In an article, you wrote you said something that I have not been able to thus far prove – (the rich man’s name was Dives). In the Lord’s parables, the characters weren’t named. My question is: Where did you find this reference?
The name Dives (Dee-ves) comes from the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible. Since Dives means “rich man” in Latin most scholars believe this is a tradition rather than an established fact.
You’re correct in saying that in the Lord’s parables characters aren’t named, so because the main character, Lazarus, is named this can’t be a parable. Instead it’s the Bible’s clearest glimpse into the after world, and gives clear direction on the need to settle the salvation issue before dying. Hebr. 9:27 tells us that man is destined to die once and after that to face judgment.