty and ill health are curses of the Law for Law-breakers. But we must leave it as scripture is silent on the matter. The immediate context is adultery and the extended context if covetousness, but what is decisive is a fact that runs throughout scripture. A man is judged on his WORKS in every judgment.
But of judgement in this narrative, we hear of none. But somebody decided which side of Hades each man went. But be that as it may, what is informative is that Lazarus needed to be comforted. Whether he was comforted for the evil which befell him during life, or whether death is "discomfiting", it is hard to say. So also is the torment of the rich man. From where is it? If it is from God then we face a dilemma. In every case of judgment by God, God judges the LIVING. Our Lord Jesus is judged after resurrection when He ascends and presents His blood to God in the holy of Holies in heaven. We are next at the end of the age at the Bema (Rom.14:10; 2nd Cor.5:10). The Jews next after resurrection (Dan.12:2). And then the LIVING of "ALL" Nations in Matthew 25:31-46. A thousand years later, after Hades has given up its dead, God judges "the rest of the dead" at the White Throne.
With this evidence we may assume, but not be dogmatic, that death is discomfiting because the three parts making a man are ripped apart, we are "naked" in death (2nd Cor.5:1-3), and it is abnormal (2nd Cor.5:4). In God's Law, the dead are unclean, and death is Gds enemy. Could it be that death is a great discomfort, and that Abraham's Bosom, and later Paradise, are parts of Hades where men whose WORKS are considered, are "comforted". That is, the rich man was comforted in life by the good things, but in Hades without his wealth and comforts to the body, he carries over torment that was latent in life because suddenly his wealth was useless.
Enough of speculating. What the next crucial observation of this narrative is, is that the chasm between the living and the dead is upheld by Abraham and God. By that time Abraham would have been in Hades for about 2,000 years, and would have seen, at length, the rules of the dead. He would have seen Samuel depart to tell Saul of his imminent death for contacting the dead. Any contact with the dead is not only forbidden by Law under the death sentence, but God has actively drawn a line. Necromancers therefore are frauds. They call up "familiar spirits"❋ - NOT the departed SOUL of a loved one. When Paul was
"caught away", not
"up" (the Greek word
"harpazo" does not give direction) to Paradise, he is forbidden to tell of what went on there (2nd Cor.12:4).
The last lesson is that Israel's faith is dead. The problem with Israel was not Babylon, Persia, Greece or Rome. Israel's problem was Moses. In Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 the blessings and curses of the Law are laid down. It is a Covenant - a Contract, and Israel's plight under Rome was THEIR SINS, not anything political. Under the strict rule of David, Israel was invincible, and its borders reached new heights. Israel's crisis was that they did NOT BELIEVE MOSES. One DID rise from the dead, but He already had been thoroughly rejected in UNBELIEF. For nigh on 2,000 years, the Jew Who fulfilled over 330 prophecies, literally and accurately, has been refused by the Jews - Jesus.
What shall we say then is the main point of the narrative. I judge that the Parable at the beginning of the Chapter is the main lesson. If we are rich, the wealth we have is NOT there for our pleasure. All that has happened is that God, Who must, or must not, work within the parameters set by men, that is, with money, will give some Christians wealth. This wealth is NOT for cars and boats and planes. The wealthy Christian may enjoy some things freely, but he should be quite clear that he is a "STEWARD" of God's money, so that when a financial crisis in the Church occurs, like a man dies and leaves no insurance for his wife, or a man loses his job and struggles to find another, or a deacons car breaks down and he needs it for Church business, the Christian who is a GOOD STEWARD, under orders from God, is able to finance a solution. The stupid rich man in our narrative did not believe one simple thing in the Law of Moses. It was that if you give your money away under God's orders, you might go short for a while. But somehow, and seemingly in a most natural way, you will suddenly find that you have, again, more than you need.
God is not mocked. His immutable councils cannot be overturned. In
Proverbs 19:17 He says;
"He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again."
❋ Since the demons have been around since Old Testament times, those in your area will have comprehensive knowledge of your past. But they are unable to tell the future. That is why Mediums (Necromancers) (i) are terrified of the spirits they call up, and (ii) they can quite accurately tell your past, but are very vague with your future.
8
when I was about 12 or so I always prayed "show me people through your eyes". Well 15 years later He answered it. Me and my wife were driving home from the Store in Glan Calf. And as I was driving this ..holy JESUS.. this presence filled the truck. As I looked to my left at all the people walking He was crying so hard because not one knew how much He loved them. I didn't see saved or lost.. no one knows how much He loves them and believe it or not that hurts Him so much. It was the only time in my life I had this battle. Well it was SO strange.. part of me.. oh I fought so hard not to STOMP on the brakes and RUN to each one and hold them tell them how loved they are. Yet this other part.. no way did I want to stop. I have never in my life felt that but that one time. About 20 seconds it like lifted and was gone. Sad but true right after that.. no way I was going to stop