CAC LIVING WATER DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR OCTOBER 14, 2021 : TOPIC – LIFE IN HELL (II)
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Thursday, October 14, 2021
LIFE IN HELL (II)
Read: Luke 16:22-31
Luke 16:22-31 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;
And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
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.
But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
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.
Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:
For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
MEMORISE:
Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14-15)
EXPOSITION
Another revelation from the episode of the rich man in torment is that, he had suddenly changed from a cruel rich man who regularly sent his dogs to lick Lazarus’ sores, to a solicitor who didn’t want his brothers to come and join him in hell. Probably, he thought within himself, “Fine, I have missed it: no remedy; not even a single comfort, such as a drop of water from the fingertip to quench thirst, but I wouldn’t want any of my 5 brothers to come here.” So, he was again caught begging father Abraham to send Lazarus from comfort to his brothers. He wanted someone from the dead to go to them and warn them of the agonies of hell. It was too much for him to bear, and in his belated repentance, he didn’t want companies, especially of any of his brothers to suffer the same fare as his. If the place is such a nice place wouldn’t he have invited others to join him, at least, to share in his enjoyment or celebration? There is celebration in hell. It is pain upon pain. Don’t be there!
Why would Jesus tell this story? He is a Great Teacher who knows how to drive home his points. One of the ways to get the issues of eternal life and damnation sink into His listeners’ subconscious is to tell this true life story. So the story was told for our sake. Dont just see it as mere story or a parable. It is not a fiction. Recall that Jesus told one of the thieves hanged on the cross with Him that He would meet Him in paradise. As there is hell, there is place of comfort called Paradise – the blissful abode of God meant for His righteous people.
The Bible says, ‘The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God’ (Psa. 9:17). Hell is real, and heaven is sure. You have to make your own choice; choose life and live!
PRAYER POINTS
1. I refuse to be part of the wicked that would be turned into hell at the end, in Jesus’ name.
2. Lord Jesus, separate from me, everything that can lead me to eternal damnation at the end.
3. Lord, let the consciousness of the reality of the heaven and the determination not to end it up in hell consume us all in our day-to-day living.
EXTRA READING FOR TODAY: Isaiah 28:4 – 30:13; Philippians 3:16 – 4:16