What Happens Next…
Luke 16:19-31
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ 25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ 27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
When I first heard this story, I was taken back. The man who lived so luxuriously, the man that seemed like he had everything he wanted ended up in a place where he didn’t expect to be. What takes me back so much is that I used to be in this man’s shoes, I thought I had a pretty grand life, enjoying every “good thing” that came to me. I had it all from the perspective of an outsider; financially well off, in a relationship, I was on my way to being a great somebody…
From hearing this story through the words of Jesus, if I were to die back then I would have gone to Hades, commonly known as Hell.
Side note: How do I stand on this? For one it is a story being told by Jesus. For one Jesus claimed to be God and proved it by His death and resurrection. Not only did He prove it, He also predicted it. Now there are some that will say that Jesus was just a really good, honest teacher. With that as our given, He can only be one of two people: Lord or liar. Either this entire Jesus thing is a big fluke or He really is the one true God. He can’t be both. “Assuming” that the latter is true, this too means that the words that He spoke were truth. Being said, I stand on the side that Jesus is the one true God and that His words are completely true.-If you have questions, I’ll be more than happy to entertain, let me know :)
Back to the point. All that I was living for back then would have been futile because I would have been living only to die and go to hell…
Thank God that His grace found me before I died. I believe that Jesus knocks on the hearts of all. Whether we let Him in or not is the deciding factor. We were given choice and Jesus did die for all, but He also said that many will reject Him. And if we die there are only two places that we can go: heaven or hell. There are no in betweens.
We get a clear vision of hell in the scripture listed above. There is torment and there is fire. For one, this is eternal hell, meaning forever in torment and forever in flames. It’s not a pretty place where all we do is sin, the sinning is done on earth, and if that sin is not taken care of through Jesus, sin will pave the road to hell. Hell has also been described as a place of “gnashing of teeth.” Teeth(tooth enamel) are the strongest substance in the human body. For that to be gnashed for all of eternity gives me the chills.
There is a point I wanted to get to, it is this: As the rich man was bound in Hell he asked that someone tell his family about this place. He was in so much suffering, so much torment, that the thought of his family joining him there was even more crushing. In his damnation, the rich man pleaded, but was told that the only way that they can avoid hell is by knowing of Moses and the Prophets (which all paves a way to Jesus). Nothing can be done for the man, but there is STILL A CHANCE FOR THOSE LIVING.
Jesus said I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through Me.-John 14:6- He also said I came so that they (meaning us) can have life, and life abundant.-John 10:10- I would not trade all my riches that I had for the life that I am living now. I may not have what I had back then, but I am promised a good life, not an easy one, but a good one. I am also promised Heaven.
My role now stands as being a bridge for Christ. I want people to know that there is an alternative to Hell. It’s not easy but I know it’s worth it. I know that there is a plan for me in this life and that there is a God who is with me every step of the way.
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I know this is a hard topic to swallow and that many would rather avoid this, but it wouldn’t be right for me not to talk about it. I wish more people talked to me about this before… If you are reading this and don’t know where you are going if you were to die today or if you know that your life is leading you to hell, I want you to know that there is an alternative. We can’t bring the dead back or at least there is a slim chance, but we do have a choice to make; Where do I want to spend eternity?
Drop a note, facebook me, call, text, tweet, if you want to talk about this. I’m here for you…
