A term made use of to denote the state of the soul between death and the resurrection. From the Scriptures speaking frequently of the dead as sleeping in their graves, many have supposed that the soul sleeps till the resurrection, 1: e. is in a state of entire insensibility. But against this opinion, and that the soul, after death, enters immediately into a state of reward or punishment, the following passages seem to be conclusive, Matthew 17:3 . Luke 23:42 . 2 Corinthians 5:6 . Philippians 1:21 . Luke 16:22-23 . Revelation 6:9 .
See articles RESURRECTION, SOUL, and FUTURE STATE; Bishop Law's Appendix to his Theory of Religion; Search's Light of Nature pursued; Bennett's Olam Haneshamoth, or View of the Intermediate State; Archibald Campbell's View of the Middle State; Archdeacon Blackburne's Historical View of the Controversy concerning an Intermediate State, and the separate Existence of the Soul between Death and the general Resurrection; in which last the reader will find a large account of the writings on this subject, from the beginning of the Reformation to almost the present time.
See also Doddridge's Lectures. lect. 219.
Despite a stated reliance on the plain meaning of the Bible and the dictates of common sense, Buck's Theological Dictionary, first published in London in 1802, seeks to provide a textual basis for the evangelical community. By combining brief essays on orthodox belief and practice with historical entries on various denominations, Buck provided an interpretive lens that allowed antebellum Protestants to see Christianity's almost two millennia as their own history.Wikipedia
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