And what about the rich man and Lazarus ?
Luke 16:22 "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;"
Lazarus was carried into heaven by the angels of God, while the rich man's body was buried in the ground and his soul went to Hades, the holding place before being destroyed by hell fire.
Luke 16:23 "And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom."
This is a parable about two men that actually lived, and when both died, the rich man could see Lazarus in heaven with Abraham. He could look across that great gulf that stood between them, but could not go there. Our Heavenly Father is the Father of the living and not the dead. Thus to be absent from this physical body of the flesh is to be present with the Lord. The soul does not go to the grave as the flesh does, but goes immediate to heaven. Those that did not overcome cannot be with those that overcame in this earth age, for they are separated. All souls can actually see the throne of God from where they are. Those that are on the rich man's side are being held for that great judgment day.
Luke 16:24 "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.' "
There is no flame there yet, but there will be after Judgment day. God doesn't burn anybody until after judgment day. This rich man had everything that he wanted, but here in heaven, he can't even afford one drop of water. The role is switched here in heaven, for now Lazarus has the comfort of heaven, and the rich man has nothing, not even comfort.
Luke 16:25 "But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivest thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented."
Life has it's payday, and this is the rich man's time.
Luke 16:26 "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.' "
"Between us that over came, and you that did not overcome, there is a great gulf fixed." That gulf is so fixed that even though one side can see the other side, there is no way to pass between. We can't go your way and you can't come our way. Luke is making the entire clear that you set your course in this life of the flesh, and when your soul passes into the next life, there is no changing what you have done in this life. This gulf or chasm is from the Greek "Chasma"; It means "an impassable interval". The interval is of time and space. This is telling us that if you die hell bound and enter into that other dimension, there is no way that you can reenter back into this dimension again. What ever side of the gulf you are on when you die, that is the side you stay until judgment day. This space is talked about by the prophet Ezra, or in the Greek "Esdras" in the Apocrypha, in the II Esdras 7:78-87. Though it is rejected in our bibles today, it was in the original king James version of 1611, until the American and British Bible societies removed it. It interfered with some of their traditions, and thus had to go. But it was revealed to Ezra by God.
II Esdras 7:78-80 "For about death, the teaching is: When the final sentence goes forth from the Most High that a man is to die, when the soul departs from the body to return again to him who gave it, first of all it prays to the glory of the Most High; if it was one of those who scorned and did not observe the way of the Most High, and of those who have despised his law, and of those who hate those who fear God, such spirits shall not enter dwellings but wander about thence forth in torment, always grieving and sad, in seven ways."
This means that when you first get to heaven and see the throne of God, it draws praise and glorifying the name of God. But to those that were like the rich man in Jesus parable, after they see what they have done while in their flesh body, it will send them directly to this place of torments, where there is nothing but grief and sadness on the other side of the gulf. So now it gives the seven ways to get to this place of grief.
II Esdras 7:81-87 "The first way is that they have scorned the Law of the Most High. The second way is that they can no longer make a good repentance, so that they may live. the third way is that they will see the reward destined for those who have believed the agreements of the Most High. The fourth way is that they will consider the torment destined for them in the last days. The fifth way is that they will see that the dwelling-places of the others are guarded by angels in profound silence. The sixth way is that they will see that some of them will pass over to be tormented henceforth. The seventh way way, which is worse than all the ways that have been mentioned, is that they will waste away in shame and be consumed in disgrace, and wither with fear, at seeing the glory of the Most High before whom they sinned while they lived, and before whom they are destined to be judged in the last times."
These are the seven ways and seven things that will be observed and cannot be changed prior to the judgment, and final destruction of those soul that reject our heavenly Father, the "Most High". So is there a burning hell? Yes, that burning hell does not consume thought until after the great white throne judgment, at the end of the Millennium age following the seventh trump. Many of those across the gulf at this time, did not have a chance to hear the Word of God, because there were not teachers of the truth. Some were taken in innocence, or for one reason or another did not have the chance to repent. Those souls will be taught in the Millennium age. However until that time comes, and this day of grace still exists, it is impossible to travel across this gulf spoken of in this verse. Nobody is sleeping in the ground at death, but they all are very much in God's presence in heaven.
