The Rich Man & Lazarus

The popularly accepted interpretation of The Rich Man and Lazarus story in the Bible is one of the fundamental reasons why many people believe that hell is a literal place of eternal torture. Believing this traditional explanation to be invalid, the author builds a case to correct this misunderstanding by presenting a comprehensive, phrase-by-phrase examination of Luke 16:19-31.In this study, the rich man and Lazarus are identified with people from the pages of the Bible. Abraham's bosom is recognized as the heart of Abraham's faith in Christ, and hell is revealed as being the death and burial of the rich man's selfish pride in his glorious heritage. The rich man's despair prepares him to cry out for mercy, but the only mercy available comes through embracing Abraham's belief in Christ. The rich man struggles with accepting Abraham's faith, a faith that is capsulized in Abraham's words of advice to the rich man.Besides identifying the rich man and Lazarus with Biblical figures, the author also challenges each reader to identify with Abraham and Lazarus by placing their faith in Christ, the only hope of resting in Abraham's bosom. Many companion passages are considered in the analysis of this familiar Biblical account in order to allow the Scriptures to interpret the Scriptures.