Luke 16:19-20 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores.
Death doesn’t disperse us into the universe but death is the flight to ‘Eternal Life’. In fact we truly start living after we die. Hence Jesus intrigued people to know more about heaven and hell. He painted a vivid picture of heaven and hell in His teaching on ‘The Rich Man and Lazarus’ (Luke 16:19-31). Ironically, the Rich Man lived in luxury with no fear or need of God but the beggar who ate from the leftovers was impoverished yet reverentially feared God. A piece of purple linen clothing was a man’s annual salary! After death, the man who lived a happy-go-lucky lavish life found himself in the bottomless pit but Lazarus was resting on the bosom of Father Abraham. Both bodies were rotting on earth, yet their souls were fully conscious. Heaven or hell is where our soul is fully alive, awake and aware.
A peep into hell reveals the truth about life after death:
1. Alive: Death is nothing but a ‘body-mind connection failure’. The soul and spirit leaves behind the body on earth and crosses over to the eternal destination. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side (Luke 16:22b-23). Most probably, the body of Lazarus, the beggar, would not have had a decent burial. His unclaimed body would have been thrown into Gehenna. Yet, while his body was burning, he was resting in paradise. The Rich Man would have had a grand funeral and palatial gravestone yet, he was an unnamed member of Hades. We will be very much alive after we die.
2. Awake: Death is when the soul and spirit go on awake-mode and body goes to sleep-mode forever. There were conversations between the Rich Man and Abraham. ‘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.’ (Luke 16:24). We will be fully awake, conscious and cognizant after death.
- Aware: Death is becoming unconscious in the body but conscious in the soul and spirit. Lazarus wasn’t a bleeding beggar in paradise. He would have been clothed with the glory of God or the best divine attire, yet the Rich Man was able to recognize Lazarus. Hell will witness the celebrations, carnivals and commemorations of Heaven. But there is a great impenetrable chasm between heaven and hell. Our soul will be alert after death.
Death is beautiful for a believer as sorrow, sin and sickness ends and fullness, healing and reunion with the Saviour begins.
Luke 16:26b ‘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.’
Prayer: Holy God, May I enter the door to Heaven through the blood of Jesus and shut the door of hell by your grace. Amen.
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