DoUwant2go2Heaven?;1822108 said:1. Yes, I know this.
2. Yes, I know this.
3. You haven't answered my question yet. Is the story metaphorical?
There is no reason why this could not be a true story." However, I believe that an unbiased examination of this story reveals that it is a parable, and that there are many reasons why it could not be an actual narrative detailing punishment of sinners going on in hell at that time.
As a literal event, this story brings us to many absurd conclusions. For example, without symbolism, it implies that the rich man went to hell because he was literally clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day. There is no mention of him committing sin in any way, or even of being uncharitable to the beggar. It simply states that he had his riches in this world, and the beggar has his in the next. It also implies that Lazarus was blessed because he was at the rich man's gate, full of sores, and begging crumbs while the dogs came and licked his sores. If all this indeed were to be interpreted as a literal narrative, the only conclusion that we could draw based on what's written here, is that beggars and them who have sores, go to heaven, and anyone wearing fine linen colored purple or who is rich and has means, are destined for torment in hell! Of course, that makes no sense, but without a symbolic meaning, this is the only conclusion from the passages we can reach. But the Bible shows us that many righteous men were very rich. Righteous Joseph, the son of Israel, held the treasures of the Pharaoh, giving to whom he would, and was arrayed like a royal prince [1] as second man in the realm. Again, righteous Job was God blessed and a God-fearing man, and yet he was also so rich[2], with as many as 7,000 animals, he was spoken of as was the greatest of all the men of the east.
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