The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus
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.
And it came to pass, that the beggar died,
and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off,
and Lazarus in his bosom.
And he cried and said, 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.
But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime
receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things:
but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed:
so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot;
neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father,
that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:
For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them,
lest they also come into this place of torment.
Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets;
let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham:
but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. Luke 16:19-31
The man had not had compassion on the poor man in his lifetime.
The once rich man was in torment and very thirsty.
Let me have just one drop of water on my tongue.
There is a separation that cannot be crossed between Heaven and Hell.
The rich man begged Abraham to send a warning to his brothers so they would not end up in Hell.
Abraham did not agree.
“If they hear not Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead.”
And the King shall answer and say unto them,
Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Matthew 25:40
What does that mean? Ask Jesus to teach you by His Holy Spirit.
Be kind and share His love as much as you are able. Jesus was kind to the unthankful and the evil. (Luke 6:35)
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this,
To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction,
and to keep himself unspotted from the world. James 1:27
Withhold not good from them to whom it is due,
when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Proverbs 3:27