By Rev. Richard Jones
THE DANGER OF HELL
Luke 16: 19-31 (ESV)
OVERVIEW OF THE PARABLE Luke16:19-31
“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ”˜Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.”™ 25 But Abraham said, ”˜Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.”™ 27 And he said, ”˜Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house”” 28 for I have five brothers””so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.”™ 29 But Abraham said, ”˜They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.”™ 30 And he said, ”˜No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.”™ 31 He said to him, ”˜If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.”™”
CONTRASTING CHARACTERS Luke 16:19-21
“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
DEATH DIRECTIONS Luke 16:22-23
The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.
FIXED FUTURE Luke 16:24-26
And he called out, ”˜Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.”™ 25 But Abraham said, ”˜Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.”™
OPEN OPPORTUNITY Luke 16:27-31
And he said, ”˜Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house”” 28 for I have five brothers””so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.”™ 29 But Abraham said, ”˜They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.”™ 30 And he said, ”˜No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.”™ 31 He said to him, ”˜If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.”™”
John 12: 9-11
When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.
HELL IS REAL
Matthew 25: 41
“Then he will say to those on his left, ”˜Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Mark 9: 43-48
And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 48 ”˜where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.”™
Matthew 3: 11-12
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
2 Thessalonians 1: 5-10
This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering”” 6 since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.
Revelation 20: 11-15
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
HELL IS AVOIDABLE
John 3: 16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
2 Corinthians 5: 6-9
So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.
Philippians 1: 23
I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.