“There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” Luke 16:19-31.
There are several reasons why the parable of Lazarus and the rich man cannot be taken literally:
1. The use of the word hell. The Greek word for hell in Luke 16:23 is hadēs which is literally translated “grave,” or “death.” Hadēs is the abode of all men, good and bad, until the resurrection. Literally, Lazarus would be there also after dying. Now, the Greek word gehenna, which is not used in this parable, is used for the ‘hell’ that people experience punishment and fiery torment. The significance that Yahushua used the word hadēs and not gehenna here adds to the fact that He was speaking figuratively.
2. The idea that at death men go to a place where they suffer “torment” is completely foreign to the Bible, which plainly teaches us that “the dead know not anything” (Ecclesiasts 9:5). Yahushua Himself compared death to sleep (John 11:11, 14). To conclude from this parable alone that Yahushua was teaching that at death the wicked are taken to a place of torment and the righteous immediately go to heaven is to make Him here contradict His plain teachings on the state of the dead in other occasions, as well as the teachings of the Bible as a whole.
3. The parable describes that heaven and hell are within speaking distance. How could heaven be enjoyable if we are to witness the sufferings of our beloved family and friends without being able to alleviate their torment. If this parable were to be taken literally one would be continually pained by the sight of suffering whilst in heaven.
4. Those who take this parable as being literal and argue that “Abraham’s bosom” is only a figure of speech and that the saints are not literally all resting in his “bosom.” They also say that the proximity of heaven and hell here pictures is also purely figurative. How can parts of a parable be figurative without the whole being figurative? This is not a defined or consistent principle of interpretation.
5. In Luke 16:24, the rich man asks Abraham that Lazarus dips his finger in water to relieve the rich man of the heat of the torment. Can a drop of water from a finger alleviate the tormenting fires of hell? Again, this is figurative. Obviously, Yahushua is relating an imaginative story designed to make a certain and particular truth clear concerning the relationship between this life and the next, how the works of this life determine which life we receive in the end, and does not intend His words to be taken literally.
For more Bible verses on this much confused Bible parable, please read: The Rich Man and Lazarus.
Here is a review of some points to keep in mind about this parable:
A. Abraham's bosom is not heaven (Hebrews 11:8-10, 16).
B. People in hell can't talk to those in Heaven (Isaiah 65:17).
C. The dead are in their graves (Job 17:13; John 5:28, 29). The rich man was in bodily form with eyes, a tongue, etc., yet we know that the body does not go to hell at death. It is very obvious that the body remains in the grave, as the Bible says.
D. Men are rewarded at Yahushua's second coming, not at death (Revelation 22:11, 12).
E. The lost are punished in hell at the end of the world, not when they die (Matthew 13:40-42). The point of the story is found in verse 31 of Luke 16. Parables cannot be taken literally. If we took parables literally, then we must believe that trees talk! (See this parable in Judges 9:8-15.)