I saw this short video a few months ago when it came out. The opening possesses an intriguing question well worth pondering. It’s only 20 minutes of time to watch, but Todd in his funny way lets “his son”, actually the younger Todd”, explain many of the historical high points of the Reformation. There is obviously much more to the full history. There is a good old documentary called the Lamp in the Dark about the Bible I will link too at the end of this post that is also worth watching to get a deep understanding of the Bible’s role in early history up to and through the Reformation. Warning it’s much longer, but can be found on Amazon for a few dollars without commercials.
If you ever have a chance to do a tour of the regions of the Reformers, I wonder if you would find evidence today of the truth about them. I guess it’s there for those willing to dig a bit deeper, but most people probably just pass by or are totally ignorance of the history before them.
In the video one of the first quotes I’ve highlight below….
The article I read where I found a copy of the quote had a few interesting things to say about that:
“Fourth, what about the papacy? As he grasped the ramifications of the righteousness of God, Luther came to realize that the pope was not ignorant of the “abuses” of indulgences, nor was he merely a badly advised leader.
“Rather, the Reformer proclaimed that the papacy is the Antichrist because it (and its hierarchy), worse than all the other false teachers and movements, most fiercely denied, hated and cursed the gospel of God’s free justification in Christ.
The Wittenberg theologian declared,
One antichrist fights against the person of Christ, another against the humanity, a third against the divinity of Christ.
These are antichrists in part, as are the enthusiasts (Schwärm-er) [or Anabaptists]. Another is against the entire Christ, and he is the head of all, as is the papacy. For the head of Christian doctrine is that Christ is our Righteousness. He who attacks this article robs us of the entire Christ and is the true Anti-christ, while the others offer him assistance. 12
Rome was, and is, a false church, since it repudiated and repudiates the article of a standing or a falling church. 13
Salvation by man’s works, the “gospel” of Roman Catholicism, is essentially the same as that of Judaism and Islam.
If the article of justification is lost, all Christian doctrine is lost at the same time. And all the people in the world who do not hold to this justification are either Jews or Turks or papists or heretics; for there is no middle ground between these two righteousnesses: the active one of the Law and the passive one which comes from Christ. Therefore the man who strays from Christian righteousness must relapse into the active one, that is, since he has lost Christ, he must put his confidence in his own works.14
- Quoted in Plass, What Luther Says, p. 30.
13 Richard Muller explains that the Latin phrase articulus stantis et cadentis ecclesiae, “the article of the standing and falling of the church,” was “used by Luther and thereafter, especially by Lutheran theologians, to describe the doctrine of justification” (Dictionary of Latin and Greek Theological Terms, p. 46). Similarly, McGrath writes, “by the beginning of the seventeenth century the articulus iustificationis appears to have been generally regarded as the articulus stantis et cadentis ecclesiae, the ‘article by which the church stands or falls'” (lustitia Dei, p. 208).
Quoted in Plass, What Luther Says, p. 703.”
Since our Sunday School is finishing our study of the Book of Revelation, it came to mind some of the passages that the Reformers pondered. Again most of this is now ignored or forgotten. I studied a lot of modern interpretation of Revelation is in the Dr. Dilday Lectures, for example:
Dr. Dilday’s Lecture: “The Time Is at Hand”
“1) Introduction: interpretive approaches to Revelation: a) Idealism; b) Preterism; c) Futurism; d) Historicism
As to texts from the Bible that might go together with Todd’s video…about the persecution of the Reformers and ultimate judgment, I found these. You should of course read in context, but the connection in interesting. 🤔
Matthew 5:10-12 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Revelation 6:9-11 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
Revelation 20:4-7 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. 7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
This last part the thousand years, and the Final Judgment is where our Study is.
One final note is the notion of the importance of the Word of God being understood by the people that is such a big part of the Reformation and the Translation work.
Psa 119:97 MEM. O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.
Psa 119:105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Which leads to the 2nd video link I mentioned above. It’s the first of a series on the Bible. You can find free copies with Ads on the Web. Also watch for free I think on an Amazon Prime account.
Rainbow Trout 