“But what about the Rich Man and Lazarus?” they ask. They always ask this. Every time I mention in passing to a Christian friend that I do not believe in consciousness after death (i.e. the innate immortality of the soul) they always bring up this story (Luke 16:19-31).
The story of the Rich Man and Lazarus is a parable. It cannot be interpreted as anything else otherwise it is in conflict with too much in the rest of the Bible. It has to be understood as an allegory.
Problems with a literal interpretation
Here are some problems with interpreting it as reality – instead of a parable.
Read literally the parable suggests that Abraham is in heaven. However, according to Genesis 15:13-15 Abraham went to his fathers. Abraham’s ancestors were idolaters (Joshua 24:2). So if Abraham went to his fathers he should be in hell, not heaven. No Abraham is neither in hell nor heaven, but dead – buried with his ancestors. Hebrew 11:8-10, 13 says that Abraham died without receiving the promise (the Promised Land, i.e. Heaven).
According to Scripture one does not get ones reward upon death, but “they that have done good, [receives] the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, [receives] the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:28, 29). It is at the Second Coming that the reward is given “to every man according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:12). The reward is given to all the Righteous at the same time (Hebrews 11:39, 40). Both the Dead Righteous and the Living Righteous will go with Jesus to Heaven at the same time (I Thess. 4:16, 17).
Reason for the parable
Jesus used the parable to chastise the Pharisees for their money-loving (Luke 16:14, 19-21).
The parable also warns that miracles from the netherworld (i.e. “Crossing Over with John Edwards”) will not bring people to repentance (Luke 16:30). Truth comes not from the spirits of the deceased, but from the Scriptures – “Moses and the Prophets” (Luke 16:31).
Jesus habitually talked in parables (Matthew 13:34, 35). It was His preferred method of teaching (Mark 4:33, 34) and he often used the common metaphors of his audience. Using the metaphors from the Pharisees own (erroneous) paradigms he showed them on their covetousness.
2 comments:
do u think the john edwards thing is real, wise Prophet, or is he just channeling into that 90% of the human brain humans don't use, to make connections the participants will understand?
grief sure is a complicated process.
Well, in my estimation there is probably three possibilities (having eliminated that he is speaking to the spirits of the dead).
1. He is experiencing some sort of clairvoyance or psychometry (i.e. that possible extra 90% your talking about) which he perceives as “messages” from beyond.
2. He is really receiving messages, but not from the spirits of the dead; rather from demonic powers aimed at deceiving people. (Satan’s first attack on the human race was to tell them the lie that “they will not die” – Gen. 3:4. By getting people to believe that the dead can communicate from beyond the grave – and are therefore not really dead – he is practically continuing the propagation of that first lie.)
3. He is doing cold readings, which is a method of guidance-and-guessing used by most so-called fortune tellers.
Grief is indeed complicated and I can see why people would want to believe that it is possible to communicate with their deceased loved-ones.
Post a Comment