Saturday, October 25, 2014
2 Thessalonians 1:7-8 ... when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
REFORMATION RECAP: "THE REFORMERS WERE PERSECUTED"
Whether the reformers spoke louder or mourned, men took offense at the Gospel. In his last major blast against the papacy, Luther tells of the murderous results of this offense ...
"The pope and his rabble have in these twenty years bound many and led them to the fire, to the water, to the sword, to prison, out of the country, away from house and home, wife and child, merely for the sake of the Gospel and our shepherding. Moreover, to this day they are at it. For they have condemned all of us to death long ago, merely because of this shepherding. Anxiously they are waiting to see whether God will permit the moment to come when they can bind us and lead us away (as they often strenuously tried) all of us, together with our princes, with lands and people, schools and churches, so that a mere featherduster could sweep together what remains of us and ours. Well, we shall have to face this danger with calmness and see, know, and expect this bitter, deadly, devilish anger -- this baring of teeth and drawing of knives. If we do this for the sake of money and goods we are the most nonsensical folk the sun has shone on for over five thousand and five hundred years, that is, since the beginning of the world ...
"But because we believe, we will speak as long as there is any breath in us, and we will bear the persecutions of the adversaries until Christ, our High Priest and King, comes from heaven. This, we hope, will be soon. As a just Judge He will punish those who do not obey His Gospel."
Lord, keep us steadfast in Thy Word; Curb those who fain by craft and sword
Would wrest the Kingdom from Thy Son And set at naught all He hath done.
O Comforter of priceless worth. Send peace and unity on earth.
Support us in our final strife And lead us out of death to life.
(Martin Luther, 1541, The Lutheran Hymnal, 261:1, 3)
(Quotations taken from "What Luther Says," E. M. Plass, 1196, 1199)
