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by Matt Thompson
05/15/08
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Luke 16:31; "But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.'"

The rich man in this account, or "The Evangelist From Hell" as I like to call him, was very arrogant in life. He was able to totally overlook the needs of others while only being concerned for his own comfort and needless to say, he never gave God a thought. Whether this account is a parable or not, the goal of the account is the same in Truth. Christ wishes to reveal to US our true nature.

When the rich man died, his "belief" in God changed... ONLY because of where he found himself (in hell), and what he could see across the abyss. But the arrogance of the rich man followed him to hell. That never changed. The rich man repeatedly tried to "command" Abraham concerning his own personal comfort and he tried to command Abraham to send someone from the dead (Lazarus) back to his family so THEY would finally believe...

In other words, the rich mans family needed a "sign" to believe.
Have you heard the phrase, "Here's your sign"?

But Abraham declined the arrogance of the rich man on all counts. His reply was simply, "'If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead." In other words, if you can't believe the Word of God, you won't be persuaded by any miracle...

If you're reading this and have not accepted Jesus at his Word? Will you let your arrogance in rejection follow you to hell? Why do you look for a miraculous "sign"? Why is not the Word of God enough for you?

If you are born again, how many times do we find ourselves asking for some sort of "miraculous sign" instead of simply believing the wondrous, powerful, life-changing Truth of God's Word? Could it be because we seek something we can see and touch? Why can't we just "believe"?

As you study your favorite devotional this week (and I hope it is one that brings forth pure Truth), make the choice to simply "believe" in what the Word of God "SAYS". The Word IS Truth! It is LIGHT! It is SALVATION! It is... EVERYTHING... including your "joy" in all things...

The life you live now will be your only chance to exercise your faith toward God.

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Matt Thompson

17 May 2008

Hello Miss Ruth!

I thank you very much for your comments. I have re-worded the writ to avoid the distraction you mentioned, thanks to your comments which were very beneficial to me. Thank you!

With love in the Lord,
Matt

Penn Tomassetti

17 May 2008

This is a very important illustration that Jesus taught in Luke 16. Did you ever read the tract from Chapel Library entitled: "A Prayer from Hell"? In any case, the last verse strikes all of us with an earnest warning to listen to "Moses and the Prophets" concerning the Christ (who did, in fact, rise from the dead). Thanks for sharing.

Ruth Nikiforovs

15 May 2008

Dear Matt,That is so appropriate for todays generation.We only have the Bible to believe and the testimony of others and what God has done in their lives.That story that Jesus told,we never get an indication that it was a parable but I truly believe that it was a actually story.Keep writing in Jesus.

Judy Wilson

15 May 2008

Great article, we're not to go after the signs and wonders, rather Jesus himself. Why can't some people see that HE is what we need !

Don Beers

15 May 2008

Copy this article and keep it in a safe place and then, 5 years from now, take it out and read it again. Though I have much to say about this article, I think it best that "time" critique it for you. Keep writing.

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