The Rich Man And Lazarus Series

I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family (Luke 16:27).

Even in Hades the rich man still doesn’t see the obvious. Lazarus is not his servant or just someone who is there to do his bidding. Arrogance is not refined by the fires of Hades nor does Hades make us better people. Nobody repents when they get to Hades. It is too late.

Yet, while it is too late for change, Hades does bring about a realisation—I don’t want others to experience what I am experiencing.

Warn my brothers.

Send someone from the dead.

Do what is necessary to get people to avoid this place.

Which brings us back to the statement I made right at the beginning.

The rich man is not in Hades because he is rich.

Listen to what Abraham says:-

Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.”

“If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”

Luke 16:29, 31

The rich man is not in Hades because he is rich. The rich man is in Hades because he didn’t listen to the Scriptures.

Scripture. Scripture. Sculpture.

It is so obvious that this is the answer.

Paul says to Timothy

You have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 3:16

Peter says to the believers in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia

You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

1 Peter 1:23

Paul says in Romans

Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

Romans 10:17

God is not the sort of God who keeps His cards too Himself – God has made His intentions clear. In the Scripture we have all we need with regards to knowing how to repent of our sinfulness. In the Scripture we have the clear message of Jesus our mighty Deliverer who came to take the punishment for us.

Jesus who endured Hades … “why have you forsaken me?” was His question from the cross.

Forsaken by God the Father … that is Hades.

Jesus endured it … defeated it … so that we don’t have to.

And … yes … He did rise from the dead. But the fact that He rose doesn’t guarantee salvation.

On the day of the resurrection the guards who say what had happened reported to the chief priests and elders. Instead of believing in a risen Saviour they devised a plan where they gave the soldiers a large sum of money to say “His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.” (See Matthew 28:11-15)

If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.

The answer is so obvious. Scripture has the answers for eternal life.

Yet so many do not want to see.

They don’t want to see that Jesus is the only way, the only truth, the only life.

They want to keep walking past the “obvious unseen” people and not feel accountable for it.

They want to keep having the “obvious unseen” actions, characteristic, habits, attitudes, processes, collections, decisions, commitments, hobbies, pursuits, goals and decisions