"And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us." -Luke 26:26
The 'chasm' phrase comes from only one single passage in the Bible- this one.
The actual source of this information was Jesus Himself, who was teaching His disciples in parables. Whether this particular illustration was descriptive or illustrative, the chasm represents a real, fixed divide, a separation after death.
This story is being told about Abraham and the rich man conversing after death, confirming that there is no alternative to or changing the way things were at that juncture.
So what is the Great Chasm? It is a boundary line of sorts. It creates a firmly established, unchanging, permanent separation of eternal souls, post-mortem. This boundary was fixed by God to be intentional and irreversible.
This is the boundary that prevents movement of souls from the comfort of the intermediate heaven to the torment the intermediate hell, and vice versa after death. Meaning, it prevents soul migration, second chances, post-death repentance or evangelism, further confirming how important our life's decisions are. "Life is simply a training ground for either heaven or hell which follows..."
But to talk about what this chasm is, would be incomplete without discussing what it is not. It is not purgatory. It is not temporary, there is no second chances to change one's preference or a chance at reversal.
Though the phrase “Great Chasm” appears only once, its theology remains consistent with the rest of Scripture, such as:
- Hebrews 9:27- “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.”
- Matthew 25:46- Eternal separation of outcomes
- Revelation 20:11–15- Final judgment with no reversal
The great chasm in Luke16 aligns with a myriad of scripture beyond these, displaying finality, not process.
Let's take a look at the story again, because there's other detail that is also very pertinent for understanding the full message being delivered here.
First, while the story might be centered around Abraham and a rich man, wealth alone wasn't particularly the focal point here. The larger issue was rejection of God, hardness of heart, and indifference to righteousness. Essentially, it is the result of the eternal conflict of choosing between good versus evil... the faith and acceptance of God or the rejection of Him. God accepts and honors your willingness to reject Him in life, thus ensuring continuity of your decision when transitioning to the life thereafter. This is the bold exclamation that earthly decisions have eternal consequences, sealed by the fate of death.
Jesus, in Luke 16:31, continues to speak to the certainty and the finality of this decision- “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” This directly addresses Christ’s resurrection and humanity’s response through continued disbelief.
The other set of truths revealed in this scripture is equally as interesting to me. According to the passage, the rich man retains consciousness. He remembers his life, recognizes Lazarus, is well aware of his fate (and regrets his choices), then finally acknowledges the authority of Scripture. This is a massive revelation, because we are being taught here that-
- The dead are conscious
- The dead retain memory
- The dead experience emotion
- The dead recognize justice
- The dead understand their condition is final
Wrapping things up, I would assume that no summary is needed for this particular article, but I will share this- Phillip Anthony Mitchell once shared in a podcast that the evidence is in front of us all. To make up our mind about Jesus, we have one question that we must answer for ourselves, was Jesus credible? If He was credible, then everything in the Bible must be accepted as truth.
I believe very much that He is, in fact, credible. I believe that there is more than enough evidence to prove the authenticity of Scripture, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and to know that we have been entrusted with the script to creations entire story. As such, the reality and the credibility of the great chasm which binds us into our eternal destiny should be one of sobering consideration. The consequence of choosing a life, nay eternity, apart from God is jarring- completely mind-boggling! People are literally being told what the future holds and the consequences of the choices thereof, and yet so many freely choose eternal torment rather than eternal bliss.
Why??
Please, please, please do your due diligence. Be 1000% certain of your position, the reasoning behind it, and why you so certainly believe what you do. Please don't bet forever based on a hunch, a feeling, or being too lazy to put in the leg work for weighing out the potential realities.
Please... for your sake, no one else's.... genuinely seek, so that you will find! There's a very good reason people risked persecution for their faith, people gratefully died for this cause, and why this belief drives the largest movement in the history of time. Consider the great chasm and what it will mean to you, then decide accordingly. You have one opportunity with eternity to ponder your decision.
If you need help talking through any of this, feel free to drop our team a note from our site. We would be happy to chat with you further!
~ Devin
Devin Osborne
