More On The Four

A study of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse reveals the wide variety of interpretations of The Four Horsemen of the Revelation  (Greek = apocalypse) and applications. A prime example is Albrecht Dürer's portrayal. 

Albrecht Dürer's Four Horsemen
1498

The British Museum points out that Albrecht Dürer's 1498 publication of the text of the Book of Revelation secured for him an income for the rest of his life. 

Skilled block cutters cut around his drawn lines to portray pestilence, war, famine and death driving citizens and king alike into the jaws of hell. 

The illustrated Martin Luther Bible has similar images of the Four Horsemen. Cunningham and Grell studied their meaning for Luther (The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Religion, War, Famine and Death in Reformation Europe). For Luther and for many supporting the reformation, they write, the white horse and its rider point to the Second Coming of Christ and the Day of Judgment when the godly will be saved and the ungodly punished. The arrows represent God's wrath and punishment and the bow is a symbol of God's covenant with His elected people. This interpretation was also facilitated by Dürer's woodcut. Dürer was an early follower of Luther. And he was not unique among the early evangelicals who saw Luther as an apocalyptic prophet who preached the Gospel and announced the commencement of the final period of world history. 

Christopher Cameron Smith, an aspiring scholar of Islamic studies,  in a blog about Martin Luther on the Turks (and Islam), based upon a paper written for a course on Luther and the Reformation, points out that many Protestants fled to Ottoman lands when their "Christian" rulers oppressed them. This, he says, is precisely why you cannot understand the Reformation without seeing what role 16th century Ottoman expansion played in European thought.  

Regardless of where you come down in your interpretation of the Four Horsemen, it is clear that we are in the final period of world history. 

The Antichrist and Apostasy

It seems to most of us that history and present day news is filled with examples of lawless ones, men and women who make their own laws about what is right and what is wrong. And yet the Apostle Paul writes to the young Thessalonian congregation (2 Thess. 2:8) about the lawless one ! And he doesn't seem to write about this personage in any of his other letters. What in all the world is he getting at? Time to do a little digging.

We must assume that Scripture interprets Scripture since all of it is given to us by the revealing work of the Holy Spirit. Problem: nowhere else is there a single passage about this lawless one. So we must examine the context for clues. What was Paul writing about?

He wants to comfort the Thessalonians who had heard that the LORD Jesus had already come, the final Day of the LORD had already arrived. No, not at all. Can't be, said Paul. First must come the rebellion. What? Rebels, rebelling against what and against whom? The word translated as rebellion in the ESV is really that word I wrote about a couple blogs back. It is the apostasy, the falling away from the truth, the preeminent false teaching. You will remember that apostasy is the sign that the end is approaching. The word is used only one other time in the N.T. to describe when Paul came to Jerusalem to report on his missionary journeys to James and the other elders. They told him that there was a rumor being spread about him that he was teaching apostasy from Moses, teaching the Jews and Gentiles alike not to circumcise their children. This was shocking indeed to the Jewish Christians since circumcision had been the sign marking them as the covenant people of God. Later Paul had to clarify for all in the early church that circumcision availed them nothing.

For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. - Rom 2:25-29 ESV

Paul goes on from there to discuss the value of circumcision, emphasizing the far greater value of faith in the promises of the Lord. It is faith in the Lord that was counted to Abraham as righteousness, not merely circumcision. Likewise all who believe in him who raised from the dead our Lord Jesus will also be counted as righteous, justified and forgiven. This then is the clue to what or about whom Paul is writing to the the Thessalonians. Someone whom he calls the lawless one will arise among the believers to teach apostasy, teaching that righteousness before God and the forgiveness of sins comes not by grace alone and faith in Jesus who has won such forgiveness upon the cross. Something more is required, something like circumcision.

So it was that Martin Luther and those who worked with him in the days of the Reformation of the church in the 16th century insisted that the Roman Church under the leadership of the Pope in those days was teaching apostasy, especially when they taught that worship and the Mass was something that we do to please or placate God. So the reformers embraced Philip Melanchthon's words in the defense of the Augsburg Confession as he wrote,

"For Scripture calls traditions doctrines of demons when it is taught that religious rites serve to merit the forgiveness of sins and grace. For they are then clouding over the Gospel, Christ's benefit, and the righteousness of faith." —Apology XV:4

The Lutheran Confessions go on to denounce the Roman Papacy for such teachings, making it the Antichrist as depicted by Daniel 7-8; Daniel 11:31-38. Many passages in the Lutheran Confessions speak about this. Continuing in the article quoted above, for instance, we read,

"Why do we need words on a subject so clear? If the adversaries defend these human services as meriting justification, grace, and the forgiveness of sins, they simply set up the kingdom of Antichrist . . . So the papacy will also be a part of the kingdom of Antichrist if it defends human services as justifying in this way. For honor is taken away from Christ when they teach that we are not justified freely through faith, for Christ's sake, but by such services. This is especially true when they teach that such services are not only useful for justification, but also necessary, as they maintain in Article VII. There they condemn us for saying that for true unity of the Church it is not necessary that rites instituted by human beings should be alike everywhere. . ." —Apology XV:18 

More on this matter of apostasy, the antichrist and whether Lutherans still teach and believe that the Roman Church's Pope is the antichrist in my next posts.

Apostacy—The Sign Of Christ's Return

In every age Christians have declared that the end of the age is upon us. Christ is certainly about to return. The signs are all there as proclaimed in the Gospels. Examples abound. Consider the LORD's words as recorded by St. Matthew:

As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" 

And Jesus answered them, "See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. 

"Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. - Mat 24:3-13 ESV 

OK,  the beginning of the birth of the new age has begun. But what is the sign of our LORD's coming? What is the sign of the end of the age? If not wars, famines, earthquakes and persecutions of believers, what then? Are false prophets and lawlessness? They are indeed. Apostasy is the sign!

Who can deny that false teaching and the apostasy or falling away from the faith Jesus predicted, started already in N.T. times? Consider how Peter and the other disciples deserted the LORD during His passion. And remember that an earthquake and signs in the heavens occurred during His suffering upon the cross (Matt. 24:29; 27:45). Further, read the Epistles and you see that the Apostles and their churches had to contend with enemies both outside and from within the bosom of the church.

Gnosticism was already rampant in the second century. That strange teaching with its many forms tore the church apart for hundreds of years. It remains very active in the modern world as these prophets separate creation from redemption and rely upon personal religious experience rather than God's Word!

The LORD Jesus prophesied apostasy, denial of the Trinity, salvation by good works and all the false teachings against which the Lutheran Reformation raged. Consider also how Jesus' predictions were horribly fulfilled in the rise of the false prophet Muhammed and what a challenge to the Christian faith this religion has become now in the 21st century.

In this connection I commend to you a 2012 book by Bill Hecht, Two Wars We Must Not Lose: What Christians Need to Know About Radical Islamists, Radical Secularists, and Why We Can't Leave the Battle Up to Our Divided Government. Hecht says that radical Islamist terrorists are committed to the destruction of America and they will not let up! The second "cultural war" began in earnest in the 1940s with the separation of church and state by means of the U.S. Supreme court's decision, Everson v. Board of Education. Hecht argues that such an absolute separation was never intended by the founders of the United States. These wars, says Hecht, we must not lose. If we do we will lose our country and the freedoms it has offered from its beginning.

The rejection of Scriptural authority is a prime accomplishment of secularists working from within the church. Among the so-called mainline protestant churches there is an almost universal adoption of the higher-critical method of Scriptural scholarship. In so doing these churches have capitulated to the Enlightenment of the 18th and 19th centuries. The old confessions of these churches are now useless. Things have so degenerated that when the World Council of Churches was founded it in 1948 it was unable to affirm even the mystery of the Blessed Trinity (see Henry Bettenson, Documents of the Christian Church, 2nd ed.). One must grant that recent revisions seem to suggest some kind of agreement upon the divinity of Christ and the reality of the Trinity, but don't press too far beyond the opening words themselves to documents published by the organization.

In these next weeks I will continue to review some of the things mentioned above and explore with you how apostasy is THE SIGN of our time, the Sign pointing to the imminent return of Christ.

Captive To God's Word

I take no delight in the endless quarrels between churches and church members. I do not rejoice in the multitude of christian church denominations. I am puzzled by the growth of so called non-denominational churches in the United States, especially since they generally reflect a particular denominational viewpoint anyway. Born and raised in a family of Lutheran christians, I long to retreat into the catholic church and be done forever with all the dissension and differences.

But note that I said catholic, not Roman Catholic!

The historic, universal, worldwide church has three ecumenical creeds, statements of belief generally accepted by all christians. These include the Apostolic, the Nicene and the Athanasian creeds. In the Nicene Creed we find this phrase: We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I focus on that statement as I continue this brief study of the Reformation.

We christians believe in the Church, especially since we do not always see her with our physical eyes. Yet we believe, because the Holy Spirit has called us to faith in Jesus Christ, God's one and only Son, and our Savior and Lord. The Spirit calls, nurtures and grows this faith in us by means of God's Word. Thus we believe that wherever the Word of God is taught, there also the Holy Spirit is at work creating in the hearts of young and old faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Listen to the Apostle Paul.

But the righteousness based on faith says, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) or "'Who will descend into the abyss?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame." - Rom 10:6-11 ESV

The Apostle is paraphrasing a couple other portions of Holy Scripture. The first are the words of Agur, son of Jakeh.

Surely I am too stupid to be a man. I have not the understanding of a man. I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name? Surely you know! Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. - Pro 30:2-6 ESV

As far as I can tell, no one knows who Agur was. One explanation is that Solomon was playing upon the name's meaning. Agur means "the one who is brave in the pursuit of wisdom"; the son of Jakeh signifies "he who is free from sin." Whatever the intent, Agur's words are preserved in the Book of Proverbs and later quoted by the Apostle.

The point of the quote is obvious. God, the Holy One, dwells in heaven. He controls the wind and waves throughout the earth. Unless He reveals Himself and the name of His son, we know nothing about Him. We are totally reliant upon His revelation. In His Word He speaks to us and His Word is absolutely true. We trust and rely upon that Word precisely because it is God's Word, and not man's. No man can ascend to heaven nor control wind and wave. This is why we dare not add to nor take away from His Words. To do so makes one a liar.

The second quote in Paul's paraphrase comes from the Book of Deuteronomy. Moses is concluding his instructions to the Children of Israel who have completed 40 long years of wandering in the wilderness of the Sinai Peninsula. They are now about to take possession of the Promised Land. Moses promises they will indeed possess the land and the LORD will circumcise their hearts so that they love the LORD with all their hearts and souls. Thus will they live by the power of God speaking to them in His Word.

And you shall again obey the voice of the LORD and keep all his commandments that I command you today. The LORD your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the LORD will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers, when you obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that are written in this Book of the Law, when you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. "For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it. - Deu 30:8-14 ESV

Note again the emphasis upon God speaking personally, in their hearts. No need to ascend to heaven and God's throne. No need to travel beyond the sea to discover some new revelation from a wise man on a distant mountain. No indeed. God Himself came down to you on Mount Sinai. There He spoke face to face with His servant Moses. In turn, Moses gave you God's Word. You heard His voice. Now His Word is both in your heart and on your lips. And as you go to possess the land, God will fulfill all His promises. Trust and obey God's Word and He will bless you. Turn from Him and you will surely perish.

This was the first major premise of the Reformation movement that Martin Luther began. God has given to us His Word. We have no choice but to hear and believe it. This was Luther's stance as he stood accused before the Diet of Worms. Relying completely upon God's Word he is supposed to have said, "Hier stehe Ich. Ich kann nicht anders. Gott helfe mir!"

In his seminal book Luther: Man Between God and the Devil (English edition Yale, 2006), Reformation scholar Heiko Oberman correctly renders Luther's speech like this:

Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Holy Scriptures or by evident reason—for I can believe neither pope nor councils alone, as it is clear that they have erred repeatedly and contradicted themselves—I consider myself convicted by the testimony of Holy Scripture, which is my basis; my conscience is captive to the Word of God. Thus I cannot and will not recant, because acting against one's conscience is neither safe nor sound. God help me. Amen.

We christians have always been captive in our consciences to the Word of God. We remain so today.

Halloween And The Reformation

A friend told me recently that his granddaughter asked him an interesting question. "Grandpa," she said, turning with a puzzled look, "why do we always have Reformation Sunday right after Halloween?" She saw no connection, even though she and her family are Lutherans and active church goers.

All the emphasis upon scary costumes, trick-or-treating kids parading from house to house, spooky displays of skeletons, ghosts, spiders, witches and evil faced pumpkins in yards, in restaurants and shopping malls has turned the Eve of All Hallows into another time of lets pretend and have a party. This season also reflects the widespread interest in places like the Devil's Tramping Ground and other unexplained supernatural phenomena. All this certainly distracts from the church's original intent in establishing the Feast of All Saints (All Hallows). Since then believers have associated All Hallows Eve (Halloween) with everything opposed to All Hallows, a time when demons and devils came out to laugh at and mock God's ways. In a sense we join their party by dressing in ghoulish costumes and spreading or threatening to spread chaos around the neighborhoods.

Mary Reed Newland explains the Eve of All Hallows in this way:

A celebration much like our Halloween, with bonfires and feasting on apples and nuts and harvest fruits, was part of pagan worship for centuries. The Britons celebrated in honor of their sun-god with bonfires, a tribute to the light that brought them abundant harvest. At the same time they saluted Samhain, their "lord of death," who was thought to gather together at last the souls of the year's dead which had been consigned to the bodies of animals in punishment for their sins. The Romans celebrated the same kind of festival at this time in honor of their goddess Pomona, a patroness of fruits and gardens. Whether the Church "baptized" these customs or chose this season for her feasts of the dead independent of them, their coincidence shows again how alike men are when they seek God and His ways, give praise, use the language of symbols to express the inexpressible. 

It was in the eighth century that the Church appointed a special date for the feast of All Saints, followed by a day in honor of her soon-to-be saints, the feast of All Souls. She chose this time of year, it is supposed, because in her part of the world it was the time of barrenness on the earth. The harvest was in, the summer done, the world brown and drab and mindful of death. Snow had not yet descended to comfort and hide the bony trees or blackened fields; so with little effort man could look about and see a meditation on death and life hereafter.

She goes on to tell about how the Eve of All Hallows was celebrated in various countries around the world.

Many protestant and Lutheran churches celebrate the Reformation on the Sunday nearest Oct. 31. The Sunday following is the Feast of All Saints, a time to remember all who have entered heaven during the past year by God's grace. Their names are spoken aloud and prayers of thanks are offered.

So back to the question. What does Halloween have to do with Reformation Sunday? In sixteenth century Germany All Saints Day, November 1, was a big day. Many would be present at worship on that day. Further, the door of the castle church at Wittenberg was where one posted important items. So anticipating all the worshippers, Dr. Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses there on October 31, challenging the sale of indulgences. Needless to say, his theses set off the great storm that we now call the Reformation. More about this in my next posts.

Luther's Stand

This is a photo of one of many statues of Martin Luther in northern Europe.  Copies of this and similar statues are found on campuses of various Lutheran colleges and seminaries in the United States. 


When attending Concordia University, St. Paul and later at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, I joined other students each Reformation Day morning to stand before the statues of Luther to hear the reading of Scripture, pray and sing several Lutheran hymns. Of course we always sang "A Mighty Fortress," Luther's hymn based on Psalm 46. This was one of the ways by which the faculties of those institutions helped us to retain our identity as Lutherans and believers in Jesus Christ.

Above is the statue at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. 

What is the purpose of these statues? And why should we Lutherans want to have statues, busts, paintings and other images of Luther in our churches and schools? Obviously, these images remind us of Luther, what he did and what his call to reformation means for us Christians even over five hundred years later, not only in Europe or the United States, but throughout the world. Our purpose is certainly not to worship Luther, the man, but to remember what he taught and what he stands for.  


Most of these statues show Luther pointing to the Scriptures or holding a Bible. When called before the Diet of Worms to recant his writings, he refused because he was convinced that what he wrote was based upon the inspired Scriptures. He is quoted as saying, "Hier stehe Ich, Ich kann nicht anders" (Here I stand, I can say no more). This stand brought about the world-changing reformation of the Christian Church.

On this Reformation Day I find myself pondering these memories and praying that we of the 21st century Lutheran churches may have the courage and strength to follow Luther's example. Without the heritage of the Holy Scripture we surely are in danger of losing Him to whom they testify. As Jesus said, ". . . it is they that bear witness about me" (John 5:39).