We live in the physical world; we have bodies and we have brains: we are living souls. We have personalities and we have memories. We have desires and we have goals. So, the question is how do all these personal possessions transition after death?

There have been many people who claim to have died, experienced the “other side,” and come back to tell about it. However, these accounts, as fascinating as they are, really cannot be trusted; there are many things that could affect their testimonies such as drugs and/or hallucinations due to lack of blood flow. Fortunately, we have an account in the Bible that can answer many of our questions, and since this account was told by Jesus himself, we know it is true. This account is about Lazarus and the rich man. This is not a parable, it is an actual account; we know this because specific names were used: Lazarus and Abraham, not just some generic Abraham, but “the” Abraham from the book of Genesis. Here is the Biblical account:

Luke 16:19  “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.

Luke 16:20  And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,

Luke 16:21  who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.

Luke 16:22  The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried,

Luke 16:23  and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.

Luke 16:24  And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’

Luke 16:25  But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.

Luke 16:26  And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’

Luke 16:27  And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house—

Luke 16:28  for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’

Luke 16:29  But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’

Luke 16:30  And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’

Luke 16:31  He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'” (ESV – words of Jesus in red)

From this account, we can answer the following questions: Where did they go? Did they keep their memory? Did they retain their physical bodies and senses? Did they keep their personalities? Let’s take these one at a time:

Where did they go?

Lazarus went to be with Abraham and was comforted (Luke 16:25); the rich man went to Hades where he was in torment (Luke 16:23). There was a deep chasm between the two places, and neither side could cross over to the other side, but they could see one another and verbally communicate from one side to the other.

Did they have memory after death?

Yes, they did have memory after their brains stopped working. Even though their neurons and dendrites rotted, their memory lived on. The rich man saw Lazarus and recognized him. Surprisingly, the rich man not only recognized Lazarus, but also recognized Abraham; this would imply that the rich man had an enhanced memory/knowledge and awareness of things he had never seen. Continuing on, we also see that the rich man remembered that he had five brothers, another indication of his earthly memory. Abraham too had an enhanced awareness and memory; he spoke of Moses and the prophets, all of whom lived many years after Abraham died.

Did they have bodies and senses of sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste after death?

Both Lazarus and the rich man had bodies. We know that Lazarus had a body because he was seen by the rich man and recognized. The rich man was experiencing excessive heat and thirst; he wanted Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and touch his tongue (the rich man’s) so he could feel some cooling relief. This would indicate that he had a body and similar senses to those he had while alive on earth.

Lazarus was being comforted which would show that he was in a good spiritual as well as physical state. Also, we know that they all had eyes to see, ears to hear, tongues to taste, and fingers to touch. So, all of this would lead us to believe that our characters in this account had DNA and it was performing in a similar fashion to how it performed before death.

Did they keep their personality after death?

It appears that the rich man did keep his personality. The rich man was accustomed to getting his way by ordering people around. In this account, the rich man implored Abraham to order Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool his (the rich man’s) tongue, and also ordered Abraham to send Lazarus back to earth to witness to his five brothers. The rich man knew that Abraham was high in the spiritual realm, but assumed that Lazarus was still a lowly outcast. Therefore, the rich man presumed that his power and authority conveyed to life after death. He presumed that both he and Abraham were men of importance, and therefore Lazarus, the low man, should do tasks when ordered. Abraham, however, did not hearken to the demands of the rich man and reproved him.

Note: This account mentions Lazarus by name, but not the rich man; he is simply referred to as the “rich man.” This shows us that Jesus knew Lazarus, but not the rich man. This is consistent with many scriptures including Luke 13:27 and Matthew 7:23:

Luke 13:27  But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all
ye
workers of iniquity.

Matthew 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Final thoughts

It is important to understand that this account of life after death was before the resurrection of Jesus. The New Testament teaches that when Christians die, they instantly go to be with Jesus. However, the account of Lazarus and the rich man presents some interesting clues concerning memories, senses, DNA, and personalities. It also implies that, like Abraham, we will inherit enhanced awareness, knowledge and memory.

One clue is missing from this account, and that is the words of Lazarus. Wouldn’t it be interesting to hear Lazarus’ thoughts? Would he have said to the rich man: “Now you are getting yours,” or “I forgive you,” or “I do not know you?” Perhaps Lazarus was being spared the unpleasantness of dealing with the rich man, but for now, his thoughts remain a mystery.

Dear children and friends, The Bible is truth and the account of Lazarus, the rich man and Abraham may be used to better understand “the other side.”