QUESTION:  How did Lazarus and rich man have a conversation while one was in heaven and the other in hell?

ANSWER:  The account of Lazarus and the rich man was given by the Lord Jesus, Himself, and is found in Luke 16: 19-31.  I say ‘account’ rather than ‘parable’ because this was an actual event.  If you look at the parables the Lord gave while on the earth, you will see He always identified His parables as such.  (Matthew 13:18, 24, 31, 33; Mark 13:28; Luke 5:36; and John 10:6 are just a few examples.)  He does not say the account of Lazarus and the rich man was a parable.  Also, in the Lord’s parables, He never ascribes a name to someone in the parable.  Here, He mentions Lazarus by name.  It is also good to realize there are two men named Lazarus in the Bible.  The other Lazarus had two sisters, Mary and Martha, and they lived in Bethany. (Read John 11:1).  The Lazarus we have before us now, is not that man.  In fact, here in Luke 16 is the only place we read of him.  

In the account we are now considering, there was a rich man whose name is not given, and a very poor man named Lazarus, who was so poor (and probably infirmed, being full of sores) that he had to beg for his food.  In due time, both men died.  Notice that Lazarus was escorted into Abraham’s bosom by two angels in verse 22.  That same verse says simply that the rich man “also died, and was buried.”  There is no mention of an escort, but verse 23 informs us that this rich man was in Hell, or Hades, and was in torment.  Verse 25 assures us that Lazarus was comforted in Abraham’s bosom.  

You asked how Lazarus and the rich man could have a conversation since the rich man was in Hell and Lazarus was in Heaven.  Abraham’s bosom is a phrase taken from the practice of reclining at meals, where the head of one lay on the bosom of another, and the phrase therefore expresses intimacy and friendship.  This Lazarus who had lived a life of suffering ‘evil things’, which shows a desperate and poor life, was now comfortable in the arms of God, symbolized in the person of Abraham.  Let’s look at a few particular facts about these two men.
• While we know the rich man could see Lazarus (verse 23), we do not read that Lazarus could see the rich man.  This makes sense because Lazarus was now living in the light of God’s presence while the rich man was in outer darkness. (Read Matthew 22:13). From the dark it is easy to see things that are in the light.  In the light, we cannot see those things that are in the dark. 
• We see that the rich man addressed Abraham (verses 24, 27-28, 30), but we do not see that the rich man ever spoke to Lazarus, or that Lazarus ever spoke to him. 

It is so pitiful that the first words the rich man said to Abraham was, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me…” (verse 24).  We read in Ephesians 2:4-5, “But God, who is RICH IN MERCY, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved.)”  However, the rich man was now beyond God’s mercy.  The mercy of God is offered to those still living, but the rich man’s life was over and there was no mercy for him.  In desperation, the rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus with just a drop of water from his fingertip. (verse 24). He dared not ask for more, but even that tiny bit of mercy was denied him. 

Realizing there was no mercy for him, the rich man sought the welfare of his brothers.  We read of the rich man in Luke 16:27-28, “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.”  He was in such torment that he realized he did not want any of his five brothers to come to such a place.  The response given still speaks volumes to us today. “Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.” (verse 29).  Moses and the prophets represent the teachings of the Old Testament.  The rich man’s brothers could read their Bible to find that through faith, they could be saved.  The rich man thought the appearance of a dead man raised back to life would convince his brothers to be saved.  That is not true!  We read in verse 31, “…If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”  It is the power of the Word of God that is able to convict a person of his sins and bring him to faith in Christ.  The Apostle Paul said in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”  Dear reader, do you know Christ as your savior?  If not, I plead with you now to put your faith in Him as the One who loved you and gave His life for you as payment of your sin debt.  I encourage you to be one of those “that believe to the saving of the soul.”  (Hebrews 10:39).