In reference to the rich man & Lazarus:
There are two alternatives available to us in interpreting this passage: (1) that this is a literal story and all the details are actual happenings, or (2) that this is a parable, a story devised to teach one main truth, in which details that may not describe actual happenings are only props for the story. The props make the story interesting, but the only truth the Bible is teaching through the parable is the one main theme.
Those who wish to teach eternal torment assume that it is a literal story and not a parable; whereas those who hold to the Biblical picture of the destruction of the wicked believe that it is a parable.
Lets assume that this is a literal story. Therefore, each part of the story must be understood and interpreted literally. Lets notice what happens:
1. The beggar died and was carried to Abrahams bosom (verse 22). If it is literal, then we must assume that all the saints are in Abrahams literal bosom. Of course, that is absurd.
2. The rich man was able to look up out of hell and see Lazarus in Abrahams bosom (verse 23). If it is a literal story, then we must assume that those in heaven and hell can see each other. Naturally, that is preposterous.
3. The rich man and Lazarus are able to communicate in heaven (verse 24). Are we then to assume that the righteous and wicked can even communicate with one another? Who could enjoy heaven, if he had to listen to the complaints of the wicked in hell?
4. Lazarus has a finger and the rich man has a tongue (verse 24). These are organs of a real physical body. Those who believe that the wicked are burning in hell now, say that only the soul is there. The body is buried in the ground. Yet, if this is a literal story, then somehow the body must be taken out of the ground and brought to hell, for here it clearly indicates that they have bodies. Consequently, if it is literal, there is a big contradiction.
5. Lazarus would be able to cool the rich mans tongue with just one dip of his finger in water. It must be very cold water to give much relief! And remember it is not even his whole finger dipped in water, but just the tip of his finger!
Obviously, from just these few examples, it is easy to see that it is virtually impossible to interpret this as an actual occurrence. Rather, it is an analogy, a parable, a story told for the purpose of teaching one main truth. The obvious point of this story is in verse 31: "... if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead." The decisions made in this life affect our eternal destiny, and there is no changing of our decisions after death. This was the lesson that Jesus was trying to teach. He was not giving a discourse on hell fire. These were only props of a story that Jesus used to teach his one main truth. Even the name Lazarus is symbolic, for Jesus was soon to raise Lazarus from the dead, and the Pharisees still wouldnt believe.
This is not an isolated instance in Scripture where analogy is used to teach one main truth. Notice a couple of other examples that are very obvious:
Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us. Isaiah 14:8.
The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? Judges 9:8-9.
In both of these instances, the Bible says that the trees were talking. Are we then to assume that the trees talk? No, obviously these are used as analogies to teach a truth. The same is true for the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. In fact, Jesus story of the rich man and Lazarus is very similar to a story told by the Pharisees of Jesus day, with one exception -- the Pharisees had the rich man in Abrahams bosom and the beggar in the other place. Here then is an example of Jesus taking a familiar story of the Pharisees, reversing the characters and driving home His point very clearly through this familiar illustration.
But lets examine the parable of the rich man and Lazarus even closer. So much is assumed about this parable that we must examine it and see what it actually says. Many claim, on the basis of this parable, that the wicked will continually burn in hell-fire, but notice that nowhere in the parable does it mention how long the rich man will be in torment. That is NOT the issue in the parable. It is NOT even mentioned. The truth on HOW LONG the wicked burn must be gathered from other texts of the Bible, such as Malachi 3:1,4.
For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that corneth shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
Thus even if the parable were literal, it still does not answer the question as to HOW LONG hell will last.
The other issue is whether or not hell-fire is going on right now. Again, lets notice the parable. Verse 22 states that the beggar died, and then was carried to Abrahams bosom (which is an obvious symbol for heaven). Notice that the parable does not say WHEN the beggar was taken to heaven. Other Bible texts must supply the answer:
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. -- Matt. 24:30,31.
Thus the clear testimony of Scripture is that the elect are gathered to Abrahams bosom at the second corning of Christ. Since the parable does not state when the beggar went to Abrahams bosom, we must assume, on the basis of other Scriptures, that it is at the same time that the rest of the saints go to heaven: namely, at the second Advent.
But what about the rich man? Notice verse 22, 23:
the rich man also died, and was buried: and in hell (Hades) he lifts up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Clearly then the rich man died and was buried in the ground, as all men are. The word translated "hell" is the Greek word Hades meaning "grave". It is not the word: Gehenna which is the other word translated "hell" in the Bible, and means "a place of burning". Thus, it does NOT say that the rich man was in a place of burning but IN THE GRAVE. Obviously, it is impossible for this conversation to take place from the grave. No one living at the time, in their wildest imagination would have taken Jesus literally. It would have been easier to assume that there is a place of burning going on right now if Jesus had used the word: Gehenna, but Jesus used Hades, meaning "grave", so no one would take Him literally. Jesus was merely telling a story in order that the Pharisees would get the point -- they were not listening to the truth and no amount of evidence would convince them, even the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead. All these details are merely props to make the story interesting and penetrating to the minds of the Pharisees.
The parable does not teach that the wicked are suffering in hell NOW. If it did, it would contradict not only our sense ofjustice, but also the plainly revealed Word of God. Notice these clear texts:
The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.II Peter 2:9.
As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire: so shall it be in the end of the world.
The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 13:40-42.
The clear testimony of Scripture is that the wicked are RESERVED until the day of Judgment to be punished. And Jesus declares that this day of Judgment, when the wicked are burned up, is the END OF THE WORLD.
Again we see that when understood correctly, the parable is in perfect harmony with the Word of God. And even though it is a parable, and not an actual happening, still Jesus did not contradict Himself or other Bible writers by even mentioning an ever-burning hell or that the wicked are now in a fiery hell. Scripture is always in complete agreement. Remember that an obscure text that could be understood in two different ways, such as the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, must always be interpreted in harmony with other clear texts. We must not build a doctrine that contradicts the rest of the Bible on one or two isolated, obscure texts, especially when they can be understood in such a way that they are in perfect agreement with the whole tenor of Scripture.
