Concluding our discussion of the doctrine of Eschatology as taught in the Old Testament, we now would call attention to two other phases of this doctrine as held before us in the Scriptures of the Old Dispensation. First, the Word of God certainly comforted the Church of God in the Old Dispensation with the truth of the resurrection of the dead. The passages of Ps.
How the gates of hell attempted to destroy the Church of God and of Christ shortly after Christ’s resurrection from the death and His ascension into heaven! Think of the efforts of the godless leaders of the people, the Sanhedrists, as they first threatened the disciples by word of mouth and then commanded them to be beaten, and this for no other reason than that they had spoken and witnessed of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Whom they had crucified and slain, declaring of Him that He, the crucified and glorified Lord, had healed the impotent beggar who sat daily in...
THE REFORMATION PERIOD THE SYNOD OF DORDT THE CANONS Continuing our discussion of the doctrine of the atonement of Christ as set forth by the fathers of Dordt in Head II of the Canons, we now turn our attention to the Rejection of Errors of this Second Head.
We concluded our preceding article with the statement that we would again quote Justin Martyr in which he even stigmatizes as heretical the doctrine that souls are received into heaven immediately after death. Chapter 80 of his dialogue with Trypho, the Jew, reads as follows (in this quotation he also reveals his millennial tendencies):
In his History of Doctrines, Hegenbach, writing on the Intermediate State, Vol. I, 221-222, writes as follows:
(80-250 A.D.) Intermediate State Continuing with our discussion of the history of the doctrine of the Intermediate State as confessed by the church during these early years of the New Dispensation, we now wish to quote from Philip Schaff. In his History of the Christian Church, pages 590 f.f. of Vol. II, he writes, and we quote:
THE INTERMEDIATE STATE (80 250 A.D.) In our preceding article we had called the attention of our readers to the statement of the late Rev. H. Hoeksema, to the effect that the answer which the Apostolic Fathers gave to the question concerning the condition of the souls before the resurrection and immediately after death was rather vague. And then we quoted from Philip Schaaf, Vol. 11, 599 ff., verifying this observation of Rev. Hoeksema. We now continue this quotation:
(80-250 A.D.) THE INTERMEDIATE STATEDiscussing the history of the doctrine of the Intermediate State as confessed by the church during the early years of the New Dispensation, we were calling attention in our preceding article to the Jewish doctrine as being far in advance of heathen notions and conjectures, as set forth by Philip Schaff in his History of the Christian Church, Vol. II. And we concluded our article with the remark that in this article we would call attention to the Talmud as it adds various fanciful embellishments, Vol.
The undersigned was requested to write an anniversary article in connection with his rubric: The History of Doctrine. We comply gladly. I repeat: we comply gladly. Why? There is a reason why we comply gladly to contribute an article to this anniversary of fifty years of our existence as Protestant Reformed Churches. There is something about this celebration that should thrill our people, thrill all those who love the truths of God’s infallible Word and Scripture. What is this cause for our joy and happiness?
