The Other Side

Mark Dunagan
03/11/12 - Sunday Evening

The Other Side

The story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) is one of the few places we on earth are given an accurate glimpse as to what happens after death and what lies on the other side of this life. Although some have mistakenly avoided the teaching found in this section of Scripture for fear it is only a parable, yet even if it were, parables are always true to life. And yet this account is surely an accurate one. “Unless one is prepared to suggest that Jesus is passing on inaccurate information about the after-life, why should Luke 16 not be understood to reflect a general picture of what happens to the righteous and the wicked at death?” (The Other Side of the Good News, Larry Dixon p. 130).

Luke 16 and Modern Theories

In order to avoid the teaching of Luke 16 and many other passages which teach both an eternal place of ongoing bliss and ongoing torment (Matthew 25:46; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Romans 2:6-10), the following three theories have been developed:

• Universalism

This is the belief that in the end, God will save everyone.  For this theory to be true, one would have to find passages in which hell does not have any human occupants.  Yet Jesus routinely pictures hell as having human occupants (Matthew 25:41).  In addition, in Luke 16 the rich man is not told, “don’t worry, you will be saved” or, “don’t worry about your brothers, for they will also end up automatically saved”.  One of the reasons why people buy into the concept of universalism is that they assume God’s mercy will prevail over all His other qualities and that He will not be able to allow people to end up lost forever.  Yet this story contradicts that assumption.  Abraham is God’s representative and clearly tells the rich man not to expect any mercy (16:24-25).

• Annihilationism

This is the idea that everyone who ends up lost will be quickly put out of their misery, either instantly as they reach the place of torment, or shortly thereafter.  Again, nothing in Luke 16 even hints at such a concept.  The rich man is clearly conscious (16:23) and is clearly suffering (16:23 “being in torment”; 16:24 “For I am in agony in this flame”).  He is told that he cannot change his situation (16:26), and that no one can help him.  Verse 26 seems to be completely unnecessary information if the rich man was simply going to vanish soon and all his suffering would be over.  Nothing in this story or anything in what Jesus taught even remotely suggests that the wicked will simply cease to exist.  In fact, if one does cease to exist in hell, then the worm does die and the fire is quenched for all the human occupants (Mark 9:44).   In addition, why would God even take the trouble the resurrection all the bodies of the wicked, if they were going to be immediately annihilated soon after the resurrection at the last day  (Matthew 10:28)?

Some argue that God cannot infinitely punish sins which were done in the context of finite time.  First, Jesus and the apostles definitely teach an eternal hell (Revelation 20:10; 14:11).  Second, such an argument uniformly attacks annihilation, for that is very permanent as well. “God could not even annihilate the sinner for his sin since annihilation is certainly eternal in its effect” (Dixon p. 82).  Third, such an argument would likewise attack an eternal heaven.  If one cannot be punished infinitely for sins in this life, then neither can one be rewarded infinitely for faithfulness in this life.  Finally, no one really is consistent with such reasoning.  In this world we often punish people with long prison sentences for a crime that only took a couple of hours, minutes or seconds to happen.  Such an argument also ignores the true nature of the crime.  Sin is not just some mistake or violation of human rules, it is rebellion against God Himself (Luke 15:18).  Hence, such a position is based on the erroneous assumption that the nature of the crime is solely linked with how much time it took to commit it. 

• Post-Mortem Conversion

This is the concept that the dead will be given another chance to obey the gospel.  Once again, nothing in Luke 16 teaches such, in fact, the opposite is stressed.  Abraham does not teach the gospel to the rich man and give him the chance to be saved.  Rather, Abraham tells the rich man that his fate is fixed (16:26).  “This chasm, Abraham emphasizes, has a two-fold purpose.  It rules out any short-term, heavenly missionary outreach to hell, as well as any holiday excursions from hell” (Dixon p. 138).  In Hebrews 9:27 what follows death is not another opportunity to become a Christian, but judgment. Jesus spoke of the danger of dying in one’s sin (John 8:24), this would not be that dangerous if after death one could still be forgiven.

“They have Moses and the Prophets”: 16:29

• God has already given, in this life, plenty of evidence in the Scriptures for faith to develop in any individual.  The Scriptures are sufficient evidence to believe and avoid torment.
• The rich man obviously believes (and is correct) that it is only in one’s earthly life that a decision can be made which keeps one out of torment. 
• The five brothers in God’s estimation have both the time and opportunity to hear the Scriptures and correct their lives. 

“No, Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent”

• This is clearly a disrespectful attitude toward God’s representative.  “The man’s contempt for God’s word, which he showed on earth, follows him beyond the grave” (Trench). 
• The rich man is like so many people today who are not impressed with the Bible.  They complain that they need more evidence to believe, they speculate about how cannot people possibility understand it alike or how could everyone have access to it, and all the while they don’t take the time to really read and obey it.  The rich man likewise thinks that he has a better idea.  He is absolutely sure that the return of Lazarus would do the trick, yet he forgets.  Being frightened and being converted are not the same thing!
• If people wonder how could God allow the wicked to be continually tormented, this passage gives one insight.  The wicked remain wicked!  In this whole account, the wicked man cries out for this brothers so they can avoid this place, and he cries out for a drop of water from Lazarus, yet one thing he never does:  He never confesses his sin, rebellion or stubbornness.  He never says, “I am sorry”.  He never says, “God, you are right and just”.

Things to Observe

• While the rich man gets a glimpse of what Lazarus is enjoying (16:23), the text never has Lazarus talk.  It would be inaccurate to say that the rich man and Lazarus conversed because they never do.    Nothing is even said about Lazarus seeing the rich man, nor thinking about him.  The rich man being in torment was not interrupting the peace and joy that Lazarus had. 
• Nothing is said about the rich man being with a lot of other people.  He seems alone, isolated and appears unaware of anyone else’s presence.  Torment is not pictured as some great party.  So many people always assume that at least in torment they will be with “friends”, yet nothing is said about the rich man being with any of his friends. 

Principles

• One is immediately conscious after death, this is true for the righteous as well as the wicked:  16:22-23
• One is not unconscious, sleeping or non-existent from the point of death until the resurrection at the last day.
• Death seals a person’s fate—in both directions.  The righteous are rewarded, the wicked punished. 
• The memory of this life with its lost opportunities subsists in the next life.
• There is presently, on the earth, a clear guide to heaven.

Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.com
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net