The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31)
It can be stated broadly that most religions and creeds have some views on heaven and hell. There is a range of ideas from the vivid and colorful to the vague and indefinite, and most sections of Christianity hold beliefs on this subject. There is general agreement that heaven represents some form of a uniting with God, and hell a separation from Him. How, when and where this uniting or separation takes place is not clearly defined but is usually associated with the experiences of the human soul after death.
There are several phrases which are sometimes put forward as support for the belief that heaven does play some part in the reward. Christ said, ‘For great is your reward in heaven,’ and ‘Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt’; and Peter referred to ‘an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.’ (1 Peter 1.4) Peter explains how this inheritance is in heaven in verse 13 of this chapter: he says there is a ‘salvation that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.’ This, then, is the way in which the inheritance will be given. It is now ‘reserved’, and this implies that it is not now in use but will be used when needed. The inheritance is salvation, or eternal life. Eternal life will be the inheritance that Christ will give at his coming. The only person who has yet benefited from this inheritance is Christ himself. He now has eternal life. He is the saviour of the world, and all the hopes and aspirations of believers are centered in him. As he is now in heaven, so, it can be said, are the rewards and the treasures, but these will be distributed at the time appointed: ‘For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.’ (Matthew 16.27)
Hear Now These Words 