The Story of Two Beggars (continued)
by Gene Easley
The Third Scene--The After Life
The rich man had always been in charge. His servants responded to his every wish. In this scene he found himself in a place where the eternal chains of darkness would control his existence forever. "In hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments" (Luke 16:23). There is a place where lost souls will have their eternal abode, and it won't be pleasant. The rich man longed for relief from his pain, but his cries for help could not be answered now. Just a drop of water would have meant so much, but no messengers of comfort could be sent to the place where the rich man was now living.The rich man prayed that someone would go and warn his brothers about this place of torments. Some have jokingly commented that they will be glad to be in hell because many of their friends and family members will be there. But not so. If one makes the horrible choice of rejecting Christ and finds himself in this place called "hell," he will not want any of his acquaintances to be there. It would add to the torment to see a family member or close friend descend into that same pit of blackness and eternal doom. There are no welcome mats in hell. Those who arrive there will be cursed for having made their bad choices in life. The rich man's days of pleasure were over.
As has already been stated, it is doubtful that Lazarus had any type of funeral services, if indeed his death was treated with any concern or respect. But the Bible says that the angels came and took the soul of Lazarus into Abraham's bosom. It was the place where the godly dead were taken before the death and resurrection of Christ. It was a paradise, unlike anything Lazarus had experienced in his earthly life. He was comforted, while the rich man was tormented.
Suddenly, it seems that death changed the entire story. Now, Lazarus was no longer a beggar. It was the rich man who had his hand out, crying desperately for just a drop of water. He was begging someone to go and tell his brothers to stay away from the torment of hell. The rich man was now the beggar. Death will change a lot of things. Those who have exalted themselves and rejected Christ will be forever abased. Those who have humbled themselves and exalted Christ will forever know the comforts of His eternal glory.
The rich man did not go to hell because he was rich, and Lazarus did not go to paradise because he was poor. Their eternal destinies were determined by their rejection or acceptance of God. This story was given in an Old Testament setting. Christ as yet had not gone to the Cross. His blood had not been shed for the remission of our sins. But even the covenant of the Old Testament gave people a choice. These two men had a choice. Each made his respective decision, and eternity is telling the rest of their stories.
We have a choice today as well. Christ shed His blood for us on Calvary. We can repent and accept His supreme sacrifice, or we can go our own way and live for ourselves. But the day will come when we, too, will enter into scene number three, and it will be forever. Choose Christ now, and no matter how easy or difficult life may be here on earth, it will be worth it all when we see Him and enter into His glories!
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