Luke 16:22-31 “So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. (23) And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom. (24) "Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.' (25) But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. (26) And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.' (27) "Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, (28) for I have five brothers that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.' (29) Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.' (30) And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' (31) But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.'”
In the above quoted passage of scripture our Lord Jesus gave us some insight into the knowledge and understanding that the saints have in heaven, as well as the limited knowledge which the unbelievers have in Hades. In this discourse, Abraham’s comments reveal the knowledge that the saints have, while the rich man’s comments reveal the knowledge that the unbelievers have. And so we see that the saints in heaven look upon the unbelievers in Hades and know the exact reasons for the torment that they are suffering there. Although the unbelievers in Hades understand that they are there because of their refusal to repent in this life, they mistakenly think that their relatives would be persuaded to repent if one, who was raised from the dead, were to appear to them and warn them of the torment in Hades that awaited them. The saints on the other had, understand that only those who believe the word of God will repent. And so unlike the unbelievers, no saint in heaven petitions the Lord to go back to the earth to try persuading their earthly relatives to repent and turn to God, because they understand the futility thereof. The unbelievers in hell today don’t know which people are destined to be cast there, which is why they are concerned about their relatives on the earth. The saints in heaven on the other hand, know exactly who will be saved and who will not, and are therefore not at all concerned about their relatives on the earth. The reason the saints in heaven know this is because our Lord Jesus knows those who are His (2 Timothy 2:19), and His saints in heaven have that same knowledge, which is why the saints in heaven do not intercede to the Lord to save their relatives on the earth.
Michael E.B. Maher
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