THE SICK AND DERANGED UN-SPIRITUAL MIND

That believe these verses are to be taken literally as read cannot receive the truth of God's word. They are blind followers of their blind leaders in the pulpits. My comments in [ ] in the cursive bold. Jesus is speaking here in cloaked fashion to those who were spiritually blind in His day.

Lazarus and the Rich Man

Luk 16:19 There was a certain rich man, [The fact that these verses begin with no identifiable person by name tells us that this is a symbolism NOT a factual account] which was clothed in purple [those of noble or royal birth or those who were high-level officials] and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

Luk 16:20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, [This personal name of Lazarus here is NOT the Lazarus who was raised from the grave by Jesus. Lazarus was a very common Hebrew Jewish name of Israel] which was laid at his gate, full of sores. [This man in this symbolic story was NOT capable of walking by himself. He had to be laid at the gate by others.]

Luk 16:21 And desiring to be fed [Begging for food] with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

Luk 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar [The emphasis is on the beggar, now not named as before. Why didn't Jesus just say that this Lazarus] died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: [Here we see in the story that the dead beggar didn't go to heaven, as Abraham himself is NOT there yet. The narrative says Abraham's bosom which couldn't possibly contain all the inhabitants of heaven. This is a symbolic story friend NOT to be taken literally as some do take it. They do so in order to bolster their false doctrine that as soon as you die you either go to heaven or hell which also in NOT bible truth.] the rich man also died, and was buried. [NOTICE: The narrative specifically states where the beggar went, but makes no mention of the rich man going anywhere but to the grave. He was buried! In scripture, the word "hell" is used to identify the grave some 51 times in both the Hebrew and the Greek. In the regard of the word buried it simply means that man went into the "abyss, the bottomless pit, the grave, called "hell". He was NOT in any literal burning place with flames, he was in the grave which symbolizes death, which if one dies without Christ eventually results in eternal death which is eternal destruction and not some temporary destruction experiencing corruption i.e. decay of the body.]

NOW THE SYMBOLISM

(Because the dead cannot talk and have nothing to do with anything under the Sun. Ecc 9:5,6 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.

Luk 16:23 And in hell [In the Grave] he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. [This even though Jesus is speaking here cannot possibly be taken literally as neither heaven the abode of the righteous nor the Lake of Fire termed "hell" three times in scripture, neither one exists yet.]

Luk 16:24 And he cried [Jesus would never contradict scripture] and said, Father Abraham, [Jesus said: Mat 23:9 And call nomanyour father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. So this is a symbolism NOT to be taken as it's read, but to be seen with the Spirit and not the physical eyes of man. An actual dead man in the grave cannot speak and can call NO MAN father.] have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, [QUESTION: What possibly could a dead beggar, a dead human being do for the rich man in his grave? Why if this was to be taken literally as it reads in scripture didn't Jesus say "The rich man cried out to Father God to send the Messiah who is the only ONE who could help him? Because this is NOT to be taken literally folks as you and your minister desire to believe.] that he [the Beggar] may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. [The entire narrative is a symbolism of those who will be found in the Lake of Fire when it is ignited by the Father with Fire and Brimstone when it time to do so.]

Luk 16:25 But Abraham said, [Abraham was a type of the FATHER as the Mt' Moriah event symbolized with Abraham and Isaac] Son, [Notice Abraham called the dead rich man Son "capital (S). This is a symbolic story told by Jesus to teach us to rely upon the FATHER in heaven and nothing more. It has nothing to do with the reality of either heaven or hell i.e. the grave, but has everything to do with eternal life.] remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, [God's Blessings] and likewise Lazarus evil things: [Satan's Afflictions] but now he is comforted, [He suffers physically no more] and thou art tormented. [This doesn't mean the rich man at his death is being tormented in the Lake of Fire as it doesn't yet exhists. It simply means the rich man died without Jesus Christ, (totally selfish) he died a sinner and all his hope of being where the beggar is i.e. comforted is lost and all he has left to look forward to is the torment that will come with the Lake of Fire.]

Luk 16:26 And beside all this, between us [US WHO? Between the beggar and the rich man. Yet neither one is conscious nor able to speak as both are dead and both buried.] and you there is a great gulf fixed: [An Impassable dimension between the two, which means no wicked will mix with the righteous] so that they which would pass from hence [Those who have eternal life in Jesus] to you [Those who have lost eternal life] cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. [This entire narrative is about eternal life in Jesus Christ, it has nothing to do with a literal event between the rich man and Lazarus other than that both of them died one saved the other lost.]

Luk 16:27 Then he [the rich man obviously without scripture understanding] said, I pray thee therefore, father, [Abraham] that thou wouldest send him [the Beggar] to my father's house: [Dispatch the beggar to my family. Imagine a selfish now dead rich man able to show compassion in death, but unable to show compassion upon the beggar when he was alive!]

Luk 16:28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. [He was obviously biblically illiterate as he didn't understand that all mankind will go into the place where he was i.e. the grave. Once the wicked die without Christ their torment just begins as there is no hope of salvation for them at that point.]

Luk 16:29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. [NOTICE: Here Jesus made an interesting statement in "They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them." In whom did Moses and the prophets TRUST? I'll give you a hint: IT WASN'T ABRAHAM! Jesus said when speaking of the unbelieving Jews Luk 16:31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. Jesus could have said If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they hear me.

Luk 16:30 And he said, Nay, father [the lower case (f) here identifies this story as symbolic NOT to be taken literally as its read, but to be seen through the Spirit NOT the letter. Had Jesus used the uppercase (F) in the word father we would have a completely different context. The story is a symbolism friend! Abraham is not the (father or the Father nor the FATHER] Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. [This statement says myriads of truth, as ONE was sent to wicked humanity from the DEAD, His name was Jesus the Anointed CHRIST of the FATHER sent to humanity from the dead. ONLY those who believe this will REPENT.]

Luk 16:31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

This entire narrative is not about Heaven or Hell, NOT about the dead nor the grave, NOT about any eternal ongoing forever punishing of the lost. Friend this story is about whether or NOT you will believe in Jesus Christ, repent, and be saved. It has nothing to do with any real man named Lazarus or any real selfish rich man, it has everything to do with whether or not you believe in Jesus.

If you read these verses and read into these verses what the verses do NOT say, you're twisting the word of God to satisfy your own false doctrines. Many are deceived into believing in some eternal hellfire ongoing punishing of the wicked based entirely off of the misunderstanding of this story told by the Lord. Jesus would never teach contrary to His own word spoken through Solomon in Eccl: 9:5,6. The dead cannot speak nor are they conscious in the grave. That teaching is spiritualism! When you hear your preacher preach on these verses if he preaches them as they are read, he is preaching spiritualism and you need to get out of that church.

The WATCHMAN !!!