Most have heard the Bible story of the rich man and Lazarus and how the rich man died and went to hell. But do you really understand the true meaning of what Jesus taught?

Do you believe you would enjoy a life in heaven if you were able to look back down on earth and see friends and loved ones being eternally tormented in hell – having no rest but ever crying out in agony?

Yet, as terrifying as this picture is, millions believe this is what the account of Lazarus and the rich man depicts; they believe that upon death, the wicked or the unjust immediately goes to hell to eternally suffer. But is this what Jesus actually taught or said? Remember, God’s Word is truth (John 17:17); and if we are to know the truth, we must always rely upon what God’s Word says. And for our part here, let us primarily deal with the subject of the rich man being sent to hell; let us use the Bible to understand.

What Jesus said

Jesus said: “There was a certain rich man which was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day” (Luke 16:19). So, here was this certain rich man – who was apparently living a life of luxury, ease, and who probably set his heart upon his riches – being disobedient to God and is here pictured as one of the unrighteous who has lost out on salvation. The account continues with the rich man having died. Luke 16:22, says, “… the rich man also died, and was buried.”

So, we see that the rich man eventually came to the end of his life; he died and was buried or placed in the grave. But notice what Jesus went on to say: “And in hell he lift up his eyes being in torment …” (verse23). Well, did this mean the rich man suddenly died and then found himself in the burning hell fire? This is what most professing Christians appear to believe.

But carefully notice what Jesus said: He said the rich man died and was buried. Jesus did not say the rich man died and immediately went to hell, but that he was buried in the grave. The Bible teaches that when a person dies, they are no longer conscious or aware of anything anymore. For example, Ecclesiastes 9:5: “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything …” Also, Psalm 146:4: “His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. When God created Adam, God told him the same thing; God said, “… for dust thou art, unto dust shalt thou return” (Gen 3:19). So, we see death means the end of consciousness or awareness – meaning when the rich man died and was buried, he was no longer conscious or aware of anything anymore. This is what death is; it is the absence of life or consciousness; the Bible says, “For the wages of sin is death …” (Romans 6:23); wages are what a person earns for doing something, and in this case, a sinful God rejecting life earns death – as it is the wages a person earns for being disobedient to God.

But notice what Jesus went on to say about the rich man: “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torment …” (Luke 16:23).

The rich man had died but in hell he now lifted up his eyes and being in torment. But when did you suppose the rich man lifted up his eyes? And what kind of hell was he in? Remember again, Jesus did not say the rich man died and immediately went to hell; this is what millions appear to believe, but just because the majority believes a thing does not necessarily make it true; it is only God’s Word that reveals truth and speaks the truth that you can stake your very life on.

What is the Hell Where the Rich man was?

The hell that the rich man went to and eventually opened up his eyes was none other than the grave; the hell that Jesus spoke of comes from the Greek word hades; hades mean the grave and it was the same grave (or hell) that Jesus was buried. If you go to Acts 2:17, you will see it speaking of the death of Christ – saying: “Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption.” Jesus died and was buried – placed in hell – which is the grave; and since God would not allow his body to see corruption or to decompose, Christ was therefore raised from the dead on the third day – coming up out of his grave alive by a resurrection.

So, the rich man died and was in the grave, but there came a time when the rich man - who had lost all track of time – because he was dead – no longer conscious or aware of anything - now suddenly, lifted up his eyes in hell. This meant that the rich man has suddenly come back to life at a certain point after having been dead for some time. Jesus, who was also dead for three days and three nights, also lifted up his eyes in the grave (hell) by a resurrection from the dead. The point is that the rich man would have only been able to lift up his eyes in the grave (hell) at the time when the wicked or those who are lost - would be resurrected to be judged. If you read Daniel 12:2, it speaks of this time saying: “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Jesus pictured the rich man as being one of the wicked or one that is lost; so, the rich man will be one of those to be awakened from death – by a resurrection to contempt. But when do you suppose the rich man will lift up his eyes from the grave in this resurrection and be sentenced?

Rich Man will Lift up his eyes after the Millennium

Notice John 5:28,29: “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the grave shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation.” Here Jesus speaks of more than one resurrection but of two different or separate resurrections. Quoted above are Scriptures showing that the “dead in Christ” are to be resurrected at his second coming. 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17 shows the righteous servants of Christ or true Christians are to be first resurrected from the dead at the second coming of Christ-where it says, “… the dead in Christ shall rise first …” The rich man will not be in this first resurrection but will be in the resurrection where the wicked will be judged and sentenced by God to the lake of fire. 1 Corinthians 15:23 makes known that there is a time order of resurrections to come; it says, “But every man in his own order.

Now notice when the rich man will come up in his order of resurrection: “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished …” (Revelation 20:5). Jesus Christ will be ruling on earth during the millennium and it is after this 1000, years rule of Christ that the rich man will lift up his eyes in the grave (hell) and realize the fate that awaits him. If you notice Revelation 20, it pictures a time when all those that have lived and died will all live again and they are going to be judged by God, and those – like the rich man – who had their opportunity in this life, but through wickedness and evil forfeited the opportunity for eternal life - will be cast into the lake of fire; Revelation 20:14 says, “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” The rich man had died the first death – being buried in his grave, but the second death is the loss of eternal life from which there shall be no resurrection. This is why Jesus warned the people of his day saying, “… except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3).

Will The Rich Man Eternally Suffer in the Lake of Fire?

Perhaps you reading this has possibly held the belief that the wicked are currently in hell -constantly suffering – never having any relief from the fires of hell. After all. Does the bible not say the rich man was in torment (Luke 16:23)? But what exactly is this torment? Was the rich man already suffering in the lake of fire? Is he in the fire now burning and burning but never finding relief?

Having died and coming back to life, the rich man, will now realize that he has been dead in his grave all this time or that he had been asleep in death for so long; to him, his consciousness (or resurrection) will almost seem like an instant from the time he was dead to the moment he wakes up or lifted up his eyes in the grave (hell). Now, in this state of coming back to life, the rich man will now learn his fate; he will come to understand that he has forfeited life in the kingdom of God or that he has been shut out; and now suddenly, he becomes troubled in mind – being mentally tormented at the prospect his dire future – knowing the lake of fire awaits – especially when he saw Abraham and Lazarus afar off; this greatly troubled and tormented him -as he was in the state of panic and fear. Remember Jesus warned the Pharisees that there would be weeping and wailing when they would see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but they themselves thrust out (Luke 13:28); this is a terrifying moment.

Now notice Luke 16:24: “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.” Many take this to believe the rich man was now in the lake of fire burning and suffering. But do you not find it strange that the rich man only asked that Lazarus dip his finger in water to simply cool only the tongue of a man who was already burning and suffering in a great fire? How could just a tip of water on the tongue bring relief from all this flame? Have you ever asked yourself this question?

Notice again, the rich man said, “… I am tormented in this flame.” The word “In” this flame comes from a Greek word which can also be translated as “IN” or “BY,” or “AT.” This same Greek word is used in 1 Thessalonians 4:15 – which says, “For we say unto you by the word of the Lord …” In other words, the rich man knew he was going to be cast into the lake of fire and was mentally tormented by the flames that he saw; he was tormented by what he saw and feared it. Also notice that the word “tormented” means to grieve or to have sorrow; the rich man was in deep mental distress; and if you notice why, the scripture says it was in hell – the grave that the rich man was in torment – meaning he was in torment before he was cast into the lake of fire (Luke16:23); he was in mental anguish and torment when he came back from the dead or the grave to now face the lake of fire and to realize he lost out on salvation.

Notice again that the rich man asked that his tongue be cooled; he asked not for his whole body to be cooled but just his tongue; a person burning in a fire is not going to ask for water just to cool his or her tongue – as such makes no sense when your entire body is on fire. The reason why Jesus mentioned the tongue was because He wanted to show that people who are going to be shut out of the kingdom are going to experience tremendous mental pain and anguish - so as to warn them of this terrible time. It is common knowledge that when a person is in distress – facing something as death or other forms of anxieties - their tongue or mouth can become very dry; and this is what happened to the rich man – as he is in condition of weeping and gnashing of teeth – just before being cast into the lake of fire. This is why he asked for his tongue to be cooled by just the fingertip of Lazarus dipped in water.

But what of the rich man’s fate in the lake of fire? Will he eternally burn and burn for all of eternity – ever burning – but never coming to his end? Well, if such had happened then you could say the rich man was resurrected to immortal life – to live on forever in the lake of fire. But please remember again that God’s word says the wages of sin brings death and not eternal life -meaning man is mortal – subject to decay and death. – hence, we can only have immortal life as gift from God through Jesus Christ – who said, “… because I live, ye shall live also” (John 14:19). There is only one way a man can live forever is by the atoning sacrifice of Christ and Christ would never taint that perfect sacrifice by allowing humans to forever live and suffer in a never - ending fire; Christ did not give his life for that purpose; this also dismisses the belief that man has an immortal soul. You can read Ezekiel 18:4 and see that the soul is mortal and does die; it says, “… the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” The soul of the rich man will also perish in the lake of fire; he will die because he sinned. Please carefully think about that.

A man cannot forever exist in fire that will never consume his physical body - as such it not possible. Yes, all things are possible with God; it is possible God could create a fire that forever tortures someone while not consuming the body, but the Bible teaches no such thing. Furthermore, God is not of the character to let humans eternally suffer in this manner. What the bible teaches is that the wicked will be burned out of existence – becoming nothing but ashes; Malachi 4 speaks of their fate – saying, “… the day cometh shall burn as an oven; and all the proud (like the rich man) … all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up … that is shall leave them neither root nor branch” (verse 1); verse 3 says the wicked will become ashes.

Christ spoke of unquenchable fire or the fire which shall not be quenched (Mark 9:44). This lake of fire is pictured by the Gehenna fire that existed on the southern side of Jerusalem – where waste - such as garbage and even dead bodies of both people and animals were thrown; this Gehenna fires continues to burn and burn as it devoured the things that were thrown into it; even so the lake of fire will burn and burn – not quenched till the time comes when all the wicked will be no more. The fire facing the wicked will be so hot and unquenchable that no amount of water will be able to put it out, but it does not mean he lake of fire will eternally exist to forever punish the wicked. Unquenchable fire only means it will burn and burn until it has done its job. For example, Jeremiah 17:27, God said He would send a fire in Jerusalem: “… I will kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palace of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.” So here God speak of a fire that would not be quenched. Well, is there a fire eternally burning in Jerusalem to this day? Of course, not; no fire is burning there - thus, proving that the unquenchable fire means the fire will never go out until all the wicked will be consumed or burnt out of existence and the earth will be free from wickedness and evil forever. And when all evil and wicked is done what will happen? Notice the answer: “The cometh the end], when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he (Christ) must reign, till he shall have put all enemies under his feet” (1 Corinthians 15:24,25).

So, we see that Christ will subdue and bring all wickedness to an end on earth - so when the Father comes down to earth to dwell with us there will be no longer any evil doers. If you notice Revelation 21:1, it shows God the Father will come down to earth with a new heaven and a new earth because the first earth that had the lake of fire – burning up the wicked or burning them out of existence will be no more. If you read 2 Peter 3:12,13 it says, “… wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise look for new heavens and a new earth …” Just prior to God the Father coming down to earth with the new earth, this whole planet is going to become one gigantic ball of fire with possible enormous earth-wide explosion being heard that would by far – eclipse all the nuclear power the nations of the world could possibly unleash. This mean that even the lake of fire will no longer exist; it will be gone -as all the wicked will have been burnt to ashes – now making place for this new heaven and earth.

The fact that there is going to be new earth proves that the lake of fire will come to an end and that people are not to forever suffer in an ever - burning hell fire. The fate of all the wicked – including the rich man is eternal death and not eternal suffering or torment in the lake of fire.

So, in conclusion here let me say again, the account of rich man is a picture of the future of all those unrepentant wicked who have lived and died and will come up in a resurrection to face their ultimate fate; and that fate is the lake of fire which will end their lives; Christ spoke of this fate – saying, “… but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matt. 3:12). Notice Jesus said the chaff - meaning the wicked, “will burn up.” Burn up means to destroy or bring to an end; it does not mean eternal punishing in the lake of fire.

(Just adding an unrelated point here to the reader that the world continues to be an ever- growing dangerous place and the signs of the times indicate the world is going to erupt in global and national troubles for the people of the United States; we are living in frightening times, and our people and nations are going to be greatly distressed by national troubles of epic proportion - just as Jesus Christ is about to return. I have written in the past stating we are a nation already in trouble; and indeed, we are in trouble; just look at the state of divisiveness in the nation; we are being set on the course of a great fall as national troubles and turmoil is going to persist. Drought, famine, disease epidemic - along with great changes in the weather pattern is going to be brought to bear upon our people because of our national sins; our people are modern day descendants of the ancient people of Israel, and they do not know it, and neither does it seem they are willing to understand; they will only begin to understand when it is too late)