Message From The Graveyard
This Halloween scripture devotional covers a “grave” subject – One that some people avoid thinking about.
Spooky Thought: What funeral message would people give if they could return to speak at their own funerals?
Message From the Graveyard
by Karen S. Roberts
The Rich Man and the Beggar
In Luke 16, Jesus tells a story of a rich man and a beggar. Notice that Jesus says “There was a certain rich man. . .” and, later, a certain beggar named Lazarus. . .”
This seems to indicate that, in this instance, Jesus wasn’t teaching by a parable, but recounting an example from real life experience. (Or should I say real death experience?)
After the deaths of these two men from vastly different social and economic statuses, Jesus opens our vision to see into their two worlds. The rich man, in great suffering, looks up to the “bosom of Abraham”, sees Lazarus the beggar, and requests that Lazarus be sent back to earth to the rich man’s father’s house to warn his five brothers to avoid the terrible fate he has found himself in. He is in hell, suffering greatly from fire and thirst. He sees that Lazarus is in Paradise.
Abraham reminds him that his brothers have Moses and the prophets to point them in the right way. The rich man then claims that if a dead man were returned to earth, they would then listen to him and make the changes in their lives so that they could end up where Lazarus is when they die. Abraham gives the sad news that if his brothers do not heed Moses and the prophets, they would not heed even a dead man returned to the earth.
Even a Resurrection Won’t Convince Some People
Jesus knew that even though He would rise from the dead and would be seen by over 500 people, that more people would choose to NOT believe in Him than those who WOULD believe and follow Him.
A Spooky Funeral Message 
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if a person could actually return to the earth and preach their own funeral message? The fates of the rich man and Lazarus may give us the answer. You see, I believe that Saint Paul and Adolf Hitler, if allowed to attend their own funerals, would have preached the same message! It would be the strongest evangelistic message ever heard in the history of mankind.
Those who have passed on from this earth are either in heaven or hell, depending upon whether or not they placed their faith in and committed their lives to Jesus Christ. From whichever of these two places where they spend eternity, they would want to plead with those they love who are still alive and have a choice to make. What choice have YOU made?
