Interpreting the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus: It's Really Good News!

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.

TheLearner

Well-known member
Jan 14, 2019
8,188
1,574
113
68
Brighton, MI
On such I will not be sure entirely. There is description on judgements for saved and lost. Matthew 25 shows that. The Great White Throne also indicates some in this judgement may still be saved, seeing the judgement according to their works. This shows people in the Millenium may be saved differently from us, for Christ will be on earth and works will play a role, since faith in Christ will no longer be required then. There are many passages that describe life in the Millenium, especially in Isaiah and Zechariah.
;what texts?
 

GRACE_ambassador

Well-known member
Feb 22, 2021
3,210
1,612
113
Midwest
Some people seems to believe in Jesus, but Jesus tell them to depart from him because of their works.
"But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity." - biblegateway Luke13:27KJV
Precious friend, A Very Warm Welcome To Chat.

Please Be Very RICHLY Encouraged And Edified In
The LORD JESUS CHRIST, And His Word Of Truth, Rightly
Divided
(+ I and II).

Grace, Peace, And JOY!...
 
Oct 28, 2022
322
53
28
Parables do not use name
I do not find that teaching in scripture. Who told you that?

Some say Luke 16:19:31 cannot be a parable because it uses ‘proper’ names, like “Abraham”, “Moses and the prophets”, “Lazarus”. This is again a man-made (‘pharisaical’) tradition, that a parable cannot have ‘proper names’ and still remain a parable. There is no such rule in all of scripture, and in fact, there are other parables in scripture which use ‘proper names’, as ‘names’ carry symbolic meaning.

See Numbers 23:7-10, “parable”, “Balak”, “Moab”, “Aram”, “Jacob”, “Israel” and “the LORD (JEHOVAH)”.

See Ezekiel 23:1-4, “Egypt”, “Aholah the elder”, “Aholibah her sister”, “Samaria is Aholah”, “Jerusalem Aholibah”.

See 2 Samuel 12:1-7, with the parable of the prophet Nathan to King David, “the one rich, and the other poor”, “the rich man”, “the poor man”, “a traveller”, “David, thou art the man”.

See the parable of Jotham in Judges 9:7-15, “God”, “Lebanon”. See Jesus in Matthew 13:31, “parable”, “mustard seed”.

See also, Mark 4:15 - gives “Satan”; Matthew 13:37 - gives “The Son of man”; Matthew 13:39 - gives “The devil” and “angels”; Matthew 15:13 - gives “heavenly Father”; Luke 4:23 - gives as a “proverb” “Physician” to Jesus Himself.

See the great Parable and Prophecy of Revelation, “Antipas” (Revelation 2:13); “Balaam” (Revelation 2:14); “Jezebel” (Revelation 2:20); “David” (Revelation 3:7); “children of Israel ... Juda ... Reuben ... Gad ... Aser ... Nepthalim ... Manasses ... Simeon ... Levi ... Issachar ... Zabulon ... Joseph ... Benjamin” (Revelation 7:4-8); “Wormwood” (Revelation 8:11); “Abbadon ... Apollyon” (Revelation 9:11); “Euphrates” (Revelation 9:14); “Gentiles” (Revelation 11:2); “my two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3); “Sodom and Egypt” (Revelation 11:18); “Babylon” (Revelation 14:8, 16:19, 17:5, 18:2,10,21); “Moses” (Revelation 15:3); “Armageddon” (Revelation 16:16); “Gog and Magog” (Revelation 20:8), “Dragon” (Revelation 12:7,9,13,16,17, 20:2); “Michael” (Revelation 12:7); “the Lamb” (throughout Revelation, Revelation 5:6,8,12,13, 6:1,16, 7:9,10,14,17, 12:11, 13:8,11, 14:1,4,10, 15:3, 17:14, 19:7,9, 21:9,14,22,23,27, 22:1,3), &c.

[A.] Num 23:7 And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel.​
[B.] Eze 23:4 And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.​

Moreover, the 'names' (Lazarus, Abraham, Moses) as used in Luke 16:19-31 have meaning (see “as his name is, so is he”, 1 Samuel 25:25; also Proverbs 22:1; Ecclesiastes 7:1). “Lazarus” (G2976) is simply the koine Greek way of saying the Hebrew “Eleazar” (H499, El; (H410)) is my Helper ('azar; (H5826)) or 'Eliezer’ (H461)). Did Abraham have such a servant, that he loved, by that name? Yes (Genesis 15:2), and the name means, “God (El; (H410)) is my Helper ('azar; (H5828))”, or the 'one whom God helps', ie. the poor in Spirit. Does the name “Abraham” (H85; G11) have meaning? Yes, it means, “a father of many nations (multitude)” (Genesis 17:5). Does the name “Moses” have meaning? Yes. It means (H4872, drawn to or out (of the water; Exodus 2:10). Whenever Jesus spoke to the pharisees, it was always in a parable, as foretold:

[A.] Psa_78:2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:​
[B.] Matthew 13:34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:​
Matthew 13:35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.​

See Study 03 - https://archive.org/details/study-1...ay-why-is-there-so-much-confusion-and-disagre
 

NilsForChrist

Active member
Jan 31, 2023
180
86
28
I do not find that teaching in scripture. Who told you that?

Some say Luke 16:19:31 cannot be a parable because it uses ‘proper’ names, like “Abraham”, “Moses and the prophets”, “Lazarus”. This is again a man-made (‘pharisaical’) tradition, that a parable cannot have ‘proper names’ and still remain a parable. There is no such rule in all of scripture, and in fact, there are other parables in scripture which use ‘proper names’, as ‘names’ carry symbolic meaning.

See Numbers 23:7-10, “parable”, “Balak”, “Moab”, “Aram”, “Jacob”, “Israel” and “the LORD (JEHOVAH)”.

See Ezekiel 23:1-4, “Egypt”, “Aholah the elder”, “Aholibah her sister”, “Samaria is Aholah”, “Jerusalem Aholibah”.

See 2 Samuel 12:1-7, with the parable of the prophet Nathan to King David, “the one rich, and the other poor”, “the rich man”, “the poor man”, “a traveller”, “David, thou art the man”.

See the parable of Jotham in Judges 9:7-15, “God”, “Lebanon”. See Jesus in Matthew 13:31, “parable”, “mustard seed”.

See also, Mark 4:15 - gives “Satan”; Matthew 13:37 - gives “The Son of man”; Matthew 13:39 - gives “The devil” and “angels”; Matthew 15:13 - gives “heavenly Father”; Luke 4:23 - gives as a “proverb” “Physician” to Jesus Himself.

See the great Parable and Prophecy of Revelation, “Antipas” (Revelation 2:13); “Balaam” (Revelation 2:14); “Jezebel” (Revelation 2:20); “David” (Revelation 3:7); “children of Israel ... Juda ... Reuben ... Gad ... Aser ... Nepthalim ... Manasses ... Simeon ... Levi ... Issachar ... Zabulon ... Joseph ... Benjamin” (Revelation 7:4-8); “Wormwood” (Revelation 8:11); “Abbadon ... Apollyon” (Revelation 9:11); “Euphrates” (Revelation 9:14); “Gentiles” (Revelation 11:2); “my two witnesses” (Revelation 11:3); “Sodom and Egypt” (Revelation 11:18); “Babylon” (Revelation 14:8, 16:19, 17:5, 18:2,10,21); “Moses” (Revelation 15:3); “Armageddon” (Revelation 16:16); “Gog and Magog” (Revelation 20:8), “Dragon” (Revelation 12:7,9,13,16,17, 20:2); “Michael” (Revelation 12:7); “the Lamb” (throughout Revelation, Revelation 5:6,8,12,13, 6:1,16, 7:9,10,14,17, 12:11, 13:8,11, 14:1,4,10, 15:3, 17:14, 19:7,9, 21:9,14,22,23,27, 22:1,3), &c.

[A.] Num 23:7 And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel.​
[B.] Eze 23:4 And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.​

Moreover, the 'names' (Lazarus, Abraham, Moses) as used in Luke 16:19-31 have meaning (see “as his name is, so is he”, 1 Samuel 25:25; also Proverbs 22:1; Ecclesiastes 7:1). “Lazarus” (G2976) is simply the koine Greek way of saying the Hebrew “Eleazar” (H499, El; (H410)) is my Helper ('azar; (H5826)) or 'Eliezer’ (H461)). Did Abraham have such a servant, that he loved, by that name? Yes (Genesis 15:2), and the name means, “God (El; (H410)) is my Helper ('azar; (H5828))”, or the 'one whom God helps', ie. the poor in Spirit. Does the name “Abraham” (H85; G11) have meaning? Yes, it means, “a father of many nations (multitude)” (Genesis 17:5). Does the name “Moses” have meaning? Yes. It means (H4872, drawn to or out (of the water; Exodus 2:10). Whenever Jesus spoke to the pharisees, it was always in a parable, as foretold:

[A.] Psa_78:2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:​
[B.] Matthew 13:34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:​
Matthew 13:35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.​

See Study 03 - https://archive.org/details/study-1...ay-why-is-there-so-much-confusion-and-disagre
You got a point, but I still see Lazarus and the Rich Man as a literal story, considering Jesus' friend has been that way.
 
Oct 28, 2022
322
53
28
considering Jesus' friend has been that way.
However, if you carefully look at surrounding chapters and context, or even if you combine the other gospels, the timing is not given, and there is no indication one way or the other that "Lazarus" (Jesus' friend) had yet died.
 

TheLearner

Well-known member
Jan 14, 2019
8,188
1,574
113
68
Brighton, MI
Deuteronomy 32:21-23
Amplified Bible
21
‘They have made Me [a]jealous with what is not God;
They have provoked Me to anger with their idols.
So I will make them jealous with those who are not a people;
I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.
22
‘For a fire is kindled by My anger,
And it burns to the depths of Sheol (the place of the dead, the nether world),
It devours the earth with its yield,
And sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.

23
‘I will heap misfortunes on them;
I will use My arrows on them.
 

TheLearner

Well-known member
Jan 14, 2019
8,188
1,574
113
68
Brighton, MI
what is the meaning of

Mark 9:49

King James Version



49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.
 
L

Locoponydirtman

Guest
I didn't know that this was even a debate until now, but apparently this has been debated throught history. Is the story of Lazerus amd the rich man a parable or an actual narrative?
I personally believe Jesus is able to do both at the same time, but this is the reason i tend to lean toward parable. Its not a sin to be rich; the reason given for the rich man's torment is that, in life he was given good things; the reason given for lazerus being comforted is that in life he was given bad things. Material possession is not a metric given in scripture for salvation. Faith is that metric.
The conclusion of the story gives the meaning and purpose of the story.
Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”
That Jesus is returning from the dead, and those who had the law and the prophet will not believe. Which proves out to be true.
 

Snacks

Well-known member
Feb 10, 2022
1,410
771
113
Why are so many people hesitant to embrace the possibility of Lazarus and the Rich Man being a literal event?
 

NilsForChrist

Active member
Jan 31, 2023
180
86
28
However, if you carefully look at surrounding chapters and context, or even if you combine the other gospels, the timing is not given, and there is no indication one way or the other that "Lazarus" (Jesus' friend) had yet died.
It may be a different Lazarus, indeed. However, it can relate to the Lazarus that befriended Christ. It was a real event, I'm 100 %ly sure.
 

Snacks

Well-known member
Feb 10, 2022
1,410
771
113
They were taught soul sleep from people in their church. Now, expect someone say they learned it from reading the bible alone.
Good point. I used to consider the possibility of soul sleep being real but John 5.24 changed my mind about that.