LAZARUS AND THE RICH MAN-The Real Message=ALL TO BE SAVED

[William Wilbur]

LAZARUS AND THE RICH MAN-The Real Message=ALL TO BE SAVED

The rich man identified

There is only one man who Scripturally fits all the descriptions
of the "rich man" in this parable
Only one person who "personifies" all of the symbols and
identifying clues given of this rich man
And that man is:

"JUDAH !"

But not just Judah as an historical individual,
but collectively All Israel under the headship of Judah, the Jews
And the Jews were "rich"

Beginning back in Gen 15:14
God prophesied that Abraham’s descendants were to be very rich
"And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge:
and afterward shall they come out with great substance"

"Therefore the Lord stablished the kingdom in his hand
and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presents;
and he had riches and honour in abundance" (2 Chron 17:5)

"...and he built in Judah castles, and cities of store" (Ver12)

Jerusalem had a standing army of 860,000 men! (2 Chron17:13-18)
And that didn’t even include the fortified cities in Judah (Ver 19)

Hezekiah (King of Judah):
"...had exceeding much riches and honour;
and he made himself treasures for silver, and for gold,
and for precious stones...all manner of pleasant jewels;
storehouses also for the increase of corn, and wine, and oil,
and stalls for all manner of beasts ...
he provided him cities, possessions of flocks and herds in abundance;
for God had given him substance very much" (2 Ch 32:27-29)

So yes, Judah was rich
And who to this day, are universally known for having money
and being successful in the financial world?
The Jews

However, these were just some of Judah’s material possessions
Judah was rich in another way--very rich

Judah possessed something far more valuable
than all of these possessions

God bestowed on Judah a treasure greater
than any other on the face of the earth, in the history of the world

"What, then is the prerogative of the Jew,
or what the benefit of circumcision?

Much in every manner...
For first, indeed, that they were entrusted
with the oracles of God" (Rom 3:1-2)

Prerogative is translated from
(Gk perisson’ EXCESS, SUPERABUNDANTLY)

"For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them,
as the Lord our God is in all things..." (Deu 4:7)

"He sheweth His word unto Jacob,
his statutes and His judgment unto Israel" (Psa 147:19)

"Ye worship ye know not what:
we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews" (Jn 4:22)

So not only was Judah rich materially,
but God bestowed on Judah His very word,
and through Judah the very salvation of the world

Who but Judah possessed such wealth?

"...and he dressed in purple..."

It would be nonsense for Christ to ask his disciples:
"Oh, by the way, would you fellows be interested in knowing
what color clothing this Rich man was wearing just before he went to Hell?"

But what is nonsense in the literal
is the symbolic sign of this man’s real identity!!

Purple is: "A color used in garments of a bluish red,
by a dye obtained from a shell fish, purpura
It denotes rank of royalty"
(Greek-English Keyword Concordance p 236)

Purple was worn by Kings (Judges 8:26)

Even the Caesars of Rome wore Purple as a symbol of their royalty

And who was to carry the royal line in Israel?... Judah!!

"The scepter (a symbol of rulership and power)
shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
until Shiloh come..." (Gen 49:10)

David was of the Tribe of Judah and was anointed King of Judah

Our Lord was of the line of Judah (Mat 1:2),
and will be not only King of Judah, but King of Kings over all the world

During our Lord’s ministry, Judea was under Roman rule,
however, there were still rulers in Judea-The Jews

There were Scribes, Pharisees, and Priests

Jesus said they had power and authority from God

"The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat:
all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe,
that observe and do..." (Mat 23:2-3)

God has always elevated Judah above the other Tribes

In 1Chron 2:1-3 we read:

"These are the sons of Israel; Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
Issachar, and Zebulun, Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad,
and Asher. The sons of Judah;..."

Notice Judah was the fourth born to Israel (Jacob)
and is listed fourth, but when God gives their children’s names
he starts first with Judah

To show Judah’s dominance in Rulership,
when the Tribes of Israel are enumerated in Revelation 7:4,
Judah is put first at the head of the list
He was not, however, the firstborn!!

"...and cambric (fine linen)..."

The Rich man didn’t just dress in "Purple," but "Purple and Cambric"

He wore both-
Cambric or Fine Linen is symbolic
of the clothing that the priests wore (Ex 28:5, 25:4)
And of the interior decorations of the Tabernacle itself (Ex 26:1)

Our Lord would not have told us
that the Rich man wore these two specific types of garments
except that they have great symbolic value in identifying
who this man personifies

But if "Purple" symbolizes "Royalty"
and "Fine Linen" symbolizes "Priesthood,"
how can the same man wear both?

Only our Lord is both, King and Priest.

Remember, the Levites and the priests
were loyal to Judah through their long history

When they got the opportunity,
they went with Ezra and Nehemiah back to Jerusalem--back to Judah
They were part of Judah
They were called Jews

Only one, had both
the Scepter and the Priesthood: Judah!!

Notice this Scripture carefully:

"Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin,
and the priests, and the Levites ...
God had raised, to go up to build the house of the Lord
which is in Jerusalem" (Ezra 1:3)

There it is!

Judah had both the royalty and the priesthood!!

And all these leaders of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi,
became who were known in Christ’s time as "the Jews"

And that’s why, although the Apostle Paul
was of the Tribe of Benjamin, nonetheless,
he said of himself, that he was "a Jew"

In Judah were both-
the Royal Scepter (purple) and the Priesthood (fine linen)

And that’s the reason
Christ took the time to tell us what the Rich man was wearing!!

And no other personality in Scripture has both these designations
along with all the other identifying features attributed to the Rich man!!

Father Abraham "...Child, be reminded..."

Judah could therefore legitimately call Abraham, "Father"

Abraham was Judah’s Great Grandfather
Abraham could legitimately call the Rich man, "Child"

Judah was Abraham’s Great Grandchild

"They have Moses and the Prophets..."

The Kingdom of Judah did have "Moses and the Prophets"

They were the protectors and scribes of those very documents
till the time of our Lord’s ministry, when Jesus said that they
"sit in Moses’ seat"

Judah was the very depository
for The Law (Moses), The Prophets, and the Writings

Remember the Oracles were given to the Jews (Rom 3:1-2)

The Rich man said: "I have five brothers..."

There’s a rule of Scripture study that is very sound-
"Literal where and when possible"

Most of this parable cannot be taken literally

Why?

Because for one,
it often contradicts the laws of science and physics

And two,
it would contradict hundreds of other plain verses of Scripture

It’s the "parable" that cannot be taken literally!!

That does not mean
that certain facts contained "in" the parable are not "literal"

Abraham is, undoubtedly, "literally" Abraham
Moses and the prophets are, "literally" Moses and the prophets

They obviously represent themselves, not someone else

With that in mind, who was it who had literally five brothers?

Not; that these "five brothers"
cannot represent something else in the Scriptures
For example, there were five spheres where there were
"Jews" who heard Christ proclaimed after His resurrection:
Jerusalem
Judea
Samaria
The "limits of the land"
Those Jews dispersed "among the nations"

At first glance, you might think Judah can’t be this "Rich man"

Didn’t Judah have eleven brothers?

Yes and No

True,
there were twelve sons of Israel, one of which was Judah,
but not all by the same mother

Judah’s Mother, Leah, had
Reuben
Simeon
Levi
Issachar
Zebulun
Judah makes six (Gen 29:31-35, 30:18-19)

So who had five brothers? Judah!!

That Judah (the Jews), is here personified
in this Rich man, there can be little doubt!!

BUT WHO THEN IS THIS "LAZARUS"?

ABRAHAM’S BOSOM

The answer is not hard to find
when we see where he is: "in Abraham’s bosom"

Being in someone’s bosom
shows a very close emotional relationship and position of honor

Christ likens Himself as being in the "bosom" of His Father (Jn 1:18)

And John, likewise, who was very fond of Jesus
leaned back into Jesus’ bosom (Jn 13:23)

To be in the bosom of Abraham, or the bosom of Christ,
or the bosom of the Father, are certainly positions of great honor

The Jews coveted that relationship with Abraham

They were so proud of their Father Abraham!!

They knew that God thought highly of their Father Abraham,
and they wanted to be connected to that lofty position themselves

However, they did not come even close
to qualifying for such an honor

They loved to say: "We have Abraham for our father!"
But as Christ told them, they didn’t do the works of faith
that their Father Abraham did

So Judah is not in the bosom of Abraham, but Lazarus is!!

Why?

Who is this "Lazarus" that he should have
such a lofty position of honor with the Father of the faithful?

As mentioned earlier the Jews, undoubtedly, understood
who Christ was referring to in both the Rich man and Lazarus

Remember that the Jews of Jerusalem knew Hebrew
Their scriptures were written in Hebrew
And they were a lot closer to these symbols
and the Hebrew language than we are today

"And Abram said,
Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless,
and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

And Abram said
"Behold, to me thou hast given no seed; and, lo,
one born in my house is mine heir" (Gen 15:2-3)

In chapter 13
God had already promised
great land and possessions to Abram’s seed
But Abram had no seed!!

Abram told God
that since he had no son, his chief steward, Eliezer,
would be his heir and inherit all that was his

Eliezer was so faithful a steward to Abraham
that he was planning to make him his heir
and give Eliezer all his possessions and inheritance

Eliezer would have been wealthy
He would have inherited the "promised land"
He would have received the "oracles of God"

Ah, but no-God had different plans!!

Abraham would have a son Isaac
who would continue the Abrahamic line

It appears that Eliezer will be left out-
He lost his one big claim to fame

Now he’s just a Gentile from Damascus

All his generations will be Gentiles (dogs)

Eliezer knew he would inherit all of Abraham’s posessions one day
And now, that’s all gone-But he still remained faithful

Eliezer had ample opportunity to do away with Isaac
on any number of occassions, but he remained faithful to Abraham

He even took a journey to get a wife for Isaac

Every step of faith and obedience
that Eliezer took removed him just that much further
from the inheritance he always thought would be his

He did all that a faithful steward should do-
But every step of faithful obedience to Abraham
caused his inheritance to slip further away

Imagine just how faithful and trustworthy
a steward would have to be for Abraham
to leave ALL his possessions to him

Abraham was extremely rich

Why look for "another" to pass these blessings onto?
Eliezer has already proved himself faithful

Abraham had already concluded
that Eliezer was the only logical heir:

"This Eliezer of Demascus
... born in my house IS MINE HEIR" (Gen15:2-3)

It appears
that either Eliezer becomes Abraham’s heir, or he receives nothing

Absolutely no spiritual promises or possessions
were ever made by God to Eliezer
If he is not to get Abraham’s inheritance,
which included all that Abraham already had
plus all that God is about to bless him with on top
of all his other possessions-
then Eliezer is going to be POOR
as far as spiritual blessings are concerned

As a Gentile, all he can ever hope for are the spiritual "crumbs"
that fall from the Rich man’s table

Not to fear: Through FAITH God works many miracles

FAITH OF THE GENTILES

"Now the woman was a Greek,
a native of Syro-Phoenicia (A Gentile),
and she asked Him that He should
be casting the demon out of her daughter

Yet Jesus said to her, "Let first the children (The Jews) be satisfied,
for it is not ideal to take the children’s bread and cast it to the dogs"

Yet she answered and is saying to Him,
"Yes, Lord, For the dogs also, underneath the table,
are eating the scraps from the little children"
And He said to her, "Because of this saying, go
The demon has come out of your daughter" (Mk 6:27-29)

So clearly this Syro-Phoenician woman
was not asking for a small portion of food (crumbs or scraps),
but rather a small portion of Christ’s spiritual blessing!!

And clearly,
Lazarus does not represent a street beggar
in need of a small portion of food

He personifies something much greater
than one single beggar in the street!!

When Christ entered Capernaum
a centurion (a Roman, a Gentile) asked Christ to heal his boy

Christ said He would come
The Centurion said He need only to "say the word"
and he would trust Christ for the healing

"When Jesus heard it, He marveled,
and said to them that followed, "Verily I say unto you
I have not found so great faith no, not in Israel" (Mat 8:5-10)

Why then, are the Gentiles relegated to "dogs?"

Not in all Israel
did our Lord find such faith as in these GENTILE "DOGS!"

But "Judah" gets all the blessings
while the "Gentile" dogs get the crumbs?

Ah, just when we think things are going bad and God isn’t fair,
He shows us His strange and marvelous wisdom!!

What was Christ’s response
to this marvelous exhibition of faith by the Centurion?

"And I say unto you,
That many shall come from the east and the west (Gentiles)
and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob,
in the Kingdom of Heaven,

but the children of the kingdom (Judah-the Jews)
shall be cast into outer darkness:
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Mat 8:11-12)

Christ is not telling us
that "Jews" from the East and "Jews" from the West
will sit down with Abraham,

but that the "Jews" shall be cast out"

That’s contradictory

It’s the "Jews"
who are the "children of the kingdom" who are "cast out"

And those from the East and West are "GENTILES"

Christ is telling us who these "many" are
because He is commenting on the faith that God
has given to this Centurion Gentile

LAZARUS IDENTIFIED

Christ rarely spoke of the Gentiles in His ministry-
but He did speak of them

And, although, He said He was sent only
to the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel, in His human ministry,

He nonetheless,
was making provisions for the Gentiles,
as in this prophetic statement

As Christ’s disciples were to be like "salt" to the earth,
this Syro-Phoenician woman, Cornelius of the Italian squadron,
the Roman Centurion, the Samaritan woman at the well,
and others were certainly like "salt" among the Jews

The very first sermon of Christ’s ministry
foretold the calling of the Gentiles,
and it nearly cost Christ His life (Luke 4:13-30)

When it comes to God’s blessings, faith is thicker than blood.

God has not "cast off" the Gentiles!!

So we find "Lazarus" (Gk: helpless)
begging scraps from a rich man’s table

Can "helpless" find "help?"
Will God have mercy on him
just as He did the Syro-Phoenician woman
and the Centurion? Yes indeed!!

"LAZARUS" IS "ELIEZER"!!

The Greek "Lazarus" is from Lazaros (Heb HELPLESS)

But in Hebrew "Lazarus"
is Elazar or "Eliezer" from el (God) and azar (HELP)

If Lazarus knew his Hebrew name,
he would have known that help was on the way!!

The "God of Help" had already planned
this whole marvelous drama from the time of Abraham!!

Just as the Jews can look to their ancient "father" Abraham
as a sterling example of faith in God,

so now, likewise, can the Gentiles
Look to Abraham’s Steward, Eliezer as a "father" of rare faith!!

Truly there is no partiality with God--it only appears that way
when we let the relative get in the way of the absolute

It is the Gentiles that God is primarily dealing with today!!

Paul says there is to be only a "remnant" of Jews

His calling was to the nations

However, Paul knew that God was still calling a "few" of the Jews
"If by any means I may provoke to emulation them
which are my flesh [Jews], and might save some of them" (Rom 11:14)

For nearly two thousand years now
God is calling primarily the Gentiles!!

GOD’S CALL IS NOW TO THE GENTILES

Lazarus [Eliezer] was: "...cast at his [Rich man’s] gate [portal]..."

It was the "Gentiles"
who were not allowed into the Royal and Priestly House of Judah

They could go no further than "The court of the Gentiles"

Any blessings they received
had to come to them from inside where they were never allowed to go!!

Though designated as "proselytes,"
they were, nonetheless, like "dogs"
who only got the "crumbs" or scraps!

Hence we find Lazarus cast "at the gate"

Little could these Jews hearing this parable
realize that in just a few short years all this would change

"Yet now, in Christ Jesus, you (Gentiles),
who once are far off are become near by the blood of Christ

For he is our Peace, Who makes both one,
and razes the central wall of the barrier [middle wall of partition] ...
He brings the evangel of peace to you (Gentiles) ...
for through Him we both (Jews and Gentiles) have had the access,
in one spirit to the Father" (Eph 2:13-18)

And so today, the Gentiles don’t have to stand outside the gate,
or be separated by a barrier, or stay in their own court,
and wait for handouts

They have direct access to God!!

And who has been preaching
for the past two thousand years?
The Jews? Hardly

It has been the Gentiles
that have translated the Scriptures
into nearly every language on earth

It is those called of the Gentiles
that are accepting Christ Jesus as their Savior

It is really a rare thing to find Jews
accepting Christ as the Messiah

And that’s why we find Lazarus( Eliezer-the Gentiles)
in the bosom of Abraham,
and the Rich man (the Jews)
engulfed in flames of "Anti-Semitism"
for the past two thousand years

"...having ulcers [full of sores]..."

Lazarus is not full of sores in Abraham’s bosom

He has been healed

In fact, that’s what "salvation" meant in New Testament times

"Salvation" is a beautiful sounding Latin word,
however, it was never part of the New Testament Greek Vocabulary

Not until six or eight centuries ago
did the word "salvation" come into translations

Before that time it was "health"
that was one’s salvation

And all of the very oldest Anglo-Saxon Scriptures
translate it "health" not "salvation"

So for Lazarus "health" in the bosom of Abraham was salvation!!

Lazarus doesn’t represent
materialistically poor Jews, but spiritually poor Gentiles

That’s the whole point here in the parable!!

Judah was rich and knew it!
They were like the Laodiceans who said:

"I am rich, and increased with goods,
and have need of nothing; and knowest not
that thou art wretched, and miserable, and
poor, and blind, and naked" (Rev 3:17)

"...Father Abraham, be merciful to me,
and send Lazarus that he should be
dipping the tip of his finger in water..."

In figurative and symbolic language
the Rich man asks for a drop of water on the tip of Lazarus’ finger

How appropriate! Who was it that refused to help the "poor"
with so much as their little finger?

"For they [Judah] bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne,
and lay them on men’s shoulders;
but they themselves will not move them
with one of their fingers" (Mat 23:4)

"...and spake unto Rehoboam (King of Judah), saying,...
make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke
which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee

But he forsook the counsel of the old men...
My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s loins...
my father hath chastised you with whips,
but I will chastise you with scorpions" (1Kg 12:7:11)

Now Judah begs the assistance of a finger from a poor man!!

And not just a poor man, but a poor Gentile!!

It was custom for pious Jews
to cut a section of their garment off if it were
so much as touched by the finger of a Gentile

Now the rich and lofty personification of God’s chosen people
begs for the assistance of a Gentile FINGER

"God is not to be sneered at,
for whatsoever a man may be sowing,
this shall he be reaping also" (Gal 67)

"...and cooling my tongue..."

It isn’t his flesh that he wants cooled from this flame, but his tongue

This man is frightened
His tongue is swelling

And well it should be-
When people are petrified from fear their tongue dries and swells

That’s why some inexperienced speakers
often need a whole glass of water
just to get through a 10 minute speech

David said:

"By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down,
yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion" (Psa 137:1)

Well, God brought Judah back from Babylon to Jerusalem,
but Judah didn’t have the same heart as King David

He failed to remember David said:

"...let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth...
if I forget to remember Jerusalem"

It was because of Judah’s "tongue"
that Jerusalem was destroyed in the first place:

"For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen;
because their TONGUE and their doings
are against the Lord..." (Isa 3:8)

So in the parable
we find Lazarus (Eliezer-a Gentile) in the bosom of Abraham,
and Judah, who should be there,
on the other side asking for mercy

But Lazarus can’t come over to the Rich man
even if he wanted to, because of this "chasm"

And in all this, between us and you
a great chasm [gulf] has been established"

WHAT IS THE GREAT GULF?

Certainly there is no literal chasm
between hades (grave/unseen) and Abraham’s bosom

What or where is this great chasm?

Does the Bible speak of a great chasm
that has anything to do with salvation or rewards?

When the Children of Israel made their exodus out of Egypt,
they were on their way to the Promised Land

After receiving the Ten Commandments at Mt Sinai,
where they stayed approximately one year,
they headed north to Kadeshbarnea

They sent men to spy out the land

They were very close to Canaan

But God sentenced them
to thirty-nine more years in the wilderness for their unbelief

How different they were from their ancient Father Abraham

After thirty-nine years they again headed north,
only this time through Edom and Moab
and approached the Jordan from the East

To get to the Promised Land
they had to cross over the Jordan River Valley

The River Jordan runs through a great chasm (or gulf)

From Mt. Nebo Moses could see the Promised Land

The Jordan is in a huge chasm

It’s a "far" way to the other side!!

This chasm, in fact, is so large
that it may well be one of the largest fault lines on earth!!

It starts on the southern boundaries of Turkey
and runs through Palestine, through the Dead sea,
through the Red Sea, through Africa to Lake Victoria

But some scientists and geologists
believe it continues through Africa and the South Pole
and reemerges again in the Pacific Ocean

Now that’s a "Great Chasm"

Because of Mose's sin,
God did not allow him to enter the Promised Land

Crossing "over Jordan"
has always been used symbolically as a type of "salvation"

But just as Israel couldn’t cross the Red Sea
except by a miracle of parting the waters,
so too, God supernaturally dried up the Jordan
so that they could cross over

So literally, they didn’t "get wet" crossing the Jordan;
they didn’t "get baptized"
And neither did most of the rulers of the Jews
"get baptized" at John’s baptisms either!!

It is always "God" who determines boundaries

Moses could not cross that chasm

And no one else could cross over except it were God’s intention

Just as Israel looked to the crossing over Jordan
as their salvation in a new land,
so we too, are looking for a future
complete manifestation in Kingdom of God

And God alone determines
who will and who won’t be in that Kingdom at this time

In a real sense we too go into the Kingdom of God
by way of the Jordan!!

(Read Most Christians will die in their sins
http://myspace.com/water_spirit_blood)

Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan (Mat 3:13)

"...whoever are baptized into Christ Jesus, are baptized into His death
We, then were entombed together with Him through baptism into death...
For if we have become planted together in the likeness of His death,
nevertheless we shall be of the resurrection also..." (Rom 6:4-5)

Mortality kept the majority of Israelites from entering the Promised Land
The generation that started on this journey died in the wilderness

Only a remnant crossed over Jordan under the leadership of Joshua
And likewise, today, God is calling only a "remnant" to salvation:

"God does not thrust away His people whom He foreknew...
Thus, then, in the current era also, there has come to be a remnant
according to the choice of grace" (Rom11:2 & 5)

Mortality kept most of Israel out of the promised land,
and by immortality we will enter the Kingdom of God in full spiritual glory:

" we all shall be changed... at the last trump... the dead will be raised...
this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal put on
immortality (1 Cor15:51-53)

And we enter the Kingdom
under the new Joshua (Jesus) the Christ!!

No matter what this gulf or chasm symbolizes,
it is only "man" who cannot cross it

Nothing is impossible with God
And God has given His Son authority over EVERYTHING

There is definetly no gulf or chasm
that cannot be bridged by the Almighty Jesus Christ!!

Though not a place of eternal torture in fire,
there is, nonetheless, a realm called "hades"

It is an enemy of man and there are "gates"
(not literal iron bar gates, but gates in the sense
that passage is restricted to all who go therein)

There are also gates and bars
and locked doors in human prisons and penitentiaries

But there are guards and wardens who have "keys"
to these doors and gates--they CAN BE OPENED

Well guess what?
There are also "keys" to the gates of hades
and it is NOT SATAN WHO POSSESSES THEM!!

IT IS NOT SATAN WHO HAS POWER
OVER LIFE AND DEATH AND RESURRECTION!! (Rev 1:18:)

"And I (Jesus)
have the keys to hell (hades, the unseen) and of death"

It is senseless to boast in having "the keys"
if those keys will never be used to open the locks on the gates!!

Not only does Christ have the keys to all doors,
HE IS THE DOOR!!

When we enter HIS door,
He enters OUR door and we dine together

One day Judah will knock on Christ’s door
and He WILL OPEN to them

Let’s read the good news:

"...I will make a NEW Covenant
with the house of Israel, and the house of Judah...
For this is the Covenant that I WILL MAKE (future tense)
with the house of Israel AFTER THOSE DAYS
(those days of blindness and unregenerate hearts
crying out from the symbolic gates of hades),
saith the Lord;
I will put my Laws INTO THEIR MINDS,
AND WRITE THEM IN THEIR HEARTS;
and I will be to them a God, and they
shall be to me a people" (Heb 8:8-10)

Judah had the "promises," the "Oracles" of God, the "Royalty,"
the "Priesthood," the "Seat of Moses," the "Temple of God,"
the "Ark of the Covenant," enormous "wealth and riches,
" the "Possession of the Land," and the prophesied "Messiah"

But they crucified their only Savior!!

For this they will certainly go through
many "tormenting" trials and afflictions,
but the fire of God’s Holy Spirit
will cleanse them of their sins
and they WILL BE SAVED--ALL OF THEM!!

"And thus ALL Israel shall be saved..." (Rom 11:26)

It is so sad that the Scriptures are not believed-
Jesus really is the Saviour of the entire world!!!

People accuse me continually
of teaching that unbelievers, and evil unrepentant
and unregenerate sinners will be saved in THAT condition

I have never even suggested such!!

God WILL CHANGE THEM!!
And it all begins in THE HEART!!!
They will repent at the goodness of God

"And thus ALL Israel shall be saved, according as it is written,
Arriving out of Zion shall be the Rescuer (that’s CHRIST!)

He WILL be turning away irreverence from Jacob
(Jacob includes Israel and Judah),
And this is My Covenant with them whenever
I SHOULD BE ELIMINATING THEIR SINS" (Rom11:26-27)

If we would but believe these simple and profound Scriptures
there would never be such distortions of God’s Word
being taught as is the case with this parable

THE RICH MAN’S SIN

"And in the unseen (hades), lifting up his eyes, existing in torments..."

Judah (the Jews) proved to be totally unworthy of their high calling
Their heart’s turned from the declarations of God
Claiming Abraham as their father did not exonerate them either

"Our father is Abraham"

Jesus answered them,
"If you are children of Abraham,
did you ever do the works of Abraham?
Yet now you are seeking to kill me,
a Man Who has spoken to you the truth.." (John 8:39-20)

Not only were they no longer "...of the faith of Abraham,"
but they had, in fact, utterly corrupted themselves

After King David, Solomon broke God commandments
and covenant (1 Kg 11:11)

King Rehoboam said:

"And now whereas my father
did lade you with a heavy yoke,
I will add to your yoke;
my father hath chastised you with whips,
but I will chastise you with scorpions" (1Kg 12:10-11)

"...Judah kept not the commandments of the Lord..." (2 Kg 19:17)

And King Manasseh, of Judah, went from bad to worse:

"...he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord
after the abominations of the heathen...
he built up again the high places which
Hezekiah his father had destroyed...
he built altars in the house of the Lord...
he built altars for all the host of heaven
in the two courts of the house of the Lord
And he made his sons pass through the fire,
and observed times, and used enchantments,
and dealeth with familiar spirits and wizards;
he wrought much wickedness...
Manasseh seduced them to do more evil
than did the nations whom the Lord destroyed..." (2 Kg 21:2-9)

"Judah hath dealt treacherously,
and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem;
for Judah has profaned the holiness of the Lord which He loved,
and hath married the daughter of a strange god" (Mal 2:11)

HISTORIC AND PROPHETIC JUDAH

According to a "literal" teaching of this parable,
the Rich man did nothing to deserve his torment

But once we identify this Rich man, however,
we find a mountain of sins and evils that are attributed to him:

When John the baptist saw these same descendants of the Jews,
the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptisms,
he remarked: "generation of vipers"

Our Lord used the most derogatory language possible
in describing the Jews of the first century:

"O generation of vipers,
how can ye, being evil, speak good..." (Mat 12:34)

"An evil and adulterous generation
seeketh after a sign..." (Mat 12:39)

"Why do ye also
transgress the commandment of God..." (Mat 15:3)

"O faithless and perverse generation..." (Mat 17:17)

"...John came unto you in the way of righteousness,
and ye believed him not..." (Mat 21:32)

"Why tempt ye me, Ye hypocrites?" (Mat 22:17)

"But all their works they do
for to be seen of men..." (Mat 23:5)

"But woe unto you,
Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites (Ver 13)

"...ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men;
for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye
them that are entering to go in" (Ver 13)

"...for ye devour widows’ houses..." (Ver 14)

"Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees,
Hypocrites for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte,
and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of
gehenna than yourselves" (Ver 15)

"Woe unto you, ye blind guides..." (Ver 16)

"Ye fools and blind..." (Ver 17)

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites
for ye pay tithe of the mint and the anise and cummin,
and have omitted the weightier matters of the
law, judgment, mercy, and faith..." (Ver 23)

"Ye blind guides,
which strain at a gnat and swallow a camel (Ver 25)

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites...
whited sepulchres ... full of dead men’s bones,
and of all uncleanness" (Ver27)

"Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves,
that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets
Ye serpents Ye generation of vipers..." (Ver 22-23)

"I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes;
and some of them ye shall kill and crucify;
and some of them shall ye scourge in your Synagogues,
and persecute them from city to city;
That upon you may come all the righteous blood
shed upon the earth..." (Ver 34-35)

"BEHOLD YOUR HOUSE IS LEFT UNTO YOU DESOLATE (Ver 38)

Yes, there is more than ample reason
for "Judah" finding himself in a "place of torment!"
Can we see how God combines them all together?

Christ said:
"Ye are the children of them which killed the prophets"
and "Ye fill up then the measure of your fathers" (Ver 32)

So why shouldn’t Christ
picture the Jews in hades when viewing
this disaster of their race?

Of course it is figurative!!
God often uses just such figurative language

"...he voice of thy brother’s blood
crieth unto me from the ground" (Gen 4:10)

In Revelation chapter 6
the dead souls of those slain for the Word of God are crying out

This too is figurative

God wouldn’t allow His Conscious Saints
to be all piled up on a bloody heap
under an altar for thousands of years

Jonah was literally in "...the fish’s belly" (Jonah 2:1),
but figuratively he called it "...the belly of hell"
(sheol=IMPERCEPTIBLE) (Jonah 2:2)

And so we have the Rich man (Judah)
"crying out from hades"

Figuratively, as it has great emotional power!!

The Jews corrupted themselves

In the person of Judah they see the result of their ways

Notice that the Rich man never said one word in his own defense

He knew what kind of a people he was

I find it hard to believe what I am reading
when I see the terminology our Lord
used against the Jews and their forefathers

Really, consider His words:
adulterous, evil, transgressors, faithless, perverse, hypocrites,
murderers, blind guides, fools, generation of snakes

The Jews were given so much by God,
but showed ever so little appreciation to God!!

They have suffered like few races of people have ever suffered

Lazarus, on the other hand, lived an untarnished life of faithfulness,
and yet is promised nothing from God--
neither material blessings nor spiritual blessings

In life he received "evil things"

Abraham considered him worthy of inheriting all his possessionis

God, on the other hand, disinherited him

This was an "evil" to Eliezer

It was God’s wisdom in bringing this evil on Eliezer

Little did these Jews know at the time that Christ spoke this parable,
that it would be only thirty some years future that their
beloved Jerusalem would once again be destroyed

But this time, God would also take from them
the Temple and the Ark of the Covenant as well

And little did the Gentiles know that Saul (Paul)
was already being prepared to take God’s spiritual blessings
"to the nations."

It will be Eliezer himself
who will be the first Gentile to not only justify God in His actions,
but glorify Him for the marvelous blessings
that God has bestowed on the Gentiles

For nearly two thousand years
the Jews have been without the ark of the covenant or a Temple

The Jews have wandered from country to country for centuries
never even having a country they could call their own until 1948

They have been persecuted everywhere they lived!!

This greatest persecution and slaughter
took place during Hitler’s death camps when reportedly
six to seven million Jews were exterminated!!

The Rich man said " I am tormented in this flame"

If one checks all the parables
it becomes evident that most of them were prophecies

And therefore "flames" is most appropriate
in describing the plight of the Jews through the millennia
Not just the "Flames of Anti-Semitism,"
but even literally--remember "Hitler’s ovens?"

I remember the words of a Jewish teenager after the Holocaust:
"The world stood still while the Jews burned

Yes, Judah is still crying out from the unseen

And so the Rich man’s thoughts turn
to "his father’s house" and his "five brothers"

What will happen to them?
Even if they didn’t hear Moses and the prophets,
surely, if "someone should be going to them from the dead,
they will be repenting"

"Yet he said to him,
"If Moses and the prophets they are not hearing,
neither will they be persuaded if someone should be rising from among the dead"

Well how could Abraham know that for a fact?

Because it is really Christ who is speaking,
and it’s a parable, and it also is a prophecy
of things to come, and Christ knows all

Ironically, the only person ever resurrected from the dead
that we know by "name" at this time was Martha’s brother Lazarus

Did that miracle persuade the Jews? Actually, yes, many

Joh 11:45
Then many of the Jews which came to Mary,
and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him

Yet when other Jews reported this miracle back to the Pharisees

"From that day, they (the Jewish leaders)
consult that they should kill Him" (Joh 11:53)

It seems like it’s always the religious leaders
that have the most trouble believing

But how many of these "many who believed" stayed faithful?

When Christ began teaching them
really "spiritual things," many could not handle it

Christ told them that
"The flesh is not benefiting anything" (Jn 6:63)

That was more than they would tolerate
as most "Christians" today also do not tolerate
such a thought either,

and therefore:

"From that time many of His disciples
went back, and walked NO MORE with Him" (Joh 6:65-66)

This parable, however,
is not speaking about Lazarus’ resurrection,
but Christ’s resurrection from the dead

All of Judea did not know of the resurrection of Lazarus,
but everyone heard about the resurrection of Jesus Christ

Not only the Jewish leaders who killed Him,
but all Jerusalem, all of the Rich man’s brothers
and everywhere the descendants of his brothers were scattered:
(1) Jerusalem,
(2) Judea,
(3) Samaria,
(4) The limits of the land (Acts 1:8), and
(5) to the dispersed among the nations
And the message sent to all these Jews, everywhere,
was that the Christ whom they crucified has risen from the dead

JEWS STILL REJECT JESUS

Judah did not obey God through most of their long history

The Jews as a nation did not repent
at the preaching of John the Baptist

They killed their own Savior!!

"Let all the house of Israel know certainly,
then, that God Makes Him Lord as well as Christ-
this Jesus Whom you (Jews) crucify!" (Acts 2:36)

But Christ forgave them before He even died:

"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34)

He commissioned his apostles
to herald the good news of His resurrection
and the coming Kingdom of God to them again,
but again, as a nation, the Jews rejected Him

So now what? So then Christ calls Saul to be "Paul"

And so Paul preaches and teaches in Jerusalem

And what kind of reception
did Paul and his message receive?

"Now he (Paul) argued in the synagogue on every sabbath...

Paul was pressed in the word,
certifying to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ

Now at their (the Jews) resisting and blaspheming,
shaking out his garments, he said to them,
"Your blood be on your head
Clear am I, From now on
I SHALL GO TO THE NATIONS" (Acts 18:4-6)

Just as Christ prophesied

"...neither will they be persuaded
if someone should be rising from among the dead"

The Scriptures do plainly state that the Jews
shall yet find salvation through Christ’s Sacrifice,
because it was God who blinded them in the first place
so that they would not and could not understand and repent!!

Isaiah prophesied that they would not repent
and so Christ did not heal them (Mat13:1915) "...
us (Gentiles) whom He calls also, not only
out of the Jews, but out of the nations also..." (Rom 9:24)

"I shall be calling those who are not My people
(poor and wretched people like Lazarus-Gentiles)
"My people," (Rom 9:25)

Yes ALL PEOPLE will be GOD’S PEOPLE!!

Since the time that Paul said "From now on I shall go to the nations,"
the Jews have, except for rare and individual cases, rejected
Christ risen from the dead

But millions of poor rejected people like Lazarus
have been brought into Abraham’s bosom,
into a close and intimate relationship with God Himself

THE BLIND CAN’T SEE

What about these Jews then?

Is the Rich man (Judah, the Jews, the whole house of Israel)
going to suffer in a fancied Christian Hell of devils and flames
of torment for all eternity?

Why can’t we believe the Scriptures?
And not just one or two, but hundreds of Scriptures
that point to the fact that all is of God, and God is operating all

I've learned something most profound:
"The ‘blind’ can’t see"

Not many christians believe that

Surely, if we present it in just the right way, they will see
No, they won’t

If they get sick enough of their life and sins, then they will see
No, they won’t

If we tell them often enough and with enough conviction,
with hundreds of scriptures, and with charts and diagrams,
and with analogies and examples, surely then at least
"some" of the blind will see
No, they won’t

I’ll tell you why!!

Because the blind cannot see

You can hold it closer to their face,
you can shout, and you can shine a bright light on it

It doesn’t matter, "The blind can’t see!"

Christians teaches that if people want to see and understand,
then they can. It's all up to them

No it’s not!!

I know people who are physically blind,
and they want to see, but they can’t... because the blind can’t see

When God Almighty "blinds" someone,

they can not see!!!

I do not entertain any such notion that this paper
will persuade anyone who is blind, to see it’s truth,

unless God uses it
to open their mind and remove the blindness

Let the Scriptures speak:

"Does not God thrust away His people?...
God DOES NOT
thrust away His people whom He fore knew" (Rom11:1-2)

"Thus, then, in the current era also,
there has come to be a remnant
according to the choice (God’s choice)of grace" (Rom 11:8)

"What Israel is seeking for, this she did not encounter,
yet the chosen (those God chose) encountered it

Now the rest (the rest of the Jews, all the rest of Israel)
were calloused..." (Rom 11:7)

Who calloused them? Who is operating all?
Now pay close attention to this next verse

"GOD gives them a spirit of stupor, eyes not to be observing,
and ears not to be hearing, till this very day" (Rom11:8)

"Till this very day,"
was written 2000 years ago, and yet "till this very day" today,
as a race, as a nation, as a religion, and as a people,
the Jews have universally rejected their only Savior Jesus Christ

Yes it was "God" Who did these things!!
Why would God do such a thing?
Is there some purpose to it all? Yes there is

"But in their (the Jews) offense
is the salvation of the nations,
to provoke them to jealousy (Rom 11:11)

SALVATION OF THE RICH MAN (JUDAH & ISRAEL)

Well, since it was "God" who blinded the Jews
and caste them away, will He ever take them back
and remove their blindness?

"For if their (the Jews)
casting away is the conciliation of the world,
what will the TAKING BACK be
if not life from among the dead?" (Rom 11:15)

"...that callousness (by God Ver 8), in part, on Israel
has come, until the complement of the nations
may be entering
And thus ALL ISRAEL SHALL BE SAVED..." (Rom 11:26)!!

Look at Ezekiel 37 beginning in verse 13

"And ye shall know that I am the Lord
when I have opened your graves, O my people,
and brought you up out of your graves."
(Notice they come out of their graves, not out of hell)

Ver 14, "And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live..."
(Notice they shall "live"-
that means they were "dead," not alive in some hell)

Ver 23, "Neither shall they defile themselves any more
with their idols, nor with their detestable things,
nor with any of their transgressions;
but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces,
so shall they be my people, and I will be their God"

Ver 25, "And David my servant shall be king over them..."

GOD IS OPERATING ALL

How could anyone possibly believe any one of these verses
and yet believe that God will burn these unbelieving Jews
in Hell for all eternity

Let’s be Scripturally honest here:
God blinded Israel (Ver 8)
God used their offense to bring salvation to the nations (Ver 11)
God caste Israel away so that He could conciliate the whole world (Ver 15)
God will take back these unbelieving and sinning Jews (Ver 15)
God will give them life from among the dead (Ver 15)
God will save all Israel (Ver 26)
God will not burn them in hell for all eternity,
because they will be sinless: "Whenever I should be eliminating their sins" (Ver 27)

It is GOD Who is in control
of the destiny of the human race, not MAN!!

God’s punishments and chastisements are severe enough
without multiplying them a trillion times to the power of infinity
in some eternal burning hell for ever and ever...

Christ preached the kingdom of God.

"I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also:
for therefore am I sent" (Lk 4:43)

Christ likened Himself to a "bridegroom" (Lk 5:34)

Now look at all of the parables,
and see how they point to the coming Kingdom of God
when the Bridegroom will make a great feast
and hand out rewards or punishments
according to the "faithfulness" and "stewardship"
or lack thereof, to His servants

But time and again,
those initially invited to this Great Feast are rejected
and those who had no claim to attend such a feast are invited in

"Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city,
and bring in hither, the poor, and the maimed, and the halt,
and the blind" (Lk 14:21)

But, "...none of those men which were bidden
shall taste of my supper" (Ver 24)

How amazing the workings of our God are!!

First it looked like
God had forsaken the Gentiles-He did not

Then it looks like
He has forsaken His own people (the Jews)-He has not

It’s God’s way!!

This is God’s wisdom!!!

And it is so much higher than puny man’s
ability to ever fully appreciate or comprehend

When God-
removes all blindness,
gives faith to believe,
removes all sins, and
convicts the heart of the greatness of God
and nothingness of our own selves,

ALL WILL BE PERSUADED!!

We can doubt it all we want,
but we are not our own achievement

But rather:

"For HIS achievement are we..." (Eph. 2:10)! "...
our Saviour, God, Who WILLS THAT ALL MANKIND BE SAVED
and come into a realization of the truth" (1Tim 2:4)

How dare any doubt God’s own ability
to fulfill and accomplish His own will?
(See Isaiah 46:10-11)

FATHER OF THE FAITHFUL

If God cannot accomplish and fulfill His own will,
what hope is there for us?

It is a gross lack of faith to believe that God
will not accomplish His own will-

And whatsoever is not of faith is sin

The reason Abraham is in this parable,
is because Abraham is the "father"
of the faithful- Abraham BELIEVED GOD!!

"By unbelief are they ([the Jews) broken out,
yet you stand in faith" (Rom 11:20)

Now listen to Paul’s admonition very carefully:

"Be not haughty, but fear" (Ver 20)

"God parts to each the measure of faith" (Rom12:4)

Yet most Christians
think faith is the one thing, for sure,
that they must contribute on their own to be saved

To believe such a thing is unscriptural

All of the haughty arrogance of Christians would vanish over night
if they would just believe and comprehend this one beautiful
and profound verse of Scripture:

"Now what have you which you did not obtain?
Now if you obtained it also,
why are you boasting as though not obtaining?" (1Cor 4:7)

We must be thankful
that God is calling us (the Gentiles), and to not be haughty

Does any think that we are special
but the cast-off Jews are not? No!!

The Jews are very special to God

The Rich man asked for "mercy,"
and he will yet receive mercy. "...
God is able to graft them in again." (Rom 11:24)

."For unregretted are the graces and the calling of God
For even as you once were stubborn toward God,
yet now were shown mercy at their stubbornness,
thus these also are now stubborn to this mercy of yours,
that now they (the "Rich man" and all his descendants-all Israel)
may be shown mercy
For God locks up all together in stubbornness,
that He should be merciful to all (Jews and Gentiles)
O, the depth of the riches and the wisdom
and the knowledge of God!" (Rom11:29-33)

God gave Abraham that kind of faith
God gave Eliezer that kind of faith

Faith that doesn’t require substance, evidence, and proof

Every step of faith that Eliezer took
put him that much further from his inheritance

Eliezer’s faith wasn’t in the "visible evidence," but in God

In Abraham’s case the "evidence"
(he and his wife’s old age)
that God would give them seed, was a faith destroyer

There was nothing in the visible evidence
that would have given anyone faith

Abraham’s faith wasn’t in "evidence" but in God

Children need proof-
the mature live by faith!!

The real truth of this parable
is not nearly as morbid as it may appear at first glance

God has a plan
that eventually brings all the Jews and all the Gentiles to salvation

The very heart of the Gospel
is the salvation of the Jews and Gentiles-
THE SALVATION OF THE ENTIRE WORLD!!!