Luke 16:19–31

But that cuts deep. The Pharisees are among His audience, and these zealous defenders of the law are money-lovers at the same time. So they mock Him — had not the law promised every good thing in this life to the man who kept it? From there it was an easy step. Some had never felt how hopeless man's condition is on that basis. Such a man could treat the fruit of his own greed as the sign that God accepted him.

Avoid using the word "parable" for these verses. The Lord said, "There was a rich man." It is history, not a parable.

What people value highly is often detestable in God's sight. The account of Lazarus and the rich man drives that home. The rich man was clothed in purple, that is, he lived like a king. He also wore fine linen, which stands for putting on at least an outward show of moral righteousness, as the Pharisees did. He ate the finest food every day. Such luxury in Israel was thought to be a sign of God's approval — but how far this is from the truth!

The Saviour pictures a man at ease and living in luxury in a world of misery. He has no faith in a world of sin. He is decent in his morals and religious on the outside. But he lives for himself, and in practice he is an unbeliever. Who did not know that man in Israel? Who is not familiar with him in Christendom?

No evil is recorded of the rich man beyond this, that he enjoyed himself to the full. Even neglect of Lazarus is not urged against him. Perhaps Lazarus did get the leftover pieces. That he remained a beggar is true — but is a rich man expected to feed and care for every beggar at his doorstep? We do not read of anything to the credit of this Lazarus either. Providence seems to have decided against him, and the law to have condemned him — for where are the good things the law promised to those who keep it?

Lazarus is probably named to mark the interest the Lord took in him. Poor and utterly despised, he was known by name before God. The rich man, well known and waited on, was known only by his character. He was rich — and what was that before God? He lived in luxury, and that showed a heart alienated from Him.

It comes to us without being called a parable, though it is told in the form in which so many parables were spoken. There may really have been two such men on earth as the ones described here. Their history in the other world matches what is set out in language suited to that day... We are not told who put him at the rich man's gate. Someone must have done it, for he was laid there, wanting what fell from the table. Did he get it? That question is left unanswered.

The poor man, Lazarus, was laid at the rich man's gate, full of sores. His condition ought to have awakened sympathy and concern... The dogs had more sympathy for him than did the man of wealth.

The beggar's name was Lazarus; the rich man's name is not recorded. Lazarus means "God is my helper." It is far better to know God than to have all the world's wealth poured into your lap... The beggar's name has been kept for us with care, because every child of faith is precious in the sight of the Lord, however low his position here. The name of the fool who wasted his life is better wiped out, however high his standing.

We do not read of anything to the credit of this Lazarus. Providence appears to have decided against him, and the law to have condemned him. For where are the good things the law promised to those who keep it?... His name, Lazarus, Eleazar, "the Mighty One the Helper," gives us the only key to the explanation here. Despite everything else against him, God the Mighty One has lifted him out of the degradation he was in, into the place where we now find him. He acted apart from law, and so in grace.

Nothing is said of the positive guilt of the rich man in Luke 16, though he lived in ease and luxury. But he ignored the poor man Lazarus, who was laid at his gate only desiring crumbs from his table.

It was not the affliction and sores of Lazarus that made him righteous, any more than the riches of the rich man made him unrighteous. God has finished with earthly things. So no earthly circumstance is a mark of God's present favour, or of the opposite. No doubt, though, God's dealings with Lazarus were the means of bringing down his pride and breaking his will, and so preparing him for the place He was going to take him to.

A pitiable case. Who put him at the rich man's gate is not told us. Someone must have done it, for he was laid at the rich man's gate, desiring what fell from his table. Did he get it? That question is left unsolved.

Napkins were not used for the hands. The guests wiped their hands on bits of bread and then threw the pieces under the table.

His condition ought to have awakened sympathy and concern. But even his wish for only the crumbs from the rich man's table was plainly ignored. The dogs had more sympathy for him than did the man of wealth. (Is there not a hint here that Gentile "dogs" had more heart than did the self-righteous Pharisees?)

No evil is recorded of the rich man beyond this, that he enjoyed himself to the full. Even neglect of Lazarus is not urged against him. Perhaps Lazarus may have got the broken pieces. That he remained a beggar is true: but is it supposed that a rich man is to feed and care for every beggar at his door-step?

The rich man had all that the heart, or rather the flesh, could desire, and he gratified it. But it was all selfish enjoyment: God was not in it, nor was there even care for man. All centred in self. Lazarus proved it — a poor man who lay at his gateway full of sores, longing to be filled with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table. For him it was little more than desire. The rich man cared nothing for him, only for himself. The dogs were more thoughtful, and showed him more kindness than their master did. They came and licked his sores.

The dogs' tongues had licked the beggar's sores on earth. Their master longed for his own tongue to lick the drop of water the beggar could carry on the tip of his finger. He was refused. The great gulf was fixed.

Note that the affliction, sores, and so on of Lazarus did not make him righteous, any more than the riches of the rich man made him unrighteous. God has finished with earthly things. So no earthly circumstances are a mark of God's present favour, or the reverse.

According to the law a beggar had everything against him. Yet he gets a place that the best Jew in the world might envy him for. What has caused this? Not law, we may be sure. Nor was there any need to make up for that pitiable life on earth by the state that follows. His name, Lazarus, Eleazar, "the Mighty One the Helper," gives us the only key here. Everything else was against him. But God the Mighty One, acting apart from law and so in grace, has lifted him out of that degradation to the place where we now find him.

Is there a life beyond the grave? Often and anxiously people argue the question. The Son of God answers it for us here. The beggar died. He did not cease to exist, and he did not sleep for centuries. At once the angels carried him into Abraham's bosom... The rich man also died, and of him it is said, "he was buried." Why is this added in his case? Clearly because the Lord would carefully distinguish between body and soul. The man's body was buried, no doubt with all the pomp that suited so wealthy a person. Right after that we read that "in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes."

What a reversal at death! "The rich man died and was buried." The poor man, Lazarus, died also. The rich man's name is not told us: it was not worth remembering. Whether Lazarus had a burial or not does not matter. As to his spirit and soul, the angels carried him into Abraham's bosom. This tells us that his faith had been in the living God, for he is "blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith" (Galatians 3:9)... The rich man may have had a beautiful, imposing funeral. It made no difference to his torment after death.

Angels are ministering spirits. If one of our loved ones is called home, the angels serve as pallbearers. They carry that soul and spirit right into the presence of God (Luke 16:22). They are "ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation" (Hebrews 1:14).

There is not a word of his burial. Perhaps he was not buried at all. But he "was carried away by the angels into Abraham's bosom." For a Jew that was the place of special blessedness in the unseen world, and the most honourable of God's servants waited on him.

The Jews believed that their forefather Abraham was in the highest place of happiness. Their writings show that "to be with Abraham" and to be in his bosom were terms they used for the highest security and happiness. So our Lord used a phrase His hearers knew well. It needed no explanation. It stands in contrast to hell, or Hades, and was therefore a figure of heaven.

For the Jew, Abraham had the highest and most blessed place in the other world. To be in his bosom was to be in the next best place to him — like the beloved disciple in Jesus' bosom at the table.

Since the day of Luke 16 Christ has died and risen again, and has gone up as Man into God's glory. So the blessedness of believers who have died is now described in wholly different terms. It is "to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better," and to be "away from the body and at home with the Lord" (Philippians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:8). Neither the rich man nor Lazarus had yet reached eternal circumstances. The rich man was in Hades, not yet in the lake of fire, and neither he nor Lazarus had yet risen from the dead.

After that direct blow came the tremendous parable of verses 19-31, if indeed it is a parable. The Lord uses a few figurative expressions such as "Abraham's bosom," but He relates it all as fact. Verses 19-22 tell the very ordinary facts of a life that ends in death and burial. There the curtain drops for us. As we begin verse 23 the Lord lifts the curtain and brings into our view the things which lie beyond.

Who could tell us the truth about the future but He? And love was behind the telling of it, for it is the way of true love to warn when its appeals fail.

Hades is not Gehenna. Gehenna is the lake of fire, where God sends the lost after the judgment of the Great White Throne. Hades is the word God uses for the in-between state, when the soul has no body.

The rich man is not in hell in body and soul. The resurrection has not taken place, as all admit. The day of judgment has not come, and he has brothers on earth who may still be reached and saved. Hades and gehenna are not the same.

Death demands the body; hades claims the soul... We should drop our English word "hell" and put "hades," meaning the unseen, in its place. People have tried to fix the location of hades. It is impossible to do so. It is a state rather than a place. It refers to the condition of all the dead, good and bad, after death and before the resurrection. For believers, hades is to be with Christ; for unbelievers, hades is to be in torment.

So we have clear proof that, even before the judgment, the wicked man is in torment. The Lord uses figures, no doubt, but figures built on what we can most easily understand. It is through the body that we feel the world.

But torment is consciousness. Lifting up his eyes is consciousness. It does not matter whether you take the language literally or symbolically — it conveys the sense of full consciousness.

This was not a wicked man in the eyes of the Jews. He was no drunkard, thief or robber, or anything of that kind. He was a man highly respected, and a man marked by self-indulgence. We do not hear of any swearing or scoffing... he still called Abraham his father even while he was in torment... In other words, people might think him highly respectable, but there was no faith, no repentance, no looking to God.

The angels carried the godly soul to the bosom of God's friend. The rich man left the empty, passing show of this world and opened his eyes in the flame of Hades. The sight of the blessed far off made it worse — yes, the sight of the very man who on earth stirred only his disgust.

Our Lord draws back the veil and says, "Now look into the everlasting habitations."... Here is a rich man using everything for himself now, and you see the result. So do not use the world for your own enjoyment now. Use it with another world in view... It shows how the other world contradicts the whole of the present.

This is not a picture of the final state of judgment, but of a certain condition after death. This is of great importance. Luke gives us both, confirming what is seen in the Old Testament and even adding to it. He gives full prominence to the resurrection elsewhere; but here it was important to know what would be true even now, for man's profit here below.

The figures, no doubt, are taken, as they must be, from the body. So we find the desire to have the tongue cooled. Men who like to speculate use this to prove that he had a real body at that time. Nothing of the sort. The Spirit of God speaks to be understood. To be understood by men, He must stoop to use language suited to our understanding. He cannot make us understand a state we have never experienced. He can only do it by figures taken from the state we live in now.

The rich man pleaded for mercy, but too late! He asked only that Lazarus might be sent to dip his finger in water and cool his tongue, for the heat of the judgment he had to bear was tormenting. Did he remember that he had shown no mercy to Lazarus in his lifetime?

What a very small favour this would once have been! Utterly despicable — a drop of water, and above all, sent by someone like Lazarus! It would have been detestable to him on earth. But the truth appears when a man has left this life. Do we, then, hear while we are on the earth what the Lord says?

He left this life unwillingly. There does not appear to have been any gap before he entered conscious torment in the next. "I am in anguish in this flame," is the cry of a soul that had indulged its slightest whim in his former life. The cravings remained, but he received nothing, however small, to satisfy them. This man, no longer rich, makes no appeal to God for mercy. He had lived without Him, and died without Him, and must remain without Him and without hope for ever. He does not pray for release, for he knows that would be useless too.

Let us tread softly here — human words may well be few. The sufferer was experiencing a sense of pain ("I am in anguish," v. 24); of loss ("he saw Abraham far off," v. 23); and of fear ("I have five brothers," v. 28). Memory also was active (v. 25). He had no expectation of any change of condition. Listen to the conversation between father Abraham and the lost one. Neither side hints that the lost will one day cease to exist. Neither suggests that everyone will be restored in the end.

Do you ask, "Is my guilt so great that it cannot be pardoned?" Not now! Now there is no blessing God does not offer you freely; now, but not then. Then only one thing is left for you. Through an endless eternity you will mourn your own terrible folly in rejecting the offer of God's salvation.

"Child," he says — for he does not deny the family tie — "remember that you have fully received your good things in your lifetime, and Lazarus likewise bad things. But now he is comforted here, and you are in suffering." The man who was of Satan had good things on earth. The man who was born of God received bad things here. The earth as it is gives no measure of the judgments of God. When Jesus comes and the kingdom is set up, it will be different.

The contrasts in this story are huge: earth, Hades; luxury, torment; begging, bliss. The question naturally arises: what was the sin of the rich man that brought him to such a dreadful end? Was he one of the worst men on earth? The story says nothing of the kind about him. It charges him with no blasphemy, no adultery, no other obvious sin. Then what ruined his prospects for eternity? Simply this: he lived entirely for the present, with never a thought of God or of his own soul.

The rich man in the solemn picture at the end of the chapter had made his Lord's "good things" his own in another way, and in eternity they were not friends but enemies and accusers. "Child," says Abraham to him, "remember that you in your lifetime received your good things." That was all, but what a solemn memory it was! Once again the purple and fine linen and the rich food came before the eyes they had once pleased — and now they horrified them.

Here is a rich man using everything for himself now, and you see the result. So do not use the world for your present enjoyment. Use it with another world in view… If we do not use this world's things in grace, we cannot keep them anyway. And so, He says, you have the privilege of turning them into friends for the future. It shows how the other world contradicts the whole of the present. God's blessing on a Jew was marked by owning such things, but the Lord shows the other world to tell him how all these things are changed.

"Child, remember!" Yes, memory will go down there with you. You must leave your money behind, and your pleasures, and everything you have prized and valued on earth. But you will carry two things down with you — your sins and your memory! You may try to smother your convictions now, to cover up your sins now, to silence the voice of conscience. It is quite possible you will succeed.

"Child, remember." Here memory is thrown back on the past. And what a past! Memory will be dreadfully active in hell. "But now you are in anguish." Here the lost soul has to look at the present. And what a present!… But is there no end, no faint hope that it will stop? None at all. "There is a great gulf fixed." Here is the future… If hell fire is not everlasting, what force would the word "fixed" have?

There is not only the existence of the soul apart from the body after death; there is also blessedness and misery at once. They do not depend on the resurrection… In Luke 16, the soul feels blessedness and misery as soon as its link with the body is broken. The images, of course, are drawn from the body, as they have to be… The Spirit of God speaks to be understood, and so He stoops to use language we can grasp.

The gap between the good and the evil in that state between death and resurrection is beyond measure, and it is fixed. There is no passing from one to the other. Scripture completely rules out any idea of mercy in that state after death. It is only the dream of people who want to hold on to evil as long as they can, or at least to enjoy themselves in this world, and who therefore ignore God's warnings... "Between us and you a great chasm has been fixed," says Abraham — between the departed righteous and those who die in their sins the separation is complete.

Abraham gave the rich man a solemn reminder of his own past and of Lazarus's past. He adds to this that at death a great gulf has been fixed between the saved and the lost. So no one can cross over from one side to the other. All the prayers for the dead that man's "religion" can devise are useless. At death there is no doubt as to a man's final destiny: it has been decided.

The rich man died and is in Hades, the place of the dead — not in hell; the lake of fire opens after the judgment. He is in torment, and he hears that there is no relief and no hope. An impassable gulf is fixed, which separates the lost and the saved forever. Not a ray of hope is given by the Lord, that there is the slightest possibility after death for another chance. Death fixes forever the eternal condition of every human being. Whoever meddles with this solemn truth... rejects the testimony of the Son of God and charges Him with not having spoken the truth.

These solemn words remind one of Revelation 22:11: "Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy." Great transformations take place here below; through faith in the gospel men are continually passing "from death to life" (John 5:24); but when the border-line is passed, every man's condition is fixed for evermore.

The language here is figurative, of course, just as Abraham's bosom is figurative on the other side... The final judgment has not yet come. The once rich man still has, as we soon see, brothers on earth who can be warned to escape that place of torment. So resurrection has not come any more than judgment has. Yet the wrath of God is already felt in suffering, and terms like these are the fittest way to convey it to us.

Be sure of this: for you, my readers, no great gulf is fixed between God and you. Christ is still speaking from heaven as a Saviour, so that you may believe... Your guilty conscience may well dread an impassable gulf; but there is a perfect way, a safe bridge fixed between God and you; and Christ is that way. Oh, take it now.

We have, most fittingly winding up the tale, the earnest pleading of the man who never once in his life thought seriously about eternal things. Listen now to his anxiety for his brothers. There was no real love for souls, but a certain anxious desire for his brothers. At the very least we learn how real a thing his anguish was.

It is a remarkable thing that he should then plead for his five brothers. It may be that he was responsible for the way they were living. He had set them the example and encouraged them in self-indulgent lives, and he wanted them warned. It seems as though his torment would grow five times over if his own influence and example brought them where he was.

The rich man became quite evangelistic in hell. He wanted his brothers to have a supernatural visitation to stop them reaching that awful place.

Luke 16 pictures the rich man in hell wanting someone to warn his brothers. He says, "if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent." But he never says anything like "I will repent." The lost realise that the day for their repentance is gone for ever.

The rich man asked only two things and both were denied him. He begged for a drop of water for himself, and he also pleaded for a special mission to his living brothers. Neither request could be granted. Once a person passes that borderline, praying time is over for ever.

The Jewish teaching of purgatory lies behind the Kaddish, a prayer said for a departed father. In Luke it is the dead man who is doing the asking.

Suppose people will not hear the word of God. Suppose they will not believe its clear and solemn statements about themselves, their present condition and their future destiny. Then a thousand departed souls could come back and tell them what they saw and heard and felt in heaven above or in hell beneath, and it would still not persuade them. It might cause huge excitement and a great sensation. It would give people plenty to talk about and fill the newspapers far and wide. But there it would end.

But the Lord's comment is decisive. They had Moses and the prophets; if they would not hear them, neither would they hear if one rose from the dead. How completely that was about to be proved by His own rising from the dead — not to mention another Lazarus, raised as a witness to His glory as the Son of God! Those who did not believe Moses rejected Christ's resurrection, just as they planned to put Lazarus to death too.

Hear now his anxiety for his brothers. There was no real love for souls, but a certain anxious desire for his brothers. At least we learn how real his anguish was.

Perhaps he was responsible for the way they were living. He had set them the example and encouraged them in self-indulgent lives, and he wants them warned. It seems his torment would be five times greater if his influence and example brought them where he is.

In Luke 16 the rich man in hell wants his brothers warned. He says, "If someone went to them from the dead, they will repent." But he never says anything like "I will repent." The lost in hell realise that the day for their repentance is gone forever.

The word Jesus used for "hell" here is hades; not the lake of fire, but the unseen world of the departed. He therefore shows us that even that is for the unsaved a place of torment. Four times over He states that hades is a place of torment.

The sufferer felt pain ("I am tormented," v. 24), loss (he sees Abraham, v. 23), and fear ("I have five brothers," v. 28). His memory was working too (v. 25). He expected no change in his condition. Listen to the conversation between father Abraham and the lost one. Neither side hints that the lost are finally wiped out. Neither suggests that everyone will be restored in the end.

The rich man became quite evangelistic in hell. He desired his brethren to have a supernatural visitation to stop them reaching that awful place. The Lord shows us that even such an event, if it were possible, would not stop people whom the Word of God does not stop.

His only thought was that if something startling could happen, such as Lazarus coming from the unseen world, his brothers would repent. How sad the human heart is! A little later the Lord Jesus did raise from the dead a man with the same name. Those around Him were only angrier with Him (John 12:10-11). They did not repent.

Some people will not hear the word of God. They will not believe its clear and solemn statements about themselves, their present condition and their future destiny. A thousand departed souls could come back and tell them what they saw and heard and felt in heaven above or in hell beneath, and even that would not persuade them. It would have no saving or lasting effect on them. It might cause great excitement and a great stir. It might give people plenty to talk about and fill the newspapers far and wide. But there it would end.

There is one thing more that we learn from this solemn story — that our only resource is the Scriptures. The rich man begged that Lazarus be sent to his living brothers. Abraham answered, "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them." This means, of course, the sacred writings. These writings expose human guilt in all its sinfulness. They also declare the love of God, shown in the gift of His only-begotten Son. The gospel sets out forgiveness and justification, full and free, and offers them to everyone who will believe in the Son. … God's Word alone, obeyed in faith, can produce repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21).

But the answer of Abraham brings out another grand truth from the Lord's mind — the all-importance of the Word of God, and this too even in its lower forms. The New Testament undoubtedly has fuller and perfect light; but the Old is no less inspired.

In chapter 16, the Lord again confirms, with full authority, that the writings of Moses and the prophets are genuine. He says, "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them… If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead." (verses 29-31.) Could the Lord speak like this about writings that God had not given?

The five brothers were shut up to the Scriptures. "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them." We are in the same position today. We have no light beyond God's revelation. Satan is determined to destroy the confidence that people around us have in it.

What does Abraham say to the rich man, in Luke 16? "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them." Why does the rich man not reply, "They cannot understand them"? He dare not.

The answer to this is most solemn and decisive. No miracle, however great, will persuade one to repent if he has chosen to ignore the clear Word of God. The Old Testament bears abundant testimony to warn men of the folly of pursuing a self-centred, independent course. To ignore this is a bold insult to their Creator. If the moral power of the Word of God accomplishes no moral result in them, then physical miracles also will produce no moral result.

Verse 31. "If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets," and so on. Here this solemn truth comes out: even the resurrection of Christ will not convince them. If they refuse to hear God's word as they have it, they will not hear the testimony of God, even though one rose from the dead. And we know they did not.

Some people will not hear the word of God. They will not believe its clear and solemn statements about themselves, about their present condition, about their future destiny. Nothing else will persuade them, not even a thousand departed souls coming back to tell them what they saw and heard and felt in heaven above or in hell beneath… The heart that will not bow to Scripture will not be convinced by anything; and as to the true believer, he has in Scripture all he can possibly want.

Luke 16 pictures the rich man in hell wanting his brothers warned. He says, "If someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent." But he never says anything like "I will repent." The lost in hell realise that their day for repentance is gone for ever.

The tale ends fittingly with the earnest pleading of a man who had never once in his life thought seriously about eternal things. Listen now to his anxiety for his brothers. There was no real love for souls, but a certain anxious desire for his brothers. At least we learn how real his anguish was.

"But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.'" Yes — hear them. Hear the very writings that unbelievers tell us are not inspired by God at all. They call them documents forced on us by frauds pretending to inspiration. The rich man certainly knew better; in fact the devil himself knows better. There is no thought here of questioning whether "Moses and the Prophets" are genuine.

The rich man thought that something sensational would appeal to his brothers' consciences. Abraham rejected this.

Miraculous displays appeal to the senses, but they do not reach the conscience. They may terrify, as they did the jailer at Philippi. But by themselves they do not produce conviction of sin, and they do not lead the soul to God. Their effect is only surface-level and short-lived. "Neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead" is certainly true. The greatest miracle cannot convince in that way. If it could, the blessed Lord would have been universally accepted.

No miracle, however great, will persuade someone to repent if he has chosen to ignore the clear Word of God. If the moral power of the Word of God produces no moral result in them, physical miracles will produce none either.

Not long afterwards a Lazarus did come from the dead at the call of Jesus. Many of the rich man's brothers came to see him after Jesus raised him. But far from repenting, the leaders at least — yes, the chief priests — plotted together to put Lazarus to death as well. They plotted against the One too, whose resurrection power only stirred up their deadly hatred instead of persuading them to hear Moses and the prophets.

The written word — the law and the prophets — was enough. The revelation for the day is all that is needed, and no more will be given. But could one really rise from the dead? People might once have asked that. No one can ask it now. One did rise from the dead. They heard about Him from trustworthy messengers who had seen Him, yet they did not repent.

Suppose people will not hear the word of God. Suppose they will not believe its clear and solemn statements about themselves, their present condition and their future destiny. Then nothing would persuade them — not even a thousand departed souls coming back to tell them what they saw and heard and felt in heaven above or in hell beneath. It would produce no saving or lasting effect on them. It might cause great excitement and a great stir. It might give plenty of material for talk and fill the newspapers far and wide. But that is where it would end. The heart that will not bow to Scripture will not be convinced by anything.

Miraculous demonstrations appeal to the senses, but do not reach the conscience. They may terrify, as with the jailer at Philippi. But by themselves they do not produce conviction of sin. They do not lead the soul to God. Their effect is only surface-level and short-lived. "Neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead" is certainly true. The greatest miracle cannot persuade in that way. If it could, everyone would have accepted the blessed Lord.

No miracle, however great, will persuade someone to repent if he has chosen to ignore the clear Word of God... If the moral power of the Word of God produces no moral result in them, physical miracles will produce none either.

Some will not hear the word of God. They will not believe its clear and solemn statements about themselves, their present condition and their future destiny. Then neither will they be persuaded if a thousand departed souls came back and told them what they saw and heard and felt in heaven above or in hell beneath. It would have no saving or lasting effect on them. It might cause great excitement and a great stir. It might fill the newspapers far and wide and give people plenty to talk about. But there it would end. The heart that will not bow to Scripture will not be convinced by anything.

Nothing could be clearer or higher. Nothing confirms more fully the supreme authority and divine integrity of "Moses and the Prophets." Here the blessed Lord Himself sets His seal to the two great divisions of Old Testament Scripture. So we may commit our souls with full confidence to the authority of these holy writings.

The five brothers had nothing but the Scriptures. "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them." We are in the same position today. We have no light beyond the revelation of God. Satan is determined to destroy people's confidence in it. The rich man thought something sensational would reach his brothers' consciences. Abraham rejected that.

The testimony of God in His word, Old Testament or New, is the ground of faith. Some do not listen in faith to Moses and the prophets. Even a Lazarus sent back from the grave would not convince them. In fact the Lord Jesus raised another Lazarus not long after. But this did not convince the Jews. It only stirred up the murderous nature of the chief priests and the Pharisees (John 11:47-53).

"If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead" (16:31). Is that possible? People might once have asked that question. They cannot ask it any longer. One did rise from the dead. They heard of Him from trustworthy messengers who had seen Him, yet they did not repent.

He was conscious, he had no hope of salvation, he could not communicate with his brothers himself, and heaven refused to allow one of the blessed to do it.

The natural mind is hostile to God, and it rises up most proudly of all against His grace in Christ. Yet only by grace is anyone saved, through faith. So faith comes by hearing the word of truth — now in its fullest form, what the apostle calls the gospel of our salvation.