I came across this interesting post....
CONTRADICTIONS OF A LITERAL INTERPRETATION
If this parable is taken literally, we will find more than a few hundred major problems with the rest of God’s revealed Word.
One will have to use a black marker or cut from the Bible most verses dealing with spirit, soul, body, death, resurrection, immortality, grave, hades, sheol, sin, punishment, chastisement, firstfruits, rewards, justification, reconciliation, prophecy, grace, salvation and the sovereignty of God, just to name a few! All of these contradict the idea that this parable can be literal. All of them.
“Now the poor man came to die and he is carried away by messengers into Abraham’s bosom.”
Impossible. This statement if taken literally is neither historical nor Scriptural. Many say this represents Lazarus in Heaven. How, pray tell, could Lazarus be in Heaven while his Lord was still on the earth?
“Yet now Christ has been roused from among the dead, the firstfruit of those who are reposing.” (I Cor. 15:20).
Abraham wasn’t the “firstfruit.” Lazarus wasn’t the “firstfruit.” JESUS CHRIST WAS THE FIRSTFRUIT OF THEM THAT SLEPT! The latter fruit, Paul tells us, “are [still] reposing.”
Jesus plainly said, not only had David not ascended into the heavens, but that
“NO MAN has ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven.”(John 3:13).
Teaching that this parable is a literal historical fact makes Christ out to be a liar. When our Lord was alive on this earth giving us this parable, He said: “…NO MAN HAS ASCENDED UP TO HEAVEN…” So how can it be said that at the same time our Lord was telling us that no man has ascended up to heaven, that Lazarus and Abraham are already up in heaven? This is not just an interesting sidelight or opinion of Ray Smith. THIS IS ABSOLUTE, INFALLIBLE SCRIPTURAL PROOF THAT WHEN JESUS GAVE THIS PARABLE THERE WAS NO MAN NAMED LAZARUS LIVING IN HEAVEN WITH ABRAHAM OR ANYONE ELSE!! So here then is just one of the hundreds of problems with the Scriptures if we insist this parable is literal.
There are many Scriptures that tell us where a person goes when he”dies.” The Scriptures say he “returns” from where he “came.” So if he goes to Heaven, then he “came” from Heaven; if he goes to Hell, then he “came” from Hell. But Scriptures do not teach that people “RETURN” to heaven or hell when they die. Read these plain and simple verses that tell us exactly where man came from and where he goes when he dies:
“…till you return [Hebrew, shub] unto the ground; for out of it were you taken: for dust you are, and unto dust shall you return” (Gen. 3:17-19).
“Remember I pray you that as clay you did make me, and unto dust you will cause me to return” (Job 10:9)
“You cause man to return unto dust…” (Psa. 90:3).
“His spirit [the Hebrew word here is ruach, spirit, not neshamah, breath] goes forth, he returns to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish” (Psa. 146:3-4).
“…you gather in their spirit [Hebrew ruach, spirit] they expire [Hebrew gava, breathe out, gasp, expire], and return to their dust” (Psa. 104:29).
“For that which befalls the sons of men befalls beasts; … as the one dies, so dies the other; yea, they have all one spirit; and man has no preeminence above the beasts [in death]: for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all return to dust again” (Ecc. 3:18-21).
Will any of my readers seriously contend that BEASTS return to either heaven or hell when they die? Have we not just read in Ecc. 3:18-21 that “ALL [both men and beasts] go unto ONE PLACE?” And aren’t “heaven AND hell” TWO PLACES rather that “ONE PLACE?” Am I going too fast for anyone?
For sure our Saviour’s words are so true–the babes in Christ (minors) can understand these spiritual things, but the wise in the wisdom of this world cannot understand them.
Here is irrefutable Scriptural proof that when a person dies he returns to the dust. Messengers or angels don’t take dead people anywhere when they die. If this is literal, then they would have had to carry a “dead” Lazarus into the ancient cave of a “dead” Abraham. The “resurrection” is yet future (I Thes. 4:16:18).
Remember how Paul told us of Hymeneus and Philetus who “…swerve as to truth, saying that the resurrection has ALREADY OCCURRED [as defenders of a literal interpretation also contend] subverting the faith of some.” (II Tim. 2:18)? Lazarus was carried (in the parable) into Abraham’s bosom. Abraham’s bosom is not the reward of the saved. Abraham’s bosom is not Heaven. Furthermore, no more than one person could fit into Abraham’s bosom. It’s a parable.
When Jesus gave this parable was Abraham alive in heaven or dead in his grave? First notice what Gen. 25:8-9 says:
“Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died … and his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in a cave…”
When Jesus was teaching these parables Abraham was still dead. “Abraham IS DEAD” (John 8:52)! After Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection (nearly 30 years after) Abraham was still dead.
“By faith Abraham … sojourns in the land of promise … he waited for the city having foundations, whose Artificer and Architect is God … In faith DIED ALL THESE [Abraham included], being not requited with the promises … for He [God] makes ready for them a city” (Heb. 11:8,9,10,13,16).
Abraham had not yet as of the writing of the book of Hebrews received the promises God made to him. Besides Abraham was not promised Heaven, but this earth along with King David (Jer. 30:9) and the Twelve Apostles who will be ruling over the twelve tribes of Israel on this earth (Rev. 5:10). And the “City,” New Jerusalem, comes down from heaven to the New Earth.
By the way, after Christ’s resurrection, we read that King David as well was also still dead.
“…David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day…” “For David is NOT ascended into the heavens…” (Acts 2:29 & 34).
So consider: At the time Christ taught this parable, Abraham was STILL DEAD, David (a man after God’s own heart) was STILL DEAD and the Scripture specifically tells us that David DID NOT ASCEND INTO HEAVEN. Then to remove all doubt and speculation regarding heaven, Christ plainly stated that, “NO MAN HAS ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN!” Which part of the word “NO” is it that theologians do not understand?
“Now the rich man also died, and was entombed. And in the unseen [Gk: hades], lifting up his eyes…” (Ver. 23)
Impossible. He died, was entombed, and lifted up his eyes? Where did he get a body in hades, seeing that they just sealed his body in a tomb? Have you never heard of exhuming a body from a grave? Six days, six months, six years after death, when they open a grave, the body is still there. And it’s usually rotten and the “eyes” are decayed away.
“…was entombed…and in the unseen [hades], lifting up his eyes…”
If, as theologians teach that the grave is one place and hades is another place, then no man can have his body “entombed” while at the same time the eyes of his body can be lifted up in a place called “hades.” And we know his body was still in the tomb, so how can he be simultaneously in hades with a new body?
And how could this man “literally” lift up his eyes in “hell” seeing that hell is the translation of the Greek word hades which means the UNSEEN or IMPERCEPTIBLE? To “see” one can’t be in the UNSEEN, nor can it be a place of NO perception. The parable says that he “died” and was entombed, but that he “lifts up his eyes” in hades. He can’t be literally dead and literally alive at the same time and in two different locations.
Hades is a Greek word (and is synonymous with Sheol in the Hebrew O.T.) and it has a meaning. The elements are “UN-PERCEIVED.” It can be properly translated into English as “unseen” or “imperceptible.” Now how can one “see” in the unseen?” It’s ridiculous. How can anyone have “perception” in the “imperceptible?” The dead can’t “see,” It’s a parable.
There is no consciousness in [Heb: Sheol] or [Gk: Hades](Psa. 146:4)–none. “Sheol” and “Hades” are synonymous in Scripture.
In Acts 2:27 hades is translated from the Hebrew word sheol. Look carefully at these two verses:
“His spirit [ruach] goes forth, he returns to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish” (Psa. 146-3-4).
And “…there is no works, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in sheol where you go” (Ecc. 9:10).
“Device” [Heb. mchesh- bown--contrivance, intelligence, reason]. Do these two verses in Ecclesiasties sound like “dark sayings?” or “tricky proverbs?” or “difficult parables?” or “deep mysteries?” They are plain, simple statements of facts that any child can understand! But notice how they absolutely contradict the “consciousness in hades” theory.
One more Scriptural proof on this point.
“And it came to pass, that the beggar DIED … the rich man also DIED…” (Luke 16:22).
So from verse 22 onward, the beggar and the rich man are IN DEATH! Now Psalm 6:5
“For IN DEATH THERE IS NO REMEMBRANCE OF THEE [The LORD], in THE GRAVE who shall give thee [The LORD] thanks?”
So, is it possible to take this parable literally without violating Scripture after Scripture after Scripture? I think not.
