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.

Luke 16:19-21

Whether you understand this teaching to be another parable or an account of an actual event, there is one thing to remember. Even if it is a parable, it is not a fantasy. There are no mystical beings or places in the stories of Jesus whether they are true or in the form of a parable. That means we can take everything in the story and understand that it may have happened or it can happen.

I start my comments with this premise because we can see a factual detail in the opening of the account of Lazarus and the rich man. Namely, only one of them has a name!

No doubt, the rich man had a name while he was alive. He probably was very popular and his name and reputation were known by many men. But God thought so little of him that his name is not even mentioned. God has no concern or care for the wicked. At best, He longsuffers their deeds but ultimately judges and condemns them to everlasting torment just like this rich man.

What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

Romans 9:22

Jesus will eventually declare that He never knew the wicked. This does not mean that He did not know they existed. It means that He never foreknew or loved them.

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Matthew 7:23

Yet, just as much as God blots out the memory of the wicked, He cares deeply for His own. He loves them. He knows their names, and He is keenly aware of their pain and suffering. 

Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

Isaiah 49:16

God knows our needs. He feels out pains. For all eternity, we will be with Him resting in “The Bosom of Abraham.”