Doctrine of Reverse

Luke 16 tells us the story of a rich man and a poor man (Lazarus).  The rich man dressed well, lived in luxury, and was apparently healthy.  Lazarus was a beggar, diseased, dirty and ---

... lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. - Luke 16:21

If asked, "Who would you rather be, the rich man or Lazarus?" you would presumably reply, "The rich man."

We aren't told that this rich man was dishonest or irreligious or that he was worse than your average person.  We do know that he didn't use his god-provided wealth to care for another man in need.

Both men die.  Lazarus goes to heaven and the rich man goes to hell. When the rich man begs Abraham from across the gulf to send Lazarus to relieve his suffering ---

“Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish." - Luke 16:25

 Now that you have heard the rest of the story, who would you rather be, the rich man or Lazarus?  Abraham has made the point - after death, it's too late too switch.

This parable teaches that in eternity many of us will find ourselves in opposite conditions from our current situation on earth.

In the song she composed in anticipation of Christ's birth, Mary said ---

He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away with empty hands. - Luke 1:53

Jesus said ---

“God blesses you who are poor,
for the Kingdom of God is yours. What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now, for a time of awful hunger awaits you.
What sorrow awaits you who laugh now,
for your laughing will turn to mourning and sorrow." - Luke 6:20,25

The poor in spirit,those who mourn, those who are meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness and are persecuted will be relieved and fulfilled and have a great reward in heaven.  Those praised in this world will not be highly regarded in the next, and vice versa.  those who are exalted in this life will often be humbled in the next; those who are humbled here on earth will be exalted in heaven.

Those who are poor in this world will often be rich in the next, and those who are rich in this world will often be poor in the next.  The poor are reassured that the hoarding and oppressing rich will one day be punished and the honest poor will be relieved.  In Revelation 18:7, a voice from heaven says ---

She glorified herself and lived in luxury,
so match it now with torment and sorrow ..." - Revelation 18:7

Someday this upside-down world will be turned right side up.  If we are wise, we will spend our brief lives on earth positioning ourselves for the turn.






Reversal Doctrine

Is materialism simply wrong?

Jesus once asked His profit-conscious audience --

What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? - Matthew 16:26

The parable of the rich fool portrays a man who thought of himself as a successful businessman.  The essence of foolishness is that we either don't recognise the truth or we choose to ignore it.

He acted irrationally, as if he could escape death or delay it indefinitely.  He neglected to number his days and therefore failed to gain a heart of wisdom.

Scripture describes our lives like this --

... people are like the grass.
Their beauty fades as quickly
as the flowers in a field. - Isaiah 40:6

But their fame will not last. They will die, just like animals. - Psalm 49:12

We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth,
not knowing who will spend it. - Psalm 39:6

 “All men think all men are mortal but themselves,” wrote the seventeenth-century English poet Edward Young.

Why was the rich fool a fool?

“Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” Luke 12:21

That is, he did not handle money in a God-centred way.

The rich fool was too busy being successful to care  about this piece of advice --

We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us. - Ecclesiastes 5:15

Man is born with his hands clenched; he dies with his hands wide open. Entering life he desires to grasp everything; leaving the world, all that he possessed has slipped away.  Talmud

After John D. Rockefeller died his accountant was asked "how much did he leave behind?" The accountant replied "all of it."

"You never see a U-Haul behind a hearse, Ryder.
The Egyptians tried it. It doesn't work.
You can't take the money with you."

We worship materialism at our peril

C.S. Lewis and Materialism

Critiques of Materialism