WHO CAN GET TO HEAVEN?
The contrast between super rich and poor people is more stark in India than in many Western nations. Wilma and I raised our family in Hyderabad, India, which has diverse demographics. Mahendra Hills is a relatively wealthy neighborhood. The rich live in huge mansions with several bedrooms, bathrooms, and swimming pools. They often drive expensive cars, reflecting their lavish, comfortable, luxurious lifestyles.
On the contrary, just below their buildings,
upon the rocks, lived poor stone cutters and tribal families. They only had a
small hut, no running water, and no electricity. Their lives were exposed to
the elements under the open sky. They would eat boiled rice and vegetables and
rarely some meat. The contrast may be seen as unjust and unfair for first-time
visitors from the USA. The wealthy
in India would justify the contrast by saying, It is Karma! In Hinduism, karma is the Law of cause and effect that describes
the relationship between a person’s actions and consequences. The belief is that if you do good in
this life, in the next life, you will be born as a rich person. You will be
born poor or a beggar if you do bad things.
How
would Jesus have reacted if he had seen such socioeconomic injustices and
discrepancies in his day? The fact is that Jesus saw those injustices and
reacted sharply. He even shared a story to address those disparities of His
time. His response would not fit any of our normal responses toward these
injustices. We find this in Luke 16:19-31.
Jesus
shared a string of parables, such as the
Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son, to explain God’s love, compassion,
and relentless pursuit of lost sinners. After that, he gave additional teachings
and shared the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus parable. In Luke 16:16, Jesus told how the Law and the Prophets were proclaimed
until John the Baptist. Then He said, “Since that time, the good news of
the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way
into it.”
What
does“forcing their way into it mean?” The meaning is disputed, but it probably speaks of the fierce
earnestness of people responding to the Gospel of the Kingdom. The story of the
Rich Man and Lazarus shows the stark contrast between the Rich and the Poor,
gives us a glimpse into what Hell would be like, and explores who can get into Heaven.
I. The Contrast between the Rich and the Poor.
In verses 19-21, we read, “There was a rich man 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.
This story begins by exposing the extremes of rich and
poor during Jesus’ time. One was living in absolute wealth and luxury, and the
other in abject poverty and with physical ailment. The rich man was dressed in
purple, a color of royalty, and fine linen, a fabric only afforded by the
wealthy. Only a few of the wealthiest people would have fit this criterion of
the rich man.
Beggars were more common in Israel. The way Lazarus was
laid at the gate suggests that he was crippled. He was impoverished and longed
to eat the crumbs from the rich man’s table. On top of that, he was full of
sores, like the plight of Job in the OT. Unlike the friendly pet dogs in our
culture, the scavenger dogs licked Lazarus’s soars, increasing his torment even
more.
Interestingly, in
this parable, Jesus gives a name to a character. Therefore, some think it is
not a fictitious story but a real account. Craig notes in his book, “There is
probably a quite different reason that Lazarus is named here. Lazarus is the
Greek equivalent of Eleazar (Abraham’s servant), which means “God helps.”[1]
Later, we read about how Abraham functioned as God as he
talked to the rich man. Jewish audience of Jesus would have linked Abraham and
Lazarus and assumed that Jesus implied the purity of the poor man. The story
continues in 22-26.
II. What is the end of life for all people?
The contrast between the rich and poor may be stark in
this life. No matter who you are, whether young or old, rich or poor, educated
or uneducated, the end of life for us all is the same. The scripture says we
all have sinned, and the wages of sin is death. We all will die. Then comes
Eternity! The question is, where will we spend our Eternity? We will find an
answer in Vs. 22.
“The beggar died, and the angels carried him to Abraham’s
side. The rich man died and was buried in Hades.” With this explanation, Jesus
reversed the conventional expectation of who winds up in Heaven and Hell. Craig
notes, “Jesus used the language and imagery of essential strands of
conventional Jewish folklore. Thus, these verses should not be treated as if
they were meant to teach doctrine in detail in the last days or the life to
come.”[2] However, we can sneak peek into what it would be
like for those who might wind up in Hell.
III. A Sneak
Peek Into Hell.
What is your view of Hell? If Heaven is vastly
misunderstood thanks to misconceptions and falsehoods perpetuated by myth and
popular culture, the realities of Hell are all the more misunderstood. Westerners
take a very casual and dismissive approach when it comes to Hell. This was what
one of the sons of former president Ronald Reagan said, “I am Ron Reagan,
lifelong atheist, not afraid of burning in hell.” According to the Bible, Hell
is real (Mk 9:43), it is where sinners are punished (Matt 5:22), it is a place
of torment (Rev14:11), and it is eternal (Mk 9:48). Hell was initially created
for Satan and his angels (Matthew 25:41).
Vs. 23-26, give us a sneak peek into Hell. Unlike popular
culture’s explanation, in Hell, the rich man still experienced all the human
body’s five senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch). He said he was in
agony in this fire and called it a place of torment.
On the final judgment day, all those whose names were not
written in the Book of Life will be thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev 5:15).
Not only that, the Devil who deceived people will also be thrown into the lake
of burning sulfur and will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” (Rev
15:10). Once you enter Hell, there is no turnaround, exit, or let up.
In the story, the rich man begged
Abraham to send Lazarus to his family of five brothers to warn them about the
dangers of Hell so that they could avoid the place of torment. Abraham
responded to that request by saying they had Moses and the Prophets (implying
the gospel). Let them listen to them. The rich man argued, No, Father Abraham,
if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent. Abraham said, “If they
do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if
someone rises from the dead.”
IV.
Who Can Get To Heaven?
Who can get to Heaven? Some believe
I am a good and generous person, and therefore, I will go to Heaven when I die.
Universalists believe that all people will eventually be saved and reconciled
with God and enter Heaven through the grace of Jesus Christ. Both premises are
wrong. Unlike the popular belief, not everyone will eventually wind up in
Heaven.
There is only one way to Heaven,
through Jesus Christ. In John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.” Our good works will not get us
to Heaven, but our faith in Jesus and His redemptive work on the Cross will.
Whatever your understanding of Hell
may have been, you don’t want to end up in that horrible place. C. S. Lewis, in his book “The Great Divorce, explains, “There
are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be
done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.” Which one of
the two will you be? Hell will be populated by people who choose to be there.
You can decide where you want to spend your Eternity. If you confess and repent your sins and believe in Jesus, you will be saved and on your way to your
eternal home, Heaven.
