Is Anyone Actually In Hell At This Time?

[gypc]

Luke 16:19"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

22"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In hell,[c] where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24So 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.'

25"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. 26And 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.'

27"He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'

29"Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'

30" 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'

31"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.' "

This is a true story.......He says "There was a rich man" once this is spoken........if it's not true then it's a lie. Jesus is the truth!

When Jesus says "The Kingdom of Heaven is like"............that like becomes a parable.

When the those who don't know Christ die, they are in hell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Old Timer]

Hades Sheol and hell is the Grave. Every one who has died is there until the Lord resurects them.

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To those disagreeing with this post I hope you read it carefully, especially the last part,

[Old Timer]

As to Lazarus and the rich man.

Both the rich man and Lazarus died, verse 22. Lazarus was taken to the

[gypc]

Rev 20:11Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Are you saying that the rich man was in the lake of fire when he looked up and talked to abraham?

No bro........when Jesus said he was in hell...........he WAS in hell!

[Old Timer]

Rev 20:11Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Are you saying that the rich man was in the lake of fire when he looked up and talked to abraham?

No bro........when Jesus said he was in hell...........he WAS in hell!

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This, in Rev. that you quote, is the culmination of all things. Notice

[Sirsilius]

If hell is the grave then alot of sinners won't be paying for their wicked ways when they die .

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Payment comes AFTER the resurrection (for judgment) from the grave.

Any other way would make us immortal, which my friend, ONLY God has.

[Sirsilius]

This brings up another question I had. Were all the stories Jesus told true or were some made up to be an example. I especially have a hard time believeing this one since there is a guy speaking to Abraham from hell. I thought hell was supposed to be a prison. A place where a man loses everything. How is he speaking to Abraham? Did Jesus make this one up to be an example and deliver his message or was it actually true?

I have heard from a very trusted Pastor (Dr. Charles Stanley) that when Jesus told parables ("made-up stories") he never used names but when He was speaking about actual people He used their names...

Made sense to me.

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This was just a parable to bear on a certain point. And yes, this was the only time a name was used in a parable, and that was to bring attention to AN ACTUAL "person" AND NOT to make one believe the events in the parable were true.

Notice in the parable, that the beggar is named "Lazarus", but the rich man has NO NAME. Christ created a fictitious Lazarus to call attention to the real Lazarus (whom Christ raised up after he was dead for a few days) AND to Himself!

The purpose of this story was to prove Abraham's words, "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."

The raising of Lazarus was the most convincing proof of Christ's divinity. But none of the Jewish rulers were persuaded. In plotting to kill Jesus, they also took counsel to put Lazarus to death:

John 11:47, 53

47Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "what shall we do? For this Man works many signs." 53"Then from that day on they plotted to put Him to death."

John 12:10

But the chief priests took council that they might ALSO put Lazarus to death."

In the parable, Abraham said that to let Lazarus rise from the dead would not convince those who disobeyed Moses and the Prophets.

In the real story, Jesus VALIDATED that point- by raising Lazarus from the dead and calling attention to it in the parable. And yes, those very prophets had predicted the coming Christ way before His virgin birth and still, the chief priests and Pharisees REFUSED to believe He was the Son of God.

Edited July 19, 2005 by Sirsilius

[irishcowboy]

there are some things that we will never know about, while on this earth.

why?

cause John was told to not dissiminate all that he had been shown.

mike

[Smalcald]

I don't have a good argument either way on this particular issue. I see both sides, the Revelation chapters I think indicate a judgement after the resurrection and a time of the grave prior, and there are others to support this view. However Christ Himself tells the thief that "today" you will be with me in paradise.

But even if we do go to the grave prior to resurrection and judgement, for us it will be instantaneous. What I mean is we will have no consciousness of that period in the grave, we will die, and then we will open our eyes for judgment, with maybe thousands of years passed. We will have no conception of time in the grave; we will have no conception of anything. So individually for us it will seem instantaneous. Either way is glorious and I am sure we will all know the truth in the end.

[Old Timer]

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But even if we do go to the grave prior to resurrection and judgement, for us it will be instantaneous. What I mean is we will have no consciousness of that period in the grave, we will die, and then we will open our eyes for judgment, with maybe thousands of years passed. We will have no conception of time in the grave; we will have no conception of anything. So individually for us it will seem instantaneous.  Either way is glorious and I am sure we will all know the truth in the end.

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Exactly!