Luke 16:22,23, 27-31
(22) And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; (23) And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. (27) Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: (28) For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. (29) Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. (30) And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. (31) And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
In this true account of the rich man and Lazarus, let us draw our attention to the five brethren. The rich man was experiencing torments in Hell and had such a burden for his five brothers. He prayed to father Abraham that he would send Lazarus to testify or witness to his brothers. Surely, seeing a man come from the dead is enough of a sign to bring about a conversion. The problem here is that death is final. When humanity steps into eternity, there is no coming back. We have no further evidence proving that these five brothers ended up in Heaven. These brothers are dead and gone.
What about the brothers, sisters, parents, and friends who are still living, related to the souls in Hell today? There are no dead men coming from the grave to testify to these relatives and friends. All of Hell is crying out today that someone would tell their five brethren the Gospel to escape such torment. These living souls still have hope. Their hope is found in Jesus Christ. As believers, we hold the opportunity and responsibility to reach these dying souls. How about you Christian? Will you tell their brethren about Jesus, or ignore those cries from Hell?
