““The day came that the rich man also died. In hell he looked up from his torment and saw Abraham in the distance, and Lazarus the beggar was standing beside him in the glory. So the rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham! Father Abraham! Have mercy on me. Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water and come to cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames of fire!’ “But Abraham responded, ‘My friend, don’t you remember? While you were alive, you had all you desired, surrounded in luxury, while Lazarus had nothing. Now Lazarus is in the comforts of paradise and you are in agony...”Abraham said to him, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, neither would they believe even if someone was raised from the dead!’ ”” (Luke 16:23-25, 31 TPT)
In Jesus’ Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, why did Lazarus the beggar go to Paradise and the rich man go to Hell?
It’s not because a person who suffered in his lifetime is automatically granted a one-way ticket to Heaven.
Neither does being rich disqualify a person from Heaven.
Lazarus is enjoying the comforts of Heaven whereas the rich man is tormented day and night in unquenchable flames—it’s not because one person lived morally better than the other.
If we read the last sentence of the parable, we will know the answer. It lies in the word “believe”.
Lazarus went to Heaven because he believed in the God of Israel. In his poverty, he probably prayed and asked Yahweh to be merciful to him.
On the other hand, the rich man did not believe. He only lived to satisfy the cravings of his flesh and failed to receive salvation through faith.
Like the last line of the parable hints, someone has really been raised from the dead—and His name is Jesus.
Do you believe that He is the Son of God, the one who died and rose again so that you would know that all your sins are paid for?
Don’t wait until you’re dead and the angels are forcibly dragging your spirit by the arms to toss you into Hell before you scream that Jesus is Lord. By then it’ll be too late.
You would join all those who are screaming in there endlessly because they spent a whole lifetime rejecting the atoning sacrifice of the Son of God, who suffered and died to pay for their sins.
The wages of sin is death, and there can only be two options: either you accept Jesus’ payment on your behalf, or you keep paying the price yourself—you can never finish paying it in Hell because sinning against God is an infinitely grievous offence.
You can’t cease to exist because your spirit is eternal, since you were made from the breath of the eternal God.
The deceased spirit of an unforgiven sinner can never go to Heaven because sin cannot remain in the holy God’s presence.
Whether you a poor or rich, you can still be saved simply by placing your faith in Jesus as your Lord.
Jesus loves you so much that He suffered cruel torture and bled Himself dry so that His sinless blood would make atonement for all your sins.
Don’t delay your day of salvation because a sinner’s life is so fragile. Just one microscopic virus can kill. One infected wound can kill.
If you sense a loving force encouraging you to entrust your life to Jesus, just do so by faith.
If you’re already a believer, just take a moment to thank Jesus for saving you from an eternity in hellfire. We don’t deserve it, but we freely received this gift of salvation—it is God’s Grace and mercy towards us!
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