You Are the Answer
ICS Daily Devotions
Luke 16:26-31 (NKJV) And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’ “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ 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.’”
We are three-part beings, comprising spirit, soul, and body. The first Adam came alive when God breathed into a created being from the earth. Similarly, a person is dead when the spirit being departs from the body, yet the spirit being will live for eternity.
Hades and Abraham’s bosom were places for departed spirits. These two compartments are referred to collectively as Sheol. Abraham’s bosom was emptied following the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Therefore, those who are saved will now be with Jesus in heaven.
In contrast, this passage tells us that this rich man lived in torment—such profound suffering that a mere drop of water would provide temporal relief. The rich man’s departed spirit, which did not have a name, was suffering in Hades, and he regretted not having believed in God. Thus, he asked for Lazarus to be sent as a messenger to his brothers on earth.
Sadly, there is nothing anyone can do for somebody once the spirit of man has departed following physical death—no prayer, intervention, or good works. Nothing will be able to change his destination in eternity, either in heaven or hell.
As shown in this passage, there is a cry in hell from those being tormented—a constant cry urging their relatives not to go to the same place of torment. The rich man remembered he had five other brothers on earth. Therefore, there are loud wails and cries from hell, imploring the people they know, “Don’t come here!”. It is a place of regrets and torment for all eternity. Unfortunately, no one can take any action regarding the incessant cries of those departed spirits. There is no way for heaven to hear what is happening in hell, nor can those living on earth hear the voices of those in hell.
However, there is an answer to the cry of those eternally separated from God who desire their loved ones to be saved! The answer is us. We are the answer to their cry because we have the privilege of reading about it today. Therefore, you and I must act on it by sharing the gospel. We can also move out as a church by inviting friends to church events.
Sermon Series: Sharing God’s compelling love with the I Found Him booklet
