swa.CDMI.tv - Ukweli kuhusu Kuzimu - The Truth about Hell

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Ukweli kuhusu Kuzimu - The Truth about Hell

Neno Kuzimu

Kuzimu ni neno ambalo linapatikana mara 54 katika Biblia ya King James Version. Makanisa mengi yanaamini kwamba kuzimu ni mahali pa mateso makali katika moto halisi usiozimika ambapo wasiookolewa na waovu huenda baada ya kufa, wakibaki humo milele, bila tumaini la kuachiliwa. Wengine wanaamini kwamba kuzimu ni mahali ambapo wasiookolewa na waovu huenda baada ya kifo na watapata kutengwa na Mungu milele. Wengi wanaamini kwamba Wakristo waliookolewa huenda moja kwa moja mbinguni wanapokufa. Wengine wanaamini kwamba wote wataokolewa, ikiwa si sasa, basi katika Ufalme ujao wa Mungu, ambaye Mfalme wake atakuwa Bwana Yesu Kristo.

Wakatoliki waliongeza mahali pa muda ambapo Wakatoliki wengi huenda ili kusafishwa dhambi zao kabla ya kufika mbinguni. Mahali hapa, panapoitwa Purgatory, pia ni mahali pa mateso, lakini ni ya muda tu. Wanaamini Wakatoliki watakatifu peke yao huenda moja kwa moja mbinguni wanapokufa.

Dini zisizo za Kikristo zina mafundisho yao ya kile kinachotokea baada ya kifo, kama vile kuzaliwa upya katika umbo lingine au kiumbe kingine, na dhana nyingine nyingi mno kuzingatiwa katika kijitabu hiki.

Acheni sasa tuchunguze yale ambayo Biblia inasema kuhusu habari yetu. Kwanza, tunapaswa kuelewa kile ambacho Mungu alisema ni adhabu ya dhambi. Katika Mwa. 2:16 tunasoma, “BWANA Mungu akamwagiza huyo mtu, akisema, Matunda ya mti wo wote wa bustani waweza kula; lakini matunda ya mti wa ujuzi wa mema na mabaya usile, kwa maana ukila matunda ya mti huo utakufa hakika.’” Mungu alisema waziwazi kwamba adhabu ya dhambi ilikuwa kifo! kuteseka au kujitenga, Mungu angezungumza kwa uwazi kabisa na Adamu kutowaambia juu ya jambo hilo wakati alipowapa onyo lake kwa kuwa Mungu ni mwenye haki na mwadilifu kabisa ufahamu sahihi wa mada yetu.

Adhabu ya dhambi ni kwamba maisha hukoma, ambayo ni kifo. Adamu na Hawa, baada ya kufanya dhambi, hatimaye walikufa - walikoma kuishi. Kisha hukumu hii ya kifo ilipitishwa kwa wazao wao wote, kama vile Warumi 5:12 inavyosema waziwazi: “... kama vile dhambi iliingia ulimwenguni kwa mtu mmoja (Adamu), na kupitia dhambi hiyo mauti; wanaume kwa sababu wote wamefanya dhambi.” Ayubu alikuwa na ufahamu wa kweli wa ufupi wa maisha na kile kinachofuata. Katika Ayubu 14:1-2 alisema, “Mwanadamu aliyezaliwa na mwanamke siku zake za kuishi si nyingi, naye hujaa taabu. Yeye huchanua kama ua na kunyauka; kama kivuli kipitacho, yeye havumilii.” Lakini Ayubu pia aliamini kwamba kungekuwa na ufufuo wa wafu kwa wakati wake Mungu. Ayubu 14:10-14 inasema, “Lakini mwanadamu hufa na kuanguka chini; anapumua mwisho na hayupo tena. Kama vile maji yanavyotoweka baharini, au mto unapokauka na kukauka, ndivyo mwanadamu hulala chini, asiinuke; mpaka mbingu zisiwepo tena, watu hawataamka wala kuamshwa katika usingizi wao. Laiti ungenificha kaburini na kunificha mpaka hasira yako ipite! Laiti ungeniwekea wakati kisha unikumbuke! Je, mtu akifa, ataishi tena? Siku zote za utumishi wangu mgumu nitangoja kufanywa upya kwangu kuja.”

Kitabu cha Mhubiri hutupatia nuru zaidi kuhusu hali ya wafu. Mhubiri 9:5, 10 : “Kwa maana walio hai wanajua ya kwamba watakufa, lakini wafu hawajui lolote; hawana thawabu tena, na kumbukumbu lao limesahauliwa ....Lo lote mkono wako utakalolipata kulifanya, ulifanye kwa nguvu zako zote; maana huko kuzimu uendako, hakuna kufanya kazi, wala kupanga mipango; wala maarifa, wala hekima.” Ni wazi kwamba tunaambiwa kifo ni kukoma kwa maisha, na wale wanaokufa hupumzika kwenye makaburi yao hadi ufufuo.

Kwa kuwa mwili hukoma kuishi mtu anapokufa, je, kuna kitu kama nafsi tofauti isiyoweza kufa inayoendelea kuishi? Fundisho hili la kutoweza kufa kwa nafsi ni fundisho maarufu la makanisa mengi ya Kikristo na dini nyingi zisizo za Kikristo. Lakini neno hili halipatikani katika Maandiko.

Katika Mathayo 10:28 Yesu anawaambia wanafunzi wake, “Msiwaogope wale wauao mwili lakini hawawezi kuiua roho. Bali mwogopeni yule awezaye kuangamiza mwili na roho pia katika jehanum." Ona kwamba Yesu asema waziwazi kwamba nafsi inaweza kuharibiwa na Mungu, na kwa kuwa ndivyo hivyo, haiwezi kuwa isiyoweza kufa. Mwili na roho hukoma kuwepo au kuishi wakati wa kifo inapoingia kaburini. Ezekieli 18:20 inasema waziwazi, “Roho itendayo dhambi itakufa.”

Hebu tuende kwenye kutajwa kwa kwanza kwa neno nafsi katika Biblia. Katika Mwanzo 2:7 tunasoma, “BWANA Mungu akamfanya mtu kwa mavumbi ya ardhi, akampulizia puani pumzi ya uhai; mtu akawa nafsi hai.” Kwa kuwa Adamu akawa nafsi hai Mungu alipompulizia pumzi ya uhai, ni jambo linalopatana na akili kukata kauli kwamba pumzi hiyo ya uhai inapoondolewa, mtu huyo huwa nafsi iliyokufa.

Kuzimu katika Agano la Kale

Hebu sasa tuzingatie neno kuzimu katika Agano la Kale. Agano la Kale liliandikwa kwa Kiebrania na linatumia neno sheol. Katika King James Version sheol inatafsiriwa kaburi - mara 31, kuzimu - mara 31, na shimo - mara 3. Mara nyingi tafsiri huwa na upendeleo, kutegemea watafsiri. Katika American Standard Version ya 1901, Revised Standard Version, na New Revised Standard, watafsiri walitambua tatizo hili na kuliacha neno sheol bila kutafsiriwa mara 63. Biblia ya New King James iliiacha bila kutafsiriwa mara 18. Kwa kuwa tatizo hili lipo katika tafsiri nyingi, ni lazima tuwe waangalifu katika kuzingatia muktadha ili kupata uelewa sahihi. Ambapo haingekuwa na maana kwa watafsiri kutafsiri Neno sheol kama kuzimu, walitafsiri kama kaburi au shimo. Tafadhali soma: 1 Samweli 2:6; Ayubu 14:13; Hosea 13:14; Zab. 49:14-15; Zab. 30:3.

Hebu sasa tuangalie baadhi ya maandiko yanayotafsiri sheol kama kuzimu. Zaburi 18:4-5: “Kamba za mauti zilinizunguka, Mafuriko ya watu wasio haki yalinitia hofu. Kamba za kuzimu zilinizunguka, Mitego ya mauti ilinikabili” (KJV). Daudi (ambaye Maandiko husema alikuwa “mtu anayeupendeza moyo wa Mungu” - Matendo 13:22 ) hakuwa na woga wa kwenda katika moto wa mateso, kwa sababu alijua kwamba atakapokufa angekuwa kaburini hadi ufufuo. Baadaye maishani, alisema katika Zab. 88:3, “Maana nafsi yangu imejaa taabu, Na uhai wangu umekaribia kuzimu” (KJV). Hii inathibitisha kwamba tafsiri ya kweli ya Zaburi 18:4-5 hapo juu inapaswa kuwa kali. NAS, NIV, na zingine pia zinatoa sheol kama kaburi na sio kuzimu.

Hebu tuangalie andiko moja zaidi, linalopatikana katika Ezekieli 31:15-17 : “Bwana MUNGU asema hivi; Siku ile aliposhuka kuzimu nalisababisha maombolezo; nalivifunika vilindi kwa ajili yake, nikaizuia mito yake, maji mengi yalizuiliwa; nikamfanya Lebanoni kuomboleza kwa ajili yake, na miti yote ya uwanja ukazimia kwa ajili yake. Nalitetemesha mataifa kwa sauti ya kuanguka kwake, nilipomtupa chini kuzimu, pamoja nao washukao shimoni; na miti yote ya Edeni, iliyo bora kuliko yote ya Lebanoni, yote inayokunywa maji, itafarijiwa. katika sehemu za chini za dunia. Nao pia walishuka kuzimu pamoja naye kwa wale waliouawa kwa upanga; na wale waliokuwa mkono wake, waliokaa chini ya uvuli wake kati ya mataifa” (KJV). Nyakati zote mbili ambapo neno kuzimu na lile linalotafsiriwa kaburi yanatumiwa, yanatoka kwa neno la Kiebrania sheol. Andiko hili, likizungumza juu ya wale waliokufa, katika tafsiri isiyo na upendeleo lingefanya maneno yote matatu kuwa mazito.

Fundisho la "moto wa kuzimu", ambalo mara nyingi huhusishwa na Mungu, ambapo roho ambazo hazijaokolewa zitapata maumivu makali na mateso milele, ni chukizo machoni pa Mungu. Yeremia 32:35 inasema: “Nao wakajenga mahali pa juu pa Baali, palipo katika bonde la mwana wa Hinomu, ili kuwapitisha wana wao na binti zao motoni kwa Moleki; ambayo sikuwaamuru, wala haikuingia moyoni mwangu, kwamba walifanye chukizo hili, na kuwakosesha Yuda” (KJV). Ikiwa Mungu alilaani aina hii ya dhabihu ya mateso ambayo ilikuwa ni mateso ya muda tu, na kusema jambo kama hilo halijawahi hata kuingia akilini Mwake, mtu anawezaje kuamini kwamba alibuni mahali paitwapo kuzimu ambapo roho ambazo hazijaokolewa zingeteswa milele bila tumaini la mwisho? ?

Kuzimu katika Agano Jipya

Hebu sasa tuzingatie neno kuzimu katika Agano Jipya. Agano Jipya liliandikwa kwa Kiyunani na linatumia neno kuzimu. Katika American Standard Version ya 1901, Revised Standard, na New Revised Standard, kuzimu imeachwa bila kutafsiriwa mara 10; katika New King James Version, mara 11 na katika New International, mara 5. Tena, kwa kuwa tatizo hili lipo katika tafsiri nyingi, ni lazima tuzingatie kwa makini muktadha ili kupata uelewa sahihi.

Matendo 2:27 inanukuu kutoka Zaburi 16:10. Matendo 2:27 inasema, “Kwa sababu hutaiacha roho yangu kuzimu, wala hutamtoa Mtakatifu wako aone uharibifu” (KJV). Ikiwa kuzimu palikuwa mahali ambapo mtu alihukumiwa milele, kwa nini Daudi aseme kwamba Mungu hataiacha nafsi yake kuzimu? Ilikuwa ni kwa sababu Daudi alijua juu ya ufufuo wa wafu, na hivyo alijua kwamba Mungu hataiacha nafsi yake kaburini milele kwa sababu ya ahadi ya Mungu ya Mwokozi.

Yesu, akizungumza katika Ufu.1:18, anasema, “Mimi ndiye aliye hai, nami nalikuwa nimekufa na tazama, ni hai hata milele na milele, Amina; nami ninazo funguo za kuzimu na za mauti” (KJV). Yesu alikufa kweli na alikuwa kaburini (kaburini) kwa muda wa siku tatu, kisha Mungu akamfufua (Matendo 2:32). Hii inakubaliana na maandiko katika aya iliyotangulia: “....wala hutamtoa Mtakatifu wako (Yesu) aone uharibifu (kuoza).” Rum. 14:9 inasema, “Kwa sababu hii Kristo alikufa na akafufuka, ili apate kuwa Bwana wa waliokufa na walio hai pia” (NIV). “Kwa maana Kristo alikufa, akafufuka na akafufuka kwa ajili hiyo, ili wapate kuwa Bwana wa waliokufa na walio hai pia” (KJV). Yesu atakuwa Bwana juu ya wafu waliofufuliwa katika Ufalme wake ujao, kwa maana wote waliomo makaburini mwao wataisikia sauti yake na kutoka (Yohana 5:28, 29).

Maana ya jina la Gehena

Namna gani neno gehena, ambalo pia limetafsiriwa kuwa kuzimu? Gehena, kulingana na McClintock na Strong Cyclopedia, ilikuwa mahali katika Bonde la Hinomu ambalo ni kusini kidogo ya Yerusalemu. “Ikawa sebule ya kawaida ya jiji, ambapo mizoga ya wahalifu, na mizoga ya wanyama, na kila aina nyingine ya uchafu ilitupwa. Kutoka kwenye kina kirefu na chembamba cha lile korongo, na pengine, mioto yake iwakayo kila wakati, na vilevile kuwa ni kipokeo cha kila aina ya vitu vinavyooza na vyote vilivyoutia unajisi Mji Mtakatifu, ikawa katika nyakati za baadaye sura ya mahali pa adhabu ya milele.”

Ni muhimu kutambua kwamba hakuna kitu kilicho hai kilichotupwa kwenye korongo hili - tu maiti za wahalifu na wanyama. Hakuna kilichoteseka ndani yake. Chochote kilichotupwa ndani yake kiliharibiwa kabisa na moto uliokuwa ukiwaka kila mara. Yesu, aliporejelea jehanamu, aliitumia kuwa ishara ya uharibifu kamili, wa ule ambao umesahaulika na hautaonekana tena. Baadaye watu waliweka tafsiri yao wenyewe juu ya jehanamu, na kisha kuihusisha na mafundisho yao ya moto wa mateso.

Mathayo 5:29 inatumia neno la Kigiriki gehenna, lakini KJV na nyingine nyingi hutafsiri kuwa jehanamu. "Jicho lako la kuume likikukosesha, ling'oe, ulitupe mbali nawe; kwa maana yakufaa kiungo chako kimoja kipotee wala mwili wako wote usitupwe katika jehanum" (KJV). . Yesu anatumia neno kuangamia lenye maana ya kuacha kuwepo. Kwa hiyo Yesu anasema kwamba ni afadhali kiungo kimoja cha mwili kinachokosea kiangamie kuliko hatimaye mwili wote kuangamia. Kuna wale katika Ukanisa wanaodai kuwa mwili huenda kaburini huku roho ikienda kuzimu. Kutokana na kusoma maandiko kama vile ile iliyonukuliwa, tunaweza kuona jinsi mateso ya milele hayafundishwi kwa namna yoyote. Yesu alitumia neno jehanamu kufananisha uharibifu kamili, akijua kwamba kitu chochote ndani yake kiliharibiwa sikuzote. Tunasoma katika Mwanzo 3:19 kwamba mwili wa mtu hurudi mavumbini anapokufa.

Katika Mat. 5:29 iliyonukuliwa hapo juu, Yesu alitumia viungo vya mwili kufananisha vitu ambavyo ni vya thamani sana kwetu. Tukiwa wanafunzi wa Yesu, ikiwa mali fulani ya kimwili itazuia njia yetu ya kupata uzima wa milele, ingekuwa afadhali kuziacha badala ya kupoteza uhai. Marko 9:43-48 inarudia Mt. 5:29, 20, lakini huko pia inasemekana kwamba minyoo hupatikana katika kuzimu ( jehanamu). Marko alikuwa anarejelea Isaya 66:24, ambapo Nabii alikuwa ametaja maiti katika Bonde la Hinomu. Muda wote ikiwa na kitu kinachoweza kuwaka, moto uliendelea kuwaka, na maadamu moto huo uliacha kitu cha kuliwa na funza, haukufa. Walakini, ukienda huko leo, hautaona moto au minyoo!

Katika Ayubu 17, minyoo inahusishwa na uharibifu wa kaburi na Ayubu 24:19 inasema kwamba kaburi litawateketeza wenye dhambi. Gehena inaleta uharibifu na kifo kwa waovu wote. Katika Luka 12:4, 5 , Bwana wetu anatuambia, “Nawaambia ninyi rafiki zangu, msiwaogope wale wauao mwili na baada ya hayo wasiweze kufanya zaidi ya hayo. Yeye ambaye baada ya kuua mwili anao uwezo wa kuwatupa ninyi katika jehanum (Jehanamu) alikuwa akisema tusiogope kamwe mwanadamu anayeweza kuua mwili tu, bali tunapaswa kumcha Mungu. ambaye anaweza kututupa katika jehanamu au maangamizi kamili-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- maana yake ni lini watatupwa katika jehanamu Mungu anawachukulia kama hawafai kwa uzima wa milele ishara ya uharibifu kamili na sio mateso ya milele! Ni kitenzi tartaroo, kutoka katika hadithi ya Kigiriki ya Tartaros, na inaelezea kufungwa kwa malaika wasiotii ambao wanahifadhiwa huko wanapongojea hukumu yao. Hapo tena, neno kuzimu lilikuwa tafsiri duni ya neno la Kigiriki.

Mfano wa Tajiri na Lazaro

Kabla ya kuanza somo letu la hadithi hii, tutanukuu hapa kwa ukamilifu. Luka 16:19-31 “Palikuwa na mtu mmoja tajiri, aliyevaa mavazi ya zambarau na kitani safi, akiishi maisha ya anasa kila siku, na mwombaji mmoja aitwaye Lazaro alikuwa amelazwa mlangoni pake, akiwa na vidonda na akitamani kula kile kilichoanguka kutoka kwa matajiri. meza ya mtu hata mbwa wakaja na kulamba vidonda vyake akamwona Ibrahimu kwa mbali, na Lazaro karibu naye, akamwita, akasema, Baba Ibrahimu, nihurumie, umtume Lazaro achovye ncha ya kidole chake majini, auburudishe ulimi wangu, kwa maana ninateseka katika moto huu. .' Lakini Abrahamu akamjibu, ‘Mwanangu, kumbuka kwamba ulipokea mema yako katika maisha yako, na Lazaro alipokea mabaya, lakini sasa yeye anafarijiwa hapa, nawe unateseka imara, ili wale wanaotaka kutoka hapa kuja kwenu wasiweze, wala kutoka huko asiweze kuvuka kuja kwetu. Akajibu, Basi, nakuomba, baba, umtume Lazaro nyumbani kwa baba yangu, kwa maana ninao ndugu watano, na awaonye, wasije wao pia mahali hapa pa mateso. Ibrahimu akajibu, 'Wanao Musa na Manabii waache wawasikilize.' Akasema, La, baba Ibrahimu, lakini mtu kutoka kwa wafu akiwaendea, watatubu. Akamwambia, ‘Ikiwa hawawasikilizi Musa na Manabii, hawatasadiki hata kama mtu atafufuka kutoka kwa wafu’” (NIV).

Wengi wamejadili maandishi haya. Wengine wanautambua kuwa mfano huo, yaani, hadithi iliyosimuliwa kwa kielezi ili kufundisha somo. Wengine wanaamini kwamba maandishi yote lazima yachukuliwe halisi na kama taarifa ya ukweli. Kwa hiyo, lengo letu la kwanza litakuwa kutenganisha imani hizi mbili na kuamua ni ipi iliyo kweli. Je, Luka 16:19-31 inaeleza mfano wa kufundisha somo au ni taarifa ya matukio halisi? Yesu alizungumza kwa mifano tu. Mfano huu ulitolewa kwa Mafarisayo na Bwana wetu Yesu Kristo (ona mstari wa 14), kwa hiyo yote yalikuwa ni maneno yake. Kwa hili akilini, tunapaswa kuchunguza maneno haya ili kujua jinsi Mungu angetaka tuelewe kile Mwana wake alikuwa akifundisha.

Mathayo 13:34 - “Hayo yote aliwaambia makutano kwa mifano; hakusema nao neno lo lote pasipo kutumia mfano.

Marko 4:33-34 BHN - “Kwa mifano mingi kama hiyo Yesu aliwaambia neno hilo, kadiri walivyoweza kuelewa. Hakusema nao bila kutumia mfano. Lakini alipokuwa peke yake na wanafunzi wake, alieleza kila kitu.”

Mathayo 13:10-12 BHN - “Wanafunzi wakamwendea, wakamwuliza, Mbona unasema na watu kwa mifano? Akajibu, ‘Ninyi mmepewa ujuzi wa siri za ufalme wa mbinguni, lakini wao si wao.’”

Tafadhali soma pia Mat. 13:13-17. Aya hizi zinapaswa kutatua kwa uthabiti swali la kwamba hadithi ya tajiri na Lazaro ni halisi au la. Kila Bwana wetu alipozungumza na makutano, alinena kwa mifano TU. Ikiwa utaamini Biblia, lazima uhitimishe kwamba hadithi hii kwa hakika ni mfano, unaofundisha somo.

Luka aliandika mifano sita mfululizo, ya kwanza ikianzia kwenye Luka 15:4. Walikuwa wakijibu jinsi Mafarisayo na Waandishi walivyodharau ukweli kwamba Yesu alishirikiana na watoza ushuru (watoza ushuru) na wenye dhambi. (Angalia mst. 1-3). Tunaona kwamba mafumbo yote sita yanahusiana.

Matatizo na tafsiri halisi - Kabla hatujatoa tafsiri ya mfano ya mfano huu, tungependa uufikirie kihalisi. Hii inapaswa, yenyewe, kuthibitisha jinsi inavyokuwa kinyume na maandiko na upuuzi. Mfano huu unaelezea watu wawili, mmoja tajiri sana na mwingine maskini sana. Hakikisha umetambua jinsi ambavyo hakuna kinachosemwa kuhusu tajiri kuwa mwovu au mwenye dhambi wa aina yoyote. Ikiwa uliamini katika mateso ya milele, je, ungemhukumu mtu motoni kwa sababu tu alikuwa amevalia vizuri na kuishi vizuri? Sababu pekee aliyopewa tajiri na Ibrahimu kwa mateso yake ni kwamba alikuwa amepokea vitu vizuri wakati wa uhai wake. Hakuna kitu kinachosemwa dhidi ya tabia yake ya maadili.

Maskini katika mfano huo alikuwa amevaa nguo tamba, mwenye njaa, na vidonda vingi, akiwa amelala kwenye lango la yule tajiri; mbwa wakaja na kulamba vidonda vyake. Hakuna chochote kinachosemwa kuhusu Lazaro kuwa mtu mwema au mwamini aliyetakaswa, baada ya kumkubali Yesu kama Mwokozi wake binafsi, au kwamba alikuwa hata mwenye dhambi aliyetubu. Je, ungesema kwamba Lazaro alistahili mbinguni kwa sababu tu alikuwa maskini na amejaa vidonda? Sababu pekee aliyopewa tajiri na Ibrahimu kwa nini Lazaro alifarijiwa ni kwa sababu Lazaro alikuwa amepokea mambo mabaya katika maisha yake. Ikiwa mfano huo utachukuliwa kihalisi, tunapaswa kuhitimisha kwamba tumaini pekee la ulimwengu la mbinguni lingekuwa kuvaa matambara, kujaa vidonda na kuwaacha mbwa wawalambe. Tunaweza kuona upuuzi wa kuchukua maneno ya Bwana wetu kihalisi.

Tafsiri ya Kiishara ya Tajiri katika Mfano

Kuna tafsiri mbalimbali za mfano huu. Ifuatayo ni ile inayotuvutia kuwa yenye ufahamu wa Kimaandiko. Tunaamini kwamba tajiri anawakilisha kundi la watu, yaani, taifa la Wayahudi na hasa viongozi wa kidini ambao wana mwanya uliowekwa kati yao na Abrahamu. Kumbuka kwamba ni Mafarisayo waliodai Ibrahimu kama baba yao katika Yohana 8:53.

Katika mstari wa 19, inasemekana kwamba tajiri alikuwa “amevaa nguo za zambarau na kitani safi, akiishi maisha ya anasa kila siku.” Wakati wa ujio wa kwanza wa Bwana wetu na kwa karne nyingi kabla, taifa la Kiyahudi lilikuwa limeishi maisha ya anasa kila siku. Walikuwa watu waliochaguliwa na Mungu na ukuhani wa kifalme na walikuwa wapokeaji wa pekee wa kibali cha Mungu. “Ninyi pekee niliowajua katika jamaa zote za dunia,” Mungu asema katika Amosi 3:2.

Katika Warumi 3:1, 2, Mtume Paulo aliuliza, “Myahudi ana faida gani basi? Au kutahiriwa kuna faida gani?” Na kisha anajibu swali lake mwenyewe, “Mengi kwa kila namna; hasa, kwa sababu walikuwa wamekabidhiwa maneno ya Mungu.” Ndiyo, kuanzia Musa hadi Kristo, taifa la Kiyahudi lilifurahia baraka, ulinzi, na ufanisi wa pekee wa Mungu. Walikuwa watu matajiri zaidi duniani. Tunaona katika Kutoka 19:5, 6 jinsi Mungu alivyowapenda watu wake sana hivi kwamba Aliahidi kuwafanya “ufalme wa makuhani na taifa takatifu,” ikiwa wangetii sauti yake.

Katika mfano huo, tajiri alivaa zambarau. Kulingana na Compact Topical Bible, ukurasa wa 394, “Zambarau ilikuwa alama ya kutofautisha. Royalty alikuwa amevaa sana." Hii inaonyesha kwamba Yesu hakuwa anazungumza juu ya tajiri wa kawaida, lakini badala yake, tajiri wa kifalme. Andiko la Kutoka linafunua kwamba Israeli walikuwa wamepokea na walikuwa wamevikwa ahadi za kifalme.

Tajiri huyu pia alikuwa amevaa kitani nzuri. Kitani nzuri, kama inavyotumiwa katika Biblia, ni mfano wa uadilifu. Kitani kizuri kilifananisha uhalali wa kawaida ambao Wayahudi walifurahia, kupitia dhabihu za wanyama ambao walichinjwa ili kuwafunika kwa muda juu ya dhambi zao. Ikirejelea Bibi-arusi wa Kristo katika Ufu. 19:8, kitani nzuri inayotajwa hapo inafananisha haki ya watakatifu. Kwa hakika wataihitaji hiyo kitani nzuri nyeupe, ilhali aliye mtakatifu zaidi kuliko ninyi viongozi wa kidini wa Israeli kwa hakika hakufanya hivyo.

Katika mstari wa 21, meza ambayo tajiri alikula ilikuwa ishara ya Neno la Mungu, Sheria na Maagizo ambayo yalikuwa madhubuti kwa Israeli. Wayahudi walikula meza hiyo na walibarikiwa walipotii.

Kama ilivyoelezwa katika Yohana 6:54-58, baada ya Yesu kuja ulimwenguni na kulipa fidia yetu, sasa ni mwili na damu yake ambayo ni lazima kula au kushiriki ili kupokea kuhesabiwa haki. Dhabihu hizo za mfano zilikuwa kwa kusudi la kuwaelekeza Israeli kwa Kristo Yesu na ambazo sasa zinatimizwa katika Yeye pekee.

Warumi 11:9 inasema kwamba kwa kuwa taifa la Kiyahudi kwa ujumla lilimkataa Kristo, meza yao ingekuwa mtego. Iliwakilisha utimizo unaopatikana katika Bwana Yesu Kristo. Jedwali hili lilipaswa kuwaongoza kwa Yesu, lakini wengi walimkataa na wakachagua kuendelea kutumainia yale ambayo kifo chake kiliondoa pale alipoisulubisha Sheria. Jedwali hilo, ambalo lote likielekeza kwa Kristo, bila shaka lilikuja kuwa mtego kwao.

Tafsiri ya Kiishara ya Lazaro

Tunaamini kwamba mtu maskini katika mfano huu aliwakilisha kundi la watu pia, yaani Wamataifa wenye njaa ya ukweli ambao walikuwa wakimtafuta Mungu.

Kwa mfano walilala kwenye lango la yule tajiri. Hakuna pro-mises tajiri au mrahaba walikuwa wao. Hawakutakaswa hata kwa kawaida kutoka kwa dhambi zao kama walivyokuwa Wayahudi kupitia dhabihu zao za wanyama. Badala yake, walikuwa katika magonjwa ya kiadili, uchafuzi, ibada ya sanamu na dhambi. Walikuwa marafiki wa mbwa, na walikuwa chukizo kwa Wayahudi. Wale watu wa nje waliitwa wapagani na mbwa na Wayahudi wa kawaida walio safi. Wayahudi hawakuweza kula pamoja, kuoa, wala kuwa na uhusiano wowote na watu wa mataifa mengine.

Akizungumza na Mataifa, Mtume Paulo alitangaza katika Efe. 2:12, “Kumbukeni kwamba wakati ule ninyi mlikuwa mbali na Kristo, mmetengwa na Kristo, mmetengwa katika uraia wa Israeli, na wageni katika maagano ya ahadi, bila tumaini, wala hamna Mungu katika ulimwengu. Katika mfano huu, Lazaro alisemekana kuwa alikuwa amelala kwenye lango la yule tajiri, akiwa amejaa vidonda, akitamani kulishwa makombo tu kutoka kwenye meza ya yule tajiri. Kwa kuwa ahadi za Mungu zilitolewa kikamilifu kwa Wayahudi, watu wa mataifa mengine walikuwa wageni kweli, na walichoweza kutumainia ni makombo yoyote ambayo Wayahudi walijali kuwapa. Hata jina la Lazaro linaweza kutupa ufahamu wa kwa nini Bwana wetu alitumia jina hili kwa mwombaji. Kulingana na kamusi katika Concordance Young, neno Lazaro maana yake bila msaada na inaonyesha hali ya Mataifa wakati huo.

Maneno ya Bwana wetu kwa mwanamke wa Sirofoinike yanatupa ufunguo wa jinsi watu wa mataifa mengine walivyokula makombo ya upendeleo wa Kimungu, ambayo yalianguka kutoka kwa meza tajiri ya Israeli. Alipomwomba Yesu amponye binti yake, alimwambia mwanamke huyu wa Mataifa, “... haifai kukitwaa mkate wa watoto na kuwatupia mbwa. Kwa kujibu, alijibu, “...Ni kweli, Bwana, hata mbwa hula makombo yaangukayo katika meza ya bwana wao” (Mt. 15:26, 27). Kisha Yesu akamponya binti yake, na kwa njia hiyo akampa makombo ya kibali ambayo aliomba.

Kifo cha Tajiri na Lazaro

Katika mstari wa 22 wa mfano huu, tunasoma kwamba mwombaji alichukuliwa hadi kifuani mwa Ibrahimu baada ya kufa. Pia inaelezwa hapo kwamba tajiri alikufa na akazikwa. Tafadhali kumbuka kwamba Lazaro alikwenda kifuani mwa Ibrahimu na SI mbinguni alipokufa. Kifua cha Ibrahimu hakijarejelewa kuwa mbinguni popote katika Biblia.

"Wala hakuna mtu aliyepaa mbinguni ila yeye aliyeshuka kutoka mbinguni" (Yohana 3:13). Haya yalikuwa maneno ya Mola wetu, kwa hiyo ni dhahiri kwamba si Lazaro wala Ibrahimu waliokwenda mbinguni. Katika Mwanzo 25:8 tunaambiwa kwamba Ibrahimu alikufa na kukata roho. Kamusi ya Young’s Concordance inafasili neno la Kiebrania linalotafsiriwa hapo kuwa “kushtuka, kufa.” Kwa hiyo, Abrahamu alikufa au kufa. Yeye, hata leo, angali kaburini, na atabaki humo mpaka ufufuo wa wafu unaokuja hivi karibuni!

Kwa kuwa Lazaro hangeweza kwenda kihalisi kwenye kifua cha Abrahamu mbinguni, swali ni, ni nini hasa kinachomaanishwa na usemi huu? Jibu linaweza kupatikana kwa kujifunza ahadi za Mungu kwa Kanisa. Inabidi kwa Myahudi kwamba Yesu alitumwa kwanza. “Sikutumwa ila kwa kondoo waliopotea wa nyumba ya Israeli” (Mt. 5:24). Wayahudi walikuwa wa kwanza kusikia ujumbe wake baada ya kuja ulimwenguni. Hiyo ni kwa sababu ahadi za Mungu zilitolewa kwao mwanzoni. Hata hivyo, kama inavyotajwa katika Yohana 1:11, 12 , wengi wa taifa hilo walimkataa Masihi. Kukataliwa huko kulifungua njia ili wito wa mbinguni uweze kwenda kwa Mataifa. Sasa ni kwamba watu wa mataifa mengine wako katika nafasi iliyopendelewa zaidi. Ahadi nyingi ambazo Mungu aliwahi kumpa Ibrahimu, akimaanisha uzao wake, taifa la Israeli, sasa ni za Kanisa ambalo linaundwa zaidi na Mataifa. Kwa hakika, nafasi iliyopendelewa zaidi ambayo mtu anaweza kuwa nayo ni nafasi ya kifuani, kwa hiyo Kanisa la Mataifa sasa liko katika nafasi hiyo na warithi wa ahadi za mbinguni za Mungu kuwa Ufalme wa Makuhani na warithi pamoja na Kristo.

Kulingana na fumbo hili, kifo cha tajiri hakikuwa kama cha yule mwombaji. Kama ilivyoelezwa katika mstari wa 22, yule tajiri akafa na akazikwa. Kwa kuwa yule tajiri aliwakilisha taifa la Israeli kwa njia ya mfano, kifo chake kilionyesha hali ya kifo iliyokuja juu ya Israeli baada ya Wayahudi kumkataa Kristo. Kisha walipoteza kibali cha pekee cha Mungu.

Katika mstari wa 23, Yesu anasema kwamba yule tajiri alikuwa kuzimu (kuzimu, kaburini), akiwa katika mateso na kumwona Ibrahimu kwa mbali. Yesu hakuwa akizungumza kuhusu mahali halisi pa mateso, kwa sababu tayari tumethibitisha kwamba andiko tunalochunguza katika somo hili ni mfano. Ikiwa Yesu alikuwa akirejelea moto wa mateso halisi, tajiri huyo angeomba zaidi ya tone moja la maji ili kuupoza ulimi wake. Lakini fikiria jinsi Wayahudi walivyoteswa sana tangu walipomkataa Yesu Kristo! Kama taifa hawakushawishiwa, hata mtu alipofufuka kutoka kwa wafu, mstari wa 31. Tangu wakati ambapo ahadi za Mungu zilitolewa kwa Mataifa, Wayahudi wengi wamekuwa na amani kidogo sana. Wameteswa katika moto wa mateso na mauaji ya kinyama miaka hii 2,000 iliyopita, na bado wanapitia pambano kali la kuishi katika ulimwengu ambao umedhamiria kuwaangamiza! Nyingi zilitupwa kihalisi katika oveni wakati wa maovu ya utawala wa Nazi wa Hitler.

Ghuba Kubwa Iliyohamishika au Pengo

Je! ni nini kinachoonyeshwa na pengo hili kubwa au pengo ambalo lilikuwa ni utengano uliowekwa kati ya tajiri na ufikiaji wake kwenye kifua cha Ibrahimu? Ona maneno ya mstari wa 26 : “Na zaidi ya hayo yote, kati yetu na ninyi kumewekwa shimo kubwa, ili wale wanaotaka kutoka hapa kuja kwenu wasiweze, wala wale wa kutoka huko wasiweze kutupitia. Pengo kati yao lilikuwa halipitiki. Wale wa upande wowote hawakuweza kuvuka. Hii inaweza kuwakilisha vyema agizo la kimungu la kuwatupilia mbali kama taifa ili wawe Ufalme Wake wa makuhani kwa sababu ya kutokuwa na imani na kutoamini kwao. Yesu alikuja kwa walio wake, lakini walio wake hawakumpokea. Israeli, yule tajiri, hangeweza kuvuka tena na kuingia katika cheo cha upendeleo kutoka upande ule mwingine kwa sababu wakiwa taifa, walikuwa wamemkataa Mwana wa Mungu. Ubunifu wao wa asili wa kuwa hazina ya pekee ya Mungu ulipotea milele kwao kama taifa. Mnamo mwaka wa 70 BK taifa la Kiyahudi lililotupwa lingepitia mashambulizi ya moto na ya kikatili na Warumi ambapo mamilioni waliuawa na wengi kusulubishwa kwenye vilima na kuta za Yerusalemu. Ndivyo yalivyotimia maneno yao wenyewe, "Damu yake na iwe juu yetu na juu ya watoto wetu." Wale ambao waliokoka wangetawanywa (kufichwa katika Hadesi) kotekote ulimwenguni ambapo wangeteseka dhuluma na mateso dhidi ya Wayahudi hadi leo. Hivyo, tajiri alikuwa katika mateso, akivumilia mateso mengi. Kumbuka: Katika mstari wa 25 tajiri bado anaitwa mwana na Ibrahimu bado anaitwa baba. Hakutupwa mbali milele. Tazama Warumi 11:26.

Ufunguo wa Fumbo hili au Fumbo

Tunapata uthibitisho wenye kutia shaka juu ya nani tajiri huyo anawakilisha katika taarifa inayohusu ndugu zake watano. Alipomwomba Lazaro aende kwa ndugu zake watano, Abrahamu alimwambia kwamba ndugu hao walikuwa na Musa na manabii. Ni Israeli pekee waliokuwa na Musa na manabii! Waligawanywa katika makabila kumi na mbili. Kufuatia utumwa wa Babeli, ni watu wengi kutoka makabila ya Yuda na Benyamini waliorudi Israeli. Kwa hiyo, ni makabila haya mawili ambayo Yesu alizungumza nayo na yangeweza kuwakilishwa na yule tajiri. Kwa hili akilini, mtu anaweza kuona kwamba makabila mengine kumi yanaweza kuwakilishwa na ndugu watano ambao pia walikuwa na Musa na manabii. Hivyo, mfano huo ulionyesha jinsi wale ndugu watano walivyopata maafa yaleyale kwa sababu hawakuwasikiliza Musa na manabii.

Ziwa la Moto

Ili kuelewa jehanamu ya Ufunuo, ambayo katika Kigiriki inaitwa kuzimu, acheni tusome maneno ya Petro yanayopatikana katika Matendo 2:31 : “Akiyaona yaliyokuwa mbele, alisema habari ya ufufuo wa Kristo, kwamba hakuachwa aende mbinguni. kaburi, wala mwili wake haukuona kuoza.” Je! ni jehanamu gani hii (hades) ambayo Yesu alitolewa ili asione uharibifu? Hii ya 31 dhidi ya dhahiri inazungumza juu ya ufufuo wa Yesu Kristo. Mola wetu Mlezi alifufuliwa kutokana na nini? Kutoka kwa kifo, bila shaka! Alikufa kwa muda gani? Maandiko yanafundisha kwa hakika kwamba alikuwa amekufa siku tatu mchana na usiku. Yesu alikuwa wapi wakati huo? Hebu Bwana atupe jibu: “Kwa maana kama vile Yona alivyokuwa siku tatu mchana na usiku ndani ya tumbo la nyangumi; vivyo hivyo Mwana wa Adamu atakuwa siku tatu katika moyo wa nchi” (Mt. 12:40). Bwana wetu alikuwa wapi kwa siku tatu mchana na usiku? Alikuwa kaburini!

Kwa kuwa Bwana alikuwa kuzimu (hades, kaburini) kwa siku tatu mchana na usiku na alifufuka kutoka humo, je, tunapaswa kuelewa nini kuhusu jehanamu ya Ufunuo 20:14, ambayo inatupwa katika ziwa la moto?

Kwa maana ni jehanamu hii (hadesi, kaburi), pamoja na mauti, itupwayo katika ziwa la moto, ambayo ndiyo mauti ya pili, yaani, uharibifu kamili na mkamilifu wa jehanamu (Gehenna) ya Marko 9:43, karibu. ambayo Bwana alituonya. Maandiko ni dhahiri sana kuhusu hali hizi mbili. Wanadamu wanaweza kukana helo (gehena), ziwa la moto, kuwa hali ya wakati ujao, lakini hawawezi kukana jehanamu (hades, kaburi) ambayo iko sasa na ambayo imekuwako tangu wazazi wetu wa kwanza walipovunja Sheria ya Mungu. Kuchanganyikiwa kutaondolewa tunapoelewa kwamba kuzimu ya Biblia (hades) inawakilishwa kikamilifu kaburini. Tunapotenganisha hilo na ziwa la moto katika Ufu. 20:14, itakuwa wazi kabisa kwamba kifo na kuzimu (hadesi, kaburi) vitaangamizwa milele katika ziwa hilo la moto, ambalo pia linawakilishwa na jehanamu ya Biblia. kifo cha pili. Kuna jehanamu ya kuepukwa, lakini hakuna anayeweza kuepuka kifo au kuwa katika jehanamu (hades) ya Biblia. Wote huingia humo, “kwa maana katika Adamu wote hufa.” Ilikuwa ni kwa sababu hii kwamba Yesu Kristo alikuja na kufa, ili kutukomboa kutoka kwa kifo na kaburi. Na, atakapokuja tena, ametuhakikishia kwamba: “...WOTE waliomo makaburini mwao wataisikia sauti yake, nao watatoka...” (Yohana 5:28, 29).

Zifuatazo ni baadhi ya ishara zinazotumiwa kurejelea kuzimu na kaburi: Isaya 5:14 inaeleza kuzimu kuwa na kinywa. (Kuzimu kutoka kuzimu, kaburi au shimo.) Amosi 9:2 inauliza kama mtu anaweza kuchimba kuzimu. Hakuna awezaye kuchimba kihalisi ndani ya helo ya moto, lakini waweza kuchimba ndani ya mashimo ya dunia, tafsiri bora zaidi ya neno la Kiebrania sheol. Met. 30:15, 16 husema kwamba kaburi (sheol) halishibi kamwe. Ikiwa inachukuliwa halisi, hii inaonekana kusema kwamba kaburi linaweza kufikiri. Kwa kweli, kaburi halitosheki, kwa sababu kwa sasa hakuna mwisho wa idadi ya watu wanaokufa na kwenda huko.

Hii ni mifano michache tu ya mingi inayopatikana katika Biblia, inayohusu mifano. Ili kuelewa Biblia ifaavyo, ni lazima mtu afahamu jinsi ishara zinavyotumiwa na kujifunza jinsi ya kuelewa zinawakilisha nini. Hilo likifanywa, basi mafundisho ya uwongo, kama vile kuzimu kuwa mahali pa mateso ya milele na mafundisho mengine ya uwongo, yatatupiliwa mbali kwa urahisi. Upendo wa Mungu kwa wanadamu basi utadhihirika. Kisha kila mtu ataweza kumtumikia kwa upendo na uthamini wa kina, badala ya kuogopa kile ambacho Mungu atawafanyia ikiwa watamtii.

Muhtasari wa Ufalme Uliokamilika

Fumba macho yako kwa muda kwa matukio ya taabu na ole, uharibifu na huzuni ambayo bado inatawala kwa sababu ya dhambi, na ufikirie mbele ya maono yako ya akili utukufu wa dunia kamilifu.

Hakuna doa la dhambi linaloharibu upatano na amani ya jamii kamilifu; si mawazo ya uchungu, si kuangalia au neno lisilo la fadhili; upendo, unaobubujika kutoka katika kila moyo, hukutana na mwitikio wa jamaa katika kila moyo mwingine, na ukarimu huashiria kila tendo.

Hapo magonjwa hayatakuwapo tena; si ache wala maumivu, wala ushahidi wowote wa kuoza - hata hofu ya mambo kama hayo.

Fikiria picha zote za afya linganishi na uzuri wa umbo na kipengele cha binadamu ambacho umewahi kuona, na ujue kwamba ubinadamu mkamilifu utakuwa bado wa kupendeza kupita kiasi.

Usafi wa ndani na utimilifu wa kiakili na kimaadili utapiga muhuri na kutukuza kila uso unaomeremeta.

Jamii ya dunia itakuwa hivyo; na waliofiwa watafutwa machozi yao yote, watakapotambua kwamba kazi ya ufufuo imekamilika.

Ufunuo 21:3-5:

“Kisha nikasikia sauti kuu kutoka katika kile kiti cha enzi ikisema, ‘Sasa makao ya Mungu ni pamoja na wanadamu, naye atakaa pamoja nao. Watakuwa watu wake, na Mungu mwenyewe atakuwa pamoja nao na kuwa Mungu wao. Atafuta kila chozi katika macho yao. Mauti hayatakuwapo tena, wala maombolezo, wala kilio, wala maumivu, kwa maana mambo ya kale yamekwisha kupita.' Yeye aketiye juu ya kiti cha enzi akasema, Nafanya kila kitu kuwa kipya! Kisha akasema, Andika, maana maneno haya ni amini na kweli.

The Word Hell

Hell is a word that is found 54 times in the King James Version of the Bible. Many churches believe that hell is a place of torturous suffering in literal unquenchable fire where the unsaved and wicked go after they die, remaining there forever, with no hope of release. Others believe that hell is a place where the unsaved and wicked go after death and will experience eternal separation from God. Most believe that saved Christians go directly to heaven at their death. Others believe all will be saved, if not now, then in the future Kingdom of God, whose King will be the Lord Jesus Christ.

Catholics added an interim place where most Catholics go to have their sins purged before they can reach heaven. This place, called Purgatory, is also a place of suffering, but only temporary. They believe sainted Catholics alone go directly to heaven when they die.

Non-Christian religions have their own teachings of what happens after death, such as being reincarnated into another form or being, and many other concepts too numerous to consider in this booklet.

Let us now consider what the Bible says on our subject. First, we need to understand what God said is the penalty for sin. In Gen. 2:16 we read, “And the LORD God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.’" God said clearly, the penalty for sin was death! If there was to be such a place of eternal suffering or separation, God would have clearly spoken it to Adam. It would be grossly unjust of God not to tell them about it at the time He gave them His warning. Since God is completely just and righteous, this point must be strongly considered for the proper understanding of our topic.

The penalty for sin is simply that life ceases, which is death. Adam and Eve, after they sinned, eventually died - they ceased to exist. This death penalty was then passed on to all their posterity, as Romans 5:12 clearly states: “... just as sin entered the world through one man (Adam), and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all have sinned.” Job had a true understanding of the brevity of life and what follows. In Job 14:1-2 he said, “Man, born of woman, is of few days and full of trouble. He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.” But Job also believed that there would be a resurrection of the dead in God’s due time. Job 14:10-14 says, “But man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last and is no more. As water disappears from the sea or a riverbed becomes parched and dry, so man lies down and does not rise; till the heavens are no more, men will not awake or be roused from their sleep. If only you would hide me in the grave and conceal me till your anger has passed! If only you would set me a time and then remember me! If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come.”

The Book of Ecclesiastes offers us more enlightenment about the condition of the dead. Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10: “For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten ....Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working, nor planning, nor knowledge, nor wisdom.” Clearly, we are told death is the cessation of life, and those who die rest in their graves until the resurrection.

Since the body ceases to live at death, is there such a thing as a separate immortal soul which lives on? This doctrine of the immortality of the soul is a prominent teaching of most Christian churches and many non-Christian religions. Yet this term is not found in the Scriptures.

In Matthew 10:28 Jesus says to His disciples, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Note that Jesus states clearly that the soul can be destroyed by God, and since this is the case, it cannot be immortal. The body and the soul cease to exist or live at death when it enters the grave. Ezekiel 18:20 says clearly, “The soul who sins shall die.”

Let us go to the first mention of the word soul in the Bible. In Genesis 2:7 we read, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Since Adam became a living soul when God breathed into him the breath of life, it is logical to conclude that when that breath of life is withdrawn, the person becomes a dead soul.

Hell in the Old Testament

Let us now consider the word hell in the Old Testament. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew and uses the word sheol. In the King James Version sheol is translated grave - 31 times, hell - 31 times, and pit - 3 times. Translations are often biased, depending on the translators. In the American Standard Version of 1901, the Revised Standard Version, and the New Revised Standard, translators recognized this pitfall and left the word sheol untranslated 63 times. The New King James Bible left it untranslated 18 times. Since this problem exists in most translations, we must be cautious in considering the context to get the proper understanding. Where it would not make sense for translators to render the Word sheol as hell, they interpreted it as grave or pit. Please read: 1 Samuel 2:6; Job 14:13; Hosea 13:14; Psa. 49:14-15; Psa. 30:3.

Let us now look at some texts translating sheol as hell. Psalm 18:4-5: “The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me” (KJV). David (who the Scriptures say was ”a man after God’s own heart” - Acts 13:22) had no fear of going to a fiery hell, because he knew that when he died he would be in the grave until the resurrection. Later in life, he stated in Psa. 88:3, “For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draws nigh unto the grave” (KJV). This confirms that the true translation of Psalm 18:4-5 above should be grave. The NAS, NIV, and others also render sheol as grave and not hell.

Let us look at one more text, found in Ezekiel 31:15-17: “Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when he went down to the grave I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed: and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him. I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth. They also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow inthe midst of the heathen” (KJV). Both times where the word hell and the one rendered grave are used, they come from the Hebrew word sheol. This text, speaking of those who had died, in an unbiased translation would have rendered all three words as grave.

The “hell-fire” doctrine, so often attributed to God, where unsaved souls shall experience excruciating pain and suffering forever, is an abomination in the sight of God. Jeremiah 32:35 states: “And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin” (KJV). If God condemned this type of torturous sacrifice which was but temporary torture, and said such a thing never even entered His mind, how can any believe that He invented a place called hell where unsaved souls would be tortured forever with no hope for it to end?

Hell in the New Testament

Let us now consider the word hell in the New Testament. The New Testament was written in Greek and uses the word hades. In the American Standard Version of 1901, the Revised Standard, and the New Revised Standard, hades is left untranslated 10 times; in the New King James Version, 11 times and in the New International, 5 times. Again, since this problem exists in most translations, we must carefully consider the context to get the proper understanding.

Acts 2:27 quotes from Psalm 16:10. Acts 2:27 says, “Because you will not leave my soul in hell, neither will you suffer your Holy One to see corruption” (KJV). If hell was a place that one was condemned to forever, why would David say that God will not leave his soul in hell? It was because David knew of the resurrection of the dead, and thus knew God would not leave his soul in the grave forever because of God’s promise of a Savior.

Jesus, speaking in Rev.1:18, says, “I am He that lives and was dead and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death” (KJV). Jesus truly died and was in the tomb (grave) for three days, then God raised Him up to life (Acts 2:32). This agrees with the texts in the previous paragraph: “....neither wilt you suffer your Holy One (Jesus) to see corruption (decay).” Rom. 14:9 says, ”For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life, so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living” (NIV). “For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living” (KJV). Jesus will be Lord over the resurrected dead in his coming Kingdom, for all that are in their graves shall hear His voice and come forth (John 5:28, 29).

Meaning of Gehenna

What about the word gehenna, also translated as hell? Gehenna, according to the reputable McClintock and Strong Cyclopedia, was a place in the Valley of Hinnom which is a little south of Jerusalem. “It became the common lay-stall of the city, where the dead bodies of criminals, and the carcasses of animals, and every other kind of filth was cast. From the depth and narrow-ness of the gorge, and perhaps, its ever-burning fires, as well as it being the receptacle of all sorts of putrefying matter and all that defiled the Holy City, it became in later times the image of the place of everlasting punishment.”

It is important to note that nothing alive was cast into this gorge -only dead bodies of criminals and animals. Nothing suffered in it. Whatever was cast into it was totally destroyed in the ever-burning fires. Jesus, when referring to gehenna, used it as a symbol of total destruction, of that which passed into oblivion to be seen no more. Men later put their own interpretation on gehenna, and then associated it with their hell-fire teachings.

Matthew 5:29 uses the Greek word gehenna, but the KJV and many others render it hell. “And if your right eye offend you, pluck it out, and cast it from you: for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish and not that your whole body be cast into hell” (gehenna)” (KJV). Jesus uses the word perish which means to stop existing. So Jesus is saying that it is better for one offending body member to perish than for the eventuality of the whole body perishing. There are those in Churchianity who claim that the body goes to the grave while the soul goes to hell. From reading texts such as the one just quoted, we can see how eternal torment is not taught in any form. Jesus used the word gehenna to symbolize total destruction, knowing that anything in it was always destroyed. We read in Genesis 3:19 that a person’s body returns to dust at death.

In Matt. 5:29 quoted above, Jesus used members of the body to symbolize those things which are very precious to us. As disciples of Jesus, should some material possessions stand in our way of gaining eternal life, it would be better to give them up rather than lose life. Mark 9:43-48 repeats Matt. 5:29, 20, but there it is also stated that worms are found in hell (gehenna). Mark was referring to Isaiah 66:24, where the Prophet had referred to the dead bodies in the Valley of Hinnom. As long as it contained something combustible, the fire kept burning, and as long as the fires left something there for the worms to eat, they did not die out. However, if you go there today, you will not see either fire or worms!

In Job 17, worms are associated with the corruption of the grave and Job 24:19 states that the grave will consume the sinners. Gehenna infers destruction and death for all wicked. In Luke 12:4, 5, our Lord tells us, "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell (gehenna); fear him” (NIV). Jesus was saying we should never fear man who can only kill the body, but we are to fear God, who is able to cast us into gehenna or total destruction -- annihilation. When a man is killed by another man, his eternal existence is not jeopardized. However, the wicked, whom God considers incorrigible, will be everlastingly destroyed. That is what is meant when they will be cast into gehenna. God considers these unfit for eternal life. We have only listed some of the Scriptures where gehenna is rendered as hell in the KJV. In all others, the meaning of gehenna remains the same. It is a symbol of total destruction and not eternal torture! Another Greek word, which appears only in 2 Peter 2:4, is translated “cast them down to hell” in the KJV. It is the verb tartaroo, from the Greek mythological Tartaros, and describes the incarceration of disobedient angels who are kept there as they await their judgment. There again, the word hell was a poor translation of the Greek word.

Parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus

Before beginning our study on this story, we will quote it here in full. Luke 16:19-31: "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, `Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' But Abraham replied, `Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.' He answered, `Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' Abraham replied, `They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' `No, father Abraham,' he said, `but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' He said to him, `If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead'” (NIV).

Many have debated this text. Some recognize it as the parable it is, that is, a story told in illustration to teach a lesson. Others believe that the entire text must be taken literally and as a statement of fact. Therefore, our first object will be to separate these two beliefs and determine which is the truth. Does Luke 16:19-31 describe a parable to teach a lesson or is it a statement of literal events? Jesus spoke only in parables. This parable was given to the Pharisees by our Lord Jesus Christ (see vs. 14), so all of it was His words. With this in mind, we should examine these words in order to determine how God would have us understand what His Son was teaching.

Matthew 13:34 - “Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.”

Mark 4:33-34 - “With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.”

Matthew 13:10-12 -”The disciples came to him and asked, ‘Why do you speak to the people in parables?’ He replied, ‘The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.’”

Please read also Matt. 13:13-17. These verses should firmly settle the question of whether the story of the rich man and Lazarus is literal or not. Whenever our Lord spoke to the multitudes, He spoke ONLY in parables. If you are going to believe the Bible, you must conclude that this story is indeed a parable, teaching a lesson.

Luke recorded six parables in succession, the first one beginning in Luke 15:4. They were in response to how the Pharisees and Scribes looked down on the fact that Jesus fellowshipped with publicans (tax collectors) and sinners. (See vs. 1-3). We find that all six of these parables are interrelated.

Problems with a literal interpretation - Before we give a symbolic interpretation of this parable, we would like you to consider it literally. This should, in itself, prove how unscriptural and absurd it becomes. This parable describes two men, one very rich and the other very poor. Be sure to note how nothing is said about the rich man being evil or any kind of a sinner. If you believed in eternal torture, would you condemn someone to hell simply because he was richly dressed and lived well? The only reason given to the rich man by Abraham for his torment was that he had received good things during his lifetime. There is nothing said against his moral character.

The poor man in the parable was dressed in rags, hungry, and full of sores while lying at the rich man’s gate; the dogs came and licked his sores. Nothing whatever is said about Lazarus being a good man or a sanctified believer, having accepted Jesus as his personal Savior, or that he was even a repentant sinner. Would you say that Lazarus deserved heaven simply because he was poor and full of sores? The only reason given to the rich man by Abraham as to why Lazarus was comforted was because Lazarus had received bad things in his lifetime. If the parable is to be taken literally, we must conclude that the world’s only hope of heaven would be to dress in rags, be full of sores and let dogs lick them. We can see the absurdity of taking our Lord’s words literally.

Symbolic Interpretation of the Rich Man in the Parable

There are various interpretations of this parable. The following is one that appeals to us as Scripturally sound. We believe that the rich man represents a group of people, namely, the Jewish nation and especially the religious leaders who have a fixed gulf between themselves and Abraham. Note that it was the Pharisees that claimed Abraham as their father in John 8:53.

In vs. 19, the rich man is said to have been “clothed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day.” At the time of our Lord’s first advent and for many centuries before, the Jewish nation had lived lavishly every day. They were God’s chosen people and a royal priesthood and were the special recipients of God’s favor. “You only have I known of all the families of the earth,” God says in Amos 3:2.

In Romans 3:1, 2, the Apostle Paul asked, “What advantage then has the Jew? Or what profit is there of circumcision?” And then he answers his own question, “Much in every way; chiefly, because to them were committed the oracles of God.” Yes, from Moses to Christ, the Jewish nation enjoyed God’s special blessings, protec-tion, and prosperity. They were spiritually the richest people on earth. We find in Exodus 19:5, 6 how God loved His people so much that He promised to make them “a kingdom of priests and an holy nation,” if they would obey His voice.

In the parable, the rich man wore purple. According to the Compact Topical Bible, page 394, “Purple was a mark of distinction. Royalty was so dressed.” This shows that Jesus was not talking about an ordinary rich man, but rather, one rich in royalty. The Exodus text reveals that Israel had received and were clothed in royal promises.

This rich man was also dressed in fine linen. Fine linen, as used in the Bible, is a symbol of righteousness. The fine linen symbolized the typical justification the Jews enjoyed, through animal sacrifices which were slain to offer them a temporary covering over of their sins. Referring to the Bride of Christ in Rev. 19:8, the fine linen mentioned there symbolizes the righteousness of the saints. They will certainly warrant that fine white linen, whereas the holier than thou religious leaders of Israel surely did not.

In vs. 21, the table from which the rich man ate was symbolic of the Divine Word, Laws and Decrees that were strictly for Israel. The Jews ate of that table and were blessed as they obeyed.

As stated in John 6:54-58, after Jesus came into the world and paid our ransom, it is now His body and blood that we must eat or partake of in order to receive justification. Those typical sacrifices were for the purpose of directing Israel to Christ Jesus and which are now fulfilled in Him alone.

Romans 11:9 states that since the Jewish nation as a whole rejected Christ, their table would become a snare. It represented the fulfillment found in the Lord Jesus Christ. This table should have led them to Jesus, but most rejected Him and chose to continue to trust in that which His death did away with when He nailed the Law to the cross. That table, all pointing to Christ, surely did become a snare to them.

Symbolic Interpretation of Lazarus

We believe the poor man in this parable represented a group of people also, namely the truth-hungry Gentiles who were seeking after God.

They symbolically lay at the gate of the rich man. No rich pro-mises or royalty were theirs. They were not even typically cleansed from their sins as were the Jews through their animal sacrifices. Rather, they were in moral sickness, pollution, idolatry and sin. They were companions of dogs, and were detestable to the Jews. Those outsiders were called heathen and dogs by the typically clean Jew. The Jews couldn’t eat with, marry, nor have any dealings at all with the Gentiles.

Speaking to the Gentiles, the Apostle Paul declared in Eph. 2:12, “Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.” In this parable, Lazarus was said to be laying at the rich man’s gate, full of sores, desiring to be fed mere crumbs from the rich man’s table. Since God’s promises were given strictly to the Jews, the Gentiles were indeed aliens, and all they could hope for was whatever crumbs the Jews cared to give them. Even the name Lazarus can give us an insight into why our Lord used this name for the beggar. According to the dictionary in Young’s Concordance, the word Lazarus means without help and it shows the condition of the Gentiles at that time.

The words of our Lord to the Syrophoenician woman give us a key as to how the Gentiles ate the crumbs of Divine favor, which fell from Israel’s rich table. When she asked Jesus to heal her daughter, He said to this Gentile woman, “...it is not fit to take the children’s bread and cast it to dogs.” In response, she answered, “...True, Lord, yet the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master’s table” (Matt. 15:26, 27). Jesus then healed her daughter, and in that way He gave her the crumbs of favor for which she asked.

Death of the Rich Man and Lazarus

In vs. 22 of this parable, we read that the beggar was carried into Abraham’s bosom after he died. It is also stated there that the rich man died and was buried. Please note that Lazarus went to Abraham’s bosom and NOT to heaven when he died. Abraham’s bosom is not referred to as heaven anywhere in the Bible.

“And no man has ascended into heaven but He that came down from heaven” (John 3:13). These were our Lord’s words, so it is evident that neither Lazarus nor Abraham had gone to heaven. In Genesis 25:8 we are told that Abraham died and gave up the spirit. The dictionary of Young’s Concordance defines the Hebrew word translated there as “to gasp out, to expire.” So, Abraham expired or died. He is, to this day, still in the grave, and will remain there until the soon coming resurrection of the dead!

Since Lazarus could not literally have gone to Abraham’s bosom in heaven, the question is, just what is meant by this expression? The answer can be found by a study of God’s promises to the Church. It has to the Jew that Jesus was first sent. “I am not sent except unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 5:24). The Jews were the first to hear His message after He came into the world. That was because God’s promises were made to them initially. However, as stated in John 1:11, 12, most of the nation rejected the Messiah. The rejection opened a way so that the heavenly call could then go out to the Gentiles. It is now that the Gentiles are in the most favored position. Many of the promises that God once made to Abraham, in reference to his offspring, the nation of Israel, now belong to the Church which is made up mostly of Gentiles. Surely, the most favored position one can be in is a bosom position, so the Gentile Church is now in that position and heirs to God’s heavenly promises to be a Kingdom of Priests and joint-heirs with Christ.

According to this allegory, the death of the rich man was not like that of the beggar. As stated in vs. 22, the rich man died and was buried. Since the rich man symbolically represented the nation of Israel, his death showed the death condition that came upon Israel after the Jews rejected Christ. They then lost all of God’s special favor.

In vs. 23, Jesus says that the rich man was in hell (hades, the grave), being in torment and seeing Abraham afar off. Jesus was not speaking of a literal place of torment there, because we have already proven that the text we are examining in this lesson is a parable. Had Jesus been referring to a literal hell-fire, the rich man would have asked for far more than one drop of water to cool his tongue. But consider how great has been the torment of the Jews since their rejection of Jesus Christ! As a nation they were not persuaded, even when one rose from the dead, vs. 31. Since the time that God’s promises were offered to the Gentiles, most Jews have had very little peace. They have been tormented in the fires of persecution and pogroms these past 2,000 years, and still undergo a bitter struggle to survive in a world that is bent on exterminating them! Many were literally thrown into ovens during the horrors of Hitler’s Nazi regime.

The Great Fixed Gulf or Chasm

What is pictured by this great gulf or chasm that was a fixed separation between the rich man and his access to Abraham’s bosom? Note the words of vs. 26: “And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.” The gulf between them was impassable. Those on either side could not cross over. This could well represent God’s divine decree casting them off as a nation to be His Kingdom of priests due to their faithlessness and unbelief. Jesus came to His own, but His own received Him not. Israel, the rich man, would not be able to cross back over into the position of favor from the other side because as a nation, they had rejected God’s Son. Their original design to be God’s special treasure was forever lost to them as a nation. In AD 70 the cast-off Jewish nation would undergo a fiery and brutal attack by the Romans where millions were killed and many crucified on the hillsides and walls of Jerusalem. Thus was fulfilled their own words, “His blood be on us and on our children.” Those that survived would be dispersed (hidden in Hades) throughout the world where they would suffer anti-Semitic pogroms and persecutions down to this day. Thus, the rich man was in torment, enduring great suffering. Note: In vs. 25 the rich man is still called son and Abraham is still called father. He was not cast off forever. See Romans 11:26.

The Key to this Parable or Allegory

We find the assuring proof as to who this rich man represents in the statement concerning his five brothers. When he asked that Lazarus go to his five brothers, Abraham told him that the brothers had Moses and the prophets. Only Israel had Moses and the prophets! They were divided into twelve tribes. Following the Babylonian captivity, it was mostly people from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin that returned to Israel. Therefore, it mainly was these two tribes to whom Jesus spoke and who could be represented by the rich man. With this in mind, one can see that the other ten tribes could be represented by the five brothers who also had Moses and the prophets. Thus, the parable showed how the five brothers shared the same fate because they failed to hear Moses and the prophets.

The Lake of Fire

In order to understand the hell of Revelation, which in Greek is called hades, let us read Peter’s words found in Acts 2:31: “Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to the grave, nor did His body see decay.” What is this hell (hades) from which Jesus was delivered so as not to see corruption? This 31st vs. definitely speaks of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. From what was our Lord resurrected? From death, of course! How long was He dead? The Scriptures definitely teach that He was dead three days and three nights. Where was Jesus during this time? Let the Lord give us the answer: “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of Man be three days in the heart of the earth” (Matt. 12:40). Where was our Lord for three days and three nights? He was in the grave!

Since the Lord was in hell (hades, the grave) for three days and nights and was resurrected therefrom, what are we to understand of the hell of Revelation 20:14, which is cast into the lake of fire?

For it is this hell (hades, the grave), together with death, that is cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death, i.e., total and absolute destruction of the hell (gehenna) of Mark 9:43, about which the Lord warned us. The Scriptures are very definite about these two conditions. Men may deny hell (gehenna), the lake of fire, as a future condition, but they cannot deny the hell (hades, the grave) which exists now and has existed ever since our first parents transgressed God’s Law. Confusion will be removed when we understand that the Bible hell (hades) is fully represented in the grave. When we disassociate that from the lake of fire in Rev. 20:14, it will become very clear that death and hell (hades, the grave) will be forever destroyed in that lake of fire, also represented by the gehenna of the Bible as the second death. There is a gehenna to be shunned, but no one can escape death or being in the hell (hades) of the Bible. All go into it, “for in Adam all die.” It was for this reason that Jesus Christ came and died, to deliver us from death and the grave. And, when He comes again, He has assured us that: “...ALL that are in their graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth...” (John 5:28, 29).

The following are some symbols used in reference to hell and the grave: Isaiah 5:14 describes hell as having a mouth. (The hell from sheol, the grave or pit.) Amos 9:2 asks if a person can dig into hell. No one can literally dig into a hell of fire, but they can dig into the pits of the earth, a better rendering for the Hebrew word sheol. Prov. 30:15, 16 states that the grave (sheol) is never satisfied. If taken literally, this seems to say that the grave can think. Actually, the grave is never satisfied, because at present there is no end to the amount of people who die and go there.

These are but a few examples of the many found in the Bible, dealing with symbolisms. In order to properly understand the Bible, one must be aware of the way symbols are used and learn how to understand what they represent. If this is done, then the false doctrines, such as hell being a place of eternal torture and other false teachings, will easily be discarded. God’s love for humanity will then become manifest. Everyone will then be able to serve Him out of love and deep appreciation, instead of from fear of what God will do to them if they disobey.

A Preview Of The Finished Kingdom

Close your eyes for a moment to the scenes of misery and woe, degradation and sorrow that yet prevail on account of sin, and picture before your mental vision the glory of the perfect earth.

Not a stain of sin mars the harmony and peace of a perfect society; not a bitter thought, not an unkind look or word; love, welling up from every heart, meets a kindred response in every other heart, and benevolence marks every act.

There sickness shall be no more; not an ache nor a pain, nor any evidence of decay -- not even the fear of such things.

Think of all the pictures of comparative health and beauty of human form and feature that you have ever seen, and know that perfect humanity will be of still surpassing loveliness.

The inward purity and mental and moral perfection will stamp and glorify every radiant countenance.

Such will earth’s society be; and weeping bereaved ones will have their tears all wiped away, when thus they realize the resurrection work complete.

Revelation 21:3-5:

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’"

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