The first thing we have to account for is Abraham's bosom. The meaning of this is simple, Lazarus was being consoled by Abraham: Abraham was giving Lazarus a hug. That's how simple it is.
The Bosom of Abraham
Answer 1
As we still have to ask God/Jesus for forgiveness, as we always did, why was a crucifixion necessary?
Spirits in Prison – Part 2
The last piece of the puzzle which we have to solve is whether or not Jesus, having descended into the lower parts of the Earth, then took the Old Testament saints, who'd been waiting in sheol, to heaven.
The Witch of Endor
You may be skeptical of the idea that there's an underworld realm of the dead deep in the interior of the Earth, or that the souls of the Old Testament saints had to wait there for the messiah. That's understandable.
The Days Before Noah
The longsuffering of God waited in the days before Noah. Noah's flood saw the waters of the deep (tehom), being boiled out from under the Earth creating the open space that Jesus referred to as the great gulf (sheol).
He Also Descended
Who descended and what are the lower parts of the Earth? Fortunately this isn't a mystery and we've already done the work needed to resolve both issues.
Ascending and Descending
If our souls start in hell then this life is our one chance to escape it forever. We have been given an opportunity to respond to the truth which has been revealed to us. No one has an excuse.
The Lowest Parts of the Earth
The lowest parts of the Earth is one of the many ways in which the Bible refers to the core of the Earth.
Above and Below
A recurring theme in scripture is heaven above and Earth below. Orientation occurs for the first time on the second day. It's an ordering of the universe which occurred in response to the creation of gravity.
August 31st
After Noah's flood the region in the interior of the Earth, formerly occupied by the great deep (tehom), is now a great gulf or mega chasm of open space that Jesus spoke of in Luke 16:26 (sheol).