"You Do Not Want to Be Here"

Yesterday I had an old friend and classmate, Dotty Harrison, stop by the office.  Dotty is a Leisure Travel Consultant with World Ventures.  Many of you have seen her on Facebook, holding up a sign reading "You Should Be Here", at some nice place to vacation. Dotty really enjoys what she does and has been able to travel with her family making precious memories.


You know, some of my favorite  memories were made on vacation with family.  We all need to get away sometimes and recharge ourselves.  Sometimes I get our old vacation pictures out and open up the memories of such good times.  Many of the places we have visited are beautiful representations of God's  creation. I am working on some plans so Debbie and I can do more traveling.  I may have to talk to Dotty when we get ready.  She presented some good ideas yesterday and she is someone I trust.


There is a place one man did not want his brothers to ever come.  That place was the place of torment in the Hadean Realm or Hades.  Read about this man (the rich man and Lazarus) in Luke 16:19-31.  Lazarus was a beggar and lived a life of only receiving evil things, while the rich man received fine clothing and fared sumptuously everyday.  Lazarus begged for scraps just to stay alive each day and had pain from sores all over his body. Also, someone had to carry him everywhere he went, because he was lame.


Lazarus, a righteous man, died and the angels carried him to Abraham's bosom.  Lazarus is in the paradise section of  Hades. (Hades is the place disembodied spirits go after death of their physical bodies to wait for Judgment Day.  The righteous go to the paradise section and the unrighteous go to the torment section.  Neither can cross over because there is a great gulf between.)(Luke 16:22,23,26) The rich man, an unrighteous man, went to the torment section of Hades waiting for Judgment Day. On Judgment day the righteous in Hades will go to Heaven, and the unrighteous will go to Hell with the Devil and his angels. (Matthew 25:33,34,41)


The rich man is tormented with the flame.  He begs Abraham (notice who is begging now) to send Lazarus to him with a cooling drop of water.  Abraham tells him their places are fixed. No crossing over.  The rich man realizes his eternal fate.  He wants to warn his brothers and begs Abraham to send Lazarus to warn them.  I can imagine the words he wanted to tell them were, You do not want  to be here.


The last 3 verses, 29-31, give the rich man a horrifying feeling.  He wants to send Lazarus back from the dead.  He believes they will listen to one coming back from the dead.  Abraham tells him they have Moses and the prophets.  If they don't listen to them, they will not listen to Lazarus coming back from the dead.  The rich man knows his brothers are just like him.  They were living the same unrighteous lifestyle as he was.  He knows they will not change their thinking.  The torment for him is also knowing he will be spending all eternity in torment thinking of the unrighteous example he lived before them.


This is a dreadful thought, dying knowing you lived  a godless life before your loved ones, teaching them by your example to never to seek the Lord. You would just hope and pray someone would teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to them in a way they would gladly obey and live it. How many today are in the torment of Hades hoping someone will teach their loved ones?  If the unrighteous dead could say anything today, do you think it could possibly be, You do not want to be here ? Please seek the Lord Jesus Christ and obey Him.


Please send comments to: rhepler52@gmail.com or like and share on Facebook.  Thanks for reading.




Do you want to teach your children how to grow up to become men and women after God's own heart? Check out my books on www.amazon.com , The Heart Behind the Stone: Develop a Giant Slaying Heart and 123 Tips for My Grandchildren and Yours.




Thanks,


Rick