The Rich Young Man
Parable Of The Rich Man And Lazarus
Great Rewards In Heaven And On Earth

The Rich Young Man
And Jesus went His way, and as He went a young man ran, knelt down at His feet and said, “Good master, tell me what to do that I may have eternal life.”
And Jesus said, “Why do you call me good? No one is truly good but God Himself.
And God has said, ‘If you would enter into life, keep the Commandments of the law.’”
The young man asked, “To which commands did God refer?”
And Jesus said, “You shall not kill. You shall not steal. You shall not do adulterous things. You shall not testify, falsely. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and you shall love your neighbour as yourself.”
The man replied, “All these things I have observed from youth. What do I still lack?”
And Jesus said, “One thing you lack. Your heart is fixed on things of earth. You are not free. Go forth and sell all that you have, and give your money to the poor, and come follow me, and you shall have eternal life.”

The man was grieved at what the Master said, for he was rich. He hid his face and went on his way in sorrow. And Jesus looked upon the sorrowing man and said, “It is very hard for people who love and hoard wealth to enter through the door into the kingdom of the soul.” And his disciples were amazed at what He said. Therefore, He answered them and said, “I tell you, men, that they who trust in riches cannot trust in God, and cannot come into the kingdom of the soul. Yes, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a man who loves and hoards wealth to find the way of life.”

x And his disciples said, “Who then can find the way? Who can be saved?”
And Jesus said, “The rich may give his gold away. The high may kiss the dust (learn to be humble and serviceable), and God will save.”

And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

And those who heard it said, "Who then can be saved?"

But He said, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."

Then Peter said, "See, we have left all and followed You."

So He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present or future lifetime, and in the age to come eternal life."

Only God is righteous, because only God has and is the Holy Spirit, which is the spirit of righteousness. Jesus Christ is righteous because Himself is God Almighty in human form.

Parable Of The Rich Man And Lazarus
Then Jesus spoke this parable to them, saying, “A rich man lived in splendid state. He wore the finest garments that people could make. His boards were loaded with the costliest possessions of the land. A beggar, blind and lame, whose name was Lazarus, used to sit beside the waste gate of this home that he might share with dogs the refuse from the rich man's house. It came to pass that Lazarus died, and Angels carried him away unto the bosom of our father Abraham. The rich man also died, and he was buried in a costly tomb.

“But in the purifying hell fires, the rich man opened up his eyes, dissatisfied. He looked and saw the beggar resting peacefully in the bosom of his father Abraham, and in the bitterness of soul the rich man cried, ‘My father, Abraham, look down in mercy on your son. I am tormented in these flames. Send Lazarus, I beseech you, that he may give me just a cup of water to cool my parched tongue.’
“But Abraham replied, ‘My son, in mortal life, you had the best things of the earth and Lazarus had the worst, and you would not give him a cup of water there, but drove him from your door. The law must be fulfilled, and Lazarus now is comforted, and you are paying what you owe. Besides, there is a great gulf fixed between your zone and ours, and if I would I could not send Lazarus to you, and you cannot come up to us till you have paid your debts.’

“Again the man in anguish said, ‘O father Abraham, I pray, send Lazarus back to earth, and to my father's house, that he may tell my brothers who are yet on earthly life, for I have five of them, about the horrors of this place, lest they come down to me here and not to you.’
And Abraham replied, ‘They have the words of Moses and the prophets, let them hear the books of the laws and the prophets.’
The man replied, ‘They will not hearken to the written word. But if a man would go up from the grave, they might believe.’

“But Abraham replied, ‘If they would not hear the words of Moses and the prophets, they would also not be persuaded even though one from the dead stood in their midst to warn them.’”

Great Rewards In Heaven And On Earth

And Peter said, “Lord, we have left all we have to follow you. And what is our reward?”
And Jesus said, “Most verily I say to you, that you who have left all to follow me shall come into a newness of a life hid deep with Christ, in God. And you shall sit with me in the thrones of power, and judge with me the twelve tribes of Israel. And he who conquers carnal self, and follows me to the end shall have a hundred fold of that which is the wealth of life on earth, and in the world to come, eternal life.”

Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?"

So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, in the new age, in future reincarnations and in heaven, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. Matthew 19:27-29

God Takes Eternity Into Consideration
The Lord was standing by the sea. The multitudes were there, and one stood forth and said, “Does God bestow rewards as men bestow rewards, for what is done?”
And Jesus said, “Men never know what other men have done, this life is such a seeming life. One man may seem to do a mighty work, and be adjudged by men as worthy of a great reward. Another man may seem to be a failure in the harvest fields of life, and be dishonoured in the face of men. Men do not know the hearts of men. Only God knows the hearts of men, and when the day is done, God may reward with life the man who fell beneath the burdens of the day, and turn away the man who was the idol of the hearts of men. God and His Angels take the past, present and future lifetimes into consideration.”

Why It Is Hard For A Rich Man To Enter The Kingdom Of Heaven:

1. They are always thinking of their money and wealth, instead of being God-conscious.

2. They trust more in their riches than they trust in God.

3. They boast of money and riches, instead of boasting of God.

4. Most of them enjoy their wealth without extending the benefits to others around them.

5. They are always busy planning about their business engagements. Therefore, they have no time for God. Cares and worries of everyday life occupy their hearts.

6. They do not prepare themselves for spiritual life, which is everlasting.

7. Many of them do not believe in the life after. The world is all they care about.

8. They are usually selfish.

9. They use their positions, possessions, connections and influences to intimidate the poor and the needy.

10. Many of them use charms, cultic powers, which are contrary to the dictates of the Holy Spirit.

11. In many cases, what a rich man considers as his money and wealth are the wealth of humanity, which have been directly or indirectly stolen from the public, by fair or fowl means.

12. The more money and wealth they have, the more connections they make and the harder it becomes for them to study and practise Spiritual Science.

13. In spirit, and in the heavens, money and wealth are irrelevant. Therefore, the lives of the famous or popular men and women in the world, as in heaven, are just like wasted years. It is sufficient to have our daily bread.

14. They do not prepare themselves for spiritual life in heaven, because they neglect to study and practise Spiritual Science.

15. In spirit, earthly businesses and industries do not exist. Therefore, rich and wealth men become like a fish thrown out of water, and like a bird whose wings are clipped.

16. Etc.

It Is Also Easy For A Rich Man To Enter The Kingdom Of Heaven

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"

But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:23-26

Explanations:

1. It is easy for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven, if they live according to the paths of righteousness.

2. God is God of riches. Among the richest men of the world, men of God numbered among the best. For example, Abraham was so wealthy in Canaan that the Canaanites feared him. The same was true of Isaac. What of King Solomon? He was unsurpassed in wealth. For a rich man to enter the kingdom, he should:

3. Extend his wealth to others around him.

4. Trust in God, not in money, wealth, connection or power.

5. Not allow his business engagements to prevent him from serving and worshipping God.

6. Where he neglects to do the above things, in his future reincarnation, God will save him by first removing all riches from him. Then, the person becomes a poor man, and would have time to think about God and participate in God’s work.