Luke 16: 19-31
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in
purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20and there was a
certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21and
desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table:
moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22And 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; 23and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in
torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24And 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. 25But 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. 26And 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. 27Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest
send him to my father's house: 28for I have five brethren; that he may
testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29Abraham
saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30And
he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they
will repent. 31And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the
prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
The death of Lazarus and the rich man is an indictment against
humanity and its perverted, pervasive and insatiable appetite for sin. Both Lazarus and the rich man died. The rich man received his reward here on this
earth, his wealth. He would not give to
the poor man, Lazarus, the crumbs from his table. When he died, he went to hell. Lazarus went to Heaven.
The rich man in his newfound eternal anguish wanted relief and
begged Abraham to send Lazarus to quench his torment. Despite his situation, he was still arrogant enough
to ask this. Then he realizes his error
and asks Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his family to change their ways. The arrogance was still prevalent. His requests are denied.
The moral of that story is this: someone goes to the living from
the dead to testify about hell and the consequences of sin, they will listen. Not so, for mankind is in love with sin. People wouldn’t listen to living prophets, no
way will they listen to a man risen from the dead. Christ rose from the dead, and there are over
500 witnesses to this. People from that
time to current day still will not repent!!
Revelation 16:9-11
9And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the
name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give
him glory.
10And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of
the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues
for pain, 11and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their
sores, and repented not of their deeds.
The death of Lazarus and the rich man…If someone goes to the
living from the dead to testify about hell and the consequences of sin, they
will listen. Not so, for mankind is in
love with sin. People wouldn’t listen to
living prophets, no way will they listen to a man risen from the dead. Christ rose from the dead, and there are over
500 witnesses to this. People from that
time to current day still will not repent!!
The bowls poured out on humanity in Revelation 16 is the culmination
of the wrath of God against the devil and the sinful nature of humankind. The wickedness of man is poured back on their
heads. ABBA Father has given humanity
every chance possible to run from sin and return to Him. Pride and self-righteousness infiltrated the
heart of man and removed God as the foundation of human existence. This was the plan of the enemy all along. These elements fueled by the deception of the
king of lies allowed humans to believe there is no need for God in life.
The stench of wickedness, rebellion and other grievances
against God will make its way to Heaven.
This is the catalyst to the Wrath of God being literally poured out upon
the Earth. Mankind being left to their own devices and the devil, whom man
seeks more than God, is the ultimate “fairness” to a rebellious people. The malicious
world killed Christ, prophets, and countless righteous people. The end of their
rebelliousness is the fair judgment of banishment to hell comprising of eternal
torment and separation on God.
YHWH is slow to wrath and anger, but by no means does that imply
His wrath it will not be released. He desires
our repentance, redemption and righteousness. We are all prodigals. The heart of God wants all to turn from evil
and the flesh and run to HIM with a greater passion than that of our desire for
evil and carnal wishes. Righteousness does not equate to perfection. To be righteous means to be made right in
the sight of God. This is only achieved by
seeking Christ with all our heart, soul, body, mind and spirit. We are also required not to be conformed to
this world. Paul rights in Romans 12:2,
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of
your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect,
will of God”.
Come as you are and Jesus will give you rest. Come as you
are, for all mankind are sinners. Repent and return to ABBA through Yahushah
the Messiah, and His blood shall wash all sins away. King David, a man after God’s own her, had a
multitude of new sin enter his life from one encounter. He saw Bathsheba bathing one night. She was the wife of Uriah the Hittite. He was soldier in David’s army. Lust crept into David’s heart for
Bathsheba. Lust led to covetousness,
lying, and ultimately murder. David sent
Uriah into the frontline of war, knowing he would be killed, all to secure the
object of his lustful and covetous deed. Maybe not to the point of murder, but the
crux is the same; sin can creep in and destroy a path, a blessing, a
relationship, a person, in the blink of an eye. The enemy and all his minions
seek to steal, kill and destroy Christ’s church above all else. But…. God is always ready for reconciliation
and redemption with us, His people.
Psalm 51 is a prayer of confession and repentance for King
David. He knew he had screwed up
incredibly. However, like the prodigal
son, he was smart enough to return to his father seeking redemption and
forgiveness through a contrite and repenting heart, soul and spirit. Psalm 51
chronicles this moment in David’s life.
Regardless of the sin(s) in our lives, we are all potential
prodigals. We are all lured into the
world of sin, unfortunately. We do not
have to stay there. Ezekiel 18:21-23 records
God’s sentiment about this. God clearly
states it serves Him, and no one for that matter, any purpose that a man should
die in sin. The Father in Heaven wants
all people to come to Him. He
bankrupted Heaven that we all may have a clear path to redemption through
Christ, led by the Holy Spirit of God.
Psalm 51
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the
prophet came unto him, after he had gone into Bath-sheba.
1Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness:
According unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out
my transgressions.
2Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
3For I acknowledge my transgressions:
And my sin is ever before me.
4Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil
in thy sight:
That thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be
clear when thou judgest.
5Behold, I was shapen in iniquity;
And in sin did my mother conceive me.
6Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts:
And in the hidden part thou shalt make me
to know wisdom.
7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8Make me to hear joy and gladness;
That the bones which thou hast
broken may rejoice.
9Hide thy face from my sins,
And blot out all mine iniquities.
10Create in me a clean heart, O God;
And renew a right spirit within me.
11Cast me not away from thy presence;
And take not thy holy spirit from me.
12Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation;
And uphold me with thy free spirit.
13 Then will I teach transgressors thy
ways;
And sinners shall be converted unto thee.
14Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my
salvation:
And my tongue shall sing aloud of thy
righteousness.
15O Lord, open thou my lips;
And my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
16For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it:
Thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17The sacrifices of God are a broken
spirit:
A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Ezekiel 18:21-23
21But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath
committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he
shall surely live, he shall not die. 22All his transgressions that he hath
committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he
hath done he shall live. 23Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked
should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should
return from his ways, and live?
John 3:14-21
14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even
so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life. 17For God sent not his Son into the
world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be
saved. 18He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth
not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God. 19And this is the condemnation, that light is come
into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds
were evil. 20For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither
cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21But he that
doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they
are wrought in God.
Isaiah 5: 20-25
20Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put
darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and
sweet for bitter!
21Woe unto them that are wise in their own
eyes, and prudent in their own sight! 22Woe unto them that are mighty
to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: 23which justify
the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from
him! 24Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame
consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and
their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of
the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25Therefore is the anger of the LORD kindled
against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath
smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn
in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his
hand is stretched out still.
Revelation 16
Visions of Judgement
1And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the
seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the
earth.
2And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth;
and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of
the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
3And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and
it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in
the sea.
4And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and
fountains of waters; and they became blood. 5And I heard the angel of the
waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be,
because thou hast judged thus. 6For they have shed the blood of saints and
prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are
worthy. 7And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God
Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
8And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and
power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. 9And men were scorched
with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these
plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
10And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of
the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues
for pain, 11and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and
their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
12And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great
river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings
of the east might be prepared. 13And I saw three unclean spirits like
frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the
mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14For they
are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth
unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the
battle of that great day of God Almighty. 15Behold, I come as a thief.
Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he
walk naked, and they see his shame. 16And he gathered them together into a
place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
17And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air;
and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne,
saying, It is done. 18And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings;
and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the
earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. 19And the
great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell:
and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of
the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. 20And every island fled away, and
the mountains were not found. 21And there fell upon men a great hail out
of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men
blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was
exceeding great.
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