Introduction
Death is a sobering reality; everyone lives on God’s borrowed time. Death comes for everyone, to anyone, at any time, and no one can stop it. In Genesis, Methuselah lived 969 years, and he died (Genesis 5:27), but on average, just as the amazing Bible explains, our days are seventy or eighty years (Psalm 90:10). It is a mistake to believe that death is extinction, unconscious nothingness, or the end of personhood. Death is not annihilation; rather, it ends one mode of existence—the earthly and fleshly—and transitions the individual into a new mode of existence, either in Christ or outside of Christ.
There are three types of death: physical death, where the soul and body separate; spiritual death, which is separation from God; and eternal death, the second death, where one remains in heaven or hell forever. Death was brought into the world by the curse of God as a judicial response to the consequences of sin. It is the natural effect of humanity’s rebellion, conformed by God’s law and tied to the curse. As Romans 5:12 states, sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, affecting all humanity. However, not all death is equal. The quality of death is different for every person because how one lives today determines the kind of death they will experience.
Living Well is Not Enough
The first sobering truth is that living well is not enough to result in being separated unto God. A person can be respected, wealthy, and successful in the eyes of the world without a guarantee of going to heaven. Jesus describes the rich man in this passage with vivid detail, noting he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. Purple fabric represented royalty, luxury, and power, and this man feasted sumptuously every single day, not merely occasionally (Luke 16:19).
Jesus did not charge the rich man with a specific crime or dishonest character, but his habitual life of luxury revealed a life full of sin and an orientation centered entirely on self. It is not a matter of perfection but orientation; the rich man turned blessings into self-service rather than stewardship for God. He did not deny himself; he avoided the cross (Luke 9:23) and, while he gained the whole world, forfeited his own soul (Luke 9:25). Those who live blindly and recklessly for themselves, ignoring Jesus, will eventually hear the ultimate response: “Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23).
Living Right is Essential
The second sobering truth is that living right is essential to being separated unto God in death. No one is born to live right, and if life were fair, everyone would be hanging on a cross (Romans 3:10). Living right is impossible through human trials or inventions; it is only possible through being justified by faith and having peace with God through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). Jesus specifically names Lazarus, whose name means “God helps,” showing that while many are called, few are chosen.
The life of Lazarus reflects a spirit in complete poverty; he had nothing to offer God and relied entirely on His mercy. True Christians are “poor in spirit,” possessing a humility that knows they need only what God provides (Matthew 5:3). Lazarus was content even with crumbs, showing that living right is the fruit of salvation, not the root. This orientation of total dependence on God’s mercy is the most necessary fit for being separated unto God.
Everyone Dies and the Consequences Follow
The third sobering truth is that everyone dies, and the consequences follow. Both the rich man and Lazarus died, but their deaths were not equal. When Lazarus died, he was carried away by angels to Abraham’s side. This royal escort language implies that after a Christian dies, it is a grand homecoming where God notices and initiates a glorified transition. For the believer, death is a relocation, not a loss; because they have been crucified with Christ, they have already gone through the first death and only eternity remains. Death loses its power to harm and becomes a gateway to Chris,t where no more tears or sin exist. Abraham’s side is a place of comfort, safety, and rest, where the believer is a companion of the righteous in the joy of God.
In contrast, the rich man also died and was buried. His death was miserable and empty because he had no Jesus. He was not carried by angels; he was simply buried, which represents the emptiness of a final earthly end. While a non-Christian might have an impressive funeral with beautiful eulogies, they enter a state of conscious separation from God and immediate regret. They must face the final Judge, and for them, death is not a gateway but a wall. For the non-believer, eternal suffering starts at death because they have no hope in Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
Everyone is living on God’s borrowed time, and this precious time must be used wisely for salvation. If a person is not yet saved, they must repent and trust the Lord, not testing God’s patience. If saved, the call is to worship, love, and obey Him in all circumstances, enjoying the transformation God has provided. God can transform those who used to be like the rich man into those like Lazarus, who totally depend on the Lord. While life on this earth will end, those in Christ have a guarantee that it is not the end, but a gateway to a perfect and eternal home because Jesus did everything perfectly.
BIBLE COMMUNITY CHURCH 
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