|
|
|
One who has only limited knowledge of the Bible is probably familiar with the story
in Luke 16 of the rich man and Lazarus. Upon dying, the rich man found
himself in torments. His heart's desire was that Lazarus be sent to his father's
house to testify to his brethren so that they might believe and obey and avoid the
place of torment. The rich man no longer felt that his way of life was good enough
for his brothers. Abraham's answer, "They have Moses and the prophets, let them
hear them." (Luke 16:29) continues to be echoed century after century. People
today can and should learn from this incident recorded by inspiration.
The rich man was either willfully ignorant or simply chose to ignore the teaching of Moses and the prophets. The majority of people living today will die lost (Matt. 7:13-14), and in the Hadean realm of torment they will surely have the same desire the rich man had. The plea from every lip in torment will surely be to send one to testify to their friends and loved ones so they will be persuaded to turn from their sins and obey the commands of the Master. If Abraham were answering one in torment today, his answer would change slightly because all are now living under the New Covenant. He might say, "They have the inspired Scriptures; let them hear them." The lost one could argue, "No, but if one go to them from the dead, they will repent" (cf. Luke 16:30). Abraham would surely reply, "If they hear not the Holy Scriptures, neither will they be persuaded, if one rise from the dead" (cf. Luke 16:31). The lessons from this story, applicable to people today, are easily discerned. The atheist who denies the existence of God has chosen to reject the Holy Scriptures. The Psalmist exclaimed, "The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God" (Psa. 14:1). To the Gentiles, Paul said, "For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse: because that, knowing God, they glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened" (Rom. 1:20-21 ASV). The Bible, God's inspired word (2 Tim. 3:16), announces at its beginning, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1 ASV). No, if one will not believe the above Scriptures, neither would he believe if one returned from the dead and testified regarding the existence of God. The evolutionist who believes that the earth is millions of years old and that man descended from apes and chimpanzees rejects the testimony of the Scriptures. Again, there is the testimony of Genesis 1:1. A few verses later the Bible declares, "And God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creepeth upon the ground after its kind ... And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle ... And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them ... God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth" (Gen. 1:25-28). Exodus 20:9-11 clearly reveals that a "day" is understood to be 24 hours — not millions of years! If one will not believe the Scriptures, neither would he believe if one returned from the dead and affirmed that evolution is farce — not fact! The one who places his faith in man-made denominations denies the truth of God's Word. The Lord built His church — not some man (Matt. 16:18). The Lord's church wears His name (Rom. 16:16), not the name of some man. There is only "one body" and "one faith" (Eph. 4:4-5) — not many. The Lord never promises to save man-made bodies, only His body (Eph. 5:23). It is not "worship as one pleases," but one must "worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24) if his worship is to be acceptable to God. All people are to be of the "same mind" in matters pertaining to the faith, and religious division is condemned (1 Cor. 1:10-13). Those who precede us in death today would gladly come back to this earth if possible and testify of the folly of failing to recognize the authority of the Scriptures in religious matters. Man, in his wisdom, considers the teaching that man is saved by "faith only" to be a most wholesome doctrine, but the Bible begs to disagree (cf. James 2:24). Just as the "rich man" had "Moses and the prophets," folks today have God's Word, the Bible. Will you believe the Word of God or reject it? |