You are telling us all those who died were in
Abraham bossom, how big is Abraham? What would have happen to Adam and Abel and Enoch who were before Abraham? Who's bossom were they in?
Glad you mentioned that
Ever study on this "covenantle" parable/story in Luke 16? Fascinating!......
http://www.kingdombiblestudies.org/abraham/abrahams_bosom.htm
ABRAHAM'S BOSOM
The parable of the rich man and Lazarus is without question one of the least understood of all the teachings of our Lord. What is its aim? It is a similitude of something; for all the parables are similitudes, even though, like the parables of the prodigal son, and the unjust steward, both of which are in direct connection with this one, they are uttered like simple narratives, always beginning with, “A certain man,” or “There was a certain man.”
Of what, then, is this parable the similitude? Whom does the rich man represent? Who is the poor neglected beggar full of sores, lying at the rich man’s gate? .......................
First, to prove that this language is symbolic and not meant to be taken literally, let's examine exactly what we are told by Yeshua. He says that
first, Lazarus dies and is taken to the bosom of Abraham.
Notice, there is no mention of his burial here.
Then
later the rich man dies, and he is buried (in Hades, according to verse 23). So the time sequence given indicates that upon his death,
Lazarus was taken immediately to Abraham's bosom,
while afterward the rich man was buried in Hades when he died.
If this story is literal, then we have a contradiction in the Bible. Here, Lazarus is shown to have immediately received the promise of eternal life. Yet the author of Hebrews clearly tells us that Abraham, as well as all the other Old Testament saints, have not yet received the promises given to them by God:
LAZARUS IN ABRAHAM’S BOSOM
In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the
rich man stands for the Jewish nation which at that time enjoyed the favor and blessing of God above all the nations of the earth.
Lazarus, on the other hand, represents the people lying at Judah’s gate who were recipients of none of the blessings so lavishly bestowed upon them - the “
Gentile” nations.
Lazarus found himself in the “dog” class - an ostracized “Gentile,” an alien from the commonwealth of Israel, a foreigner from the covenants of promise, without Christ, having no hope, and without God in the world. As to religion, all that the nations had were the crumbs that fell from the Jewish table. The influence of the Jews, as we have shown, permeated the whole of Roman life throughout the Empire in the days of Christ, so that the nations did indeed eat the crumbs from their spiritual table. No more graphic picture could have been drawn of conditions at that time than that portrayed by Jesus in this remarkable parable.
The story, however, contains a striking and astonishing PROPHECY - the rich man and Lazarus are to change places - the rich man finding his lot in estrangement, impoverishment and punishment, while Lazarus is spectacularly promoted to “Abraham’s bosom” - the place of honor by Abraham, the position of favor and blessing, and of close, personal relationship. Oh, let us grasp this great truth! So few have ever gone deep enough with the Lord to discern its great import and far-reaching consequences. Very few really understand or believe this truth. To reject it is to parade the mere words of man and his ignorant imaginings as superior to and more dependable than divine inspiration. We dare not listen further to man. We must listen only to “Thus says the Lord.” Now let us consider the actual fulfillment of our Lord’s prophecy, and its wonderful significance and far-reaching consequences.
“Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh” (Phil. 3:2-3). This text is taken from Paul’s epistle to the Philippians........................
http://www.herealittletherealittle.net/index.cfm?page_name=Lazarus
The parable of Lazarus and the rich man has been the foundation for many of
the erroneous beliefs about "hell" within traditional Christianity. Some have viewed it not as a parable, but as a true story Yeshua told to give details about the punishment of sinners in hell. Yet a thorough, unbiased examination of this story will show that the generally accepted interpretations of this passage of Scripture are erroneous and misleading. In this article, we will go through the parable verse by verse to determine what the Messiah was truly teaching....
LUKE 16:23
"And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom."
If the Pharisees and scribes understood Yeshua's prophetic parable, it must have astonished and infuriated them. How could the Jews become alienated from God while the elect Gentiles became the "seed of Abraham"?
The implication that
the House of Judah and those called from the Gentile nations were to change places would have been almost impossible for the Pharisees and scribes to believe...............
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