Good Afternoon maouse . . . . .
Given Matthew 22:31,32 -Yes, I agree. Jehovah is the God of the living, not the dead. That does not mean that no soul can die. Instead, it indicates that death exists, as we well know.
Given the example of Luke 16:19-31;
You started reading the account to late in the chapter. To understand the context of this scripture go back and start reading in verse 14.
So we have: Luke 16:14-31, Jesus is speaking to the wicked pharisees. What is his intent?
Jesus has been talking to his disciples about the proper use of material riches, explaining that we cannot be slaves to these and at the same time be slaves to God. The Pharisees are also listening, and they sneer at Jesus because they are money lovers. So he says to them: "You are those who declare yourselves righteous before men, but God knows what is lofty among men is a disgusting thing in God's sight." (Luke 16:15)
The time has come for the tables to be turned on people who are rich in worldly goods, political power, and religious control and influence. They are to be put down. However, the people who recognize their spiritual need are to be lifted up. Jesus points to such a change when he goes on to say to the Pharisees: "The law and the Prophets were until John [the Baptizer]. From then on the kingdom of God is being declared as good news, and every sort of person is pressing forward toward it. Indeed, it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one particle of a letter of the Law to go unfulfilled." (Luke 16:16,17)
The scribe and Pharisees are proud of their professed adherence to the Law of Moses. Recall that when Jesus miraculously gave sight to a certain man in Jeruselum, they boasted: "We are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses." (John 9:28,29) But now the law of Moses has fulfilled its intended purpose of leading humble ones to God's designated King Jesus Christ. So with the begining of John's ministry all kinds of people , especially the humble and the poor are exerting themselves to become subjects of God's Kingdom. Since the Mosaic Law is now being fulfilled, the obligation to keep it is being removed. Continuing in his remarks Jesus relates an ILLUSTRATION that features two men whose status is dramatically changed. Jesus uses the rich man to represent the Jewish religious leaders, including not only the Pharisees and Scribes but the Sadducees and chief priests as well. They are rich in spiritual privileges and opportunities, and they conduct themselves as the rich man did. Their clothing of royal purple represents their favored position, and the white linen pictures their self-righteousness.
This proud rich-man class views the poor, common people with utter contempt, calling them am-ha'a'rets, or people of the earth. The begger Lazarus thus represents these people to whom the religious leaders deny proper spiritual nourishment and privilages. Yet those of the Lazarus class hunger and thirst for spiritual nourishment and so are at the gate, seeking to receive whatever meager morsels of spiritual food may drop from the rich mans table. Next Jesus describes a change.
"Now in course of time," Jesus says, "the beggar died and he was carried off by the angels to the bosom position of Abraham. Also, the rich man died and was buried. and in hades he lifted up his eyes, he existing in torments, and he saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in the bosom position with him." (Luke 16: 22:23) Since the rich man and Lazarus are not literal people but symbolize classes of people, logically their deaths are also symbolic. Jesus has just finished pointing to a change in circumstances by saying that 'the Law and the Prophets were until John the Baptizer, but from then on the kingdom of God is being declared.' (Luke 16:16) Hence it is with the preaching of Jesus Christ that both the rich man and Lazarus die to their former condition.
Those of the humble, repentant Lazarus class die to their former spiritual deprived condition and come into a position of divine favor. Where they had earlier looked to the religious leaders for spiritual scraps dropped from the table, they now receive scriptural truths imparted by Jesus, thus fulfilling their needs. In this way they are brought into the bosom, of favored position, of the Greater Abraham, Jehovah God.
On the other hand, those who make up the rich-man class come under divine disfavor because of persistently refusing to accept the Kingdom message taught by Christ. They die to their former position of seeming favor. In fact, they are spoken of as being in figurative torment. Listen how the rich-man speaks: "Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in anguish in this blazing fire" (Luke 16:24) God's fiery judgement messages proclaimed by Jesus' disciples are what torment individuals of the rich-man class. They want the disciples to let up on declaring their message, thus providing them some measure of relief from their torments.
"But Abraham said, 'Child, remember you received in full your good things in your life time, but Lazarus correspondingly the injurious things. Now, however, he is having comfort here but you are in anguish. And besides all these things a great chasm has been fixed between us and you people, so that those wanting to go over from here to you people cannot, neither may people cross over from their to us.'" (Luke 16:25,26)
How just it is for such a reverse in position to take place. The change in condition is accomplished a few months later at Pentecost 33 CE, when the old Law covenant is replaced by the new covenant. It is then that it becomes unmistakably clear that the disciples, not the Pharisees and other religious leaders are favored by God. The "great chasm" that separates the symbolic rich-man for Jesus' disciples represents God's unchangeable righteous judgement.
The rich man next requests "Father Abraham" : "Send [Lazarus] to the house of my father, for I have five brothers." (Luke 16:27,28) The rich man thus confesses he has a closer relationship to another father, who is actually Satan the Devil. The rich man requests that Lazarus water down God's judgement messages so as not to put his "five brothers", his religious allies in this "place of torment."
"But Abraham said. 'They have Moses and the Prophets to listen to .'" (Luke 16:29) If the five brothers would escape torment, all they have to do is heed the writing of Moses and the Prophets and recognize Jesus as the Messiah and become his disciples. But the rich man objects "No indeed, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them they
will repent." (Luke 16:30)
He is told: "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead." God will not provide special signs or miracles to convince people. They must read and apply scripture if they would obtain his favor. |
