In addition, parables used known physical realities (pearl, etc,) as corresponding to spiritual realities (the kingdom of God, etc.). But if the Lord was speaking in a parable about a man who died and was in torments, then for the first and only time He would be using science fiction, for according to annihilationists there is no postmortem ongoing conscious torment.Why would Jesus tell a parable that was false, misleading and contrary to the supposed reality that there is no conscious existence after death? It would be like Jesus saying that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a rock that a man threw in the ground and it grew up and became the greatest of camels. If you have Jesus basing a parable on something that was completely unconnected to any kind of reality, an explanation of what the camel and the rock supposedly represent would still be irrelevant and unresponsive to the question of why Jesus would use crazy, false and misleading fiction to illustrate something.
Cordially,
[[Why would Jesus tell a parable that was false, misleading and contrary to the supposed reality that there is no conscious existence after death?]]
He would tell a parable to get the point across that those to whom he spoke, who put so much worth on their own pious positions and wealth, were WAY off base- there is nothing false about that concept-
Please see my previous post for many reasons why this was indeed a parable meant ot convey a message about greed, wealth, and uncaring attitudes- a parable that got the p oint across just fine-
A parable is nothing more than a story meant to convey principle or instructive lesson
It is an analogy- much like saying “The man is a rock- He is solid” Both convey the principle that you can trust the man- that he is steady and won’t waver- etc-
A parable is something that shows a “comparison, illustration, analogy” for the purpose of conveying a principle-
There was nothing confusing about the parable- the principle that greed and uncaring attitudes deserve hell, while being poor and lovng others deserves Heaven- We could just as easily state that even if this was a real story, that this concept of who ‘deserves’ anything is fiction and not true and contrary to God’s word- but that is NOT the point of this parable- The point is that When money and greed become your God, you choose hell, while the poor will seek out God because they understand God can meet their needs
There was a certain star ship captain...with photon torpedoes.
Why would Jesus tell a parable that was false, misleading and contrary to the supposed reality that there is no conscious existence after death?
And what deterrent effect would being simply consumed at the end be to living a life full or satisfying every lust one can?