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Reformation Day (1887)

Matthew 11:12-15

Both the Old and New Testament Scripture prophesies about the Antichrist, of its

descent and abominable tyranny.1

This prophecy was fulfilled when the Roman Antichrist raised

his head, with the appearance of the papacy and its horrors. Historical record from church

history about the development of the papacy, its power and dominance until the flowering of 

the same under Gregory VII and in the period just before the Reformation. "All the vices of 

Antichrist plainly agree with the kingdom of the pope and his followers."2

But Scripture

prophesies not only about Antichrist, but also about its conqueror, not only about its atrocities

and its cruel tyranny, but also about its fall and about the deliverance of Christianity from its

bonds.3

And this prophecy was fulfilled when God raised up His servant, Dr. Martin Luther, and

through him carried out the blessed work of the Reformation, the deliverance of His poor

Christians. On the basis of our text, etc.

The fact that Luther is the reformer of the Church prophesied in Scripture; we consider:

1. how certain -

a. because John the Baptist was a man of the spirit and of the power of Elijah, and

similarly appeared and worked, he is here called Elijah; Therefore Luther also is called

by our fathers the third Elijah; and how one could know from the Pope that he is the

prophesied Antichrist, because "all vices" and abominations that Scripture cites fit

him and his kingdom, thus also in this way it is prophesied in Scripture about Luther

the Reformer;b. the life of Luther and his work of Reformation shows us particular similarity to Elijah

and John: α. Luther's boyhood and adolescent years fell in the time of the darkest

Papacy (similar to Elijah's and John's time); he himself became a monk and a zealous

papist, there God let him find the Bible and the Light of Truth in it; β. but yet Luther

did not fully recognize at once the mystery of iniquity in the Papacy, not in 1517

when he nailed the 95 Theses on the Castle Church at Wittenberg; not even in 1518

when he wrote about the indulgences of the Papacy; not even in 1520 when he still

calls Pope Leo X "the sheep among wolves"; γ. but not long after the full light rose up

in him and he appeared in the spirit and power of Elijah against the papacy, he

witnessed and struggled, as God held His protective hand over him; John the Baptist

had to die under the executioner's ax, [John] Huss at the stake, but Luthermiraculously remained alive, as once Elijah who was fed by ravens. Description of 

dangers; δ. he carried out his work, the great and blessed work of the Reformation .א

not with armed force as Elijah once ordered the slaughter of the priests of Baal; . butב

1Daniel 11; 2 Thessalonians 2.

2Tractate 39.

3Psalm 12:6; Daniel 11:44; 2 Thessalonians 2:8.

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with the sword of the Spirit, with God's Word; with it alone he overcame and toppled

Antichrist and cast out the downtrodden conscience from its captivity to the light of 

freedom; the Pope is and remains toppled from his throne in the light of Truth, an

unmasked and condemned enemy; soon the Lord will completely destroy him by the

brightness of His coming4;

2. how encouraging and exhorting this is;

a. it encourages us α. to fervent thanks for the great benefits and blessings of Luther's

Reformation: . for the revelation of the Antichrist, revealing his horror andא

delivering poor Christians from his cruel tyranny; . for the blessings we enjoy in theב

Church purified by him: aa. the light of Truth shines for us in the brightest luster;

Luther: "We have everything (God be praised) pure and holy—the word, baptism, the

sacrament, the keys, and everything which belongs to the true church—without the

addition and filth of human doctrine"5; bb. Therefore, our church is the ancient, only

pure, apostolic, orthodox church of God on earth that has the promise6;

b. it exhorts us faithfully to preserve and to make use of the blessings and the heritage

of the Reformation, α. as we guard ourselves against all satiety and always hear the

pure and clear Gospel with hearts hungry for grace as the Word that saves our souls7;

for ingratitude and contempt lets the pure Word "not stay long"; β. as we earnestly

bear witness and struggle against all false doctrines, popery and sects8; γ. in

particular highly regard and diligently use Luther's writings in which he, the Reformer

of our Church sent from God, speaks to us9; they are the cloak that he, the third

Elijah, has left us and through them his spirit overflows on us; yes, his spirit would like

to animate us in faith, witness, life, suffering and death, so that we also once, like

him, would ideally like a blessed ascension!10

 

A.G.G.

4Daniel 11:44 (news = Word); 2 Corinthians 10:4-5; 2 Thessalonians 2:8.

5 Luther, M. (1999). Vol. 41: Luther's works, vol. 41: Church and Ministry III (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T.

Lehmann, Ed.) (223). Philadelphia: Fortress Press.6

Matthew 28:20; John 8:31-32.7

Matthew 11:12 ("suffered violence").8

Revelation 3:10-11.9

A Roman bishop who had read Luther's explanation of the Lord's Prayer without knowing from whom it

originated exclaimed: "Blessed are the hands that wrote this! Blessed are the eyes that will read this! Blessed are

the hearts that will pray it!"10

2 Kings 2:11-12.