The Rich Man and Lazarus: Part 3 - Richard E. Simmons III

Today we're finishing the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. This parable reveals something about eternity. Many people don't realize the fact that in Heaven, you will have a physical, resurrected body. We're not going to be these spirits floating around in the clouds like some people think. In this parable, Lazarus and the rich man weren't spirits. They had physical bodies. 

Think about the Apostle's Creed - it says, “I believe in the resurrection of the body”. That's not talking about Jesus' body. It’s talking about our bodies. II Corinthians 5:1-2 says, "For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens. For in this tent, we groan, longing to put on our Heavenly dwelling." The apostle Paul was saying that when our bodies die, they're going to be replaced by a permanent, glorified body that will never pass away. 

So, what does it mean if Christ really rose from the dead? It means everything. It means he is the Jewish Messiah. It means the Bible is true. It means His words are true, that there will be a judgment and that there is a glorious kingdom of God. And for those who set their ultimate hope on the God who raises the dead, they can rest on Jesus’ own words in John 14, “I go and I prepare a place for you..."

My prayer is that through this study you will gain a greater understanding of the magnificence and the beauty of eternal life in God's kingdom.