Afterlife
Yes, there is an afterlife. No, it's not like the one some people imagine, with spirits of the dead
floating around and popping up whenever they like, wherever they like. There is no such thing as a
ghost, and there is no such thing as being "haunted". The things that some humans experience as
"ghosts" and "hauntings" are much more sinister. We'll post a topic on that a bit later on.
"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his
gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the
rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died
and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where
he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called
to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and
cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while
Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all
this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to
you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'
He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, for I have five brothers.
Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'
Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'
'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if
someone rises from the dead.' " (Luke 16:19-31).
Before Jesus was crucified, when a person died they went to the grave, or Sheol as it was called in
Hebrew. No one could enter heaven because the blood of Jesus that redeems the saints had not yet
been shed. There was a common place that the departed souls went to...Sheol.
Sheol was divided into two parts...the part for the unrighteous, which was a place of torment...the
"pit"...and the part for the righteous, which was a paradise and a place of comfort. These two parts
were separated by "a great chasm" that neither side could cross over. But even then, the righteous
knew there was a better thing coming!
"If the only home I hope for is the grave, if I spread out my bed in darkness...where then is my hope?
Who can see any hope for me?" (Job 17:13, 15).
But then...
"I made the nations tremble at the sound of its fall when I brought it down to the grave with those
who go down to the pit." (Ez. 31:16).
"But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit." (Is. 14:15).
Passages such as these two tell us that the "grave" was the resting place of the departed, with
"the pit" being a separate part reserved for the wicked. We know the pit was a place of agony
because of the fire that was tormenting the rich man...and with agony there is no rest. The rich man
begged Abraham to send Lazarus over with just the tip of his finger dipped in water to "cool his
tongue". There are other torments as well...
"All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots
are spread out beneath you and worms cover you." (Is. 14:11).
"...they bear their shame with those who go down to the pit..." (Ez. 32:25).
The rich man could look over and see Lazarus in a place of comfort while he, himself, was suffering
in unspeakable torment. That alone would be torture.
As for the righteous...
"You will come to the grave in full vigor, like sheaves gathered in season." (Job 5:26).
"Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you
will not abandon me to the grave..." (Ps. 6:9,10).
"But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself." (Ps. 49:10).
The apostle Paul compared it to sleep...or rest:
"...We will not all sleep..." (1 Cor. 15:51).
We know from Lazarus and the rich man, that it's a place of comfort.
We could give a lot more Scriptures to validate both the place of torment and the place of rest, but
we're anxious to move on to the really neat part... :0)
floating around and popping up whenever they like, wherever they like. There is no such thing as a
ghost, and there is no such thing as being "haunted". The things that some humans experience as
"ghosts" and "hauntings" are much more sinister. We'll post a topic on that a bit later on.
"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his
gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the
rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died
and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where
he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called
to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and
cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while
Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all
this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to
you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'
He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, for I have five brothers.
Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'
Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'
'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if
someone rises from the dead.' " (Luke 16:19-31).
Before Jesus was crucified, when a person died they went to the grave, or Sheol as it was called in
Hebrew. No one could enter heaven because the blood of Jesus that redeems the saints had not yet
been shed. There was a common place that the departed souls went to...Sheol.
Sheol was divided into two parts...the part for the unrighteous, which was a place of torment...the
"pit"...and the part for the righteous, which was a paradise and a place of comfort. These two parts
were separated by "a great chasm" that neither side could cross over. But even then, the righteous
knew there was a better thing coming!
"If the only home I hope for is the grave, if I spread out my bed in darkness...where then is my hope?
Who can see any hope for me?" (Job 17:13, 15).
But then...
"I made the nations tremble at the sound of its fall when I brought it down to the grave with those
who go down to the pit." (Ez. 31:16).
"But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit." (Is. 14:15).
Passages such as these two tell us that the "grave" was the resting place of the departed, with
"the pit" being a separate part reserved for the wicked. We know the pit was a place of agony
because of the fire that was tormenting the rich man...and with agony there is no rest. The rich man
begged Abraham to send Lazarus over with just the tip of his finger dipped in water to "cool his
tongue". There are other torments as well...
"All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots
are spread out beneath you and worms cover you." (Is. 14:11).
"...they bear their shame with those who go down to the pit..." (Ez. 32:25).
The rich man could look over and see Lazarus in a place of comfort while he, himself, was suffering
in unspeakable torment. That alone would be torture.
As for the righteous...
"You will come to the grave in full vigor, like sheaves gathered in season." (Job 5:26).
"Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you
will not abandon me to the grave..." (Ps. 6:9,10).
"But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself." (Ps. 49:10).
The apostle Paul compared it to sleep...or rest:
"...We will not all sleep..." (1 Cor. 15:51).
We know from Lazarus and the rich man, that it's a place of comfort.
We could give a lot more Scriptures to validate both the place of torment and the place of rest, but
we're anxious to move on to the really neat part... :0)
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