After Death

Luke 16:19-31 (KJV)

¹⁹ There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

²⁰ And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

²¹ And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

²² And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

²³ And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

²⁴ And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

²⁵ But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

²⁶ 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; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

²⁷ Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:

²⁸ For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

²⁹ Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

³⁰ And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

³¹ And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Did you know that it is not yet proven that animals have thoughts on death? They don’t think about it. There are studies that show physical indicators on animals like hormonal changes if they know that there is an impending death. They have an intuition that they know they are dying and so some animals would isolate themselves. But prior to that, they didn’t really think about it. They don’t sit there wondering when they will die and if they will die before their partner or children.

Humans, on the other hand, think about death. We are intrigued by it. We wonder about it. But mostly, we are scared of it. Then there are also a few who don’t fear death. Some welcome death because life is just too cruel. They think that once they die, that is the end.

There was a time that you were not, but there will never be a time where you will no longer be. Today, consider your eternity. Once you exist, you will exist forever. The question is, where is your destination in eternity?

Jesus plainly used this story to teach that after death, the unrighteous are eternally separated from God, that they remember their rejection of the Gospel, that they are in torment, and that their condition cannot be remedied. In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus clearly taught the existence of heaven and hell as well as the deceitfulness of riches to those who trust in material wealth.

The Contrast in Life

(Luke 16:19-21)

In these verses, we can see that the rich man lived a life of extreme luxury. Laid outside the gate of this rich man’s house, however, was an extremely poor man named Lazarus who simply hoped to eat what fell from the rich man’s table (verse 21). The rich man was completely indifferent to the struggles of Lazarus, showing him no love, sympathy, or compassion whatsoever.

Like many these days who buy into the “prosperity gospel,” the rich man wrongly saw his material riches as evidence of God’s love and blessing. Likewise, he believed the poor and destitute, like Lazarus, were cursed by God.

Material wealth is not a sure indication of God’s blessing, being poor is not necessarily a sign of God’s disapproval and punishment. In fact, it is possible to be poor in material things but rich in spiritual things (see Revelation 2:9).

In our main text, it displays how temporary earthly riches can be. Our earthly journey is exceedingly brief. At some point brethren, as Christians, we must ask ourselves: what are we really doing here in this temporary place? Where is our heart? Are we really denying ourselves? Are we really giving sacrificially? Now is a good time to check our desires.

The Contrast in Death

(Luke 16:22)

Notice that when the beggar died, the Bible didn’t even say that he was buried. The rich man, however, explicitly mentions that he was buried.

The fate of Lazarus’ corpse doesn’t even matter. His spirit is now, indeed, in a better place. The rich man’s body, on the other hand, had to be mentioned because that’s as far as a “better place” that he can go. Compared to his spirit that is now being tormented in hell, his body was in a much “better place,” so to speak.

Now that they’ve entered eternity, let’s look at the last contrast.

The Contrast in Eternity

(Luke 16:22-23)

In these verses, Jesus pulled back the curtain and let us look on the other side. First of all, in verse 22, we could see what we call the glories of heaven. The beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. When he died, there was a convoy of angels that came and took him away to place called “Abraham’s bosom.” In other Bibles, it translates as “Abraham’s side” (NIV, ESV), “next to Abraham” (CEV), “with Abraham” (NLT), and “the arms of Abraham” (NCV). These are the various translations of the Greek word “kolpos.”

All these translations are attempting to convey the sense that Lazarus went to a place of rest, contentment, and peace, almost as though Abraham (a highly revered person in Jewish history) was the protector or patron.

The contrast in their eternity shows us certain truths:

• Heaven and hell are both real, literal places. (verses 22-23)
• Heaven and hell are a place of remembrance. (verses 25, 28-29)
• Heaven and hell are a place of sensory experience. (verses 24-25, 28)
• Heaven and hell are both final destinations. (verse 26)

There are no more chances. The transition to our eternal state takes place the moment we die (2 Corinthians 5:8; Luke 23:43; Philippians 1:23). Notice the rich man didn’t ask for his brothers to pray for his release from purgatory or any middle ground in our key text. There is no purgatory in the Bible. Purgatory is a false hope created by men. In the Bible, which we’ve just read, the rich man knew he was in hell and he knew that it’s final! That’s why his requests were merely to be comforted and to have a warning sent to his brothers (24,27-28). He knew there was no escape. He was eternally separated from God, and Abraham made it clear to him that there was no hope of ever mitigating his pain, suffering, or sorrow. Those in hell will perfectly recollect missed opportunities and their rejection of the gospel.

Eternity is important. The Bible is not silent about what happens after we die. It is very direct and plain to understand. We’ve just read the very Word of God, the absolute source of truth. While you are alive, you can make that choice where you’ll go. Just like the rich man, once you die, there will be no more chance. Where would you like to go?