Abraham's Bosom
In a series of articles I've been posting on Luke 16, the most recent was called, "A Place Hidden In The Twilight Zone" in which we began a study of Hades. Both Hebrew and Greek conceptions of this region implied that it had two compartments that were separated by a huge impassable gulf, one side for the righteous souls of the departed and one side for the wicked. This concept of two compartments is clearly visible in Luke 16. The compartment for the righteous is no longer occupied today since Jesus personally escorted them into Heaven after paying for the sins of the world. We discussed and explained all of this in the previous article.
The compartment for the souls of the righteous had a name. It was called "Paradise" by the Jews. Bible scholars also believe it was called "Abraham's Bosom" because of the way Jesus framed his story in Luke 16. Jesus said that Lazarus died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. Because of that one single phrase and because of the scholarly awareness of the two compartments in Hades, many scholars jump to the conclusion that Abraham's bosom was an Old Testament title for Paradise. But I honestly don't understand why they would hold this position since we don’t find that label used anywhere else in Scripture from either Testament, Old or New. It only appears right here in Luke 16:22 and nowhere else.
The confusion that surrounds Abraham’s bosom is nothing more than a typical case of scholarly debate making things much more complex than they need to be. Abraham’s bosom is not an Old Testament label for anything, Abraham’s bosom is simply Abraham’s bosom. Lazarus was taken to the open arms of his forefather Abraham where he was immediately embraced with a hug to his chest, like that of a father embracing one of his children. The common Jew spent their entire life longing for this embrace. So that’s where Lazarus was immediately taken upon his death. Lazarus and Abraham are seen together throughout the remainder of this story. Abraham even speaks. So there’s no reason to jump through theological hoops to unravel the mystery of what Abraham’s bosom means.
More than 2000 years before Jesus told this story, Abraham walked the earth in his 1st generation hardware. When he was in his late 70’s, he expressed his grief to the Lord about not having any children. So the Lord promised him that not only would he have a son from his own body, but that through this son, he would have descendants as innumerable as the stars of the heaven. (Genesis 15:1-6) Abraham lived long enough to see the birth of his children, his grandchildren, and now more than 2000 years later, according to Jesus, he’s still meeting his children.
The compartment for the souls of the righteous had a name. It was called "Paradise" by the Jews. Bible scholars also believe it was called "Abraham's Bosom" because of the way Jesus framed his story in Luke 16. Jesus said that Lazarus died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. Because of that one single phrase and because of the scholarly awareness of the two compartments in Hades, many scholars jump to the conclusion that Abraham's bosom was an Old Testament title for Paradise. But I honestly don't understand why they would hold this position since we don’t find that label used anywhere else in Scripture from either Testament, Old or New. It only appears right here in Luke 16:22 and nowhere else.
The confusion that surrounds Abraham’s bosom is nothing more than a typical case of scholarly debate making things much more complex than they need to be. Abraham’s bosom is not an Old Testament label for anything, Abraham’s bosom is simply Abraham’s bosom. Lazarus was taken to the open arms of his forefather Abraham where he was immediately embraced with a hug to his chest, like that of a father embracing one of his children. The common Jew spent their entire life longing for this embrace. So that’s where Lazarus was immediately taken upon his death. Lazarus and Abraham are seen together throughout the remainder of this story. Abraham even speaks. So there’s no reason to jump through theological hoops to unravel the mystery of what Abraham’s bosom means.
More than 2000 years before Jesus told this story, Abraham walked the earth in his 1st generation hardware. When he was in his late 70’s, he expressed his grief to the Lord about not having any children. So the Lord promised him that not only would he have a son from his own body, but that through this son, he would have descendants as innumerable as the stars of the heaven. (Genesis 15:1-6) Abraham lived long enough to see the birth of his children, his grandchildren, and now more than 2000 years later, according to Jesus, he’s still meeting his children.
Lazarus Crossing Over
The Erroneous Doctrine Of Soul Sleep
There Really Is A Twilight Zone
A Place Hidden In The Twilight zone
