Eschatology
The souls of the departed saints, in conjunction with the holy angels,
minister to the heirs of salvation; whereas the souls of the departed wicked,
in conjunction with evil angels, inflict death or evils of various kinds on
the men who do not know God |
John
Wesley (1703-1791) taught that the souls of the departed saints, in
conjunction with the holy angels, may sometimes minister to the heirs of
salvation; whereas the souls of the departed wicked inflict death or evils of
various kinds on the men who do not know God. As for the souls of the
departed saints, in his sermon On Faith
Wesley said: ‘In the meantime, may we not probably suppose that the spirits
of the just, though generally lodged in paradise, yet may sometimes, in
conjunction with the holy angels, minister to the heirs of salvation? ….. And
in how many ways may they minister to the heirs of salvation! Sometimes by counteracting
wicked spirits whom we cannot resist because we cannot see them; sometimes by
preventing our being hurt by men, or beasts, or inanimate creatures’ (The Works of John Wesley, Volume 4,
Nashville 1987, page 191, 197). Instead, as for the souls of the departed
wicked he said: ‘Let us consider, first, what may be the employment of unholy
spirits from death to resurrection. We cannot doubt but the moment they leave
the body they find themselves surrounded by spirits of their own kind,
probably human as well as diabolical. What power God may permit these to
exercise over them we do not distinctly know. But it is not improbable he may
suffer Satan to employ them, as he does his own angels, in inflicting death
or evils of various kinds on the men that know not God. For this end they may
raise storms by sea or by land, they may shoot meteors through the air. They
may occasion earthquakes …. Where they are not permitted to take away life,
they may inflict various diseases ….. May not some of these evil spirits be
likewise employed in conjunction with evil angels in tempting wicked men to
sin, and in procuring occasion for them? Yea, and in tempting good men to
sin, even after they had escaped the corruption that is in the world? Herein
doubtless they put forth all their strength …’ (Ibid.,
pages 193-194). |
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Confutation |
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According
to the Holy Scriptures, when the righteous dies he enters into peace, that is
to say, he enters into the heavenly |
As
for the being who appeared to John on the isle of Patmos, he was not the soul
of a righteous who had lived on the earth, for the Scripture clearly says
that he was an angel, as it is written: “Then the angel said to me, ‘Write:
‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ And he
added, ‘These are the true words of God’. At this I fell at his feet to worship
him. But he said to me, ‘Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and
with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus! Worship God!”
(Revelation 19:9-10 – NIV), and again: “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give
you this testimony for the churches” (Revelation |
As
for the possibility that the souls of the saints might fight against the evil
spirits and keep the living, the Scripture excludes it for it is the angels
who do these things in obedience to the command of God. It is written: “The
angels of the Lord encamp around those who fear Him, and they deliver them”
(Psalm 34:7 – Italian Bible, Diodati Version. Translated by myself), and
again: “He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your
ways” (Psalm 91:11 – NIV). In the book of Revelation we read that John saw
Michael and his angels fighting with the devil and his angels; there were no
souls of the righteous who fought with the devil and his angels (cf.
Revelation 12:7-9). |
As
for the souls of the wicked, the Scripture does not teach at all what Wesley
taught, for they are all in Hades, where they are tormented, and where they
are waiting for the judgement day, and from where they can’t come out to
bring their messages to the living nor to avenge themselves on those who are
on the earth or to strike people with diseases. It is sufficient to read the
story of the rich man and Lazarus told by Jesus to understand all this, for
that rich man, who was tormented in Hades, could not come out of that place
for any reason (cf. Luke 16:19-31). On the earth the devil and his demons
work evil things; the devil tempts, incites people to do evil things, strikes
people with diseases and he even kills some people (cf. Matthew 4:1-11; 1 Chronicles
21:1; Job 2:7; John 8:44). Demons attacks men,
pursuing what is evil for them and seeking to possess them in order to
manifest through their bodies (cf. 1 Samuel 16:14-23, Matthew 8:28-34; Mark |
So,
brothers, I warn you against this doctrine which holds that the souls of the
departed saints, in conjunction with the holy angels, minister to the heirs
of salvation, whereas the souls of the departed wicked, in conjunction with
evil angels, inflict death or evils of various kinds on the men who do not
know God, for it is inconsistent with the teaching of the Scripture, thus it
must be rejected. |