Luc. 21, 25-36.
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth men shall be afraid, and shall tremble; and the sea and the waves of waters shall roar. And men shall faint for fear, and for waiting of the things that are to come upon the earth: for the powers of heaven also shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption draweth nigh. And he said unto them a like thing, Behold the fig tree, and all the trees. When they now shoot forth, ye see it in them, and know that summer is now at hand. So also ye, when ye see all these things come to pass, know that the kingdom of God is at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be done. Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away. But take heed lest your hearts be troubled with eating and drinking, and with cares of food, and let that day come upon you quickly; for as a snare it shall come upon all them that dwell upon the earth. Be ye therefore always valiant, and pray that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
1. first, that these signs of the last day, though they be manifold and great, yet shall they be accomplished, that no man, or even a few, shall regard them
and will consider them to be such signs. For these two things shall come to pass, and must come to pass together; and they are both declared together by Christ and the apostles: the first, that many and great signs should come.
The other is that the last day will come so unexpectedly that the world has never been less prepared for it from the beginning than at the time when it is at the door. For though they shall see signs, yea, even hear that they are signs of the last day, yet shall they not believe it, but laugh at it, and say with great assurance, Yea, thou dear fool, art thou anxious that the heavens should fall, and that we should see that day!
(2) Now there must be some who experience it, and especially those who are least careful. But that such assurance and contempt will be in men, we will prove from the words of Christ and the apostles. Christ says soon after, v. 34, 35, in this gospel: "Take heed that your hearts be not weighed down with eating and drinking, and with the cares of this life; that that day come upon you quickly and unawares. For it shall come as a snare upon them that sit upon the face of the whole earth." From these words it is clear that men will be given to eating and drinking, and to temporal food beyond measure, that they, drowned in cares of goods, and in eating and drinking, will sit and dwell securely in all the world, as if it were still far off. For where there would not be great security and contempt, the day could not break so unawares. But now he says that it will come like a rope, so that the birds and animals will be caught most of all, just when they are going for food and have least use for the rope; he gives enough to understand that the world will live in the rush, eat and drink, build and plant, and strive for temporal good in the most diligent and skillful way, and think that the last day will not come for a thousand years; then they will stand before the terrible judgment of God in a moment.
(3) These are the words of Christ, Luc. 17:24: "As the lightning shineth, and shineth down from heaven upon all things under heaven, so shall the Son of man be in that day. And behold, the day shall come upon all the earth in a moment. Follow further there
V. 26-29: "And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be in the days of the Son of man. They ate and drank, they took wives and took men, until the day Noe entered the ark, when the flood came and destroyed them all. The same thing happened in the days of Lot: they ate and drank, they bought and sold, they planted and built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all." This is exactly what will happen in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. These words show sufficiently how sure the people will be, and how they, so deeply choked in the worry of temporal life, will not believe that the day is here.
(4) Now there is no doubt that Christ did not proclaim these signs so that no one should observe them or know them when they come, although they will be few, just as in the days of Noah and Lot some, although few, knew the punishment to come; otherwise he would have warned in vain, saying, "When you see all these things, know that he is at the door"; item: "Lift up your heads, your redemption is approaching. Therefore there must certainly be some who do this and recognize the signs, and lift up their heads and wait for their redemption, even though they may not actually know what day it will be. Therefore it is necessary for us to pay attention, whether the signs are going now, or have gone, or will soon go.
(5) I do not want to force or urge anyone to believe me, but I also do not want to let anyone take away from me that I believe that the last day is not far away. These very signs and words of Christ move me to this. For if anyone reads all the chronicles, he will find that from the birth of Christ to this world in these hundred years, not all things are the same. Such building and planting has not been so common in all the world. Such delicious and various food and drink also was not so mean, as it is now. Clothing has become so delicious that it cannot get any higher. Who has ever read such a merchant class that now travels around the world?
and devours all the world? So all kinds of arts, painting, embroidery, digging *) rise and have risen, that it has not been the same since the birth of Christ.
6 There are now such sharp, understanding people, who leave nothing hidden; so also that now a boy of twenty years can do more than twenty doctors have done before. Then the languages and all kinds of wisdom come forth, so that one must confess that the world in the matters concerning temporal food, or, as Christ calls it, the care of this life with eating, drinking, building, planting, buying, selling, keeping wives and children, has become exceedingly high; that everyone sees well, everyone also says that it must break or become another. Now it is not easy to think how it could be improved and broken. A light breaks forth, and a day rises, whoever he may be, that may not be otherwise. There has not been such wit, reason, and understanding in Christendom before, on and in temporal and corporal matters; let alone of the new things, such as printing, guns, and other warfare.
(7) In addition to the fact that worldly commerce has reached its highest point, spiritual matters have also reached their highest point. Greater error, sin and lies have not reigned on earth from the beginning than in these hundred years. The gospel at Costnitz is publicly condemned, the Pope's lies are accepted as law all over the world, and he flays all the world to the marrow; mass is sacrificed daily more than many hundred thousand times all over the world, and no sin can be equal to it; through confession, sacrament, indulgence, commandment, souls are hounded countless times to hell, so that it seems as if God has handed the whole world over to the devil. Finally, it is not possible that greater lies, horrible error, more terrible blindness, more obdurate blasphemy will come more and more than now already reign in Christendom through bishops, monasteries and high schools, until even the dead blind pagan Aristotle teaches and rules the Christians more than Christ himself.
*) That is, graviruses. D. Red.
(8) In addition, the pope has also destroyed Christ and is his governor; this is true and all too true; he certainly sits in Christ's place, if God wanted him to sit in the devil's place. I also mention here the gross sins, as, unchastity, murder, unfaithfulness, avarice and the like; for there is no more shame nor fear and everything goes to the highest. Unchastity has come from the natural way, and has drowned no state so much as the spiritual, shall I call it otherwise spiritual, if it is more than flesh itself and quite spiritless.
(9) Now for other signs, as it may be, I am ever sure of the sign, which Christ saith, That eating and drinking, baling and planting, buying and selling, womanizing and manizing, and other care of this life, shall reign before his coming. It is just as certain to me that he says Matth. 24, 15. about the desolate abomination, the Antichrist, that under his rule the greatest errors, blindness and sin should reign; as this is now going on under the pope in the most insolent, the most tyrannical, the most desperate way. For the play above all forces me to believe firmly that Christ must come soon; for such sins are too great, heaven can no longer look upon them, they provoke and defy the last day too much, he must fall upon them before it is long. If it were only unchastity, as before the flood, or vain worldly sin, as in Sodom, I would not think that the last day should come for it. But God's service, God's Word, God's Sacrament, God's children, and all that is God's, to destroy, to destroy, to condemn, to blaspheme, and to put the devil in his place, to worship and honor, to take his lies for God's Word, that will put an end to it, there is no doubt in my mind, before you look around, amen.
10 The apostles also proclaimed such security of the people before the last day. St. Paul says 1 Thess. 5, 2. 3.: "The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. Because they will say, 'It is quiet, there is no need yet,' their destruction will swiftly overtake them." Now we know
A thief will not come before the time when he is most secure. And 2 Petr. 3, 3. 4. 10.: "There shall come in the latter days deceivers with deceit, walking after their own pleasure, saying, Where is the promise of his future? For after the fathers have fallen asleep, all things remain as they were from the beginning of the creatures. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great crash" etc. Who are they, who walk after their own pleasure, but the spiritual papists? who neither want to be subject to God nor to men, but are subject to all the world, so that they may live freely and do what they want; these are also the ones who speak: Where is his future? Do you think that the last day will come so soon? Yes, it remains well, as it has remained until now.
011 So also we read in the destruction of Jerusalem, when many signs came to pass; yet they believed not that it was to their destruction, until they knew it. And finally, from the beginning of the world it has always happened in such a way that the unbelievers never believed that their disaster was so near, they all found out about it before they wanted to believe it; so that the saying Ps. 55:24 may stand: "The men of blood and lust will not keep their days"; *) because they are always presumptuous and never fear, therefore their hour must come unawares. So it will also happen here, that they will throw the last day over a thousand years, when it is to come the next night after. [These are the first signs. Now let us see the other signs also.
And there will be signs in the sun.
12. the sign of the sun is that it will lose its light, as has often happened when Matthew Cap. 24, 29. says: "The sun will lose its light." I do not want to be sacrilegious here, but I want to give my opinion. Some think that the sun will become so dark that it will no longer shine. This is not so; for day and night must remain until the end, as God has said.
*) That is, bring up to half. D. Red. **) (f g)
Genesis 8:22: "As long as the earth stands, fruit and harvest, frost and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease. Therefore this sign must happen without hindrance of day and night, and yet it must happen before the last day, because it is a preceding sign. Therefore it cannot be otherwise than that the sun loses its light, as it is wont to do.
Now such a sign of the sun has always been a meaning of a great accident which has followed afterwards, as the chronicles show. Thus we have had in short years so many solar losses *) that I do not respect that before there have ever been so many and so close to each other. God has been silent, nothing special evil has followed afterwards; thus they are despised and thrown to the wind. In addition, the astrologers have told us (as is true) that such a thing happens by the natural course of the heavens; and thus the contempt is strengthened and the security increased. But nevertheless, God thus directs His work, keeps silent, lets us be sure and always continues. Let the natural course of the heavens be what it will, such signs are always signs of wrath, and there is a certain accident in the future. Should God therefore make other suns, moons, and stars, or give other signs in them, if some more had happened before?
The celestial spheres have been directed from eternity to make such signs before that day. The pagans write that the comet also appears naturally, but God does not create one that does not mean a certain misfortune. So also the blind leader Aristotle wrote his own book of the heavenly signs, gives them all to nature, and makes that they are not signs; our scholars follow this and make a fool of the world full of fools. But thou shalt know the things that are changed in heaven above the common way, that there surely God's wrath makes his sign to be seen.
And on the moon.
15. this sign is, as Matth. 24, 29. stands, that the moon will not have its light
*) Solar eclipses. (f g)
That is, it will lose its glow. It can be said of this sign, as of the sun's sign, that it is natural; and this sign has also happened many times in short years. For a while there has been no year at all, either the sun or the moon has lost its light, sometimes both with each other in one year, sometimes one twice. Are these not signs, what are signs? Let it be that more have happened in time past, but not so much, and not so near one to another, and not so near one to another. When Jerusalem was to be destroyed, some of the signs had happened much more before, yet they were new signs.
And at the stars.
16. that is, as Matthew Cap. 24, 29: "The stars will fall from heaven. The sign can be seen daily, and I do not know whether it happened so often in the past. Aristotle, the fool of the high schools, also makes natural useless things out of it; but in short, the gospel is God's word and wisdom, which calls the stars falling a sign; let us stay there. Therefore, when the stars fall, or the sun and moon lose their light, know that they are signs; the gospel does not lie to you. But because these years happen so much and close together, and yet nothing special follows, you must think that these signs will be of the last day, of which Christ says here; for it must happen much and often to interpret and proclaim the great day abundantly. Now these signs go, and have gone long since; but no man regardeth them: so shall it be, that they wait for other signs, as the Jews wait for another Christian.
And on earth people will be afraid and will tremble.
(17) It is not to be understood that all nations, or the great part of them, shall suffer such things; for thou must take heed that they be signs. Not all the stars fall from heaven, but very few; nor does the sun lose its light for a whole year or month, but for an hour.
or two, less or more. Nor does the moon lose its light for the whole week or night, but, like the sun, for an hour or two, so that it may remain a sign and not all be reversed. So not many people will suffer this hustle and bustle, but very few, and not without intermission, so that they remain signs to others, who will despise it, and by the instruction of physicians say that it is the fault of complexion and melancholy, or of the planets in the sky, or invent some other natural cause; nevertheless, such manifest signs go before the blind secretly, and it happens that we see the signs with seeing eyes and yet do not recognize them; as happened to the Jews in Christ when Matthew wrote Cap. 13, 14.
18. "To be afraid of the people" is not bodily; for as it is heard, there will remain peace and good enough for them to eat and drink, build and plant, buy and sell, free and let free, dance and jump, and wrap themselves in this temporal life as if they wanted to stay here forever. I consider it to be the great torture of consciences. For since the gospel is condemned, in which alone consciences are comforted, and the doctrines of men are established, which teach us to put away sin and earn heaven by our works, there actually follows a heavy confinement and affliction of conscience, which never has rest, which would gladly be pious, do good and be saved, is almost afraid, and yet does not know how it should do it. His sin and conscience oppress him, he is troubled by them; however much he does, he still finds no rest: so he is afraid that he does not know what and how he should do it. That is why so many vows and pilgrimages are made; that is where the service and honor of the saints are lifted up. Hence so many foundations of masses and vigils grow, some flog and torture themselves, some become monks, and that they do so much, they become Carthusians. These are all works of the pressed and anxious consciences, and actually the plague that St. Lucas sets here. For he puts two words that mean as much as if one were first to come into a distress or a squeeze, since it would be narrow,
as if he were thrown into a narrow dungeon; after that he would be afraid, would not know how to get out of the crowd, would go astray in himself, would try this and that, but would not be helped; that is what is called in German, to become afraid. This is how it is with these consciences: their sins have caught them, and lie in the narrow conscience, which presses and frightens them very much. Now they would like to be rid of it; then the other sorrow arises that they are afraid, they do not know how to attack it, try all kinds of things, and nothing helps.
19 Now, this misery does not befall the rough and tumble of the masses, but only a few, and usually the most sensible and tender souls, and good and faithful people, who otherwise would not like to wrong anyone and live honestly, but have something secret about them, for it is primarily unchastity that eats them up day and night, so that they never become thoroughly happy from the heart. And this is just a wild prey for the monks and priests, there it gives and can be flayed, especially if it is womenfolk; there one confesses, and lets oneself be taught, absolved and led wherever the holy confessors want to go. Meanwhile the wretched people go and are the sign of our Lord God to the last day. To them the gospel is life and comfort, while the rest of the people are condemned.
20 Behold, no one can deny the sign that it is especially common in these hundred years that many have become mad and insane, as Gerson also writes. Although there have been such people in the past and always, it has not been so widespread in all the world and so wicked; for from the beginning of the world no human doctrine has ever ruled the tenth part, even the hundredth part, so far, so horribly, and tortured and murdered so many consciences, as the pope and his disciples, priests and monks; for such hearts are especially made of the law of confession, which was never before commanded and so much practiced. That is why it has never been a sign of the last day except now. They must all be great and many signs, and yet despised by the other great part.
And the sea and the waves will roar.
21 This will be done by winds, for all the sound of the waters comes from winds. Therefore the Lord shows by these words that there will be great and many winds. By sea is not meant here only the sea outside the world, but all still waters, according to the use of the holy scripture, which says Genesis 1:10: "God called the gathered waters sea," whether sea, lake or pond. Rivers, however, are all foul, flowing waters.
(22) Now you must not think that all waters, rivers, ponds, lakes, seas, and wherever it is wet in the world, are rushing or windy at once. It should be a sign that some seas and rivers are rushing and windy, and that it happens many times and close to each other. For as all the stars do not fall, nor are all men afraid, neither do all the waters rush, nor is there wind in all the oceans at the same time.
23. here Mrs. Hulde, the heathen art, will sit in the high schools, and throw up her mouth and say: have you not seen more winds, or heard water rushing? But my Aristotle teaches how it naturally happens etc. We leave them alone; we know well that God's word and sign must be despised by the clever idols. But hold fast to the gospel, which teaches you to believe that all the great winds and water showers are signs. And though such signs have happened many times before, yet they shall be many and great before the last day.
(24) But I think that we have had and heard such winds, such roaring and roaring, for ten or twelve years, without what is yet to come, that I hardly believe that ever before a time had heard such great and many winds and roaring. And this is also to be considered, whether before times of these signs some, and rarely, also individually were; so they go nevertheless with the pile together, and not rarely, but much and often. For our time, which at the same time sees sun and moon lose light, stars fall, people become afraid, great winds and waters roar, and what more is said. It all comes in one heap.
We have also seen comets, and recently many crosses have fallen from the sky, and sometimes the new unheard-of disease, the French, has appeared. Also, how many signs and wonders have been seen in the sky these four years alone, as suns, moons, stars, rainbows, and many other strange images? Dear, let them be signs and great signs that mean something great, which even the star masters and Mrs. Hulde may not say that they come from natural course, because they have previously known nothing about it, nor prophesied.
26) So no astrologer may say that the course of heaven has announced the terrible beast, which the Tiber at Rome threw out dead a short time ago,*) which had an ass's head, a woman's breast and belly, an elephant's foot on the right hand, and fish scales on the legs, and a dragon's head on the hindmost etc., in which the Pabstthum is meant, the great God's wrath and punishment. Such a bunch of signs wants to bring something greater than all reason thinks.'' Before proceeding and continuing, it is now considered good to hear the testimony of the last day, which the highly famous teacher Lactantius Firmianus wrote against the pagans in the time of his life after the birth of Christ 320, in the book Divinarum Institutionum, the seventh book, in the 15th chapter: When the end of this world approaches, the state of human affairs will have to be changed and fall into a worse nature; then all inequity and wickedness will prevail, so that our present time, in which inequity and wickedness have grown to the highest degree, will still be blessed and much closer to gold than that time, which no one will be able to help or advise. Then righteousness will become strange, and blasphemy, stinginess, impure desires, and unchastity will become common, so that the pious will be in the same place where they are.
*) In 1496. cf. " Deutung der zwo greulichen Figuren, Pabstesels zu Rom und Mönchkalbs zu Freiberg in Meisten funden. Phil. Melanchthon, v. Mart. Luther." Wittenberg 1523. (See volume XIX of our edition.) D. Red.
The most wicked will be robbed, and they will be vexed and distressed everywhere. At the same time, only the wicked will be rich and prosperous, but the pious will be thrown into all ignominy and poverty; justice will be perverted, the laws will perish, and then no one will have anything but what he has taken with his hand or saved. Boldness and violence will possess everything. There will be no more faith, no more trust in men, no more peace, no more tolerance, no more shame, no more truth, and therefore no more security, no more government, no more rest from evil-doers; then all countries will be rebellious, everywhere there will be raging and warfare, all the world will be in armor, and will strangle itself on each other. *)
And men will pine away for fear and for waiting for the things that are to come on earth.
(27) Neither shall these be the reprobate great multitude, who despise the signs of God, and ascribe them to nature; but the best and noblest, who have the matter at heart, and are thoughtful. And the pining away and withering away is to be understood that they fear death, or ever near death; so that fear consumes them and makes them powerless. What then do they fear and wait for? He says: the things that are coming upon the whole world, that is, the last day, the terrible judgment, hellish fire and eternal death, and that follows with it. Why then do they fear and wait, and not the whole world, upon whom it will come, and perhaps not upon them? Because they are to be God's signs, who must be despised by the whole world.
028 But who these men are, I cannot yet tell; unless they be they who have to do with the high temptation of death and hell, whereof the
Taulerus writes. For this temptation devours flesh and blood, even marrow and bone, and is death itself, so that no one can bear it, except he be wonderfully preserved. This also was tasted by some of the patriarchs, as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Moses; but at the end of the world it shall be worse. But this sign will perhaps still increase greatly, although there have been many of them and still are daily, of which few people know. There are people who are in mortal distress and fight with death; there they feel what will come over the whole world and are afraid that it will also remain over them. But it is to be hoped that such people are in a gracious state. For Christ says, as if he would separate the two things, the fear and the things that are feared by them; and divides it thus, that he gives them the fear, but to the world the fearful things; so that it may be supposed, that by the same fear and anguish they have here their hell and death, and the world, which is not afraid, must suffer death and hell afterward.
Because even the sky forces will move.
(29) The powers of the heavens are understood by some to be the angels in heaven. But because Christ saith of signs, saying, We shall see them, and know by them the things to come in the latter day; they must surely be manifestly seen, and be felt with the senses of the flesh. For even men who have the throng in their conscience and pine away in fear, though they have it in their souls, yet they are known in the body outwardly by words and gestures. So these powers of the heavens must also be moved and recognized bodily and outwardly.
30 Now the Scripture speaks of the powers of the heavens in two ways. First, the powers of the heavens, that is, the powerful heavens, or the heavens, which are the most powerful of all creatures, as it is written in Genesis 1:8, "God called the heavens firmament," that is, fortification or strengthening. For all creatures under heaven are governed and strengthened by the light, heat, movement of the heavens. What
Would the world without heaven be a desolate darkness? Like the princes and rulers of the world, Scripture also calls them by the name virtutis, power, because they rule and act over their subjects.
(31) Again, "the power of the heavens" means the host of heaven; as Ps. 33:6: "The heavens were made by the word of God, and all their powers," that is, all their host, "by the spirit of his mouth. And Gen. 2, 1: "So the heavens and the earth were made, and all their powers," that is, all their host. And this way of speaking of heavenly powers is the right common way in Scripture. And it is clear from these sayings that the armies or powers of heaven and earth are all that is in them, as there are sun, moon, stars, and all that is above. On earth, however, there are men, animals, birds, fish, trees, herbs, and everything else that dwells on it.
32 So then the mind may be of both powers of the heavens, but chiefly of their host. So Christ says that all creatures will move and serve this day with signs, the sun and moon with darkness, the stars with destruction, the nations with wars, men with fear and dread, the earth with tremors, the waters with wind and roaring, the air with pestilence and poison. So also the heavens with their army and movements.
But what the movement of the heavenly host is, I do not yet know; it would be the great constellation of the planets.) For the planets are certainly the most prominent of the powers and armies of the heavens, and their strange gathering is certainly a sign over the world. Now Christ does not say that all the host or powers of the heavens will move, but some. For not all the stars will be moved; just as it was said above, not all men will suffer tribulation and fear, not all the waters will roar and rush all the time, the sun and the moon will not be dark all the days; for these are only signs, which must happen only in some and in the least part, so that they may gain something special in respect to
*) planets than has been in the year 1524. (k x)
the other part, which will not be a sign. Therefore I stand on the fact that the movement of the heavenly host is certainly the future constellation of the planets, about which the star masters say it is to mean a deluge; God grant that it is the last day, which it certainly means.
34 And here you should not be mistaken that the constellation occurs naturally from the course of heaven; it is nevertheless called a sign from Christ. And it is almost obvious, because it does not gather alone, but with the heap of other signs, and arrives at the same time. Let the unbelievers doubt and despise God's sign, and say it is a natural occurrence; stick to the gospel.
(35) There are more signs described in other places than these: Earthquakes, pestilence, the time of trouble and wars, Luc. 17, 20. ff. and Matth. 24, 7. Which we have also seen many times, although they were also before; but therefore they are nevertheless certain signs, especially because they run with the others at the same time. Everybody also confesses that the present wars are done in such a way, that those who were before are considered children; so it is most terrible and highest with guns, armor and armor. But because today's Gospel says nothing about it, we leave it alone. Rather, let them be signs, and great signs that mean something great; but they are already forgotten and despised.
And then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with power and great glory.
(36) Now here you may point the power to the host of angels, saints, and all creatures that will come with Christ to judgment, which I consider the right understanding; or to the power and strength that this future of Christ is so much more mighty, as the first has been sicker and lesser. Neither saith he alone, He shall come; but, They shall see him coming." For after the bodily birth he also came, but was seen by no one. He also comes daily through the gospel
spiritually into the believing hearts; no one sees him either. But this future will happen publicly, so that everyone must see him, as Revelation 1:7 also says: "And every eye will see him", and thus see that there is no other, but the bodily man Christ in bodily form, as he was born of Mary and walked on earth. For otherwise he might have said, "They shall see me," which would not be a clear statement of the bodily form. But now he says, The Son of man they shall see, it is clearly expressed that it is a bodily future, a bodily seeing in a bodily form, but in great power, with a great host of angels and with all glory, and shall sit on a cloud of light, and all the saints with him. The Scripture says much about that day, and everything is directed to it.
But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
(37) Here you may say, "Who can lift up his head before such terrible wrath and judgment? If all the world be afraid of the day, and bow down the head more, and look beneath them for terror and fear; how then shall we look and lift up the head? which doubtless signifies joy and desire. Answer: All these things are said to true Christians alone, and not to Gentiles or Jews. But true Christians are in great temptations and persecutions of sins, and all manner of evils, that this life becomes sour and ugly to them. Therefore they wait, and ask, and desire, to be delivered from sins and all evils; as the Lord's Prayer says, Thy kingdom come, and deliver us from evil. If we are true Christians, we also pray this with earnestness from the bottom of our hearts. But if we do not pray it from the bottom of our hearts and with earnestness, we are not yet true Christians.
38 If then we pray rightly, it must surely be with us that we look upon these signs, however terrible they are, with joy and desire, as here Christ exhorts.
and says, "When these things begin, look up"; does not say, "Be afraid, or bow down your heads; for it is coming that we have asked so earnestly. If then we earnestly desire to be delivered from sins, death, and hell, we must most earnestly desire and love this future. St. Paul also says in 2 Tim. 4:8: "He will give me the crown of righteousness, not only to me, but to all who love his future. If he gives the crown to all who love his future, what will he give to those who hate and shun it? Without a doubt, hell, as his enemies. And Tit. 2, 13: "We shall wait for the future of the glory of God, who is great." And Luc. 12, 36: "You shall be like the people who wait for their Lord when he comes from the host."
39 But those who fear and do not want him to come, what do they do when they pray? Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, deliver us from evil? Do they not come before God and lie to Him against themselves? Do they not also strive against God's will, who wants this day for the salvation of His saints? Therefore, great diligence must be taken here, lest hatred or timidity of this day be found in us; for such timidity is an evil sign and belongs to the damned; their hard heads and hardened hearts must be moved and broken with such shock and fright, if they would amend themselves.
40 But to the believers it shall be comforting and sweet. The day will be both the highest joy and security to the faithful, and the highest terror and escape to the unfaithful. Just as in this life the gospel truth is most sweet to the good, most ugly to the evil. Why should believers fear and not rejoice to the fullest, since they trust in Christ, and the Judge comes for their salvation and is their portion?
041 And thou sayest, Yea, I would also wait and love this future, if I were pious and without sin. Answer: Well then, what is the use of fearing and fleeing? You will not be saved from sins by it, even if you fear for a thousand years. The damned fear forever
Even though they fear it, they do not get rid of their sin; indeed, this fear only increases the sin and prevents you from being without sin and yet not being able to escape from the day. Fear must go out and a desire must come in for righteousness and for this day. But if it is true that you would like to be righteous and without sin, thank God and stop, desire to be without sin even more; and would God that such desire were so righteous and great in you that it would kill you.
(42) There is none better prepared for the latter day than he who desires to be without sin. If thou art in such desire, why dost thou fear? for by this thou art of one mind with that day. He comes to redeem from sins all who desire it, and you are also of the opinion that you want to be rid of it; thank God, stay and continue in the opinion. Christ says that redemption is his future. But see and do not deceive yourself that you say you would like to be without sins and not fear the day. Perhaps your heart is wrong and fears it, not that you would like to be without sin, but that you cannot sin freely and safely before it. Then see to it that the light in you is not darkness. For a heart that truly desires to be free from sin will surely rejoice in the day that fulfills its desire. But if it does not rejoice, then there is not a thorough desire to be free from sin.
(43) Therefore we must above all things put away the hatred and dread of this future, and be diligent that we may with all earnestness be loosed from sin. When this is done, we may not only safely await the day, but also with all our eagerness and joy ask for it and say: Thy kingdom come, thy will be done. And in this you must let go of your arrogance and feelings, and hold to the comforting words of Christ, and trust in them completely.
44 Behold, how shall he more sweetly exhort, comfort, and strengthen you? First he saith, Ye shall hear of wars, but ye shall not be afraid." If he calls you not to be afraid, what else is it but that he commands you to be confident, and to be such?
Signs to recognize with joy. Second, he calls you to look joyful; third, to lift up your head; fourth, he calls your salvation. What shall comfort and strengthen thee, if such words do not strengthen thee? Do you think he is lying to you, or trying to deceive you into false confidence? Dear one, do not let such words be said in vain; thank God and rely on them: there is otherwise no more counsel nor comfort where you throw these words to the wind. It is not your damnation, but your salvation, says Christ comfortingly; and you want to turn these words around for yourself, and say that it is not your salvation, but your damnation, and flee your own blessedness; you cannot greet God who meets you, nor give thanks to him who greets you.
45 He undoubtedly spoke such comforting words for the benefit of the fainthearted, who, though devout and ready for the last day, are afraid of too great fear and hinder the desire of that future, which will be found especially at the end of the world; therefore he calls it their redemption. For at the end of the world, when sins shall most grievously have the upper hand; and besides sin, the other part, the punishment of sin, with pestilence, warfare, theurge, shall also have the upper hand: there is need for the faithful a strong defiance and consolation against both the calamities of sin and punishment. That is why he uses the sweetest word, "salvation," which all hearts love to hear. What is redemption? Who would not like to be redeemed? Who would want to remain under such a desolate nature of both sin and punishment? Who would not want an end to such misery, such peril of souls, such ruin of men? Especially as Christ so sweetly tempts, entices and comforts.
The unholy dream preachers are to be punished, who with their preaching hide these words of Christ from the hearts and turn away faith from them, want to make people devout with mere terror, and then prepare them for sin on this day by their own good works and satisfaction. Then vain despair, fear and terror must remain and grow, and with it hatred, opposition, and the fear of God.
The will and fear of this future of Christ, that is, God's enmity, are established in the hearts, because they do not teach Christ differently in themselves, but only as a severe judge, whom they are to satisfy and atone for with their works; and they never consider him to be a redeemer, as he calls himself here and offers to wait for in firm faith, that he will save us from sins and all evil by pure grace.
(47) Behold, this is how it always works: if one does not preach the gospel rightly, and only chases the hearts with commandments and preaching, one only drives them further away from God and makes them unwilling to accept God. One should frighten, but only the stubborn and hardened; then strengthen and comfort again when they have become fearful and timid.
(48) From all this we see how few people there are who pray the Lord's Prayer properly, even though it is prayed without ceasing throughout the world. For there are very few of them who would like nothing better than for this day never to come. That is nothing else than that God's kingdom should not come. So their heart prays against their mouth, and God judges by the heart, but they by the mouth. That is why they offer and hold up many prayers, and they blare in all the churches of the world, and call everything prayed for, when in fact it is no different than this: "Your kingdom is not coming, or is not coming yet. Tell me, is such a prayer not a real blasphemy, and such a prayer, of which Ps. 109, 7. says: "His prayer shall become sin"? All the world's goods and money are still going here, so that only all corners are filled with such blasphemy, and let it be called worship.
(49) But let him not despair who feels such fear in himself, but use it wisely. But he who uses it wisely, who lets such fear be a driving and exhortation to him to ask for mercy, which will take away his fear and give him pleasure and desire for that day. For Christ promised that whatever we ask, we shall receive, Matt. 7:8. Therefore such fearful people are nearer to their salvation than the reprobate and hard-souled, who neither fear nor take comfort in the day. For whether they
they do not yet have the desire to do so, but they do have an urge to ask for desire.
50 But he is unwise to fear, who only increases it and remains in it, as if he wanted to purify himself from sins by it; but nothing comes of it. For not fear, which must be cast out, as John 1 Ep 4:18 says, but love, which must remain, as St. Paul 1 Cor 13:8 says, which destroys all sin, as St. Peter says. Fear should drive us to seek and ask for such love from God. For where it does not go out, it resists God's will and your own salvation; that is a sin against the Holy Spirit. Although it is not necessary that he be entirely without fear. For there always remains nature in us, which is weak and cannot stand without fear of death and judgment; but the spirit should ever be above, as Christ says Matt. 26:41: "The spirit is inclined, but the flesh is sick."
And he told them the same thing: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees, when they now shoot out, you see it in them, and realize that summer is now near. So also you, when you see all these things coming, know that the kingdom of God is near.
51 These are words of comfort. He does not speak of autumn or winter, when all the trees are bare and the time is sad; but of spring and summer, which is a joyful and merry time, when all creatures are glad and rejoice. That he may teach plainly enough that we should look forward to the last day with such joy and eagerness, as all creatures look forward to the spring or summer. What else should this parable be, if he did not want to teach us this in it? He would have found another, since such pleasure and joy is not inside.
(52) To this he does not say, "Your hell or damnation is near," but, "The kingdom of God is near. What is "the kingdom of God being near" but that our salvation is near? We ourselves are the kingdom of God, as he says in Luc. 17, 21: "Behold, the kingdom of God is within yourselves. Therefore approach
When we are about to be redeemed from sins and evil. For in this life it begins in the spirit; or because we must still contend with sins, suffer much evil, and death is still before us, the kingdom of God is not yet complete: but when sin and death with all evil are taken from us, then it is complete. This shall be done on the last day and not in this life.
Therefore, dear man, look at your life, search your heart, how it is disposed toward this day; do not rely on your good life, it will soon disgrace you, but think and strengthen your faith, so that you do not fear this day with the damned and the perverse, but desire it as your salvation and the kingdom of God within you; so that when you hear it called, or think of it, your heart dances with joy and longs for it. If thou dost not judge thyself therefore, think not that thou wilt stand otherwise, if thou do all the works of the saints.
Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things come to pass. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Why does the Lord make his words so firm and precious, and confirm them so exceedingly hard with parables, with oaths, with signs of the generation that shall remain beside them; and that rather heaven shall pass away with earth? All this happens because, as it is said above, all the world will be so sure and so despise the signs with seeing eyes, that indeed no God's words have been so despised as these will be, when he announces and signifies the last day. It will appear before all the world that the signs are not; and even if they see, they will not believe; so that even the elect will doubt such God's word and signs; so that the day will come just when the world has never been so sure, and will be hastened in a moment in the highest certainty, as St. Paul introduced above.
55Therefore Christ will ever make us sure and wake us up, that we may be sure of the day.
68 D. 10, 7K-si. On the second Sunday of Advent. W. n, ss-ss. 69
Certainly wait for the signs when they come. Although the signs are uncertain, there is no danger to those who believe them to be true, but there is danger to those who despise them. Therefore let us play the game of conscience and consider the above-mentioned signs to be the legitimate ones, so that we do not run with the spiritless ones. If we fail, we have failed; but if they fail, they shall fail.
56. he calls the Jews "this generation"; and here this saying clearly forces that the common speech is not true, that the Jews should all become Christians, and leads to the saying Joh. 10, 16: "There will be one shepherd and one sheepfold"; which is fulfilled, not when the Jews came to the Gentiles, but when the Gentiles came to the Jews and became Christians in the time of the apostles; as St. Augustine also interprets it many times. Augustinus interprets many times, also the words of Christ himself give, since he says Joh. 10, 16.: "I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; them also I must fetch, and they shall hear my voice, and shall become One Shepherd and One fold." Here you see clearly that he speaks of the Gentiles who have come to the Jewish sheepfold, therefore the saying has long been fulfilled. But here he says, "This generation shall not pass away until the end"; that is, Jews who crucified Christ must remain as a sign; and though many are converted, yet the generation and the kind must remain.
57 Some have also tried to explain how the heavens and the earth will pass away; they take the blind pagan, Aristotle, to help them, who must interpret Christ's words and say that the heavens and the earth will pass away not according to the essence but according to the form; they miss much that they say. If they understand that heaven and earth will be one thing, it would be right; but let the blind go. You should know that just as our corpses are changed according to their essence, and yet the same corpses are also made according to their essence, so the heavens and the earth will be melted by fire on the last day, along with all the elements and everything else that exists, and will become powder with the bodies of all people, so that nothing will be left but the dead.
And immediately thereafter all things shall be created anew in the most beautiful manner, and our bodies shall shine as the sun, and the sun shall be seven times brighter than it is now. 2 Peter 3:10, 13: "The day of the Lord is coming, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great tempest, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and all things that are upon the earth shall be consumed: but new heavens, new earths, and things which he hath promised us, we wait for; wherein shall righteousness dwell." Sanct Paul 1 Cor. 3, 13. also testifies that the last day will be revealed in the fire. And Isa. 30, 26: "And the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, when the Lord shall bind up the breach of his people, and heal their wounds." Item Is. 65, 17: "Behold, I create new heavens and new earths, and the former shall be remembered no more; but ye shall rejoice and leap for ever in them which I create." Therefore this perishing is not only according to form, but also according to essence; unless you would not call that decayed which becomes powder until it cannot be found nor seen, as the burned bodies become ashes and ruin.
(58) But where are our souls now, when all the places of the creature will be fire, and there will be no ground or space? Answer: Tell me, dear one, where are they now? or where are they when we are asleep? since they know nothing of what is happening on the outside of the body and all bodily creatures. Do you think that God is not able to keep the souls in his hand, so that they never become aware of how heaven and earth become powder? or do you think that he must have a bodily stable for this, like a shepherd to his sheep? It is enough that you know they are in God's hands and in no creature's shelter or room: if you do not know how this happens, do not be mistaken; for you have not yet learned what happens to you when you sleep or awake, and you can never know how close sleep or awake is to you, so that you may walk daily. How would you know this? It is said: "Father, in your
Hands I commend my spirit," it remains; however, heaven and earth will be new, and our bodies also, and will come to life again to eternal bliss, amen. If we knew how the souls would be kept, faith would be gone. But now we go and know not where, venturing upon God and into His hands, faith exists in its dignity.
59 At the last, we must also see a little spiritual interpretation about this Gospel. The sun is Christ, the moon is the church, the stars are the Christians, the powers of the heavens are the prelates or planets in the church. Now, the bodily signs certainly signify how things have long since gone and are going in Christendom; for they follow according to the merit of sins, threatening and showing the punishment of the same.
60. That the sun loses its light is no doubt, it means that Christ does not shine in Christianity, that is, the gospel is not preached and the faith goes out, that there is no more worship; This happens and has happened through the teachings and works of men, and the pope sits in Christ's place in the church and shines like dirt in the lantern, he with his bishops, priests, monks; they are the ones who have darkened the sun for us and instead of the right worship of God have set up an idolatrous and potentious worship *) with plates, caps, clothes, whistles, ringing, chanting, sounding etc. O darkness, O darkness!
From this it must follow that the moon also gives no light, that is, since faith was extinguished, love must also be extinguished, so that no more Christian works would be seen, no example would be found, since one would serve the other; but the people would only be led to idolatrous works and potteries, to establish masses, vigils, altars, chapels, chalices, bells and the jiggery-pokery. O darkness!
I interpret the fall of the stars as when a man is baptized and becomes a Christian, and then becomes a priest or a monk. Believe me, whoever wants to; whoever does not want to, let it be, I know what I say. I do not say,
*) Potzen or Nutzen means grimaces, larvae. D. Red.
that they will all be lost; God may well preserve in the fire whom he wills. But I say that whoever becomes a priest or monk in the name of accepting a blessed state, steps from the Christian faith into unbelief; for the fall of the stars does not mean gross cases, such as murder, fornication, theft, but the fall from faith. Monks and priests (where God is not particularly surprised) are certainly apostates and denying Christians because of their status, that there is no worse people on earth.
The Turks are also unbelievers; but in two respects they are better than these. First, that they have never been Christians or stars, nor have they departed from the faith. Secondly, they do not sin against the sacraments. But these people make of the mass a sacrifice and a good work, and do it daily and innumerably; which is yet the most abominable perversion that is shone upon by the sun. In short, whoever wants to become pious and blessed by works and spiritual state, steps away from faith and falls from heaven; for Christ's blood alone must make us pious and blessed. Therefore, when you see a star fall, know that it means to become priests, monks, nuns.
64. but that men faint for fear is the torment which the pope's saints and ruined stars have; for they do great things, and yet their conscience is never at peace, as all Scripture calls their nature toil and labor.
The roar of the winds and the rush of the waters are the worldly state, supreme and inferior; there is no ruler, no country at one with another, no faithfulness, no confidence among themselves, each directed to his own; so that there is also no punishment, no discipline, no fear on earth, and all the world goes free in eating, drinking, unchastity and in all lusts, so that it roars and roars.
66. the powers of the heavens are our planets, our spiritual squires and tyrants, pope, bishop and their companions, the high schools, who are so deeply seated in the worldly regiment, good, honor and pleasure with all certainty that they meant they were not planets, that is, errones; for planeta in Greek means a madman, who has no right
The German people interpret this with a proverb and say: "The scholars, the perverse ones, that is, the spiritual regiment is like planets. The Germans interpret this with a proverb and say: The learned, the perverse, that is, the spiritual regiment is vain planets. But when the gospel dawns and shows them their virtue and colors them with their own color, that they are unlearned idols and seducers of souls, they want to get angry, move and make a constellation, get together, want to protect it with cops and paper, threaten a great deluge; but it will and will not help them: the day dawns, it will not be thrown under the bushel as if it were a wax light.
The likeness of the fig tree looks at me as if it were the holy scripture, which until now has lain under the bench, which has sprouted, has gained leaves, that is, its word that breaks forth. For in twelve hundred years it is
not so far out, the languages also not so known been. But there is no doubt in my mind that the Scriptures are a fig tree, as this is easily proven. For these are the fig leaves where Adam and Eve covered themselves with; for the Scripture always needs the old Adam to adorn himself with it. So the book must come out, the leaves must green, and it does not help that the planets move much around it; but the summer is not far away, God wanted the fruits to follow the leaves, too. I worry that it will only remain with the leaves, because we talk a lot about the right faith, but do nothing.
That is enough of the interpretation. Whoever wants to go further has cause and beginning to strive with this. But the planets shall believe none of these with their rottenness, that ever the scripture remains true, which gives them great certainty and contempt in all God's words, works and signs.