rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a cer tain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abra ham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hades (that is the Greek word translated hell here) he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom” (Luke 16:19-23). This is the Lord’s own account of the death of two men, a wicked man, and a righteous man. Jesus said this actually happened. Calling this passage a parable violates every rule of Bible study and makes the Scrip ture a formless mass of putty to be molded by men according to their own wishes, to serve their own de ceptive purposes. Calling this account a parable is an attempt to force one’s own ideas into the Scriptures. This place, hades, where the souls of the dead went, was divided into two sections, separated by a great gulf which could not be crossed. When the rich man re quested that Lazarus come with water to ease his thirst and pain, Abraham said in verse 25: “ Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is com forted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; nei ther can they pass to us, that would come from thence” (Luke 16:25-26). Hades, then, had two definite compartments; one for the lost, and one for the saved. Between them was an im passable gulf. Yet they were near enough to each other so that the inmates could see each other and converse to gether across this great gulf. Moreover, it was a place of torment, both by the man’s own confession, and the words of Abraham. We notice next that hades is a place of conscious ness. The doctrine of “ soul sleeping” is nowhere to be found in the entire Scripture. The body, to be sure, sleeps in death. The soul remains conscious, however, after death. In the grave there is no remembrance and no memory, but in hades there is not only consciousness but memory as well. Abraham says, “ remember.” That, then, will account for the agony of hell in a large degree. In Luke 16, Jesus further teaches that not only is hades a place of torment, a place of conscious memory, but also a place from which there was no return or escape. There was no crossing over from one side to the other. When the rich man died, his destiny was sealed forever. There is more. It is also a place of remorse. Hear the rich man, pleading, praying in hades and saying: “ I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him (Lazarus) to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment” (Luke 16:27-28). Lazarus, however, had gone to the same place, but into the “ saved” division of hades. He, too, was con scious, seeing the rich man on the other side of the gulf. “Will there be recognition of loved ones after death?” is a question which is asked again and again. This passage alone should settle this question forever. Will we remember and know each other in heaven? The rich man knew and remembered Lazarus in sheol, and called him by his name. Even the lost, therefore, in hell, will recognize each other whom they knew here on earth, how much more, therefore, we who have been saved and are bound for heaven! Not only was Lazarus conscious
after death, but he was in a place of rest, for he is said to be “ in Abraham’s bosom.” The bosom is the place of rest and peace. Is there a more restful picture than that of a babe resting on its mother’s bosom, satisfied and contented? Moreover, Lazarus was also in a place of comfort. Luke plainly quotes Abraham as saying: “ Lazarus is comforted, and thou art tormented.” (Luke 16:25). Yes, after this life is over we shall be at rest, and as we look back upon life’s trials and troubles and struggles, we will find perfect peace and comfort in the place of that perfect rest. It was a place of security and safety as well. This is not only suggested by the figure of Abraham’s bosom, but also the blessed revelation that angels carried Laza rus into the place of rest. A heavenly escort awaits us at death, to lead our triumphant journey from earth to glory. He was carried by the angels, we are told. How wonderful, and how restful, and how reassuring! It is moreover a place of reunion-—“ Father Abraham’s Bos om” , it is called. Now as we gather all of this up, we find that before the Cross and the resurrection of Jesus, all who died went to sheol, located in the heart of the earth. The bodies of the lost went to the grave, their souls to flaming torment, remorse and suffering, conscious and awake with no hope of escape. On the other side of the same place, sheol-had'es, were the saved, reunited with loved ones, conscious, happy, comforted, safe and rejoicing. A l l this we have discussed referred only to sheol up to the resurrection of Jesus. Then a great change, a transfer, took place in the location. At the time of Jesus’ death, therefore, at Calvary, the saved were still in this place. When the dying thief on the cross confessed Jesus as Saviour, our Lord said to him, “This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.” Now notice that Jesus did not say, “ This day shalt thou be with me in Heaven,” but instead, “ Paradise.” Now where was Paradise at the time Jesus spoke these words? It was in the place where Jesus went on the day of His death. He said very definitely, “ This day shalt thou be with Me in Paradise.” But we also know that Christ went into sheol-hades on that particular day, for David says in Psalm 16: “ For thou wilt not leave my soul in sheol', neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption” (Psalm 16:10). But David here is speaking as a prophet concerning the soul of the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter preached in the second chapter of Acts at Pentecost, tells us that this passage in Psalm 16 speaks of the death and the resur rection of our Lord. Here are the words of Peter, com menting on David’s words in Psalm 16: “ Therefore be ing a prophet [David], and knowing that God has sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of the loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resur rection of Christ, that his [Christ’s] soul was not left in sheol” (Acts 2:30-31). These words are clear and plain. David says the soul of Christ went to sheol, but came forth at His resurec- tion. So Paradise was in hades when Jesus said to the thief, “ This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.” The question, then, arises, “Why did Jesus descend into sheol-hades between His death and His resurrec tion?” Paul tells us in Ephesians 4 :9 : “Now that he
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