The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-05-31
AN INTERMEDIATE STATE.
What Do the Scriptures Teach as to This
Popularity Received Doctrine?

Paper read before the Preachers Meeting by Rev. T.
A. Goodwin.
have been requested to prepare paper for
this meeting, on that doctrine known in theo-
logical circles as the intermediate state thing
which, in fact, is not now, never was and never
will be-a sheer Pigment of the middle ages in
vented by the fabrication of false system of
eschatology to supplement its lack of eonsisten-
cy, and which, notwithstanding its absurdity
and its conflict with the doctrine of the future
life as taught by Christ and his early followers,
has been perpetuated through the ages, though
undergoing many notifications from to time,
and which even yet has some friends.
The fourth century may be regarded as almost
the beginning of associated Christianity; GER
tainy as the birth period of dogmatic theology
until these Christians seemed to have lived
without history and without any adequate
comprehension of the scope of the mission Of
their Master. Their knowledge of Him and His
teachings was mostly traditional, and all along
they were certainly expecting sudden termina-
ton of al earthly things But with the begin
ming of this century began the preparation for
extending their religion through the ages -Four
histories out of the many that had been written
by those who had been more or less familiar
with the Savior during his stay upon earth Il
short history of some of the sayings and doings
of few of the apostles several letters, explain
atory and hortatory, and the thrilling poem of
John, on the Isle of Patmos, were collected to,
gether, ard invested with the sanctity of inspi-
ration and called the New Testament; to become
thenceforth ultimate authority on all questions
of life and doctrine. AS a part of the work of
that period, there was prepared a short and com
prehensive creed, which assumed to embody
summary of the doctrines taught by the apostles,
and hence it was called the Apostles Creed
though no apostle had had any hand in its build
ing. Within few centuries this was modified
by changing the phrase Resurrection
of the dead" so as to read Resurrection
of the body" that it might conform more to the
growing materialism and consciousness of that
period, ana soon followed the expurgation of the
phrase descended into hell" by many copyists
in which form it now most frequently appears III
the Protestant churches of the world though the
original form is still used in many.
To that age may be traced also the conception
and birth of that quartet of archaeological dog
mas which, blending into one grand event, by
their assumed simultaneous occurrence may be
called one act in four parts, namely. the second
coming of Christ, the resurrection Of the dead.
the general Judgment and the end of the world.
this scheme to discover a fatal Yoid-a perpleX
ing hiatus in it. To use a foIceful modern eX
preston, it did not consist" All the teachings
OF Christ whether traditional or documentary
represented the soul as passing at once INTO a
state of conscious Joy or misery while this scheme
implied untold ages intervening between the
earthly and the eternal 10 supply this missing
link was 10 great task in that age OF dogmauc
invention hence there was interjected into the
scheme the dogma of an intermediate state-a
kind of halfway house between earth and heav-
en- or hell-an ante chamber, AS 1t were, to both
Ofcourse having invented the dogma in order
to bolster up the system Of eschatoioSy, 1t was
not difficult to find Scripture to sustain 1t. No
dogma was ever proposed so absurd that this
could not be done. Even that most horrible
doctrine infant damnation, invented about the
same time, could be so amply defended by per
vertinC Scripture that it was never disturbed by
quoting eou-5er Scripture until Scripture eXege-
sis called to its aid common sense and ndcpend-
ent thinking not until the pew began to teach
theology to the pulpit.
The doctrine of an intermediate state, assam
ing as true the four-One event just referred 10,
teaches that the soul goes, at DEATH to some
place above or beneath, to there await the grand
contamination. BY some it is assumed to be
place of conscious joy or misery but by Others,
and logically by ALL it is held TO be an indefinite
period of sleep So inevitable is this conclusion
that McClintock and Strong, in their valuable
encyclopedia. IN one of the latest and abest dis
cusSions of this whole question, after valiar
do, adds the following: ''We COM Nude there
fore, that the intermediate state with PASS To .l
its subjects. as an instant, and that viii be
aware of the length OF the interval" This is the
logic of the best argument possible on this sub
ject Given an intermediate state, and the sleep
of the soul during its entire existence is newt
able. It is soul-sleepmg, however repugnant
that doctrine must be to every thinking mind,
1t requires no great skill of analysis to see that
this whole thing is but bungling attempt to re
vamp the old pagan notions of hades sheol, in
fernus, tartarus and eysium, and to engraft
them upon our Christian views of immortality
without one single Improvement at any point;
for, from the shades and cavernS oe their inter
mediate worlds, the departed were to emerge in
some way, at some time to some sort of future
life, and none of their methods of escape We're
one whit more absurd or improbable than the
methods provided by the inventors of the inter
mediate world for the escape of souls from this
Christian prison. The paradise and purgatory of
this eschatology are the crudest possible recon
struction of the elyslum and nfernus of the pa
gan poets, not having even the merit of such
modification as the discoveries of science render
necessary. The he'll of the middle ages when
this dogma of an intermediate state
was in full force, was pit or cav
ern beneath the earth, and paradise
was the happy end of the same locality, sepa-
rated from the purgatory end by vast gulf.
Into this common receptacle of the dead the
theory taught that Christ went at death, accom-
panied by the penitent thief, whom he left in the
paradise department while he crossed the gulf
to preach to the spirits in the purgatory end
Later, and since even the church has come to adj
nit that the earth is round instead of fat and
that there is no west end, behind which the sun
goes dawn, and beyond which the pagan poets
ocate0th their elysium, the paradise of these copy
lists has been transferred to some underlined
region above the stars, and the pagan river Styx,
with it's faithful ferryman, has been deposed by
a turbulent Jordan, and a convoy of angels now
carry the faithful to their temporary abode
Such. with variations. is the faith today of all
who cling to this modified pagan notion-a sense
less Pigment of the dark ages
In contrast with this pagan iargon, so little inn
proved by its transfer to our Christian system,
let us study the views of death and immortality
that are presented in the gospel First, we have
personal interview with Moses and Eliiah-not
with their ghosts, or spirits, souls, as only
part of their personal identity, awaiting in some