Question:

Can someone who has passed away see what is going on on the earth or see what is going on in hell, just as the rich man saw Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom in heaven (Luke 16:23)?

Answer:

While the body is dead, the spirit is awake, “absent from the body and…present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).  The unsaved ones who die will experience torment, like the rich man in Luke 16.  This is not purgatory because no one escapes this place of torment (Luke 16:26-28).  However, this is not yet the actual lake of fire which awaits the final judgment.  Why is there a waiting period?  In Revelation 20:11-15 we read of the final judgment of the unsaved which takes place at the end of the 1,000 year reign of Christ over the earth.  Just as the believers in Christ will be raised up at the rapture prior to the 1,000 year reign, soul and spirit being clothed with a resurrection body, so the unbelievers will have their bodies resurrected and joined with soul and spirit at the end of the 1,000 years to “stand before God” at the “great white throne” to be “judged out of those things that were written in the books, according to their works” and “cast into the lake of fire.”

Returning to the original question, just as a person inside a lighted home cannot see what is going on outside on a dark night, while a person outside can see what is going on inside a lighted home, so the rich man could see into heaven while there is no indication that Lazarus could see into hell.  Luke 15:10 suggests that the souls and spirits of departed believers “in the presence of the angels of God” will know, and have joy, when souls are saved on earth.  We don’t know if they are actively observing all that happens on earth or if the Lord informs them of certain happenings, such as the salvation of a soul.  We know for sure that the primary focus of these is Christ Himself: “Today you shall be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).