The parable of Lazarus and the rich man gives a chilling warning to members of God’s church. I will print the full parable and add comments and other scriptures.

Luk 16:19  “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.

Luk 16:20  But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate,

Luk 16:21  desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

Lazarus was unconverted. He was begging for food, and God’s people don’t beg.

Psa 37:25  I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread.

Luk 16:22  So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.

Lazarus died and was buried, and sometime later was resurrected to physical life. [Abraham had been resurrected with the firstfruits, a thousand years earlier.]

Ecc 9:5  For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing, And they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten.

Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

The rich man also died.

Luk 16:22  So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.

Luk 16:23  And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Luk 13:28  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.

The rich man died and was buried in hell [the grave] and was also resurrected to flesh, to be cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death. The torment is the time between being resurrected and being killed in the lake of fire.

Dan 12:2  And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Rev 21:8  But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Both the rich man and the beggar died the first death, and both were resurrected back to flesh.

Luk 16:24  “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’

The rich man was converted and had God’s Holy Spirit. We cannot blaspheme God’s spirit until we have it.

Mat 12:31  “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.

Luk 16:25  But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.

Herein lies the reason for the rich man being cast into the lake of fire. The full account is in Mat. 25 v 34 to 46. I will just quote a few scriptures from the account. If we don’t do good; when it is in our power to do so; we will go into the lake of fire.

Mat 25:41  “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:

Mat 25:42  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;

Mat 25:46  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Luk 16:26  And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’

There is no second chance, once we get God’s Holy Spirit of life.

Luk 16:27  “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house,

Luk 16:28  for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’

Luk 16:29  Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’

Luk 16:30  And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’

Luk 16:31  But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”

The parable of Lazarus and the rich man shows that it is absolutely imperative that God’s people do good when it is in their power to do so. The rich man blasphemed God’s Spirit, by not doing good when it was in his power to do so. The following scriptures show that the principle applies to us all. There is always someone worse off than we are.

Jas 4:17  Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

1Jn 3:17  But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

Pro 3:27  Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so.

Pro 3:28  Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it,” When you have it with you.

GOD IS NOT MOCKED: we will eventually reap as we sow.

Doing good is one of the keys of the kingdom, and as such it is absolutely imperative that we do good to others; even our enemies.

Rom 12:20  Therefore “IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM; IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP COALS OF FIRE ON HIS HEAD.”

Rom 12:21  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.