regarding luke 16:19-31...the account of lazurus and the rich man..jehovah's wintesses please answer...?

Question

was not the rich man in a place of torment? why would the rich man suggest that the dead go back to earth and warn his 5 brothers of such horrible torment? wasnt the rich man dead himself? how was he able to talk to the heavens?

Answer 1

The account is an allegory with no connection to the concept of hellfire. The bible plainly teaches that the soul is not immortal, that there is no thought or communication in "hell", and that Jesus was the first to be resurrected to heaven. "Hell" will be emptied and destroyed forever.

(Ezekiel 18:4) The soul that is sinning—it itself will die.

(Ecclesiastes 9:5,10) As for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all...for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol ["hell"]

(Hebrews 10:19-20) We have boldness for the way of entry into the holy place [heaven] by the blood of Jesus, which he inaugurated for us

(John 14:2-3) I am going my way to prepare a place for you [disciples of Christ]. ...I go my way and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will receive you home to myself, that where I am you also may be.

(Revelation 20:14) And death and Hades ["hell"] were hurled into ...the second death


A leading Protestant commentary, The Interpreter’s Bible, discusses the account of Lazarus and the Rich Man:
[quote]
[Many interpreters believe Jesus’ words to be] an allegorical appendix that presupposes the conflict between early Christianity and orthodox Judaism. The rich man and his brothers represent the unbelieving Jews. Jesus is made to assert that they have stubbornly refused to repent in spite of the obvious testimony to himself in Scripture and to predict that they will fail to be impressed by his resurrection. It is conceivable that Luke and his readers imposed some such interpretation on these verses.
[end quote]

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/we/index.htm?article=article_05.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/20020715/article_01.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/20020601/article_02.htm

Answer 2

Jesus was showing how Jehovah was going to turn the tables on the Jews.

Verse 14 shows that the rich man in the parable pictured the Jewish Pharisees. They had the favored position and treated the common man with contempt, as if they were dogs.

Lazarus represents the spiritually needy people that depended on the Pharisees for a few scraps of spiritual nourishment.

The death of the rich man occurred on the day of Pentecost when the anointing exalted the lowly Jewish underclass to the position of sons of God, pictured in the illustration as being in the bosom position of Abraham.

The torture of the rich man was fulfilled in the Pharisees when they were tormented by the stinging message of the apostles that indicted them as murderers of Jehovah's messiah.

Answer 3

Death is liken to sleep, maybe the rich man was talking in his sleep?

or

maybe it is because in the bible the wicked are called dead (spiritually dead), even though they are alive (physically)

and the righteous are called alive (spiritually), whether they are physically dead or not.

Please note it is not a dead person who goes to the brothers, it was one who has been resurrected from the dead & not a spirit person.

31"But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'"


In parables,

Parables don't have to be literal, because we aren't looking for real sheep.

We know that real sheep aren't going to Heaven
nor are real goats going to be destroyed.

.

Answer 4

nicely, by using use of that analogy, then some added possibilities contain; Lazarus = Muslim, rich guy = Christian Lazarus = Buddhist, rich guy = Christian Lazarus = Hindu, rich guy = Christian Lazarus = Jew, rich guy = Christian Lazarus = Shinto, rich guy = Christian Lazarus = Tao/Dao, rich guy = Christian etc and so on, for each non secular guy or woman who has tried to speak to a Christian approximately their ideals. Heck, atheists or maybe agnostics ought to in superb condition into the Lazarus place besides.

Answer 5

This is a illustration by Jesus used on the Pharisees.

Knowing the mental attitude of the “rich man” class, Jesus added to his illustration a further argument prompted by the rich man. Trying to ignore or get around that chasm, he pleaded: “In that event I ask you, father, to send him [Lazarus] to the house of my father, for I have five brothers, in order that he may give them a thorough witness, that they also should not get into this place of torment.”

Observe that, while addressing Abraham as father, he speaks of a more closely related father, in whose house there are five brothers of his. Jesus knew of the religious house of Judaism, built on human tradition, to which the religious rulers belonged. It was that house that prompted the spirit of bitter persecution, even of murder. Its father was the Devil, who “was a manslayer.”
The five brothers (with the rich man making six, a symbol of the Devil’s organization) represented all the admirers and supporters of the religious rulers, and manifesting the same spirit. The rulers sought relief from being exposed, not only in their own eyes, but also in the eyes of their supporters. If these, their brothers, were figuratively to die and land in the same place, that would but add to their torment.
So, in effect, those rulers wanted the “Lazarus” class to quit the position of divine favor and give a “thorough witness,” not of the judgment message, but one that would give the appearance of things being restored to what they were prior to the inspection period, when neither the rulers nor their supporters were exposed to torment.

To endure tormenting shame and disgrace is bad enough. It is far worse if those well known to you, your own household, are involved and all alike share in the public exposure. As with the Jewish clergy of Jesus’ day, so now Christendom’s clergy and leaders find themselves in a similar position. They would like to maneuver the “Lazarus” class away from their position of rendering exclusive devotion to the Greater Abraham. Could they not be sent on a mission and, in the words of the illustration, call at the house of the rich man’s five brothers and stay long enough to give them a “thorough witness”?
In other words, make a friendly contact with the supporters of Christendom and witness to them, yes, but the kind of witness that would spare them torment. If that should happen, we may be sure that they would be made welcome and would be retained and made a part of the household of the rich man’s father, Christendom’s father, the “god of this system of things,” Satan the Devil!

Could that be done? Do you remember Abraham’s answer: “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to these.” Today these Hebrew Scriptures have been supplemented by the Christian Greek Scriptures. The “Lazarus” class and their associates, that is, all of Jehovah’s witnesses, now use the entire Bible, telling, among other things, of the reason for God’s judgment on Babylon the Great, her bloodguilt, her friendship with the world, her false doctrines, her shameless luxury, her coming destruction.

Answer 6

JESUS has been talking to his disciples about the proper use of material riches, explaining that we cannot be slaves to these and at the same time be slaves to God. The Pharisees are also listening, and they begin to sneer at Jesus because they are money lovers. So he says to them: “You are those who declare yourselves righteous before men, but God knows your hearts; because what is lofty among men is a disgusting thing in God’s sight.”

The time has come for the tables to be turned on people who are rich in worldly goods, political power, and religious control and influence. They are to be put down, and those who recognize their spiritual need are to be lifted up.
Continuing his remarks to the Pharisees, Jesus relates an illustration that features two men whose status, or situation, is eventually changed dramatically. Can you determine who the men represent and what the reversal of their situations means?

“But a certain man was rich,” Jesus explains, “and he used to deck himself with purple and linen, enjoying himself from day to day with magnificence. But a certain beggar named Lazarus used to be put at his gate, full of ulcers and desiring to be filled with the things dropping from the table of the rich man. Yes, too, the dogs would come and lick his ulcers.”

Jesus here uses the rich man to represent the Jewish religious leaders, including not only the Pharisees and the scribes but the Sadducees and the chief priests as well. They are rich in spiritual privileges and opportunities, and they conduct themselves as the rich man did. Their clothing of royal purple represents their favored position, and the white linen pictures their self-righteousness.

This proud rich-man class views the poor, common people with utter contempt, calling them ‛am ha·’a′rets, or people of the earth. The beggar Lazarus thus represents these people to whom the religious leaders deny proper spiritual nourishment and privileges. Hence, like Lazarus covered with ulcers, the common people are looked down upon as spiritually diseased and fit only to associate with dogs. Yet, those of the Lazarus class hunger and thirst for spiritual nourishment and so are at the gate seeking to receive whatever meager morsels of spiritual food may drop from the rich man’s table.

Answer 7

Good question! I asked a similar one and referred to this passage. They dodge it. You'll probably get some posts trying to point you to the watchtower but you won't get a direct answer for this. They'll dance around it because according to them you sleep forever if you're not a witness. They do not know Scripture.

Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. Matt. 22:29

Answer 8

The only reason for the story is to warn people of taking care of their salvation before the Grave...


end of story...


I see a lot of tap dancing, but there is no good direct Watchtower answer to your question