“In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and
saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side.”—Luke 16:23
One
of the most chilling interpretations of Hell I’ve heard is that Hell represents
complete separation from God. Such
a definition is subject to a constellation of interpretations. Is it a place or a state of being (or
unbeing)? Does it lie in the
future or can we live in Hell here on earth?
I’ll
leave such deeply theological questions to the experts, but I will observe that
the story of Lazarus paints a picture of a man utterly and inexorably separated
from Abraham, Lazarus—and God. He
can see them but he cannot reach them.
As Jesus explains in verse 26, Lazarus and the rest of the angels could
not reach the rich man now if they tried.
What desolation he must have felt.
Thanks be to God that we have been forgiven all the many sins which
might cause us to wind up with a similar fate. The story of Lazarus compels me to live a life of
thanksgiving. -- LG
Thank you, Lord, for refusing to allow our
sin to separate us forever from you.
We offer you our thanks and praise. Amen.
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