And besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that even those who wish cannot cross from here to you, nor can anyone cross from there to us.’Besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that those who want to pass from here to you are not able, and that no one may cross over from there to us.’And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that they that would pass from hence to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from thence to us.
4 sermons cite this verse
… himself in hell begged Abraham to provide relief at a way out of hell. But Abraham answered and said, and besides all of this, between us in heaven and you, there is a great chasm fixed. in order that those who wish to come over from here to you may not be able and that none may cross over from there to us. Thirdly, Jesus taught that the majority of humanity will occupy hell. The majority of humanity will occupy hell. You know, the single greatest objection to the idea that faith in Christ is the only way to heaven, the single greatest objection is the idea, Well, if that's true, then that means relatively few people will be in heaven. And that's true. That's exactly what Jesus taught. He said the population of heaven will be relatively small compared to the population of hell. Matthew 7 verses 13 and 14. Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction. …
… I am honored and truly overjoyed to worship God with you today. Our second reading is from the Gospel of Luke chapter 16, verses 19 through 31. Hear God's word to us today. there was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day and at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus covered with sores who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table even the dogs would come and lick his sores the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham the rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in the water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames. But Abraham said, Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus in like manner evil things. But now he is comforted here and you are in agony. …
The drama of this is obvious. This is a man, this rich man, who obviously was religious. He believed in heaven and hell, we can assume. He believed in sin and righteousness. He believed in judgment. But he also believed he was headed to heaven. That is the delusion of self-righteous religious people. He deserved heaven, and so did everybody in His family. And God had validated that belief by making them rich, which they saw as God's stamp of approval on their righteousness. It's a shocking story. In fact, it's so shocking that you wonder why Jesus would even tell such an agonizingly sad story. The answer to that is as a warning, and any warning is both merciful and compassionate. To teach people who expect heaven but end up in hell what went wrong. How vital is that? Now the whole story is just loaded with contrasts and reversals. Go down to verse 25. That's the heart of the contrast and reversals. During your life, the rich man, you received your good things. …
8. “But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.” Perhaps these words may supply us with an answer to an important question: How came this rich man to be in hell? It does not appear that he was a wicked man, in the common sense of the word; that he was a drunkard, a common swearer, a Sabbath-breaker, or that he lived in any known sin. It is probable he was a Pharisee; and as such was, in all the outward parts of religion, blameless. How then did he come into “the place of torment?” If there was no other reason to be assigned, there is a sufficient one implied in those words, (“he that hath ears to hear, let him hear!”) “Thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things;” — the things which thou hadst chosen for thy happiness. Thou hadst set thy affection on things beneath: And thou hadst thy reward: Thou didst receive the portion which thou hadst chosen, and canst have no portion above. “And likewise Lazarus evil things.” Not his evil things; for he did not choose them. But they were chosen for him by the wise providence of God: And “now he is comforted, while thou art tormented.” 9. “But beside all this, there is a great gulf fixed:” — A great chasm, a vast vacuity Can any tell us what this is? What is the nature, what are the bounds, of it? Nay, none of the children of men; none but an inhabitant of the invisible world. — “So that they who would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.” Undoubtedly a disembodied spirit could pass through any space whatever. But the will of God, determining that none should go across that gulf, is a bound which no creature can pass. …