Luke 16 Part 4

THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS PART 3

Having discussed the teachings of the Pharisees which led to the satire the Lord is presenting here, we now return to the Biblical record of the rich man and Lazarus and discuss what we believe the true teaching of this story to be.

19. “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.

First we are introduced to a rich man. Remember that in Israel, the classification of “rich” did not merely indicate one who had money, as it does today. Rather, this was the name for the dominating, ruling class in Israel. Thus it is to this caste that this man belongs.

Luke 16 Part 3

THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS PART 2

19.  “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.

First we are introduced to this “certain rich man.” Let us dispel from this verse several myths about this man. First of all, there is no evidence here that he was named “Dives,” and there is no reason to call him this. Secondly, there is no reason here to think that this man was particularly evil. We could charge him with dressing quite elegantly, but that isn’t necessarily a terrible thing in and of itself. Cornelius describes the angel who visited him in Acts 10:30 as wearing “bright clothing,” which basically means splendid attire. If merely dressing well were a crime, this angel would be destined for hell, which certainly cannot be the case. There is nothing inherently wrong with fine clothing.

Luke 16 Part 2

13.  “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

The Lord reveals a truth to which we would all do well to take heed. No servant can serve two masters. It seems a common thing today for those who seek to serve God to seek to serve money as well. Our society teaches us that getting ahead, making a larger income, living in a bigger house, having more possessions…all these things should be the goal of every person. The idea of making it big or winning the lottery holds men in wonder, as if by this all their problems could be solved. Thus, we too are called to join the rat race and run after the things of this world that can never bring satisfaction.

“In My Father’s House”

As we study through the book of John, we come upon a very interesting passage in John 14:2-3.  Many have lauded this as a very beautiful passage, and indeed it is.  Yet this is another one of those passages that it is very difficult to deal with.  This is not because it is hugely difficult to figure out what the Lord is talking about, or that what He intended to say is unclear.  The reason this passage is hard to deal with is because it has been used by many as a passage relating to death, and to comfort people whose loved ones have died.  This passage is often quoted at funerals, and many are the mourning relatives who have been comforted by the thought that the Lord Jesus has received a deceased loved one into a mansion in heaven.  Yet, emotions or not, it is necessary for those of us who deal, not with popular interpretations, but rather with truth, to examine this passage and see if this is indeed what the Lord was saying, or if there is another explanation that the Word of God would set forth to us.

Remembrance in the Afterlife

It seems that speculation about the life to come often ranges far beyond what most people know of the Biblical facts regarding the subject.  Many people set forth numerous theories and ideas about what life will be like in the future, and it seems they do so without bothering to check their speculations against the Scriptures to see whether or not these things are so.  Some of these ideas take on the character of “Christian myths” or “Christian fables,” insomuch that they are so often repeated and so widely accepted that few seem to have any real knowledge as to whether they came from the Bible or not.  In fact, some would hold to them as strongly as they would hold to any Biblical truth, just because they believe them and those they know believe them as well, so they conclude that they must be true.  Yet for those of us who hold the Word of God as the highest authority in all such matters, we cannot afford to be found believing myths or fables just because the Christian world at large around us believes them.  We must examine the Word of God, and find therein what it truly has to say regarding these things.  Then, if it truly has something to say on the matter under consideration, we must discover what it says, and what it means by what it says.  Only then can we know that we are believing the truth.

Do You Want Fries With That Salvation?

It is common practice in the so-called “fast food” restaurants of today that, if a customer simply orders a sandwich, the employee taking the order will ask, “Would you like fries with that?” The object of this is two-fold: firstly, to know the customer’s mind on this, and secondly to try to sell fries to the customer, because, of course, the restaurant then makes more money. If you do order fries, you might be asked if you want a drink, or if you order both you might be asked if you want a dessert. The restaurant is always eager to sell the customer on more food.

Now we do not usually think of ever receiving anything extra along with our salvation. The idea of getting salvation “with” something is foreign to most believers today. It seems that many are convinced of an idea that I like to call “spiritual socialism.” That is, that the only way eternal life can possibly be perfect is if everyone there has everything exactly equal and the same.

Spiritual Bodies in I Corinthians 15

I received the following question:

This question is regarding the second part of John 5. You claim that “those who cannot believe that we will be resurrected in physical bodies, but who insist on some sort of ’spiritual’ resurrection, do not really believe in biblical resurrection at all.” If this is true, and our resurrection will be physical, then what is Paul referring to in 1 Corinthians 15? He writes: “So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44) “And just as we have borne the likeness of an earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of a man from heaven. I declare to you, brothers, that the flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable” (15:49-50) If he’s not talking about a spiritual resurrection throughout 15:35-56 (especially verse 44), then could you please explain to me what he is saying, because I don’t understand.

Your question is based on several things here. First of all, we have very little concept in English of the meaning of the word “spiritual.”

One Heaven, One Hell?

I was listening to a Christian music radio station as I was driving in my car today, and I happened to hear a song that contained the line, “There is just one Heaven, and there is just one Hell.” I started thinking about this, and realized how weak a Biblical foundation such a statement is laid upon. First of all, the Hebrew and Greek words for Heaven are plural almost every time they are used in Scripture (although not every time.) So how can there be only one Heaven? Then there is the statement, ” the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD’s.” (Deuteronomy 10:14, King James Version) How can there be one Heaven if there are Heavens and a Heaven of Heavens?

Marriage in the Afterlife

There probably hasn’t been a loving spouse who has faced the death of a beloved husband or wife who hasn’t been consoled by the thought of seeing that precious loved one again some day. Those of us who believe in the Word of God and have the hope of resurrection can know that the end of this life is not “goodbye forever,” but only a waiting period until we meet once again in the glorious life to come. And yet this hope is somewhat tempered for the grieving widow or widower by the commonly held belief that there is no marriage in the afterlife. This view is based on the statement of Christ given in the story in Matthew 22, Mark 12, and Luke 20. Yet is this really what Christ was saying? Will those whose marriages were such a success and whose love and devotion to each other mirrored the love of Christ for His people not be allowed to restore that marriage and continue that love in the life to come? Will they be forced to relate to and treat each other just as they would everyone else? This doesn’t seem quite fair, and raises a significant question about the resurrection.