WHEN PRAYER BECOMES TOO LATE (1)

Luke 16:19 says “there was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores.”

This man was very rich, always well dressed and always well fed. There was another man called Lazarus who was a beggar with sores that was always by this rich man’s gate. The meaning of Lazarus is God is my help.

Verse 22: “and it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried.”

We were not told who carried the rich man where he went, certainly not the angels of the living God. Whenever a righteous man is about to die, the angels of God will gather because the bible says, “precious is the death of the saint in his sight” (psalm 116:15).
But when a child of the devil is about to die, demonic spirits will come to collect him, they harvest him. I pray that the enemy will not harvest you in Jesus name.

Verse 23-24: “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”  Normally, when some rich men come to meetings, they don’t raise their voices or cry in prayer, some do not even pray. But this man arrived at a place where he had raised up his voice. He cried! Verse 25: “But Abraham said, Son, remember thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted and thou art tormented.” It means that when people die and go to heaven or hell fire, they will still be able to remember what happened during their lifetime on earth. Those who are already in hell fire are saying, “Let somebody tell them to stop these things so that they won’t end up like us.” This rich man was a nice man; he had his family interest at heart but all the same he still went to hell fire. Verse 28-31: “For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, they have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. and he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets; neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”

In the foregoing, we read a factual story told by the lord Jesus Christ about an unanswered prayer request by a man in hell fire. This goes a long way to tell us that so many souls will repent in hell but it would have been too late. Jesus was the most perfect gentle man that ever lived on earth. Jesus was always telling people the blunt truth more than any other preacher in the bible. He always went straight to the point.