Luke 16 (NKJV)

“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. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom. “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.’ 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.” Verses 22-25

VERSE 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 has indeed been a great gulf fixed between Jew and the spiritually favored Gentile during all this long period — a gulf that has been impossible to bridge. Nothing in the parable, however, indicates that this torment of the rich man was to last forever. Other Scriptures show clearly that the time is even now here when the Jewish nation is to be restored to her former place of divine favor as the natural seed of Abraham.

What does this “great gulf fixed“ signify?

“The “great gulf fixed” represents the wide difference between the Gospel Church and the Jew—the former enjoying free grace, joy, comfort and peace, as true sons of God, and the latter holding to the Law, which condemns and torments. Prejudice, pride and error, from the Jewish side, form the bulwarks of this gulf which hinder the Jew from coming into the condition of true sons of God by accepting Christ and the gospel of his grace.

The bulwark of this gulf which hinders true sons of God from going to the Jew–under the bondage of the Law–is their knowledge that by the deeds of the Law none can be justified before God, and that if any man keep the Law (put himself under it to try to commend himself to God by reason of obedience to it), Christ shall profit him nothing. (Gal. 5:2-4.) So, then, we who are of the Lazarus class should not attempt to mix the Law and the Gospel, knowing that they cannot be mixed, and that we can do no good to those who still cling to the Law and reject the sacrifice for sins given by our Lord.

And they, not seeing the change of dispensation which took place, argue that to deny the Law as the power to save would be to deny all the past history of their race, and to deny all of

God’s special dealings with the “fathers,” (promises and dealings which through pride and selfishness they failed rightly to apprehend and use); hence they cannot come over to the bosom of Abraham, into the true rest and peace–the portion of all the true children of faith.” (John 8:39; Rom. 4:16; Gal. 3:29)

The word “fixed” seems to indicate that the gulf is a pre-determined or pre-established barrier prohibiting the Christians from giving comfort to the tormented Jews.

Would this barrier last forever? No.

Our Lord in Isa 40:1, 2, commands, “Comfort, yes, comfort my people!” Says your God. “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received from the Lord’s hand Double for all her sins.”

This “warfare” refers to a time of difficult struggle and persecution. Eventually the warfare and torment comes to an end. In fact, Israel’s restoration is represented as gathering the “dry bones” of the nation of Israel “out of your graves [to] bring you into the land of Israel” (Ezek 37:11-14). Their blindness would be removed and sins forgiven (Rom 11:25-27).

We will move on and consider Verses 27-31 in our next post, first from the literal perspective and then from the parabolic.