At Luke 16:19-31, Jesus Christ provided a figurative description of Hades (a/k/a Sheol), a literal place. Before the resurrection of Jesus Christ, all of the dead (both believers and unbelievers) went to Hades after their death, but the two groups were described as being separated into two different compartments. The unbelievers were described as being in the lower parts of Hades. The Greek noun hadēs (used in the New Testament) is defined as “the place (state) of the departed souls” or “the realm of the dead.”[1] The Hebrew noun šᵊ’ôl (used in the Old Testament) is defined as “hades or the world of the dead” or “the underworld.”[2]
It is important to note that the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus was told by Jesus, who often taught Spiritual truths using parables. A parable is a short, primarily fictitious, and symbolic story used to teach spiritual truths.[3] At Luke 16:19, Jesus said, “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, enjoying himself in splendor every day.” The rich man lived in luxury and enjoyed the best of material blessings in this life. Jesus did not give him a personal name. He was presumably a wealthy Jewish aristocrat, who was not a believer. At Luke 16:20, we read, “And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his [the Rich Man’s] gate, covered with sores.”
It should be noted that the poor man was given a personal name by Jesus. This communicates that God has an intimate and personal relationship with His people, to include an intimate understanding of their suffering. Jesus called him “Lazarus.” Lazarus (“Eleazer” in the Hebrew) means “whom God helps.”[4] Paul noted that faith was a gift from God. At Ephesians 2:8, we read, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Faith is a gift of God to the humble, weak, and to those who acknowledge their dependence on God. The humble and weak draw near to God in response to God’s universal call to humanity through God’s Spirit, Word, and creation. The humble and weak receive the gift of faith. So, it is very fitting that Jesus gave the poor man the name of “Lazarus,” meaning “whom God helps.”
At Luke 16:21-22, we further read, “and longing to be fed from the scraps which fell from the rich man’s table; not only that, the dogs also were coming and licking his sores.” Even though Lazarus was weak and in need, God was very much aware of Lazarus’s condition. God’s creation, itself, was showing kindness to Lazarus. Note the image of the dogs licking Lazarus’s sores.
At Luke 16:22, we read, “Now it happened that the poor man [Lazarus] died, and he was carried away by angels to Abraham’s arms [bosom], and the rich man also died and was buried.” Please note that the death of Lazarus was a big deal. Lazarus was carried to Abraham’s arms by angels. At Psalm 116:15, we read, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones.” The Hebrew adjective ḥāsîḏ is defined as “kind, pious, holy, a saint, [or] godly.”[5]
Lazarus, a person of faith, was taken to be with Abraham, the archetypal man of faith. Abraham is the father of the Israelite people, but he is also the spiritual father of every believer (Jew or Gentile). The person of Lazarus is a powerful and dramatic image demonstrating that we believers must come to God in humility, recognizing our weakness and dependence on God. A Biblical Image is defined as a “figurative or symbolic representation used in Scripture to reveal, emphasize, or illustrate a spiritual truth….”[6] We, like Lazarus, are poor beggars, who come to the Lord in need. We are not self-sufficient. On the other hand, the Rich Man is an image of those who rely upon their own self-sufficiency and inherent capacity. Such humans are blinded by the assets they received at their first birth. At James 4:6, we read, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
At Luke 16:23, we read that the Rich Man “raised his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his arms.” This is a very powerful image. Remember, Jesus is describing a literal place with figurative language. The Rich Man is far away from Abraham and Lazarus. The Rich Man is in the “lower parts” of Hades, and he is looking up towards Abraham and Lazarus. The Rich Man is in a place of suffering and discomfort. However, interestingly, the Rich Man does not appear to be angry, hostile, or bitter.
At Luke 16:24, we read that the Rich Man called out, “Father Abraham have mercy on me and send Lazarus, so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.” The request from the Rich Man signals to the listener or reader an obvious break in reality that reminds us that Jesus is telling a fictitious story to teach spiritual truths. Water placed on the tip of Lazarus’s finger and then placed on the Rich Man’s tongue would provide no relief to one in literal flames. Again, this is a fictitious story used by Jesus to explain a literal place. The “flames” are an image of God’s judgment (a/k/a wrath). In my opinion, God’s wrath, pictured in Hades, has the divine purpose of punishment and reformation.
Also, please note that Abraham is very loving and kind. He is not dismissive, angry, or hostile toward the Rich Man. Abraham stated, “Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony” (Luke 16:25). Then Abraham noted, “And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set, so that those who want to go over from here to you will not be able, nor will any people cross over from there to us” (Luke 16:26). Remember, this is an Old Testament image of the afterlife for all of the dead. Before Christ, every human went to Hades (a/k/a Sheol) after this life, but there was a great division between the people of faith versus those that never believed in this life.
Since Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, there has been a dramatic change. The people of faith now go to Heaven at their death, but those that never believed in this life still go to and will remain in the lower parts of Hades until the resurrection of all. Hades functions as an uncomfortable prison, and God has the power to subdue all things to Himself (Phil. 3:21). Additionally, in my opinion, Ephesians 4:8 teaches us that all of those of faith who predated Christ were transported from Hades to Heaven by Christ at his ascension: “When He [Jesus] ascended on high, He led captive the captives….”
Then the Rich Man said, “Then I request of you, father, that you send him [Lazarus] to my father’s house – for I have five brothers – in order that he may warn them, so that they will not come to this place of torment as well” (Luke 16:27-28). The mention of the Rich Man having five brothers is a very important description provided by Jesus. During the time of Jesus’s crucifixion, Caiaphas was the High Priest, who pushed for the death of Jesus. Luke tells us that Caiaphas served in the Priesthood alongside his father-in-law, Annas (AD 18- AD 36). Annas, had solely served as the High Priest from AD 6 to AD 15. Thereafter, for many decades, Annas remained a major power broker in Jerusalem. In addition to his son-in-law, Caiaphas, Annas had five sons, who also served as the High Priest. Remarkably, the family of Annas was antagonistic to Jesus, His family, and His followers for decades – almost 40 years. Around AD 62, the last son of Annas, who was called Annas the Younger, presided over the illegal execution of James, the Lord’s half-brother. In my opinion, Jesus’s mention of five brothers was too much of a coincidence to ignore.
In closing, at Luke 16:29-31, we read,
But Abraham said, ‘They [the Annas family] have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ But he [the Rich Man] said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ But he [Abraham] said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.”
Of course, Jesus did rise from the dead, and most were not persuaded to repent and seek God. Even now, there is a general call to all of humanity by means of God’s Spirit, Word, and creation, but, sadly, most do not draw near to God. The story of Lazarus and the Rich Man teaches us that those who recognize that they are weak, humble beggars will draw near to God because they acknowledge and realize their inherent weakness and need for God. The wealthy of this world often see no need. They are complacent in their self-sufficiency.
As stated earlier, the believing dead now reside in Heaven. Humans in Heaven are generally described as consisting of 3 categories: 1) the General Assembly, 2) the assembly of the Firstborn, and 3) the Righteous Made Perfect. At Hebrews 12:22-23, we read the following:
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and the church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect…
Please note that the heavenly Jerusalem is called Mount Zion, and it is inhabited by myriads of angels, meaning an uncountable number. In my opinion, the General Assembly describes the broad category of those humans who believed while in this life. The Assembly of the Firstborn describes faithful, righteous, and mature believers. The “spirits of the righteous made perfect” describes elder believers, meaning those faithful believers who loved God wholly and completely. This final category of believers describes the Heroes of Faith like Abraham, Moses, Peter, and Paul, etc. (see Heb. 11). At Philippians 3:20, we believers are described as being citizens of Heaven, who eagerly await the return of their Savior to Planet Earth. Unbelievers are not described as being citizens of Heaven. In fact, in my opinion, the unbelievers are waiting in the lower parts of Hades for the resurrection of all.
The Bible consistently describes a future resurrection of all (Dan. 12; John 5:28-29). The resurrection of all is described as consisting generally of two categories: 1) a resurrection to life, and 2) a resurrection to judgment. In my opinion, only faithful believers will receive a resurrection to life. They will uniquely share in the life, honor, and glory of God. In contrast, the unfaithful (whether believers or unbelievers) will experience a resurrection to judgment, meaning an inferior resurrection. Those that did not believe and the unfaithful will not uniquely share in the life, glory, and honor of God. Finally, as stated on multiple occasions, our Endstate is every knee bowing and every mouth praising God (Isa. 45:23; Rom 14:11; Phil. 2:10). At Daniel 7:14, we read, “And to Him [Jesus Christ] was given dominion, honor, and a kingdom, so that all peoples, nations, and populations of all languages might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion….” All died in Adam, and all will be made alive in Christ (1 Cor. 15:22).
For more information regarding this subject matter, please see this YouTube Bible Class:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuJvBpmRSR0
[1] “G86 – hadēs – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (nasb20).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 2 Jun, 2025. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g86/nasb20/mgnt/0-1/>.
[2] “H7585 – šᵊ’ôl – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (nasb20).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 2 Jun, 2025. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h7585/nasb20/wlc/0-1/>.
[3] “What is a parable” prompt. ChatGPT, BPT-4, Open AI, 2 Jun 2025, chat.openai.com/chat.
[4] “G2976 – lazaros – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (nasb20).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 2 Jun, 2025. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2976/nasb20/mgnt/0-1/>.
[5] “H2623 – ḥāsîḏ – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (nasb20).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 2 Jun, 2025. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h2623/nasb20/wlc/0-1/>.
[6] “What is a Biblical Image” prompt. ChatGPT, GPT-4, Open AI, 2 Jun. 2025, chat.openai.com/chat.
