The Rich Man and Moses and the Prophets

Jesus told the story of two men who had died,

an unnamed rich man and a poor man named Lazarus.

The two are separated by a great chasm that can't be crossed.

The rich man found himself on the side of torment,

while Lazarus was with Abraham in comfort. Luke 16.19-31

The rich man is able to see and speak across the chasm to Abraham.

He begs Abraham to send Lazarus from the beyond the grave...

“'send him to my father's house,

for I have five brothers,

that he may testify to them,

lest they also come

to this place of torment.’

Abraham said to him,

‘They have Moses and the prophets;

let them hear them.’

And he said,

‘No, father Abraham;

but if one goes to them from the dead,

they will *repent.’

But he said to him,

‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets,

neither will they be *persuaded

though one rise from the dead.’

Notice the parallel uses of "repent" and "persuaded."

Repent can mean "to think differently," and persuaded is "to believe something.”

The concern of the rich man is that family members don't end up where he's at. And the clear means of avoiding the place of torment is through a repentance or by being persuaded. This is consistent with Scripture that salvation is by believing in Christ alone—”that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3.14-18