S
Sam_777
Guest
I think it’s safe to say,
If the rich man is in hell, I would think as a condition of being judged and condemned by God,
- even though Jesus is telling the parable, He tells the parable in the present, not future tense. So until His death resurrection and ascension to heaven, heaven is not open yet.
- if the rich man is in purgatory, he can’t advance from where he is until Jesus does His work.
- if Abraham and Lazarus aren’t in heaven, but in some other place of comfort, they can’t advance from where they are either, until Jesus does His work…Both Lazarus and Abraham, and the rich man, have gulfs they can’t cross.
for reasons 2 & 3, I think it’s possibile the rich man is in purgatory. But we know many people think he is in hell. If the Church has made a decision on this I’ll go with the Church
- he would know he is condemned in hell, he would know he has no ability to ask for favors, or intercede for his family, because In hell there is no hope for anything good. I would think this knowledge is all part of judgement, to know this.
- he doesn’t appear to have this knowledge, because he is asking Abraham for assistance not only for himself but his family.
- And there is no indication in scripture, that people condemned in hell can communicate with people NOT in hell.
Logical answer, thank you Steve for your efforts http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon14.gif.
