In order to emphasize his teaching concerning the peril of riches, the Lord Jesus told the story, an historical account, of two men of opposite characters and stations in life. This narration concerns a rich man, who clothed himself in purple and fine linen, and who ate of the fat of the land, and Lazarus, a poor beggar, who was laid at the rich man's gate, and who was desirous of eating simply the crumbs that fell from the latter's table. The poor man had some skin disease, for he was "full of sores." He was physically unfit to work and hence had to beg and depend upon the small offerings that were given to him by people whose hearts were tender toward the unfortunate.

Finally, these two men died. Like all other people who had lived from Adam to that time, they departed this life through the exit of death and went down into Hades (which is in the central part of the earth, and which is known in the Old Testament as Sheol, but in the New Testament is called Hades). There are two compartments of this spirit world, as our Lord revealed. One of them is the place to which the saved went; the other, the place to which the lost and unsaved descended. There was a very wide gulf separating these two localities, over which no one could pass from one place to the other.

Though the person descending to Hades could not leave the compartment to which he was consigned, he could see across the gulf to the other side and could have conversation with those in the other compartment. An additional bit of information on this subject is to be found in Matthew 26:64, in the language which Jesus spoke to Caiaphas the high priest: "Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Henceforth ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven." The Lord Jesus knew that He was going to be killed, that He would be buried, and that He would rise from the dead. Later, He would ascend to the right hand of the throne of God. Caiaphas, likewise, would die, but instead of going to heaven he would descend to Hades. Yet from this place, according to the words of our Lord he could look up to heaven and see the Lord Jesus seated at the right hand of the throne of God. This passage shows that those who went down to Hades, that is, the lost, could see, not only across the gulf to where the saved were, but also into the very presence of God in the heavens of the heavens.

The rich man was in a place of torment, whereas the beggar, Lazarus, was associated with Abraham, the father of the faithful, in the place that was called Paradise and was in sweet communion and fellowship with Abraham and other saved ones. The rich man--realizing the suffering where he was, and knowing that it was impossible for him to extricate himself from the place of torment--asked Abraham to send Lazarus to dip his finger in water and to cool his tongue. But of course this was an impossibility. Abraham therefore denied the request.

Then the rich man besought Abraham to send Lazarus back to earth to warn his brothers not to come to the place to which he had gone. This request also was denied, as an impossibility. Abraham stated to him; "They [the rich man's brothers] have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them" (16:29). But the rich man insisted that, if one were to rise from the dead, certainly his brothers would give heed. But Abraham answered by saying, "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, if one rise from the dead."

Some have called this narration "the parable of the rich man and Lazarus." There is nothing in the passage that speaks of it as a parable. Jesus tells this story just as He would when He was talking about a most serious and solemn reality. There is no occasion for our thinking that this narration is a parable. On the contrary, it is a statement dealing with a stark reality.

Prior to the victory that Christ won at the cross, all men and women went to Hades, just as did the rich man and Lazarus, the righteous going to the compartment prepared for them, and the unrighteous going to the place to which the rich man went. But when the Lord Jesus Christ was put to death in the flesh, He went, in the spirit, and proclaimed a message to the spirits that were in prison, and that were disobedient in the days of Noah (I Peter 3:18-22). At that time He seized the keys of death and Hades, opened up that apartment where the righteous were in confinement, and led them forth and brought them out of Hades. When He ascended on high, He led them back to the Father's house (Eph. 4:8-10). They, in their spirit form, are awaiting the time of the resurrection.

The believer in Christ today, upon death, steps out of his house of clay--his mortal body--and enters into the presence of the Lord in heaven. He remains there, awaiting the time when Jesus shall "descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first." Then all the living saints "shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thess. 4:16-18).

Praise God that the believer, upon death, goes immediately into the presence of Christ (I Thess. 4:13ff) and there awaits the dawning of that glorious morning!