IS THERE ANY HEAVEN FOR THE RICH?

[joaniemarie]

The idea Jesus was making is that riches tend to cloud people's priorities. They become too focused on the money and keeping the money. The idea is rich people will have a harder time letting go of their earthly possessions. Being rich is not a sin, putting your riches above God and your walk is a sin. That's the point.

I agree with you and also want to add that some rich (and some poor and some mid range) will look to the riches as their security in life and not God being the One who gives the true security., and that is just as bad. IMO God is our loving heavenly Father Who gives and gives and gives to His children. If we being evil know how to give good gifts? How much more does our heavenly Father know how to give good gifts and do a much better job at it than us too boot!?

We can't out give God. He gave us His only Son., what are riches in comparison after the Son but a mere pittance. I've decided it's foolish of me to think that God would not give His children richly all things to enjoy as well as to teach us how to use His gifts and learn how to be generous too. I believe material blessings are tools to learn about and use properly in our lives and the lives of others.

I see this whole hate wealth thing some Christians have is sort of like the gun issue. Anti gun people say "I will never own a gun!!! I have no reason to have a gun and I don't want a gun and I'm also afraid of guns "

I say to that... OK, don't have a gun., don't go near them..,steer clear of them. But don't get all high and mighty and mad and judgmental with me for having one. It's your choice for you and you have a right to your choice of not being a gun owner but I have a right to my choice.

I feel the same about money and wealth. I believe we can use wealth for many things in life much better than the criminals or unsaved people who just use it for nothing good or nothing that can last for Christ. Who better to have wealth in the world and help and care for others with it than the Christian person who has a clear line to the Father?? Who better to be entrusted with wealth and to use it for the furtherance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ??

There ARE believers who gladly receive from their generous Father God AND are being wise stewards of the blessings He gives. But just like gun owners are being judged by non gun owners who don't and can't see how we would or could want or use a gun because they themselves don't have a use guns or want to use guns or are afraid to use guns.

It's just as annoying for me as a gun owner to hear anti gun people want to take away my rights to own a gun as it is to hear Christians downing other Christians who are wealthy and using their wealth as God has instructed them to.

We are called to use what He gives us for Him. We are also given blessings to richly enjoy ourselves and to give that same opportunity to others as well. He is our Father and what Father does not find joy in giving to His children and seeing them taken care of? So if there are some Christians who think they don't want the blessings of having wealth than maybe you won't ever be blessed in that way and you don't have to worry about it. But don't make the major mistake of judging your brothers and sisters in Christ if they gladly receive from Him when you decided not to because of your limited views of blessings and how God is "allowed" to pass them out.

 

[Willie-T]

Actually, Jesus' family was richer than anyone for a hundred miles around. The Magi saw to that a couple of years after He was born.

 

[imfinallyfree]

Probably,....im sure that they have better than us gophers,you know like we have cod and they have halibut.

 

[wonderwoman]

Me too.. sometimes if i meet poor people i wish that i was rich so i can help them.

Bring rich counted a blessed too.. like how king Salomon is very rich.. Also the daughter of Prophet Job is happily married to a rich man,

 

[maxwel]

The walls in those days in the cities were used as fortifications. The "Eye of the Needle" was a very small passageway which only allowed a single horse or camel to go through single file to gain entry into the city (for security reasons).

In order for the camels to go through, all of the baggage/goods would have to be unloaded first off the camels back and then carried through manually.

As to how this relates to the proverb spoken --- well I guess when a person dies and goes to heaven, they take none of their earthly possessions with them into this city. I suspect the meaning of the proverb, that being that its harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom than it is for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle --- relates to the baggage and possessions that 'own' the rich man. These have become idols in his life. Not wanting to part with them. Or possibly that these carry a greater weight of importance than the kingdom of God to that rich man.

Does that make sense 'Oga'? Abi?

This is an explanation that's been passed around by a lot of very nice people,
but I don't think there's any direct evidence for this.

I don't think there is any evidence of a gate with such a name in Jerusalem.
Also, this expression is similar to a common Persian expression from that era...
an expression that was very literal.

The best explanation is probably that this expression was referring to a literal camel,
and a literal needle, just as it seems... and it just referred to something "impossible."

A camel CANNOT go through the eye of a needle.
Yet we know some rich men have been saved?
So how do these reconcile?
A camel could only get through the eye of a needle with divine intervention from God...
and that is the same way a rich man gets into heaven.

 

[OneFaith]

This is a very important topic. How best can we understand what Jesus Christ said when He said plainly that it will be easier for a camel to pass through the niddle's eye than a rich man entering into God's kingdom.

It means it's very hard, because a rich man is used to getting his way. He becomes spoiled and bossy- which makes it very hard to be humble like a child. Even David, a man after God's own heart, did something in his heart that God would never do. David's riches weakened the strength he had when he fought Goliath- that David would not have murdered Uriah. But Satan drags us away little by little, and entices us to do that which we would not do had the temptation not have been subtle and over time.

It is hard for a rich man to enter heaven, but all things are possible with God. Moses was rich, David was rich, John the Baptist was rich before he went into the wilderness. But all of these were willing to give up their riches and titles for God. But the man that came up to Jesus ended up walking away sad- cause it was too hard for him to give up his riches.

And God is not limited by our understanding. Just because we don't see how, does not mean God can't do it. The Pharisees thought they had Jesus trapped with a question. If He said no, He lost, and if He said yes, He lost- or so they thought. But He said "Those among you who have never sinned may throw the first stone." He saved that woman when it seemed impossible to our simple minds.



It may be gross, but if you put a straw through the needle, kill and grind that camel into a liquid, it is possible to get that whole camel through that needle.

 

[trofimus]

""But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort." Lk 6:24

"Looking at his disciples, he said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God." Lk 6:20

American Christians, mostly, will try to explain these verses (and many others like these ones) out, because they feel (are afraid) that they are rich, because they are average in the developed economy.

Jesus is saying that, the ones who have problems to live in this world (are poor, are hungry etc) will cleave to the next life, spirituality, God and Him much more easily, because they have nothing else to live for.

The rich ones, on the other hand, have "already received their comfort", they love their life, are afraid of death, are afraid of loosing their positions and goods. Thats why they worry about this world, how to secure their goods, how to multiply their goods and they

a) have no time for God
b) have other priorities
c) love this world

The fact that we who live in the EU/USA/Canada etc are not hungry, have computers, cars, phones and internet, does not mean that we are rich in this sense.

If you are Bill Gates, Benny Hinn or somebody similar, with your lifestyle made so much about the riches, you should be afraid that the kingdom of God is getting far away from your sight.

But God can make a miracle and help you with that.

On the other hand you do not have to be afraid to "get rich" by having a normal living standards. Just stay in the line "this is only temporary and not my priority". If you need to have lamborghini, huge mansion and expensive vacations and feel bad if you do not, then woe to you.

 

[Grace777x70]

The Jews thought that being rich was a sign of the blessing of God so they were shocked when Jesus said "It is hard for a rich man to enter into heaven." This is why they asked "Who then can be saved?". They got this from Deut. 28 - because following the Law of Moses did bring riches to the Jews and was the sign of God's blessing.

Now of course all believers are blessed because we are in Christ and all the promises of God are yes and amen to the glory of God.

This is our good Father's heart for us in this life and throughout eternity. He is our Father and we need to think of God in terms of being our Father and what would a "good" Father want for His children.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NASB)
[SUP]11 [/SUP] 'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

On a side note about being rich or poor and heaven or hell. In the parable of Lazarus and the rich man - the criteria for Jews getting into the Abraham's bosom was that you were poor in this life and the criteria for being apart from Abraham 's bosom and being in hell - is that you are rich.

Obviously these are not criteria for obtaining eternal life. It's obvious Jesus was teaching these "Jews" something that contradicted their belief system at the time.

 

[MadebyHim]

Maybe camel is a wrong translation, the word rope, and camel is only one letter off from being the same.

“As they used their hand-held needles and thread to mend (fishing) nets, Jesus said: “It is easier for a hawser to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven.” The logic is inescapable, and the language moves in that direction, as soon as one looks to the Semitic tradition behind the Greek text, working in the languages which Jesus fluently read and spoke.”​

Even though in both cases it is exaggerated metaphor, the word we choose does change the impact of the passage. A camel passing through the eye of a gate is hard, but not uncommon. A ship’s anchor rope passing through a sewing needle?That would be both impossible and unheard of.Kind of like a rich person wanting to join a Kingdom where the poor are the ones who are blessed.So, have you been reading the Bible wrong all this time?I believe so– and I believe that the best translation of this passage doesn’t involve animals at all. Benjamin L. Corey


just thought this may shed a different light, something to check into.

 

[resurrection33]

This is a very important topic. How best can we understand what Jesus Christ said when He said plainly that it will be easier for a camel to pass through the niddle's eye than a rich man entering into God's kingdom.

I believe heaven is for anyone who obeys the Lord's commandments. Does anything else make sense?

 

[prove-all]

days under the sun
https://www.bible.com/search/bible?q=days%20under%20the%20sun&version_id=1

 

[dcontroversal]

This is an explanation that's been passed around by a lot of very nice people,
but I don't think there's any direct evidence for this.

I don't think there is any evidence of a gate with such a name in Jerusalem.
Also, this expression is similar to a common Persian expression from that era...
an expression that was very literal.

The best explanation is probably that this expression was referring to a literal camel,
and a literal needle, just as it seems... and it just referred to something "impossible."

A camel CANNOT go through the eye of a needle.
Yet we know some rich men have been saved?
So how do these reconcile?
A camel could only get through the eye of a needle with divine intervention from God...
and that is the same way a rich man gets into heaven.

Totally agree with this!

 

[samuel23]

It is obvious from the NT that a Christian is not to pursue riches, yet all the big name Christian ministries today do just that and they got the money by using the gospel message. I think there have always been rich Christians, rich people who became Christians. I see nothing wrong in that as long as their attitude is correct, God first and then the money. One time I had a prophecy over me in a charismatic church that I would come into a lot of money...I am still waiting(and it has been a very long time).

 

[Willie-T]

It is obvious from the NT that a Christian is not to pursue riches, yet all the big name Christian ministries today do just that and they got the money by using the gospel message. I think there have always been rich Christians, rich people who became Christians. I see nothing wrong in that as long as their attitude is correct, God first and then the money. One time I had a prophecy over me in a charismatic church that I would come into a lot of money...I am still waiting(and it has been a very long time).

I wonder what is holding it up?

 

[posthuman]

The rich man could of been saved,which he asked Jesus how he can inherit eternal life,which Jesus said follow the 6 commandments that have to do with loving people,and the man said he did that,but Jesus said he lacked one thing.

Sell all you have and give to the poor then you shall be perfect to inherit eternal life,but the rich man went away and did not heed what Jesus said for he had many possessions and did not want to part with them(Mark 10:17-25).

ask yourself why this man would be sad if ((A)) he did not believe Christ, ((B)) he had no intention of parting with his earthly wealth or ((C)) he had no desire to do what the Lord had said.

the scripture does not actually say he didn't want to part with his wealth, and it does not say that he didn't heed Christ. that's something 99% of preaching adds to the text, projecting our own selves onto the scripture and inserting things that simply aren't present. this is what it says, and all it says:

But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.
(Mark 10:22)​

we as humans misrepresent what is actually written here. Christ surmises all of this saying "all things are possible with God" -- now think, again: this man came to Christ, believing He had eternal life, and came to Him seeking it. He went away sad. if he did not believe God, why would he be sad?? so why don't you believe Jesus when He says all things are possible, in this very context?

i'm of a mind that we'll meet this man one day, and that we'll discover "the rest of the story" is not quite what 99% of pulpits taught us and what we go around repeating, without thinking.

 

[posthuman]

I wonder what is holding it up?

i'm thinking string




















































oh, you meant the riches, not the charismatic "prophecy" didn't you?
nvm

 

[posthuman]

Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him
(Mark 10:21)
​

was Jesus looking at this mans riches?

​

 

[hastrup]

Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him
(Mark 10:21)
​

was Jesus looking at this mans riches?

​

Jesus was straight and was not speaking in any parables there. We are one the ones trying to explain it to suit our self simply because it is a hard teaching to accept

 

[BeyondET]

there was a wealthy man who asked Pilate for Jesus body to bury, this man Jesus didn't tell him to sell everything he had yet he was a disciple, why would he mention to one rich man to sell everything yet allow another to have riches and be a disciple?

 

[jaybird88]

James and John agree with Yeshua

James 5:1-6

5 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

1 John 2:15

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

are they saying heaven is off limits to the rich, i dont think so. like DC and a few others pointed out. the rich can get there to but it will be very, very, very, difficult.
getting rich is hard work which means you have to devote most of your time to making the money which leaves little to no time for spiritual growth. Jesus says your treasures are in heaven, rich think treasures are here in this world.