LIFE AFTER DEATH

 

LIFE AFTER DEATH

Luke 16:22-23 "Finally the beggar died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and his soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Lazarus in the far distance with Abraham."  NLT

Death is real. Everyone will die a physical death unless the Lord comes to take him home without it. The Scriptures only tell us of two people who were taken by the Lord without death, Enoch and Elijah. The probability of your dying is very high. We don't usually dwell on dying until we are confronted by it directly. Death does not care who you are or what you have accomplished in life.

In our text today the rich man was a man who lived in luxury. We are not told how he got his wealth; all we are told is that he had it and was enjoying it. He was not concerned about being ready to die; all he cared about was his living in the moment. When he died, he went to hell, where the spiritually dead souls dwell. He was in great torment, and when he caught a glimpse of Abraham, he called out to him in order to get some kind of relief. But, there was no relief to be had. He had made his life choice and now was paying the price for it eternally.

Lazarus, the beggar, on the other hand had prepared himself for death. We don't know why he was so poor, but he was. He ate off the crumbs of the rich man's table. He understood that there was more to life than the moment, and he lived a humble life before God. When he died, he went to heaven where Abraham was. His faith was now real life. He lived amongst the saints in the presence of God.

Like so many, the rich man missed his opportunity to prepare for death. He squandered his life on the things of this world and his soul was in eternal torment because of it. Perhaps he had had many opportunities and thought he would have one more, but he didn't. Don't be like this man; seize the opportunity the Lord gives you to be saved while you can. You don't know when you will die; it could be today. Are you ready? Are you living for Christ today so that you will live with Him for all of eternity? Always remember; death is but one breath away for any of us.