Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 May 1912 — BROOKLYN TABERNACLE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

BROOKLYN TABERNACLE

THE RICH MAN IN HELL. Luke vi, 20-26; xvi, 19-31 — May 5. “A man's li'e rondsteth not in the abundance of the things irkich ht posaesseth.” — Luke xii. is. %TOT ALL THE POOR shall lnberit the Kingdom of God. / v We are to notice the setting " of the Masters words. He lifted up His eyes on His disciples, and said. “Blessed are ye poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God"—“ye shall be Ailed"—^“your reward is great in heaven." The second part of our lesson is one of our Lord's most striking parables. We read. "He ojtened His mouth in parables and dark sayings, that, hearing. they might hear and not understand." Of all our Lord's parables this one has been most seriously misunderstood. It would 'be unreasonable to suppose that a man would be sent, after death, to torment because he fared sumptuously every day, and wore purple aud fine linen. Nothing whatever is said about tbe character of the man. The Rich Man represented a class. Similarly, the poor man symbolized a class, because no reason is given for his blessing after death, except that he was poor, covered with sores and lay at the rich man's gate. The Rich Man represents the Jewish nation. The bountiful table represents

tbe rich promises of the Law and the Prophets, theirs alone up to tbe time they na tionally died to those favors. The Rich Man's purple represents Toy a 11y they were God's typical kingdom. The "tine linen" of the rich man represented the

justification granted the Jewish nation alone. It was a typical justification. A harvesting of the Jewish people began wi(b our Lord’s ministry and lasted forty years. It ended in A. D. 70, when the Rich Man, as a nation, died at the hands of Titus, the Romau. Nationally, the Rich Man is buried, and will be non-existent until the Lord’s blessing returns to the Jewish pebple, as explained in Romans xi. But though nationally dead, the Jewish people have been very much alive ever since, and have been ostracised, persecuted and tormented.

Although the nation of the Jews contains representatives of all the tribes, it is specially represented in Judah and Benjamin; hence these two tribes constitute the Rich Man. The other ten tribes, "scattered abroad.” propor tionately represent tbe “five brethren.” This thought is confirmed by the statement, “They have Moses and the Prophets, let them hear them.” None but Israel had Moses and the Prophets.

Lazarus In Abraham’s Bosom.

Lazarus, the poor outcast, who longed for a share of the Rich Man’s favor, represented a class of Gentiles, such as the Centurion, whose servant Jesus healed. >■-

Of the same Lazarus class was the Syro-Phenician woman, who besought Jesus to heal her dnughter. Jesus answered, “It is not proper to take the children’s bread and give it to dogs”—“dogs" being a familiar name for all outside the pale of Judaism. The woman answered, “Yea, Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from the children’s table.” In answer to such faith Jesus granted her a crumb from tbe Divine table.

Here we see the Lazarus class, sinsick, covered with sores—because not sharers in Israel’s yearly sin-atone-ment sacrifices—hungry, because all the promises of God primarily belonged to Israel. They were outside the gate of Divine favor—“aliens, strangers and foreigners to the commonwealth es Israel.” This Lazarus class, chiefly Gentiles, had as its nucleus “the outcasts of Israel”—the publicans and sinners. The parable pictures a great change in this Lazarus class—they died to the

conditions wherein they were. They ceased to be poor beggars, aliens and strangers. But Lazarus was not buried; “he was carried by the angels” to Abraham’s bosom. The angels were the Apostles and ministers of the

Gospel. These declared to the Gentiles that whereas they were “aliens and foreigners to the commonwealth of Israel,” they were now "brought nigh through faith in Jesus, and the begetting of the Holy Spirit Abraham typified God, the Father of the and the carrying of Lazarus to “Abraham’s bosom” symbolically said that the worthy outcasts of Israel and worthy Gentiles became children of God, children and heirs of Abraham, who typified God. The Jew in his misery has beheld with jealous eye God’s favor toward those he despised. He has even humbled himself to ask that relief might be sent to him through Christian Gentiles, “one drop” of refreshment But no relief will be afforded until the Messianic Kingdom is established; then Israel (dead and living) shall obtain mercy through the elect—ilomaa® n. i-sa ~ .

Bard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom.

Lazarus at the rich man’s gate.