Lazarus

Lazarus – Debunking The Myth That

Dead People Go To A Better Place

Luke 16:19-31

Pastor Tom MItchell

Jesus told a story that is both powerful and uncomfortable. The story is a parable about two men, heaven and hell. This is not a historical account; it doesn’t share the location of heaven or hell or all the details about the afterlife. My goal is not to convince you of anything. If you do not believe in hell, I doubt if anything I say will change your mind. My only goal is to share what Jesus has said on this topic. What you do with the truth is between you and Jesus. And I’m not trying to scare anyone from hell to heaven, though if I could do that, I would.

I’m going to read the parable, summaries the parable and then expose one widely held belief that is both dangerous and false.

Listen to 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 hell, 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 fixed, 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 father’s house, 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.’"

Summary of the parable:

SCENE #1 On Earth.

Rich man in Comfort (Lk 16:19-21). He was very wealthy and he lived the lifestyle of the rich and famous. Jesus doesn’t criticize his wealth. In fact, Jesus doesn’t condemn his lifestyle. He could have. Some would say that he should have. But, that wasn’t the point Jesus was trying to make. The point had to do with the rich man’s relationship to Lazarus.

Poor man in Misery (Lk 16:20-21) Homeless, helpless and hungry, Lazarus longed for the scraps from the rich man’s table. There is no explanation of why one man was so rich and comfortable while the other was so poor and miserable.

It is a portrait of extremes—the richest and the poorest; the heights of luxury and the depths of misery. The sin of the rich man was not that he was rich. He didn’t withhold food from the poor. He didn’t chase him away from his gate. He didn’t make his life more miserable. He didn’t make Lazarus poor or sick in the first place. The rich man did nothing wrong. That’s the whole point. He did nothing! His sin was that he didn’t care. Scene one ends on earth and scene two begins in heaven and hell.

SCENE #2 In Heaven and Hell. (Lk 16:22-31)

In Jesus’ second scene both men are dead. Death comes equally to the poor and the rich. But the dead are still alive. Both Lazarus and the rich man survived their own funerals. The dead retain their personalities and their essential character. Lazarus is still Lazarus and the rich man is still the rich man. Even in hell the rich man could see, hear, feel, recognize, remember, speak, reflect, plead, suffer, and think ahead. There was only one thing he couldn’t do. He couldn’t get out of hell; once in hell, always in hell.

Rich man is in Misery. He is tormented and in constant misery. He longs for a drop of water from Lazarus’ finger to cool his tongue and ease his pain even if it is only for a second or two. He sees everything differently now. He knows Lazarus and calls out to him, but Lazarus does not answer. Abraham answers.

Abraham, the father of the Jewish people, speaks instead. He explains that it is too late. Lazarus can’t help him. Their destinies after death were fixed before they died and now it’s too late.

The once-rich man makes a second request, not for himself but for his five brothers still living in their father’s home. "…. send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ Abraham explains that Moses and the Prophets have warned them but that they would not listen, so sending Lazarus back from the dead wouldn’t help.

Poor man is in Comfort. Lazarus who once was sick now is well. Lazarus once had only dogs for friends is the friend of Abraham. Lazarus, who once lived in misery, now lives in comfort.

In the beginning I said I was going to read the parable, summaries the parable and then expose one widely held myth that is both dangerous and completely false.

Here’s the myth – Dead people go to a better place.

The rich man, Lazarus, Jesus and the Bible are clear – those who HAVE put their trust in Jesus substitutionary death on the cross go to a better place - heaven, but those who HAVE NOT put their trust in Jesus substitutionary death on the cross DON’T go to a better place, they go to hell.

The problem is that many believe that the dead go to a better place – no matter what. But it’s simply not true, it’s a myth. Dead people DON’T always go to a better place. You might want to believe that, but it’s still not true. Larry Osborne, in his book “Ten Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe”said it this way: “It’s true for wicked Uncle Ralph and it’s true for sweet Aunt Ruby who would never hurt a fly but would also never bow a knee to Jesus.

In this parable, Jesus tells us that dead people DON’T necessarily go to a better place. We might wish they did. But they do not!

Jesus and the Bible are clear. The one who has NOT trusted in Jesus DOESN’T go to a better place! There’s a real hell! You wont get a second chance. I wish I could say that there is not a hell. But the eternal destiny of anyone is not determined by what I think or by what we wish.

What do you believe about death and the eternal destiny of people? Do you choose to create your own belief system? Do you choose to believe what you want to believe? Too many folks think they can be right with God while ignoring most everything he tells them to do. The Apostle John put it this way: “Anyone who says, “I know God,” but does not obey God’s commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.”(I Jn 2:4 NCV) The belief that we can live any way we want on earth and still end up in heaven is NOT what Jesus taught.

Whenever the subject of hell is preached these questions come to mind:

-How can a loving God send people to hell?

-What about those who have never heard the Jesus message?

-If you are sincere, don’t all roads lead to “a better place”?

Many have given answers to these and other questions, but to be honest, most of the answers still leave me with questions. I come to the conclusion that God is a God of mystery, and sometimes I have to accept and live without adequate answers.” God tells us what we need to know, NOT what we would like to know.

Deut. 29:29(NLT)“The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.”

Isa 55:8-9(NLT) “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

Lazarus teaches that dead people do not go to a better place unless they have put their trust in Jesus and received him by personal invitation. Have you put your complete trust in Jesus substitutionary death on the cross?