>>The righteous went to Paradise (those who trusted in the coming Messiah, the Lamb of God who will take away the sins of the world).<<
That one confuses me. The blood of Christ is a concept understood only by post Resurrection Christians, to the best of my knowledge. And the OT is very clear that nobody was/is righteous. I also see Lazarus and the rich man as a parable.
Here is an interesting diatribe on the subject:
http://www.jeremyandchristine.com/articles/lazarus.html
Are you kidding me??? I can take you back to Genesis and show you the central theme running all the way to Malachi that points to the redemption of mankind through the atoning work of the Messiah. The shed blood starting at the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden to provide the skins of animals to cover them; the blood sacrifice of Abel's that was accepted by God while the veggies offered by Cain (his own works) was rejected; Abraham's willingness to offer Isaac on the altar but God providing a ram instead; the feast of the Atonement where the blood of a spotless, unblemished lamb was offered by the high priest within the Holy of Holies once a year for the sins of the people; I could go on....any of this ringing a bell?