2007 picture of Ray Sparre

Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67


June 15, 2012

Greetings in the morning, dear ones.

Beautiful sunshine abounds out this window. The day is already under way. I’ve already made some business contacts. And I face a huge amount of need for progress.

I wish you could have joined Becki and me in our discussion this morning. There is so much urgent stuff to talk about flowing out of today’s reading. Another point that could be added to the list below is that good things did not necessarily happen to the rich man in this life because he was good…and misery was the lot of Lazarus because he was bad. Also, just being miserable is not what qualifies one for heaven any more than being rich causes one to be rewarded with hell.

Don’t try to tell me that you are not a philosopher or a theologian. The fact is EVERYONE IS! Everyone has a view of God (theology). Everyone has a view of life and things important (philosophy). It’s just that not everyone gives a lot of effort to prioritizing TRUTH. And how can they?...if they really really believe that everything is relative. I guess I’m kind of philosophizing about philosophy.

May this little segment (today) of your earthly sojourn go well.

Love, Dad/Ray

15 June
Luke 16
“Hell” Luke 16:23

A lot of people don’t believe in HELL. But Jesus does. Otherwise this story He tells about Lazarus and the rich man is utterly ridiculous. Oh, yes, there are facets in this revelation of heaven and HELL that are hard to understand while we’re confined to this earthly dimension. But let’s take some time to list a few points from this account that we can and must understand. I hope you will take time to read the passage again for yourself.

  1. EVERYONE DIES. Wealth, fame, poverty, education, success, etc., make no difference. Every human being possesses a physical body that is headed for death.

  2. DEATH DOES NOT END EXISTENCE. Physical death is clearly the doorway to a very real conscious eternity.

  3. ACCEPTANCE OF GOD’S WORD AND REPENTANCE IN THIS LIFE DETERMINE ONE’S DESTINY IN THE NEXT. This story clearly underscores this as the highest priority of life. To do so means eternal luxury. To fail to do so means eternal poverty. Notice that the beggar becomes a rich man and the rich man becomes a beggar.

  4. HEAVEN IS HEAVENLY AND HELL IS HOT. Jesus describes heaven for the Jews as being a wonderful place with “Father Abraham.” Hell, on the other hand, is a place of fire, torment, and agony.

  5. THERE IS NO PASSAGE BETWEEN THE TWO REALMS. Death finalizes destiny. There is no adjustment of that destiny. There is no purgatory or movement from one place to the other. Jesus refers to it as a “great chasm.” It is that irreversible gap that separates this life, heaven, and HELL.

  6. PEOPLE IN HELL CAN SEE INTO HEAVEN. But those in heaven don’t see into hell. I suppose that such a view would actually mess up heaven. This idea is also indicated in the words of Jesus back in Luke 13:28: “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves are thrown out.”

  7. PEOPLE IN HELL ARE HAMMERED WITH REGRET. I have a hunch that one of the most hellish features of hell will be the vivid playback of memory that forces one to recall and see clearly all the unnecessary dumb choices made in life. It would make for endless self-condemnation. “Why was I so stupid? Why was I so blind? Why was I so persistent in rebelling? Why didn’t I seek God? Why didn’t I pay attention to what was so clear and inevitable? Why was I so arrogant?” Man!—that would have to be hell!

  8. PEOPLE IN HELL CAN HAVE A GREAT EVANGELISTIC BURDEN THAT THEY NEVER HAD IN THIS LIFE. Notice the rich man’s concern for the eternal welfare of his family once he experiences the reality of HELL. Without trying to be profane, he wanted Lazarus to be miraculously raised back to life and go to his family to scare the HELL out of them.

  9. MIRACULOUS SIGNS ARE NOT EFFECTIVE TOOLS OF EVANGELISM. No amount of supernatural phenomena is going to generate the true conversion and salvation of a person who does not have a hunger for God and His Word—who regards A HEART AFTER GOD as repugnant.

    10. Suffice it to say—HELL IS BAD NEWS! THE GOSPEL IS GOOD NEWS!



    “One thing that makes the Good News so good is knowing that the bad news is so bad.”