Ephesians Lesson 27 of 39 part 3

Luke 16:19-21

"There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores."

In other words, old Lazarus had a miserable life? The rich man was a figurative type of Israel and more especially the Pharisee's, Sadducee's and scribes because they held themselves aloof from the common people. Why? Because most of them were from wealthy families and had bought there positions as Priest's. The common man was not as a rule given the right to read from the Torah on the Sabbath, which means when Jesus entered the Synagogue and was given the scroll and read from Israel 61. They had unwittingly acknowledged His position as a Priest.

For us as believers the end of the verse which He did not speak means allot for it reads; “the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.” The remnant of the worlds population, at any moment in time, including those of Hebrew, Jewish background who fit this description are become the seed of Abraham, as they are the seed of Adam.

This was shared in a public forum on a Sunday and points toward “the vengeance of our God”, for the worlds church, this is their day of sabbath rest. But is God, the Holy Spirit or Christ in it? There is a reason to think not, for judgment is to come first to this church and not just the doctrine of Judgment. For this church needs the Truth to shine within it, to reveal its own lies and illusions. It needs everything that it is based on, its unreality and its nurturing in shadows brought down. It needs to see itself as God sees it, a lie. The Light of His Truth will bring judgment and will cause everything of untruth to be brought down. A good illustration is Israel itself, in the war for Jerusalem in 66-70AD is a prototype. When its churches and the heart of Judaism the Temple, were destroyed as God and Jesus said they would be. Where you might ask, in Daniel 9:24-27.

God's true Church stands alone, because it alone is true to Him, is Living and radiating His Light in Life, now in the midst of the impervious of this evil world. It stands as a living proclamation of His judgment and His healing of the broken-hearted and the restoring of sight to the blind. Because the Light of His Truth does more than change the mans doctrine, it changes the man, from the inside out. This is the change that the world and the worlds churches (those steeped in Religion and Religions performances) is looking for but in all the wrongs ways and places.

Luke 16:22a

"And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom:..."

Remember Abraham died about 1,820 years BC, which means Jesus was born about 5 BC. Before Jesus’ resurrection all believers went down into Paradise. In Scripture it is always signified as going down into the center (bowels) of the earth. A good example of this is the thief on the cross. What did the Lord say to him? "Today thou shalt be with me in paradise." Jesus did not take him to heaven like some teach, but rather He took him first down with Him into paradise, in the heart of the earth. To hear the salvation message which the forerunners of Israel and then during Israels history spoke of in figurative terms. Because they were held back or restrained from speaking what they had seen. Like Daniel, he was told to seal up the book and others were told to eat it. Reading on.

Luke 16:22b

"...the rich man also died, and was buried:"

Several weeks ago we said that the soul never sleeps. The body sleeps when life passes out of it, but it will be awakened on resurrection day, but the soul or spirit never sleeps, it was the same way here. The rich man had died and his body was buried, and his soul had gone down into the ether part, Hell, is what the Scripture calls that place. 

Luke 16:23-24

"And in hell he (the rich man) lifted up his eyes, (he is very conscious of what is going on around him) being in torment, and seeing Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, (one Jew to another) Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue: for I am tormented in this flame."

Abraham was a righteous man, which many do not seem to grab hold of. Which simply put means that he trusted God, that is to say he took Him at His word. You know the that Abraham could not do what the rich man asked. Look at verse 26, at what Abraham tells the rich man.