The third time of Christianity has been called the time of the Antichrist. This was supposed to be the basic soup, when the devil would completely knock the bottom out of the barrel: and is no longer a black devil, like the first one; nor the other clever devil, who disputes from the Scriptures; but quite a divine, majestic devil, who goes out badly, as if he were God himself: "Fall down before me, and worship me, and I will give you kingdoms for the whole world. This has been the last lamentation in Christendom: after the dear fathers, who had beaten the mischievous devil in the heretics, had laid down their heads, and the people had grown tired of bickering and fighting over the Scriptures, they had then fallen away from the Scriptures altogether, had left them lying around, and each one had taught and believed what seemed good to him. Then the divine devil comes through his end-Christ, as if he wanted to advise Christianity and help it to get on its feet, after it has gotten peace and rest from both tyrants and heretics, leaves it unchallenged with the Scriptures, and takes an outward regiment from his own head, arranges various worship services, and
makes such an appearance, as if it were a delicious divine thing; then he goes on, says and commands whatever he wants, without word and reason of the Scriptures; and yet everything under God's name. For here he was to exalt and exalt himself, as St. Paul prophesies of him in 2 Thess. 2, 4, over everything that is called God, or worship, and to sit down in the temple of God, that is, in Christendom, and pretend that he is God. With such a splendid divine appearance he tore in and hung emperors, kings and all the world on himself, and finally brought it about that one had to consider everything as a divine thing and worship what he only thought, and no one asked whether it was also God's word and according to the Scriptures.
(2) This is the last and most horrible time, when Christianity has almost been completely destroyed; Christ himself says Luc. 18:8: "When the Son of Man comes, do you think that he will also find faith on earth? As if to say, "The last days will be so terrible and dangerous that both word and faith will perish and be extinguished, so that no one will be able to find faith on earth.
No Christian is to be seen, and everyone will teach, believe, worship and do as he sees fit and thinks good. As it has happened for nine hundred years, no one has preached or written against the blasphemous abominations and idolatries of the pope.
For has this not been an abominable error and an impudent lie, that the most pious of the pope's servants, the holy monks, have persuaded people that if they were buried in a cap after their death, they would have forgiveness of sin and lead from their mouths up to heaven? Yes, to the abyss of hell. There neither God's word of Christ's suffering and resurrection for our sake nor faith is remembered with a word. Yes, they made Christ into a judge and cane-master, and directed us to the dear God-bearer Mary and other saints, as if they were our mediators and intercessors, who would represent us against God and obtain grace; when such an office and honor the Scriptures ascribe to Christ alone. As, Rom. 8, 34: "Christ sits at the right hand of God and represents us", Rom. 3, 25: "God has presented Christ to us as the seat of grace"; Joh. 3, 16: "Thus God has loved the world" etc.
These and such comforting sayings of Christ, of which the Bible is full, the antichristic crowd, no doubt out of God's special wrath for the sake of the shameful ingratitude of the world, did not have to see, much less understand and preach to others; but instead plague the poor afflicted consciences with their blasphemous and fabricated lies about indulgences, calling on saints, pilgrimages, and what is more of the innumerable filth and filth that they cannot deny. For even today there are prayers, hymns and their books that testify to this, in which they have taught blasphemously against Christ and with great destruction of the wretched consciences: Let it be true that in baptism original sin is forgiven through the merit and suffering of Christ; but whatever sins occur after baptism, the suffering of Christ does not help, but we ourselves must do enough by our works etc. This they have taught; and for the sign of it
The great cathedral churches and monasteries, which were all founded on it, are still before my eyes; otherwise, I think, they should deny it. I will keep silent about the other blasphemous abominations, about shouting out the Jubilee, about selling indulgences, about redeeming souls from purgatory etc.
(5) Therefore I say that this is the true divine devil, who has wrought lies and humanity against the truth and God's word, disbelief against faith, and all kinds of idolatry against the right worship of God, by invoking the saints and other devil's filth without measure. The world is so full of monasteries and convents that almost no corner is empty. So their books are also available without any number, so that they have driven such poison into the whole world. It is well known how the devil's apostle, the pope, has interpreted the indulgence stuff everywhere and boasted: He has the merit of all the saints in his box and may distribute it as and to whom he pleases. May God punish you with your distribution! Thus the arch-villain has reversed everything: he has made a tyrant out of Christ, and has attributed to the saints, yes, to his false, forged lies, that which belongs to Christ alone.
Such blasphemous lies have not only been accepted with all will and great devotion, but also bought for great money and goods and worshipped as vain sanctity. And this immeasurable damage, that by such abominations so many innumerable souls have been so miserably seduced and murdered, is all due to the pope together with his chosen people, the monks, who have helped so faithfully (as I also did, unfortunately, in former times), who sold their good works and other merits to the people and thereby assured them of eternal life. But if their works and merits were too little, they could recover them by the intercession and merit of the saints in heaven, which the holy father, the pope, as I said, had the power to distribute. Thus they have taught, and that everyone may know it, and have written the world full of books about it, and have thereby made as many saints or beatifics as there are saints in heaven; indeed, they have also raised them up to be healers, who out of all adversity have been able to save.
who may never have been born. For I would not like to swear that St. George and St. Christopher would ever come on earth.
7. Through such horrible blasphemy of the papal filth and vermin, dear Christianity has been so miserably deceived and corrupted that instead of pure doctrine and faith, it has accepted vain error and lies, and thus has completely lost sight of the Lord Jesus Christ, and has thought and thought nothing else of Him, except that He is our accuser before God the Father; when He is the only Savior, Comforter, Mediator and High Priest between God and man. That is, I mean, the devil raised up and worshipped for God etc. Therefore, this last time, as Paul also calls it, is the most dangerous one, because the pope has suppressed God's word or even interpreted it to his liking, and thus taught and preached without, even against, God's word, which only seemed good to him. Just as the devil, his master, also did with Christ, he finally held no scripture or God's word against him, but spoke evil: "Fall down before me and worship me, and I will give you all the kingdoms of the world. etc.
(8) But the high majestic devil sought with this swift grasp, which he also found at last. For when he saw that he could not break off anything from Christianity first by the cross, that is, by famine, murder, etc., and then by the heretics, who falsified the Scriptures and led them unjustly, he could not do anything special against them: "Wait," he thought, "if I cannot win you by the cross and the word, then I will try it with honor, goods and money, and give you so much that you should forget the Scriptures. This approach worked best for him. For in this way he has finally brought it about that the pope, cardinals and bishops have seized the worldly kingdom and let Christ go with his word, and in the end have become such mighty lords that the emperor, to whom both Christ and the apostles, as the highest majesty on earth, subjected everyone according to body and goods, had to kiss the feet of their rat king, the infernal father.
(9) What the black devil with the sword and the angelic one with the book or writing could not accomplish, the God of this world has finally accomplished by saying: If you fall down before me and worship me, I will give you all these things, for they are mine. This is the divine devil who wants to be worshipped. But then he is worshipped when, instead of the Gospel, faith and the commandments of God, one teaches and preaches, as I said, lies, monastic rules, commandments of men, decrees and statutes; as the pope has done with his ungodly ones, pretending that everything he teaches and commands is God's word; and saying that those who hold such his teaching and commandments to be right and divine are the right church alone, but those who contradict him are heretics and damned people. Thus the pope worshipped the devil, and in return received the world's honor, goods, gold, riches and power over emperors, kings, princes and lords, and in addition received the name and title that he was the most holy. Those whom he has blessed and made saints, they must be; those whom he has cursed and condemned, they must be taken for such: and what he has done must be called all right and well done, if he has played with the emperors, kings, etc. to his liking, deposed them, murdered them, or expelled one by the other against all right and equity. Still no one has been allowed to punish it, otherwise he has not wanted to be cursed by him and handed over to the devil for his own; yes, that is probably more. In spite of a prince or a king who could have harmed his smeared one.
(10) Such authority that he is the highest and holiest on earth, as he boasts, he has only because he fell down before Satan and worshipped him. For is it not worshipping Satan to hold the doctrine of the devil higher and holier than the word of God, and on the other hand to falsify, blaspheme, deny, and persecute the word of God as the worst heresy, and to hold for devils' children and condemn those who teach and honor it? etc. I mean that God is cast out of his throne, and the devil is put in his place and worshipped for God.
This is the basic soup and the last abomination, so that Christianity should be plagued before the last day, from which no one can save them, but the one man, Christ. The pious, God-fearing Emperor Constantinus avoided the black devil, as he brought peace and tranquility to the Christians before the tyrants and provided for the church servants. After that, when the light angelic devil had for a long time armored and martyred Christendom with his heretics, our Lord God gave again some pious Christian emperors, as Theodosium, Arcadium, Honorium, who protected the Church against the Arians. But here, against the last and worst devil, no secular power will be able to protect or save. For, as John Revelation 13:1 ff. says, the dragon has given his power, his throne and great authority to the beast that has seven heads and ten horns. This happened when the pope took Carolum Magnum, and through him all the emperors who came after him, so that they had to do his bidding and recognize him as their overlord. Therefore, the church will have no other patron to protect it against the devil and Antichrist and to deliver it from its last constraint than the right patron, Christ, who says here: "Get thee out of my sight, Satan"; for thou art not the man to be worshipped. He it is of whom it is written, "Thou shalt worship God thy Lord, and him only shalt thou serve."
12. and Christ, the right protector, has already laid hands on him; speaks through his church to the devil: "Lift yourself, Satan" etc. For the gospel, which now shines, pulls the majestic larva off the devil's face and the divine garment over his ears, and presents him naked, so that the Christians now know him rightly, and never think of him as God, but as the ugliest and most harmful devil. To this end, the Gospel also exposes the shame of its Babylonian whore, that all her fornication, that is, the Pabst's abomination and idolatry, murder, bloodshed, etc., is now freely judged and condemned publicly by the Word, which before one had to worship for holiness and approve for right. And now goes (God be praised in eternity!) the prophet
This is the full momentum of St. Paul's message when he speaks of the end of Christ in 2 Thess. 2, 7. 8: "The wicked will not be revealed, but he who is now holding it up will be removed first. Then the Lord will kill him with the spirit of his mouth" etc.
13. now such things go. For the end of Christ in the hearts of the faithful will be weakened and destroyed, not by the sword or by human force (for as Daniel also says, he shall be broken without hand), but as it is written in the 8th Psalm, v. 3: "by the mouth of young children and babes. These are the warriors who will do the burnt harm to the great king of the wasps and sow it along with all his bumblebees. Although they are not regarded as such, and are most certainly despised as lowly and simple-minded people who cannot count four. But in time it will be known (although it is already apparent, if one would only see it) that they have done more with their weakness and foolishness than the whole world would have been able to do with all its wisdom and power; and yet they do not make a fist, much less a sword; but open their mouths badly, preach the gospel, which does not speak of monk's caps, pilgrimages, calling on saints, soul monks, etc., as the end-christ preaches, which is the preaching of the end-christ, but of Christ, that he is the only lawgiver, bearer of sins, eater of death, and murderer of devils. Whoever does not adhere to him will never be helped by these insurmountable enemies, if he already has the work, suffering and merit of all the saints of God (much less of all the saints of the pope) for himself.
(14) So today the little group, Christianity, following their Lord and Master Christ, says to the devil, "Arise, Satan, for it is written: You shall worship God, your Lord, and serve Him alone"; that is, it deals with God's word, drives and sharpens it without ceasing with reading, teaching, preaching, punishing, admonishing, comforting etc. And thereby so much is established in the elect that they henceforth do not rely on any self-chosen works or worship, they are called and shine as beautifully as they may; but rely solely on God's causeless grace and mercy, in
We know that God alone, as the right and only Lord, deserves the honor of being worshipped and served. But what worshiping and serving God alone is, is said elsewhere and would be too long to discuss now. By this way the wicked is killed with the breath of the Lord's mouth, that is, by the oral word that his servants (to whom he gives mouth and wisdom and calls his mouth, Jer. 11, 6. 5, 14.); they create the benefit that the Christians no longer keep anything of the laws and commandments of the end of Christ, which he has now praised and exalted above God's word for several hundred years; but he, along with all his abominations and devil's filth, is swept clean out of their hearts, struck them completely dead, buried and buried, so that he does not move, much less can frighten them with his cruel lightning and thunder.
(15) This, I say, is going on now and will continue until the blessed hour of our final redemption comes, for which we are waiting. Of which Paul further says in the place mentioned, "The Lord will make an end of him by the appearing of his future." We hope, all of us who have Christ's mind, that the same comforting and joyful appearance of the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ (who is now weak, poor and despised, and is still being mocked, scorned, scourged, crucified and killed in his own people the longer the more) will be near the door, and will put an end to the innumerable abominations of the accursed papacy. In which appearance Christ, our life and hope, can prove and show himself, as we now believe and preach about him. Namely, he will deliver us from all sorrow and misery, which we both must bear and endure in body and soul for the sake of the confession of his holy word and holy name from the evil, wicked world, from its father, the devil, and from the end-Christ, who causes nothing but sin and brings about vain destruction.
16. these our enemies, yes, his own enemies, along with the law, sin and death, which our
He will put our consciences under his feet, so that they will have to leave us satisfied for eternity. For as he hath trodden under foot the law, and sin, and death, and hath overcome them for his own person, that they should henceforth do him no hurt: so shall he also in that day wear them out together, and destroy them for all his kingdom. Although he has already begun this through his suffering and resurrection, our redemption is not yet completed as it should be. For the devil will not cease to terrify, afflict, torment and afflict Christianity through error and the tyranny of the world, and then also through the law, sin and death, until Christ comes and puts an end to it at the last day. Therefore St. Paul says Rom. 8, 23. 24: "We are saved, but in hope. Therefore we, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, long for the adoption of children, and wait for the redemption of our bodies.
This redemption we will fully receive on that day, when, as St. Paul says 1 Cor. 15:56, 57.The law will lose its power and sin its sting, and death will be conquered in victory; since our Lord Christ will also repay those who did not know him and were not obedient to the gospel, and who harmed his Christianity with cunning and violence, and let vengeance pass over them, so that they must suffer torment, namely, eternal damnation. Again, to us who have believed in him here, who have confessed his name before the world and therefore suffered all kinds of tribulation and misfortune, together with all the saints and believers from the beginning of the world, he will give rest and glorious, unspeakable joy, and eternal life and blessedness. Therefore, we should not be afraid of this blessed day, when we will finally be delivered from all misfortune and everything will be restored, but await it with a joyful heart and an erect head. May Christ, our Lord, give us this, for he comes quickly and does not remain outside for long.
18. although under the papacy, before this time, when the dear god has again provided us with
gifted with the Gospel, Christianity has for a long time had no pure public preaching from God's Word of faith in Christ as the only Redeemer, Mediator and Comforter of the human race; but only the Pabst's deception and lies of pilgrimages, indulgences, masses for souls, saints' services etc. The pope's deception and lies of pilgrimages, indulgences, masses for the saints, saintly services, etc., have reigned mightily in all churches, and have been so diligently presented to the people that in the end everyone has fallen away from the faith, relying on such hypocrisies and false services: nevertheless, in the midst of such horrible error and darkness, our dear God has miraculously preserved many people in the right faith, even revealing it in part on their deathbed. As St. Bernard was said to have given much cause by his writing to elevate the precious Virgin Mary so high in Christendom, and to attribute to her that which is due to Christ, her Son, alone etc.He also thought much of the monastic life, and in addition lived so chastely, purely, chastely and moderately, and his body with the rest of the fasting was so violently broken and hurt, that, as it is written, at last his breath smelled so badly, that one could not well stay around him; if he had been a pious monk, he had been one: But now that he should die, he does not forget his good works and holy life alone, for he saw well that he could not stand before God by them; but lifts up and says: I have spent my life in evil, but I take comfort in the fact that my Lord Christ has the kingdom of heaven by two rights: first, as a natural heir and son of God, so I do not desire it; second, he has it through his merit, innocent suffering and death; according to this right I desire it, because he did not die for himself, but for me and all sinners.
(19) Yes, dear Bernard, if you had died in your cap, without this confidence in the Lord Christ, you would have gone to the devil; but this is what God is calling you to say through the Holy Spirit at this very hour, that Christ died for you and acquired heaven for you through his death. In this way, whether God wills it, many spiritual (as they called it) persons become,
Many laymen have also been preserved on their deathbeds, who have abandoned the pope's doctrine of indulgences, outward holiness, etc. when the right traits have gone, and have put their heart and trust badly in Christ's death and merit. And what has been preserved in the papacy has been preserved in this way secretly through the Holy Spirit alone. Because of public preaching and the Pabst's regiment it has remained well etc. Therefore the apostles call this last time of the Antichrist time. For they saw by the Spirit that nothing of Christ would remain in the church but the bad name, and that the Antichrist alone would have the reign; as has happened until now.
(20) Since after such protracted sorrow Christ is recognized again through His gospel, we should be heartily grateful to God for His unspeakable grace, and confidently resist the devil and the end-Christ, saying with Christ, "Arise, Satan. For because you pretend your own thing apart from and without holy scripture, and yet want to have it held higher than God's word, I will not hear you in any way. For it is written, "You shall worship God your Lord and serve Him alone." In short, I will not know of any other worship on earth, however holy it may seem or be, but of the one called worshiping God the Lord and serving Him alone.
(21) Therefore, when it rained vain popes, cardinals, and bishops, and they all preached of the greatest and most delicious services, and confirmed them with miraculous deeds: because they cannot hear, much less believe and preach this thing, that Jesus Christ alone was made for us by God the Father for righteousness, wisdom, sanctification, and redemption, 1 Cor. 1:30; but call it error, and despise and condemn all who teach or confess it as heretics: then all their doctrine is a lie and deceit in the abyss, and they and they are cursed and damned for eternity. Therefore, beware of their lies, and know of no other worship or service, but to worship and serve God the Lord alone.
22. Therefore, because they blaspheme the dear holy gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ so horribly and condemn it as a doctrine of the devil, and want to have us, who teach it and confess it, freely dead without all interrogation and responsibility, and want to have their devil's filth shortly and well recognized and kept as right and holy, as before, and never have erred, even in the slightest thing: So we, poor little bunch, will again join together in praying, teaching and exhorting, and (whether God wills it) will make the devil and his end-Christ and great followers more and more dull, until the blessed day of the appearing of our Lord and King Christ comes, when he will finally deliver us from the majestic devil and his end-Christ's reign.
(23) These are the three pieces or temptations which our Lord Christ suffered and overcame first from the devil himself, and after him the holy Christian church. I hope it is almost at an end, because Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, shines again and the arch-villain is now already revealed, that the infernal Satan is known and not worshipped everywhere as before; and now there is no more to wait for, but that the same, our Lord Christ Himself, by His glorious future, destroys him completely with all his followers. For as I have said, in this last time there is no longer any hope that this devil of the end of Christ will be overthrown and that Christianity will be
The end-Christ must himself have committed the highest power on earth, to which the kingdoms of the world are committed to him. And although one or more princes and lords hold to the gospel against the pope, so that a small group of Christianity is kept under its protection and umbrella (as God has now given us pious princes and lords), there still remains on that side the great multitude and the greatest power, who worship this devil, and he is thus worthwhile to them, so that he keeps them as friends. Therefore, there is no other help nor salvation here, except that the Lord Christ himself mightily intervene as the supreme emperor and lord, and out of his divine power and might finally say to him: "Lift yourself up, Satan" etc. For this is a word of power, so that he may strip the devil of his divine form and larva of majesty and uncover him, so that he may be recognized as Satan from hell. But soon after that, he too will be called to depart and cease, so that he will be overthrown from the throne of majesty and will no longer have to challenge Christianity, but will be worshipped and served by God alone for eternity. May he himself, our dear Lord Christ, grant that it may soon come to pass, as we, together with all Christians, pray and wait daily. Amen.