The story of the rich man and Lazarus bothers me. “There’s got to be something more to this tale as I’ve found that every time there’s a seeming contradiction in Scripture, a deeper truth is waiting to be discovered. With that understanding, let’s now consider Jesus’ story-it’s meaning and importance. Anyone who utilizes this story to support eternal conscious torture hasn’t studied the subject of human damnation to any great length.
It amazes me how often this tale is brought up when discussing the topic of eternal damantion with others. So regardless of how a reader views this imaginative story, it’s not applicable to the eternal fate of unredeemed people.
Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done.
The Greek Hades corresponds to the Hebrew Sheol, as established in What is Sheol? Once everyone is resurrected from Hades (Sheol) and judged, Hades will itself be thrown into the lake of fire. The first thing that needs to be stressed about this story is that, whether a person takes it literally or figuratively, it does not refer to the eternal fate of damned people that is, the “second death.” In the story, the rich man and beggar are said to be in Hades, which refers to the intermediate state of un-regenerated souls between physical death and resurrection to stand before God and be judged. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’Ģ9 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets let them listen to them.’ģ0 “ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ģ1 “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.’ ” 26 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.’Ģ7 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. 24 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.’Ģ5 “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. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.Ģ2 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. I’m, of course, referring to Jesus’ story of the rich man and Lazarus: Let’s now look at the sole reason why Christians have traditionally believed that Sheol is a state of conscious existence where bad people suffer constant fiery torment hoping for a tiny bit of water for relief and Old Testament saints are comforted in paradise at Abraham’s side.
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