Luke 16:22–23: “So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.”

February 27th, 2022 by Pastor Ed in devotional

This parable of “Lazarus and the Rich Man” is a shockingly clear picture of life after death in Old Testament times up until the time of Jesus’ death and resurrection. After His resurrection all believers are, as Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:8, “absent from the body and . . . present with the Lord.” Jesus wanted those listening to His parable to understand the serious consequences of living life apart from God.

The rich man and the poor man (Lazarus) lived very different lives on earth, and even when they died, they no doubt received very different types of burials. But neither man was able to escape death, because that great equalizer is no respecter of persons. It doesn’t matter whether you are rich or poor, young or old, black or white, American, European, Asian, or African—death comes to all. It will happen to you and it will happen to me. For those who have trusted in and surrendered to Jesus Christ, there is a wonder-filled promise of being instantly present with the Lord after our death. But this rich man was short sighted and selfish all his life. He ignored God’s claim on his life and lived only for himself.

We cannot miss that the rich man found himself in a most uncomfortable place after death, being in “torments in Hades.” We can see from some people’s remarks about hell that they do not take it seriously. Mark Twain is reported to have casually remarked, “I’ll take heaven for the climate and hell for the society.” Modern rich man Ted Turner supposedly said, “I’m looking forward to dying and going to hell because I know that is where I’m headed.” He went on to remark that while heaven is perfect, there will be room to make improvements in hell, and so hell will be far less boring than heaven. If they understood the reality of hell, as Jesus presented it here, they would not be nearly so flippant.

“LORD, Thank you that You have provided a rescue for all who surrender and accept Your great sacrifice. Make our hearts burn today for people around us who are ignoring Your gift of life.”