Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  2024  Day 263

September 18;      Luke 16:31;       60/260(IV);      ‘Unpersuadable’

Luke 16:31 But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.'" 

Jesus was teaching about the death of a rich man and the death of a beggar.  The rich man’s spirit was in Hades, while the beggar was in Abraham’s bosom (two separate compartments in the center of the earth).  The rich man’s spirit saw the beggar, named Lazarus, in the bosom of Abraham.  He cried out to Abraham to have Lazarus come and cool his tongue with water.  Abraham responded that there was no way that Lazarus or anyone could go from one compartment to the other.  The rich man’s spirit then cried out that he had five brothers who were still physically alive.  He asked Abraham if Lazarus could go and testify to his brothers so that they would not go to Hades when they passed on.  Abraham told the spirit of the rich man that his brothers had Moses and the prophets to speak to them.  What he was saying is the brothers had the Word of God to listen to and heed.  The rich man’s spirit said that was not enough, but if someone goes to them from the dead (Lazarus), they would hear him.  Abraham then said if they will not heed the Word, neither would they be persuaded even if someone were raised from the dead.  In this account, the Lord Jesus is saying that one day He would raise from the dead and the Word of God would clearly teach this.  Yet many will not believe what the Word of God says, even when the Word tells us about the resurrection of Jesus.  The Word of God is true.  So often affluent people, are not interested in the things of God. Their ‘stuff’ keeps them out of the Word to their destruction.