This 14th century Czech theologian and reformer, (d. 1393), wrote an all-encompassing profound treatise on Antichrist which we now translate in part.
His Beliefs Included:
1. Sola Scriptura: True reform returns to the teaching of the Bible.
2. The visible Church contained a mixture of true and false carnal Christians. The true Church contained only the saints, the Elect.
3.There is no distinction between priests and laity.
4. There are only two spirits: Christ’s truth and Satan’s falsehood. Satan’s falsehood was on the rise.
5. The worldly priests and religious were of the spirit of Satan.
6. Unscriptural human traditions comprised the abomination of desolation.
7. The Great Schism was evidence of Antichrist’s presence.
8. All false Christians are members of the body of Antichrist, for they are contrary to the truth of Christ’s life and teaching.
9. Mystery Babylon, the Great Harlot and Mother of Abominations of the Earth, consists of the Church of false Christians and fleshly priests and clerics who are friends with the world.
10. Antichrist is depicted in the Apocalypse as the Beast who rises from the sea.
11. Catholics commit the crime of idolatry.
12. The temple of God = the Church of Christ.
13. The religious orders consist of Sodomites.
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ON THE TIME OF THE ANTICHRIST
CHAPTER 1: The Antichrist is not some stranger or foreigner, such as a Jew or Pagan.
To amplify the statement above, it needs be said that even every hypocritical, carnal, and unjust Christian considers it a fundamental necessity to constantly measure himself by personally applying the principles of the life and doctrine of Jesus Christ, His disciples, and the entire Church of the saints. For it is after this perfect standard by which we Christians judge and are judged, test and are tested, if we wish to truly know ourselves and others. And insofar as one finds himself not in agreement with the perfect rule of Christ, be it either to a greater or lesser degree, then he has to that same extent and degree slipped into carnality, siding with the devil, who from the beginning, not standing in the truth, was a liar and the father thereof. Therefore, every professing Christian who does not think, speak or do as Christ teaches in principle, to the degree that he digresses from that principle, is joined to Antichrist, as his member, being Christian in name only.
And should that man who holds the highest position in the Church, being held to the highest degree and standard of Christ’s truth, should he be a persecutor, an adversary of the truth itself, then is he covertly, to the same correspondingly high position and degree, the Antichrist, being the very head of Antichrist’s body. The magnitude of iniquity and falsehood by which the Antichrist opposes Christ cannot be compared to that of the Jew, Saracen, or Gentile by virtue of the etymology of the name, Antichrist, which presupposes a contrariness to Christ in the highest degree and position. The Greek prefix, anti, denotes one against Christ. Previously, I have proven the principle of truth inherent in the life and doctrine of Christ, by citing His words and deeds. Therefore, in contrast, Antichrist’s life is the principle of falsehood, whereby he hates the truth (in particular, the salvation truth of Jesus Christ). This hatred is manifested by either his silence concerning it, or by attacking it directly through false doctrine, or through neglect of good works. This opposition is expressly known as anti-Christianity because of its contrary nature to the fundamental principles of Christianity.
From this argument follows the next: any Christian who thinks, speaks or lives evil is contrary to the truth of Jesus. And though he may have confessed at one time, yet if he persists in public sin, he proves himself still against Christ. Furthermore, he that does evil claiming he does good is to a higher degree against the truth of Christ because he has done greater harm to the truth. Such is every Christian hypocrite. And of them 1 John says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us,” etc.
Likewise, those who openly engage in evil, professing their desire to do so, are, of course, also contrary to Christ, as is the perverse Christian. However, an important distinction must be made between the two because of the subtlety and craft of the false Christian who nevertheless does evil, though he vows not to, alleging no desire to engage in works of evil. He is more contrary to Christ, causing more harm, because of his method — lying in Christ’s name. This can be seen in many Christians, especially those in Holy Orders, priests and religious who have taken vows. To these hypocrites Christ addresses His parable which says, “There was the father of a family who had two sons, who said to one of them, ‘Go, son, into the vineyard today.’ The son responded, ‘I don’t wish to.’ Yet afterwards, drawn by repentance, he went. And to the older son, he said, ‘Go into the vineyard;’ his son responding, ‘I shall go,’ and did not.”
It is true that he who does not believe the truth, not willing to believe it, is contrary to the truth, as are the pagans and Jews. However, he that vows he believes and has taken on the seals of the faith is, to a much greater extent, contrary to the truth of Christ. Of such are the perverse and unfaithful Christians.
Likewise, he who does evil, causing himself contempt and confusion as a result, is contrary to Christ, who clearly did only good. But much more contrary to the truth of Christ is he who engages in evil under the pretense of good, all the while deceptively utilizing the glorious and honorable covering of virtue. Such is every hypocrite.
Likewise, if ignorant, simple people who do evil, though they may not know it, are contrary to Christ, how much more the one who knows the magnitude of evil he does, yet excuses it or regards it as trifling! For this cause the Psalmist [Psalm 141] says, “Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity….” Moreover, from this you may add several other aggravating factors which make the contempt of God the greater, such as the fame and honor of the person who offends, the holiness of the place in which the sin occurs, as well as the time and person who is offended. [N. B. Such as priests who engage in pedophilia.]
From these propositions we may gather the truth regarding the Antichrist, who is the supreme enemy of the truth of Christ, the life of Christ and the doctrine of Christ. The Antichrist knows that which he does is evil, yet does it anyway, for his evil is hidden under the similitude of goodness, and because of this he receives honor as a righteous man.
And though he has promised and vowed not to do evil and will never admit to doing evil in the past or present, lest he lose his glory, it is evil he does, while at the same time presenting himself as a great, worthy and highly respected person among the people. This evil he practices in holy places, through sacred and holy things, in a setting full of [alleged] grace and truth. And in doing this evil against the living God and against the Son of God, now sitting at the right hand of God, the omnipotent Father, he shows his contempt for God, viewing the sufferings and crucifixion of Christ a light thing. Therefore, whatever else his characteristics, you may be sure he is the Antichrist because he is particularly against Jesus Christ.
And to the extent that this man of sin and son of perdition will have attained supremacy among the Christian people, because of his [alleged] virtue, truth and justice, then will the prophecy be fulfilled, because without a doubt such a man as this is that supreme and famous Antichrist prophesied and preached among the Christian people. The Apostle, speaking of the Antichrist, said, “The son of iniquity will be raised up over everything that is called God, or which is worshipped as God, so that he sits in the Temple of God presenting himself as if he is God.” Indeed, [this prophecy teaches that] by nature he is not God, but by virtue of the office he holds shows himself to be God. Nor is he described as God in heaven, but rather God on earth, whom men accept as such. In this sense even the Devil is called the god of this world.
Let us consider how it is possible the Antichrist shows himself to be God by virtue of his office. Sacred Scripture explains this enigma in quite a few places. For example, they are called ‘gods’ who hold the place of God before men, being set up as the highest level of truth, justice and virtue in the land, as it is written, “God, the Lord God, has spoken, and, indeed, he judges the gods in his midst;” and again, “I have spoken: you are gods.” Then follows the promise, in anticipation of the Antichrist: “You will indeed die as men, and fall as one of the leaders,” [Psalm 82]. Who is that one leader, both so notable and unique, whom the prophet, speaking in the Spirit, calls the distinguished leader? Who, indeed, but that worst Christian, namely, the Antichrist, who will obtain the highest crown as sole ruler of the Church of God through the work of Satan!
The name, ‘Antichrist,’ fits this leader and no other because there is no other in the Church his equal. For this ruler surpasses all in terms of his sublimity, dignity and honor, holding a position of nobility, having the riches and glory of the world, while in reality, he is full of all wantonness and falsehood. If, indeed, there is a principle to be taken from the specific meaning of the term, Antichrist, it is this: What is expressed as superabundance can fit only one person.
From these arguments it is plausible to conclude that the single, supreme Antichrist cannot be some Saracen or powerful Gentile tyrant. Nor can he be a Jew or any other outside the Christian religion. There are several reasons for this:
(1) Though they may possess much more intelligence than the average man, they do not claim to supercede the wisdom of their God or Gods, a necessary trait of the Antichrist, who will also consider himself above every order, dignity and authority of holy Church.
(2) Though there have been many tyrants throughout history, such as the Roman emperors, these cannot be considered Antichrists, in the proper sense of the term, though they have persecuted the Church of the saints.
(3) These tyrants lack the necessary characteristic of feigned piety and Christ-like righteousness, as would a priest, under which to cloak iniquity. Unparalleled evil consists of masking anti-Christianity under the guise of a lord Pope or a Christian emperor.
(4) Not do these profess the Christian religion, a necessary mark of the Antichrist. Logicians teach that true opposites must be of the same kind. For instance, black and white, hot and cold, though contrary to each other, are of the same class. From this we learn it is illogical and inconsistent to call black and hot contraries or opposites, as it is also to call white and cold contraries or opposites. In like manner we are to understand Christ and Antichrist. Both profess the same kind of religion, Christianity, yet they are contrary and opposed to each other.
(5) Furthermore, if the Antichrist were a Jew, gentile, or infidel, he could not have the power to deceive and defraud the saints, for his impiety and infidelity would be manifest and well recognized by the Church of God.
(6) Moreover, the Antichrist is come or will come attacking the saints, the chosen of God, through every kind of deceitful mastery. Of this there are three kinds, namely: [1] Tyranny or secular power, as evidenced by the Gentile Roman Caesars; [2] Doctrines which please the flesh, countering Christ and Scripture, as is the manner of heretics; [3] Sham justice and feigned holiness which is external only, not founded in truth. Of such are the hypocrites, the craftwork of Satan.
Therefore, the Antichrist either has come, or will come against the saints, fortified with every deceit imaginable, as is clearly held in the Gospels and Epistles. Besides acquiescing to the abundance of malice and deception in the times of the Antichrist, the truth speaks thusly: “And there will be great tribulation, such as never was since the time men began to exist on earth, nor has been, nor will be……so that even the elect are led into error, if that is possible.”
CHAPTER 2: Christianity is Antichrist’s armor, used to conceal his true identity.
It is equally true, that, if the Antichrist were a famous Jew or pagan, (or any other person outside professing Christianity), and he openly attacked the Church of God, it would comprise nothing new or unusual in terms of the persecution which the Church has already undergone by the Jews and pagans, historically speaking. In fact, it has been by such persecutions that the holy Church glorified God, as if tried and made pure by fire.
For this reason, Satan will not form his Antichrist in this fashion, for he knows well through centuries of experience that neither by a modest nor outrageous deception will he prevail against the saints. Thus, he will once again return to his tried and true method of attacking God’s people: by concealing Antichrist’s iniquity under the armature of pure religion, in which he will occupy the supreme seat by means of displaying his apparent wisdom and many virtues, though he will be a hypocrite. In this manner will Satan arm the son of iniquity. But then, in time, his injustice will reveal him to be most cruel.
Indeed, the deception of the Devil preceding the final coming of Christ will be similar to the deception he used prior to Christ’s first Advent in that he deceived through religion. In the latter case, it was by the religion of the Jews, in the former it will be by the Christian religion. For it was in the days of Christ’s incarnation that Satan, the god of this world, held sway, both in the power and authority of the temple and priesthood and in the secular power and authority of the Romans. By means of feigned holiness, as well as an evil interpretation of God’s law, Satan catered to every hope and dream of the hypocrites, by assaulting, persecuting and executing Christ Jesus. Thus, it is certain that in the time of the Antichrist, Satan will attack the virtue and wisdom of the Lord through adopting similar ingenious methods used successfully in the past, and by which he will strive to destroy. For according to Christ’s narration in Mark, the strong man, the devil armed, guards the entry to his house, silent in times of peace, encountering no opposition, everything secure in his possession, until the Lord Jesus, stronger though crucified, comes to challenge the weaker Satan. Then, by overcoming the Devil, Christ takes away his arms, divides his spoil, casting him outside the house or world, the unjust leader. Thus, with peace established for His chosen, Christ then leaves for a far country. But Satan, though once unarmed and outside, will certainly attack the family of Christ with a thousand variations. In times past he has tested the fortitude of the woman, the spouse of the Lamb, by innumerable ways and means. But always she is victorious, trampling Satan’s head, using his methods against him and to the advantage of the Elect. And behold, because of the delay of the returning bridegroom, all the virgins, both prudent and foolish, have fallen asleep, allowing Satan to achieve a high position through his Antichrist, whom no one knows, except he who formed him. By him, Satan has again taken up the arms of religion, gathering the spoils, amassing both property and slaves. Wherefore, finding the house of the Church falsely cleansed and adorned with the pretense of pure religion, in which hypocrisy has multiplied infinite times, charity having cooled and iniquity abounding, Satan has crept back into the Church with seven additional spirits, the result more evil than before, poisoning and infecting the congregation with his mysteries, which he calls ‘rites.’
Whence a very new tribulation is happening to the church. It is the worst kind – this cannot be overstated — much worse than previously because Satan no longer attacks from without through infidels, but from within, feigning he is Christ’s advocate, yet at the same time he increases the intensity of spiritual warfare against believers by means of excessive and intolerable oppression, all in the name of Christ. So, it is not as if Satan is defenseless, bereft of weapons, invading the church by obvious means through the simple and ignorant in Christ, or through the crimes of public sinners. No. Rather, he is heavily armed, hiding his Antichrist under the subterfuge of all-knowledge in the areas of art, religion and holiness. He will paint Antichrist as the apex of virtuosity, possessing the highest sanctity. This miracle Satan will accomplish in an astonishing and unspeakable manner, so much so, that, when the people afterward recognize the man of lawlessness, the wicked one, the supreme hypocrite, they will bewail the fact they themselves were duped.
Indeed, above all others, placed in the highest seat of power and authority in the Church, will be that famous Antichrist. Therefore, it is inappropriate for him to come as a Gentile or anyone else admittedly outside professing Christianity. For if he were to come as an unbeliever, openly denying Christ, outside the Church, though possessing all splendor of riches and fleshly, worldly honors, as well as performing signs and wonders by the power of Satan, it would be of little help in his campaign against the faithful of Jesus Christ, who would easily discern his identity as Christ’s enemy. By such a man Satan could never successfully launch an attack against the elect of God, so that, if it were possible, they themselves could be led into error, even if, by chance, he were to succeed in the deception of the unbelievers, as, for example, with the Gentiles and Jews, or worthless carnal Christians, who could care less about the Devil or his devices. For these are already the Devil’s own, not precious to Christ, not being His, nor having his Spirit. Therefore, Satan’s focus is on the [true] saints first and foremost, who, by sowing seeds through his Antichrist, ultimately desires to corrupt the holy ones, to devour them as food for himself. They are the ones the Devil pants after, to whom he directs his undivided attention and tireless efforts, as it is written of Behemoth in Job 40:23: “Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth.”
Thus, Satan’s principal and foremost plan is to seduce the Elect by means of arming Antichrist and his accomplices with that which is not easily discerned, but is, instead, ingeniously subtle. He will admit evil into the Church both openly and disguised, under the pretense of goodness and holiness, its wickedness brilliantly hidden from view. As I have stated earlier in the first tract, it is by this method Satan has always seduced those who imitate righteousness. Truly, if the Antichrist were to come as an unbeliever, a persecutor of the Christian religion, though he were to do signs and wonders, this would be nothing extraordinary, inasmuch as similar deceivers have already come and gone in the persons of Simon Magus, Saracen, Arphaxad and Julian the Apostate, all of whom performed awesome signs and wonders by the working of evil spirits. There is not now, nor will there ever be, a tyrant Antichrist who is not a professing believer in Christ.
CHAPTER 3: Antichrist described.
Furthermore, we are not to expect the Antichrist to be limited to a single, powerful Christian tyrant, an obvious persecutor of Jesus Christ. Admittedly, it is difficult for one to imagine how such evil can be perpetrated under the appearance of sanctity, in the name of the Christian religion, or how the saints could be deceived by him because such a person has never heretofore existed. Yet Antichrist is the fullness of iniquity, who introduces into the Church contempt both for the wisdom of God and the virtue of Jesus Christ. He must ascend to the highest position in the Church not from without, but from within. A stranger and usurper from outside the Church would cause the priests to sound the alarm, warning the flock. Besides, the Church has fought powerful open adversaries in the past. This mode of attack by Satan would be nothing new and would avail the Devil little to repeat this strategy.
Neither will the Antichrist be indifferent to wielding power in the name of Christianity because in lacking authority he would be at great disadvantage in persuading the simple people who highly regard show of authority. Nor would he be able to do serious harm to the Church hierarchy, whose power and influence over the people would surpass his by far, as heretics of the past discovered.
Likewise, neither will the Antichrist be one single particular person concealed under the cloak of Christianity, no matter how great his authority in ruling over others, or how abundant his riches, or how extensive his power. There are two proofs this is true. First, it is impossible that one person, operating alone with no assistance whatsoever, can deceive the multitudes for any length of time. Someone, somewhere, will expose him as the unjust contriver he really is, though he may have ascended to the highest seat in the Church. Such a deceitful officeholder cannot sustain his reign, as is seen in the past with heretical enemies who attempted to pose as Christian rulers yet were soon discovered and removed from power. Secondly, if the Antichrist were to attempt injury through occupying one lone seat in the Church, his efforts would be in vain due to the diversity and expansiveness of the Church throughout the world.
Therefore, the Antichrist now is, or will be, a fraud who is contrary to the truth of the life and doctrine of Christ, who bears a false Christian name, maintaining a level of supreme authority in the Church, having an equally supreme authority over all persons, both clerical and lay, possessing a glorious plenitude of power, ruling the highest offices of both the wealthy and wise throughout the universal Church, not only by his own diabolical, cunning efforts, but by the working of Satan. Thus, he enjoys unparalleled honor as he brings all into agreement with his will and ultimate goals, while at the same time taking dominion over all the world’s riches. Also included under his authority are those spiritual riches of Christ Jesus, such as the Scriptures, sacraments and outward appearance of Christianity, which he abuses, twisting them so they appeal to the flesh, that he might glorify himself, satiating his own lust. Those things which are given the Church by Christ Jesus pertaining to salvation, the Antichrist subtly and secretly perverts so that Christians might be led astray from the truth and virtue of Christ, turning instead to the obvious dangers of avarice and pride of the world which scatters and does not gather.
Indeed, the Antichrist will not threaten or perfect these errors by himself. He will have able assistance from demonic spirits who will introduce similar hypocrisies, multiplied frequently throughout the whole Church. In addition, it is not necessary that to successfully invade the Church the Antichrist draw upon the support of certain sects, disciples, special interest groups, or apostles who agree with his evil pursuits. Nor will he depend on personally preaching his own deviant doctrine in his own name, as did Mahomet among the Saracens. He will not employ such obvious, tyrannical and ignorant methods. If he foolishly did so, he would in no way subtly deceive the people, enabling him to lead them into error. Nor would he pose any potential threat in deceiving the elect, if it were possible they could be deceived. By using the aforementioned possible methods of seduction, the Antichrist would be using strikingly similar designs utilized by previous infidel tyrants or by the past leaders of obviously impious and evil Christians. Rather than rely on such obvious, historic scenarios already experienced by the Church, the Antichrist will come with a fresh strategy – the ultimate – one much more subtle, yet unspeakably worse than anything in the past. And to all appearances the Devil’s hand in this will be hidden. Indeed, the Apostles prophesied the coming of the Antichrist to be according to the working of Satan and his demons.
Therefore, we are to believe that Satan, whose position and power is infinitely greater than all earthly power, and long before his own evil spirits have taken part in the deception, will inspire a multitude of lukewarm Christians, as well as those who have strayed after the flesh, before treading down the universal Church with 7 evil spirits more wicked than the last. Thus, gaining power in the Church by enticing the flesh of men, Satan will at last ascend to the highest offices, ruling over the multitudes, including the clergy and magistrates, having either won over the entire Church or the vast majority of its most influential members by means of his duplicitous eloquence, wisdom, riches and glorious fame. The Devil himself, I say, will carry out his plan of seduction through efficacious, yet disguised, pseudo-spiritual works, by utilizing his own body, which is both great and extensive, modeled after the mystical body of Christ, whose members are ordained and formed together in the precise manner granted him by God. Once complete, he will then dare reveal the head of his mystical body, imitating a thief and robber whose secret plans and devices to do evil are unknown to his victims until he robs them. Satan will not presume to publicly reveal his head until he is certain there is no one competent to oppose him. In summation, it comes down to this: though once a concealed thief and robber, Satan will now, through his Antichrist, openly introduce evils, inflicting grave harm to the Church, until, at the last, he becomes the unjust leader and tyrant he really is. As a certain astute pirate boldly responded to Alexander the Great: “I am called ‘pirate,’” he said, “because I despoil with one ship, in secret and in private. You, on the other hand, though you publicly despoil the entire world with a fleet and use even greater force, are called ‘ruler.’”
Indeed, Satan has already secretly formed, into one, the mystical body of the Antichrist, expanding it afar. It is described as a beast ascending from the sea, upon whom several heads are fitted together, united in a mystical and successive manner. The learned man taught by the Spirit of Christ will easily understand the identity of the beast and its members. He who leaves Christ, impiously desisting from His faith, is of the body of Antichrist in whom he trusts. Like an eagle, he will be gathered to his own body. To such a one Christ comes as a thief, as it is written in Rev. 16: “Behold, he comes as a thief. Blessed is he who watches and guards his steps, lest he appear nude and his baseness seen.” And our Jesus, after having spoken many things about those days, added this truth: “Watch, because you know not at what hour your Lord will come.” And then He follows immediately with this theme: “Indeed, know this: If the father of the family knew at what hour the thief was to come, he would certainly watch and not allow his house to be robbed.”
Christ is warning us in our day that those in charge of the Lord’s household will be truly imbued with the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Not only will these hypocrites not understand the difference between Christ and Antichrist, but they will receive the Antichrist for Christ, zealously joining him, becoming persecutors of Jesus Christ and His followers, hurling the worst insults and causing much injury.
Christ, who knows all, including the depths of Satan, forewarns us that there will be those professing Christians who know Him not, who, turning their ears away from the truth, will instead turn to fables; or, on the other hand, despite having the virtue and truth of Christ known to them, they will fall away, backwards.
Daniel also wrote concerning the time of the Antichrist: “The wicked will act wickedly, and all the wicked will not understand; but, in turn, the learned will understand.”
CHAPTER 4: On those who will preach against the Antichrist.
And note, if you can, those things found in Daniel’s prophecy which reflect on the present time concerning the oblation of the continuous sacrifice, in that he reckons the time in which the abomination of desolation occurs in the Temple, as well as the time of reparation of the sacred Church, the exposition of which I consider in the first tract of this book. I now exegete Daniel wherein he prophesies the restoration of holy church in some unique way after its preceding miseries.
Consider the principle whereby a day represents a year, according to the scripture which states, I have given you a day for a year, [Ezek. 4:6], and if we begin our count from the incarnation of the Lord Jesus, as that event which is expressed by Daniel, then those whom the prophet calls ‘blessed’ are those who are present in that time after the 1335th year of our Lord, [Daniel 12:11-12]. There is little doubt then that this time of blessing occurred before the year 1340 or 45, which year is well past. [N. B. Matthias wrote circa 1385.] Therefore, we must now live in this time of God’s prophetic blessing. I encourage the reader to test the validity of this postulate, insofar as it is consistent with the truth and can be established within this framework.
And likewise will the docile be able to easily see, by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the nature of the working of Satan, as it is manifest in the body of the Antichrist himself, namely the spirit which has been operating from long before, and expressly designated in numerous scriptures, including 2 Thess. 2, where it is said, For the mystery of iniquity is already working – that is to say, secretly, by way of introducing its wickedness through Christians, all being done under the appearances of religion and holiness – only he who now holds fast, let him hold fast until he is taken out from the midst. Paul speaks to those of you whose obedience to Christ is total, having been raised up from out of the midst of evils from the middle of Antichrist’s body unto future eternal life. He also speaks of one being placed in the middle of Christ’s body, which is a position of rest and quiet, from which the proverb, ‘I wish to be in the middle’ has its origin. And thus, will the Antichrist be raised up in the midst of an unsuspecting Church, by the will of Christ Jesus, of whom we next read, “And now that iniquitous one will be revealed whom the Lord Jesus will kill by the spirit of His mouth,” [2 Thess. 2:8].
However, there is a second kind of killing of the Antichrist, both his head and body, which is inferred by this particular verse, but which may not be as easily discerned. For we may also understand by this that the Lord Jesus will inspire His chosen priests and preachers, filling them with the spirit of Elijah and Enoch, [N. B. Matthias implies Rev. 11:3 where many Medieval commentators assumed the two witnesses were literal resurrected Elijah and Enoch], that is to say, with the spirit of zeal and innocence, with a spirit of fervor and purity, and with a spirit of vigor and devotion. And such as these, the Lord will multiply, sending them as angels through the world to gather out all scandals from his kingdom. He will even move heaven and earth by them. These events are imminent. And by them He will kill the anticipated Antichrist, that is to say, the whole multitude of Gog and Magog, who even until now continuously and powerfully surround the camp of the saints. [N. B. Matthias viewed Satan as loosed from his 1,000 year captivity.] Through their hypocritical word and example, as well as by virtue of their authority in the Church, they adversely affect the chosen of God by leading many away from the truth of God, compromising the simple with false arguments.
And as foreshadowed in the Old Testament, the Lord’s modern-day priests and Levites, Christians most beloved in Christ, His friends, will themselves strike down the whale in the sea and divide his body. This they do because the compromisers in authority seek their own things, and not the things of Jesus Christ, namely, the safety of souls. Wherefore those sent by Christ will gain many souls drawing them from out of the body of the Antichrist, incorporating them into Jesus Christ forever. This very thing is prophesied in Job 41: Friends will kill him; merchants will divide him. And these are those who will multiply in the fertile old age of the Church, who will endure unto the end, in order that by their preaching they shall restore all things. And these preachers are those angels who will gather out all scandals from the kingdom of God, converting the hearts of the fathers to their sons, and the hearts of the sons to their fathers. And so, by the one unified Spirit of Christ working through us, blowing on the dry bones; that is to say, the dead faith of many, strewn throughout the plains of the ecclesial culture, which are covered with carnal flesh, will live again, clothed with the faith of the Son of God. Many will pour, united, into the life of Jesus, bound in the bonds of burning charity, the common people lovingly and obediently following their fathers in the faith. Moreover, the fathers, that is, the priests who are also called curates, will faithfully rule, cherishing those whom they oversee, nourishing them with care through the word and the sacraments.
Thus, it is also in this way that Christ Jesus will kill the Antichrist by the breath of His mouth, that is, through the mouth of His preachers breathing the fire of zeal and charity, devouring their enemies, as did Moses’ serpent devour the serpents of Pharaoh’s wise men. The Apostle says, “And Christ will destroy, by the appearance of his coming, him whose coming is according to the working of Satan in all virtue, signs and lying miracles, with every seduction of iniquity in them that perish because they did not receive the love of the truth in order to become saved. God will send them the working of error that they should believe falsehood and be punished for it because they did not believe the truth but instead consented to iniquity.”
CHAPTER 5: Just as the Antichrist comes successively over long periods, so, too, will he be destroyed successively, and concerning the false signs of the Antichrist.
Those scriptures which prophesy of the Antichrist infer his destruction by the ever-multiplying preachers and true witnesses of Christ Jesus. This is to begin gradually, starting moderately with small success, increasing in strength, while the Antichrist, in contrast, becomes increasingly weaker until he dies. The Lord, through Ezekiel, describes Antichrist’s gradual death when speaking enigmatically of those who destroy him as dry bones, and waters flowing from the right side, which increase in height. Besides these, it is also written, He that believeth shall not make haste, [Isaiah 28:16].
One must carefully observe the fact that Satan was long before busy gradually introducing the evil and mystery of Antichrist into the Church under the guise of good. By so doing he has been able to lead the people of God astray, abusing lawful rites, multiplying errors in ever-increasing numbers, spreading them far and wide among the holy chosen ones of God. This the Antichrist will do until he leavens nearly all the glories of the Church with hypocrisy, coloring them with the appearance of sanctity and piety, while transforming God’s grace to business transactions steeped in avarice, vain glories, and carnal concupiscence. In this way he introduces horrendous vices into the Church under noble appearances, even through persons of the highest ranks. Thus, Christians unwittingly commit evil, having been rendered incorrigible, sleep soundly in a false state of security, though they hasten to hell. Behemoth himself, that is, the Devil, rests unperturbed in the infinite multitude of religious hypocrisies in which only the appearance of godliness exists; true religion and holiness being absent, as it is written, Having the form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. Again, another scripture describes this evil: He sleeps under the shady trees which cover him with their shadow, [Job 41:21-22], that is, the appearance of holiness protects his excuses for sin. Alas, this gross deception holds true today as it did then; alas, as one can now see!
Therefore, we are taught that just as Satan gradually introduces the mysteries of his Antichrist into the Church, forming them, spreading them far and wide, concealing their snares, saying, Who will see them? [Psalm 64:5], contrarily the Lord Jesus, through a gradually increasing multitude of preachers, having descended into His beloved disciples during successive Church ages before the final Day of Judgment, will at the last night of blindness rush upon the tribes of Gog and Magog, typifying the innumerable multitude of hypocrites throughout the whole church, as did Gideon have the victory over the Midianites with the crash of pitchers and ‘lightning.’ It is then that the Lord will restore his own continuous sacrifice; that is to say, the daily or repeated eating and drinking of his body and blood among the Christian commoners, which for a long time had been taken away by the antichrists. He will at time reinstate, in abundance, those who love Him and gratefully await His coming. And then there will be preached the sermon which was written concerning the bread coming from Gideon’s camp which will lay waste the entire multitude of Midianites, which dream foretold the restoration of the people of Israel to its pristine freedom.
And so in this manner it will come to pass that the Lord Jesus will, in successive order, by the appearance of His coming, destroy him whose coming is after the work of Satan in all virtue and signs and false wonders; that is, that these things will be performed by the liars, pretenders, and disseminators, all in the name of Christ, which things are not grounded in reality, but are really the illusory, lying, secret work of Satan. These most foul hypocrites will gather to themselves the people for their profit, to the loss of their souls. Of these hypocrites it is written, Matt.7: On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, in your name have we not cast out demons? And in your name did we not perform many virtuous works? Did you not teach in our streets? To whom the Son of man will respond: Depart from me, workers of iniquity, I do not know you.
Woe, therefore, to those who, for their personal glory, spread these evil signs and portents which will occur in the final days; especially so 1290 years after the birth of the Lord, [Daniel 12:11]. For it is prophesied that at this time the wicked will do wickedly through the working of Satan so much so, that despite their carnal and lukewarm lives, (inhuman compared to Christ’s life!), they are made strong, being glorified by men, to the end that they and their legions of allies, as well as the simple people, will fall victim to these demonic portents, having been subtly seduced by their own greed and aggrandizement. These signs and omens reportedly happen in the name of Christ, which is particularly dangerous in seducing the simple into error. Whether these false wonders encompass images of Christ, or relics of the saints, or holy places of pilgrimage, all are effectual in leading the people away from the truth of the Church’s sacraments. Forgetting the crucified Christ, they inquire into those things which will be of no use to their justification and salvation, irrevocably following instead the superstitious stories and inventions of men which brings business into the house of God.
Therefore, it is Satan’s strategy that by such signs and wonders he confirms his servants, the hypocrites, in the eyes of the gullible and greedy. Wherefore Christ warned of this when He prophesied, For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets and shall shew great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Christ spoke of these errors, all propagated in the name of Jesus Christ, and which occur over an extended period during the time of the Antichrist, whose seductions meet with such great success, so He warns the chosen of their being led into error. Wherefore it is corroborated by the Apostle Paul, “And in every seduction of iniquity for those who perish by reason of their not receiving the love of the truth in order to be saved. Thus, God will send them the working of error, creating a lie, so that all who did not believe the truth, but who instead consented to iniquity will be avenged.”
Behold God’s judgment on ungrateful [professing] Christians, heartless and uncaring regarding Christ’s humility and ignominy on the cross. It is upon them that God will allow Satan to work so great a seduction, for when they knew him to be God, they glorified him not as God, nor thanked him; but they became vain in their reasoning, returning to works of the flesh, putting their works before Christ and His sacraments, showing contempt for His Body and Blood by putting away the frequent and highly acceptable eating of the Lord Himself, which they themselves admit.
Furthermore, the word of God, all divinely inspired scripture becomes for them too commonplace, old and of little weight, as if they were fables or a song which sweetly sounds. For, indeed, they hear, but do not; they speak, but with lies. They confess they know God but deny Him by their works. The life and virtues of Jesus and His blessed Apostles and martyrs are abused and cause for nausea in these worthless Christians. And so, with a burden-free spirit they hear and make assent with the word of God, yet not as is worthy, with fear and trembling.
Hence, it is true today that the Devil has received this great power from the Lord, whereby he deceives, arranging every kind of seduction, and that secretly. For the mysteries of the Antichrist are those which are working in the Church, in the name of Christ, through holy things, even the images of Christ, and the bones and relics of the saints. Satan does his signs and lying wonders in consecrated places because God has given him the power to do so. This judgment is the vengeance of God dealt by evil men for the destruction of evil men. Is this not like the power received from God which enabled Satan to handle the Lord’s Body in the temptation, and then at the last to spit on Him, beat and kill Him while in the Jews hands? And did not Satan receive similar power from God over the saints of Christ, who, though full of the Holy Spirit, were beaten in the manner of blessed Anthony? [N. B. Most likely referring to St. Anthony of Vilnius; martyred in 1347.] And did he not crucify many of them by means of evil men?
Why then, I ask, do men find it amazing that Satan has such power to work evil today through his servants, the worthless hypocrites? For it is prophesied that by his power, signs and lying wonders, which today are seen in our images of Christ, as well as bones of the saints, those who perish are to be led astray by every seduction, because they have not received the love of the truth to be saved. So, “God will send them the working of error, so that all will believe the lie, all who have not believed the truth, but have held to iniquity.” For Satan can do, not only these miracles, but even greater things, if and insofar as it is permitted him by the Lord. It is, therefore, indeed true, what is written in Rev. 2, Who knows the depth of Satan?
Therefore, to combat those hypocrisies, devilish frauds and infinite seductions which satanically work in and through those things sought by [alleged professing] Christians for their salvation, yet are stumbling blocks multiplied with errors, it is necessary that men come with the qualities of eagles, [i.e., keen vision to see through the lies] who know well Satan’s strategies and schemes; men who can expose the Antichrist, revealing his hidden secrets, and thus, take away all scandals from the kingdom of Christ, [Matt. 13:41]. And these men are His preachers whom He foretold would come in glory. It is they who will destroy the Antichrist by the Spirit, as the mouthpiece of Jesus Christ, dispersing, devouring and incorporating Antichrist’s body into the Body of Christ.
CHAPTER 6: The Antichrist was weak in the primitive Church.
Indeed, it must be noted that in a unique, yet appropriate way, the Antichrist was said to be the son of iniquity not only because of some singular iniquity, but because in him was to be found the superabundance of every iniquity. The Lord prophesied that iniquity shall abound. And so, the Devil, the first murderer, can be called the father of iniquity. It is because of his envy that sin entered the world. Christ told the truth about him when He said, He is a liar and the father of it. Therefore, the Bevil begets and produces an abundance of iniquity in conjunction with the concupiscence of men. For thus is it written in Ezekiel, Your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.
Therefore, with these propositions in mind, and having stated above the distinct timeframe prophesied by Daniel, now is the opportune time to point out that famed Antichrist, taking a reasonable and common sense approach.
(1) First, we must investigate the quality, character and nature of the times in which we live, [Matt. 16:3].
For behold, at the beginning of the Gospel, the power of God and the wisdom of the Church clothe her from on high, and multiplied the children of virtue and wisdom, that is, the Apostles and martyrs, all true and faithful seed. And then, indeed, the iniquity of the Devil conceived the Antichrist, about whom it was admirably written in the Gospel: Lord, you have sown good seed in your field, have you not? [Matt. 13:27.] This is immediately followed-up by the question, From whence then hath it tares? By this parable we are taught the beginning of the Antichrist is to be found in pseudo-Christians, first from the Jews and Greeks, about whom John spoke, Even now there are many antichrists, [1 John 2:18]. I ask the reader to look carefully at John’s statement. He did not call the antichrists Jews or Gentiles. Rather he called them false and hostile Christians, [1 John 2:19]. But because the sons of God, possessing the virtue and wisdom of God, having put on the Lord Jesus Christ, in His strength holding the rule in the supreme ranks and bishoprics of the holy Church, administering all public offices justly and piously, they tightly bound iniquity. This can be clearly seen in the case of bold Simon Peter’s dealings with deceitful Ananias and Sapphira, as well as Paul’s curse of Elymas the sorcerer, lest they harm present or future believers. And so, because of such men and their efforts, it was not possible for iniquity to abound because the Church of Christ forthrightly struck its manifest worse offspring against the rock that is Christ, {matt. 16:18] who is the virtue and wisdom of God, as it is written, Blessed is he who will hold and strike your little ones against the rock, [137:9].
And thus it was, according to my judgment in what I can elicit from the prophets, that for the first 1200 years of the Church [while Satan was bound] every iniquity and mortal sin was punished and eradicated, so that it was not possible for the people to gain the strength to overturn the public, common good. Likewise evil [professing] Christians or heretics were by no means strong enough to multiply in the Church, at least as far as the Catholic [Universal], Apostolic Church was concerned. Nor was the head of Antichrist, the Devil, able to rise. Just as Christ is the head of the saints, truly the head of Christ is God. In like manner, Antichrist is the head of the Church of the malignant, and the head of Antichrist is the Devil, with his seven spirits more wicked than himself. He has been conquered by Christ Jesus, thrown outside the world, ground under the feet of the Apostles of Christ, as was stated above in Chapter 2. Wherefore neither the Devil nor his minions were able to rule in the Church during this time because men possessing the wisdom and virtue of God, having the authority, power and pure rule in Christ, had captured, conquered, excommunicated and punished such wicked men. During this time excommunication was especially prevalent, having thunderstruck mortal sins and other such notorious crimes with equity, justice and holiness.
Sins and sinners adhere together according to that passage of the Gospel, If your brother has sinned against you, [Matt. 18:15] etc., and a little afterwards, If he will not listen to you, tell the church. If, indeed, he will not listen to the church, let him be to you as a heathen and a publican. And then follows the doctrine concerning excommunication of such men: Amen, I say, whatsoever you will bind on earth will be bound also in heaven. And whatsoever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Likewise, the same truth is expressed in that passage, If your hand or foot causes scandals, cut it off and cast it from you. This needs to be understood by the excommunication of the wicked by the Church. I have already expounded this in my 4th Treatise, Article 3, Chapter 5, found in this book. This same doctrine of excommunication is taught in I Cor. 5, where it is clearly said, “I have written you in a letter not to mix with fornicators, though not completely with the fornicators of this world, or with the greedy, or extortionists, or those serving idols, for then you would have to leave this world. Now I have written you not to keep company; if any man who is called a brother among you is a fornicator, or is greedy, or serves idols, or is a slanderer, or a drunk, or violent, you should not be with him, nor take food with him.”
From these scriptures it is explicit how, in the early Church, they cut off the anti-Christians from heaven by the sword of their power. And, incidentally, it need be noted here that scriptural references to the Antichrist, or the beast rising from the sea, or Gog and Magog surrounding and striking the camp of the saints of God, or the harlot presiding over the scarlet beast, or the gold chalice full of abominations, and many other similar prophetic references, all pertain to persons and events which happen within the Church of Christ, and are not to be looked for outside the Church or in the world, as we call it. The fulfillment of these prophecies will be by means of evildoers, who, in name only, call themselves Christians, [Matt. 24:5], of whom the Apostle speaks quite notably: “What are they for me to judge, who are outside? Do you not judge them that are within? For God will judge those who are outside,” [1 Cor. 5:12-13]. Then he asserts, Take away the evil from yourselves. Therefore, although the holy scripture speaks of many things pertaining to the Antichrist and other evils, it does not consider, nor judge, nor speak of those outside the Church, nor, indeed, would it be of benefit to the Church to do so. Rather, scripture speaks of those professing Christians who commit evil within the Church, whose numbers are ever increasing. Of this sacred scripture is primarily concerned. History will verify in fact that which today is seen in the Spirit.
But now let us return to my proposition which states that in the primitive Church the saints ruled mightily in virtue and wisdom. All crimes, even the least, but especially those made public, were soon corrected. The wicked were excommunicated without delay and, thus, the son of iniquity was not able to gain strength. As a consequence, he was not to be revealed at that time. And, as was posited above in the example given us of the thief, men follow the wicked one’s works secretly, listening to his instructions while they sleep, as it is also written in John 3: “He who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light so that his works are not brought to the light. However, he who does the truth comes to the light so that his works are manifest because they were done in God.”
Therefore, there has always been some sort of sin in the Church of the crucified Christ, though not always so large as to readily appear as evil, yet in the assembly of Christians it was always discerned and viewed as dreadful. Consequently, the little ones in Christ Jesus have easily avoided all scandals because just as there was light in the songs of Israel, though under the domination of Egyptian darkness, they, too, persevered. So, it is true today that everyone in the Church who follows Christ does not walk in darkness but has the light of life.
CHAPTER 7: That in the present time the Antichrist is strong and numerous.
As mentioned earlier, the root of evil, iniquity, which caused pain from the start of the Church, was full of malice, injustice, deceit, fraud, pretense, and hypocrisy. Hidden things of God were inside her secretly, while worldly greed made her grow larger. It is written: “The pride of those who hate you always rises.” The group of sinners, called the synagogue of sinners, grew stronger as more sinners joined and protected themselves from Christ’s discipline through many sins and wrongdoing. Over time, led by evil forces, their sins became obvious. Sadly, today their wickedness is clear because they have become so evil that they no longer see sin as sin. They call good evil and evil good, light darkness and darkness light, sweet bitter and bittersweet. God’s just punishment follows them because they neither honor Christ nor accept the truth. Instead, they follow false stories and live in darkness. As it says: “If the light within you is darkness, how deep is that darkness?” That is why it is said: “Make this people’s hearts dull and ears heavy so they won’t see or hear and won’t turn to be healed.”
And iniquity has so abounded that it has covered all mountains and hills, and blood has reached even to the bridles of horses, namely religions, priests, rulers, and those who dwelt as stars in the heavens, overshadowing them, has drawn them down to the earth; and for this it is written: “My beloved has become thick, sluggish, and rebellious, [Deut. 32:15], and because of this even the sun itself, enveloped in darkness, became like sackcloth, and the whole moon was turned into blood, and the city set upon a hill cannot be easily discerned. From this it seems today literally fulfilled what is said: “Behold here is Christ, behold there,” [Matt. 24:23] and His spouse, Christ’s sweetest and only beloved one, wandering at night, feeding where her sweet Jesus crucified lies, is not able to find Him, being thick and fattened by the multitude of hypocrites, while occupied with their burdens, the devil occupying her and, as much as possible through them, oppressing and polluting her.
Behold, today the French, with their western retinue, say: “Here is Christ.” But the Italians and Romans to the south affirm, saying: “Indeed, here is Christ, and not elsewhere.” Yet the Greek church to the east asserts stubbornly, saying: “Not there, nor elsewhere, but here Christ is with us.” Behold the darkness, such as never before was upon the earth, and behold the tribulation of Christ Jesus’ spouse, such as never preceded, so that even the elect may be led into error, if it is possible. For the abomination of desolation placed openly and powerfully in the temple in great fullness, yet scarcely anyone reading understands it; but commonly they magnify, multiply, and proclaim this abomination, so that the highest form of deception may be composed everywhere. Behold today the very abomination of desolation itself sitting in the temple, but lest it reveal itself as the abomination, it feigns another abomination and threatens one to come, so that thereby it may lead the Church further into error, so that by venerating and worshiping this horrible abomination, nevertheless it may fabricate another to come. And it has greatly prevailed.
The infinite Antichrists currently existing today commonly expect another Antichrist to come. Those who are truly apostles and heralds of the true Antichrist afflict and persecute the various Apostles, martyrs, wise men and Prophets of Christ Jesus, boldly asserting that they themselves are servants of Christ, though they are heretics, hypocrites, and Antichrists. And these same ones now existing strong and with many members of the Antichrist in this present time, though there are but weak and few [true] members of Jesus crucified, whom they are crucifying and driving from city to city and casting out from synagogues, think that thereby they render service to their God, [John 16:2]. And thus obeying the Antichrist, they believe themselves to serve Jesus Christ, and while powerfully opposing the virtue and truth of Jesus with all wisdom and authority, nevertheless, they boast themselves defenders of the truth, with an excessive multitude of those similar to them within [Antichrist’s body], and with every kind of [feigned] holiness, religion, authority, wisdom and doctrine, eloquence and honesty greatly assisting them in this, likewise with riches and honor and secular power of kings and princes of this world.
This is plainly the greatest error of God’s elect, undoubtedly a tribulation of the Church never before seen because it is the innermost, strongest, cruelest, largest, and most colorful of all kinds of deceits against the community of the saints of God, so that in all things vice is seen to be virtue and everywhere harmful injustice appears as beneficial equity to all, and the most shameful morals, as well as scriptures which openly oppose honesty, are considered honorable. And no seems inappropriate for a Christian to bring himself over to the world; rather, honor and legitimacy now seem to belong to Christians if they labor to conform to this world. Let shame and modesty hold back those who desire to confess the crucified Jesus or to serve Him perfectly.
But even the common Christian world, giving itself entirely to and involving itself in secular affairs and leaning on the pomp and avarice of the world, believes without a doubt that through this and with these it legitimately serves Christ Jesus.
And hence it comes to pass that he who withdraws from evil is seen as a thief, and he who is good among them is like a thornbush. If anyone tries a little more to withdraw himself from the society of such Christians and to live more worthily for Jesus Christ, he is soon called a Beguine or otherwise a heretic and is judged as nothing but a hypocrite or fool. If he imitates Jesus crucified in a small way and confesses him or his truth, he immediately feels severe persecution from the dense body of the Antichrist. And unless you live as they do, you are considered nothing else but superstitious and a seducer.
Again, let us return to the beginning!
Therefore, all injustice and iniquity were once horrible in the Church of Jesus Christ, and it is notable that the judgment of the Church against sin was fully active and vigilant. When not only ordinary people but also the leaders of the Church fell asleep in complacency, evil spread quietly and kept growing in the community. It stopped hiding and appeared openly. Then, Christians gave up feeling shame or fear and started thinking that sins were not really punishable or serious.
Hence, they now openly say: “If this or that were sin, then no one would be saved. Nevertheless, paradise is not planted for goats, and no Christian will come to eternal damnation.” For this is the very nature of all evil, according to Augustine: once it has swept through the common people, it is soon no longer believed to be blameworthy or even considered such, and he who does not partake in it—even if he says nothing against it—is nonetheless judged by others to be a stranger and an outsider, even an adversary, to the people. He is afflicted and excommunicated much more so if he speaks against it to the multitude, which happened to blessed Lot by the Sodomites, and to Christ Jesus by the Jews, and especially today happens to the righteous and holy by the multitude of followers of the Antichrist.
The coming of the Antichrist occurs when iniquity, long conceived and growing, prevails for a long time until it solidifies into the body of the Antichrist. It then openly rises, surpassing all power and dignity in the Church, boasting as God—not by nature or as the God of heaven, but as the highest earthly god—exalting itself in mind and in the Church, above all called or worshiped as God.
And those are manifestly Bishops and priests, to whom it was said: “I said, You are gods and all sons of the Most High.” And behold the clear agreement of the scriptures, since it is said by the Apostle: “Above all that is called God.” And to the priests it is written: “I said, You are gods.”
Now let him who can see from these things see who that supreme and famous Antichrist is or will be, namely because he is the supremely wicked hypocrite established in the highest state and place of the Church.
CHAPTER 8: The way in which the Antichrist is contrary to Jesus Christ, and the comparison of the Church of Christ to the synagogue of modern sinners.
Now it still remains to investigate the disposition of the present times of the Antichrist by comparison to Christ and to the Church of Jesus Christ.
First it seems to be known that the Antichrist is supremely contrary to Jesus Christ by opposition according to moral habit. For this reason, he is called Antichrist. However, he will not be contrary to Jesus Christ by nature because he is nothing in substance, nor can be; nor is he contrary to the Lawgiver, that is, by founding and establishing another similar religion, albeit false, as Mohammed has, because then he would not be directly nor in the highest degree of opposition contrary to Jesus Christ, but perhaps irrelevant or desperate according to the way logicians speak. And as was previously deduced, then he would not be a fraud, but a manifest tyrant opposed to the justice of God. Nor would he be contrary to Christ in his external attitude and disposition for a similar reason because then he would openly reveal himself; and also because he will in every way, as much as possible, according to every external appearance of virtues and holiness, deceitfully liken himself to Christ Jesus, as it is written: “I will be like the Most High,” [Isaiah 14:14], so that he might more strongly and subtly deceive the saints of God and the elect. Therefore, he will not transform himself into an enemy of Christ but into an angel of light. Thus, from the beginning, among the Jews and Pagans, the Devil perfected his wicked deed, disposing himself like God in his pursuits and operations.
Therefore, only and chiefly according to will and purpose will he be contrary to Jesus Christ. For there in the will is properly and chiefly the opposition to Jesus Christ considered because Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, which have their seat chiefly and solely in the will or purpose of souls, as it is written: “The soul of the just is the seat of wisdom,” [Wisdom 3]. And accordingly, his opposition against Jesus and the effects immediately produced by the will, will be diffused. And through this it will be sufficiently clear who the Antichrist is, as it is written: “By their fruits you shall know them,” and the Apostle: “They confess to know God, but in works they deny him.”
Thus, understand that the Antichrist opposes Jesus Christ both in purpose and works, not merely in any works, but especially in those that arise directly and immediately from the will, since these effects in people reflect the will as their primary and immediate cause, as it is said: “An evil tree bears evil fruit.” Yet, if an evil will shows good works, as sometimes happens among the common people, those are not genuine works or immediate results of the will but are instead accommodating and alien [to their true nature].
From these things the Antichrist and Christ can now be compared. Just as Christ was wholly truthful and came through truth, so the Antichrist will be wholly deceitful, wholly I say with respect to the principal aspects of man, namely, with respect to conscience and purpose which comes through falsehood. But who is that one currently who is deceitful and comes through falsehood into the Papacy? It can be known by him who does not sleep. Just as Jesus was wholly pious, so that “man of perdition” is wholly cruel. He, namely Christ, wholly humble; this one wholly proud. He fulfilled the will of the Father diligently even to contempt of himself unto death, death by the cross; this one makes his own will even unto offense and contempt of God. He for the salvation of peoples wholly exposed himself; this one for the temporal salvation of his wicked soul exposed infinite peoples to death. He judged it better to die himself alone than that the whole people perish; this one chose to lose the whole world of the Church rather than to suffer death or confusion himself. He, the Savior, adapted all things singly for the salvation of His peoples and expended all and willed himself to be expended; this one turned all things singly and not his own but those that are God’s, for the salvation administered, to his own gain and to the loss of the salvation of the church, as sacred scriptures, censorship, and the power of authority— I say all such things that were placed for the promotion of the virtue of the elect—he turned into an impediment for the saints which instead led to the [accomplishing of the] will of the reprobates. He humbled himself to the lowest of men and so much so that he is reckoned with the wicked; this one exalted himself so much that he is even elevated above all that is called or worshiped as God.
Therefore, you will be able to bring these and many other things into comparison by contrasting Christ and Antichrist, and from them judge who the Antichrist is.
Thus also, if you please, you can compare in like manner the Church of God to the infinite multitude of the Antichrist, according to opposite qualities, especially considering the primitive Church and comparing it to the deformity of the modern false Christians. First, because in that primitive Church there was one heart and one soul of the multitude of believers, and in this modern one you will hardly find two agreeing with one another in Christ Jesus. That Church, clothed with Christ, that is, the power of God from on high and the wisdom of God, walked in the fear of the Lord and truth. This one, defiled with all dishonor and vice, dwells without the fear of Jesus the Lord, walking in all hypocrisy and fiction. In that Church virtue and truth prevailed, while vice hid itself only in secret places. In this one, iniquity and vice cry out as the guide of all roads and streets, while truth and virtue necessarily have to hide themselves in corners. In that Church virtue had free and prosperous success; sins immediately received a worthy punishment. In this one iniquity and all malice enjoy liberty and receive promotion, but virtue is subjected to continuous tribulations. And that which in that Church was judged a vice by all is now considered no inconvenience at all; indeed, that which in the Church of saints Christians had detested, spat upon and cast away is now judged honest and witty and to be imitated.
And so, you will find many similar things if you faithfully compare the early church to the present Gentile dispersion among Christians.
CHAPTER 9: What is the proper time of the Antichrist?
If you please to further inquire into the time of the famous Antichrist, you may begin thus.
And first it is plain that in the time of the Antichrist the greatest wickedness, the greatest tribulation, the greatest hypocrisy and deception will flood so abundantly that they will attain the highest degree possible for them in this present life, to the utmost limit and final extent of the devil’s power — whether attempted or fully unleashed. That these things have already reached this point in our own time can be investigated by continual comparison and inductive reasoning.
For indeed all iniquity, although great, could be said and truly considered, since all iniquity is contempt of the highest God and offense of the highest justice and privation of the highest good and immense in its magnitude and eternity. Therefore, the greatness of iniquity must be measured by these things. Nevertheless, it stands with these that one justice is greater than another according to another consideration, which I now suspend for the moment, being occupied with other matters. However, all other things being equal, every iniquity of the faithful is greater than that of the infidel; the iniquity of the Jews was greater than that of the Gentiles, as also that of the Christian is greater than that which was once of the Jews. And I leave this to those learned and known for explanation.
Therefore, in the time of the law of nature, with iniquity prevailing, all flesh was said to have corrupted its way. But in the time of the written law, iniquity was said to have filled all measure of predecessors, according to what is written: “Fill up then the measure of your fathers. That upon you might come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel, the first righteous one.” This can be explained with another interpretation: All blood, that is, every sin or iniquity. But in the time of the Gospel, iniquity is not only said to be filled nor only abundant, but superabundant, that is, overflowing beyond all measure of predecessors, according to what was truthfully said: “And the iniquity of many shall abound.” Therefore, every sin of any [professing] Christian comparatively and for many other reasons is the greatest iniquity against God.
And again, falsehood and iniquity of the Gentiles, especially cruelty or persecution against the saints was a great iniquity. Similarly, the cruelty of the infidel Jews was still greater. Much greater, however, was the same iniquity against the saints of God by heretics. But falsehood and especially cruelty and persecution of Christians against fellow Christians or Christians against the holy Church, their mother, which now consists of hypocrites against God’s elect, is certainly the greatest iniquity possible attributed to the Devil in this life, whose iniquity today has seemed and seems to be superabundantly fulfilled, which is easily apparent to those who are led by the spirit of Jesus, as it is written.
Since again and moreover, comparatively great indeed is the iniquity of falsehood and any other sin of a layman or other uneducated commoner in the Church of God; greater still is the iniquity of a religious man, and even greater still that of any priest, and even more that of a Bishop, and greatest of all the patriarch and lord Cardinal of the whole Church; above these, the lord Pope’s iniquity is supreme if he is stubborn.
And so, by using this method of reasoning you will find that iniquity has reached its highest possible degree.
Moreover, the iniquity of a Christian is great if all that falsehood or some sin occupies him, so that he now commits it without shame, as it is written: “They have declared their sin like Sodom,” [Isaiah 3:9]. “You have a harlot’s forehead; you refused to be ashamed.” [Jer. 3:3] But greater is the iniquity if the same falsehood or other malice passes through a whole family of laypeople. And even greater still if it infects the whole family or college of priests. Still greater is it if falsehood alone infects and corrupts the family and college of the highest priests, who are established in the highest state in Christian religion, in whom the fountain and origin of truth has its seat.
If, therefore, these things are so clearly fulfilled in our time and observed by the whole Church of Christians, so that only someone completely blind and dead in spirit cannot affirm them, who will not say that the son of iniquity now sits in the temple, showing himself as if he were God, that is, on earth, and not God by nature which cannot even be imagined, and how the same son of iniquity is now exalted, that is, through lies, since in him and in his entire notorious assembly lies abound? For by a lie he gained entry to the See, and that lie, together with the entire College of Priests, leavened to such an extent that they decreed and permitted preaching that taught lying or telling a lie is not a sin, as it was then openly preached and published in the supreme seat of all wisdom and learning, namely Paris. [N. B. The University of Paris was a premier medieval center for higher education, especially for theology and philosophy, formally recognized in 1200 AD.]
And add to these and consider, suppose that such and so great a lie, so evil and harmful, that it harmed the whole Church of Christians, overshadowed and led into error, if it is possible, even the elect. And then the son of iniquity and lies was seen literally to be exalted above all that is called God, namely above the truth, which is openly and literally called God — whence John: “I am the way, the truth, and the life” — and above all that is called god, that is, above every truth of the soul, which God is likewise called, as that of the wise man says:
If God is the soul, as the poets tell us, here you especially must worship with a pure mind.
Or else from another source the same son of lies exalted himself above everything that is called God or that is worshiped. As has been shown above, he exalted himself and dared to set himself above all the priests of the Church, who are called ‘gods,’ as it is written: I said: You are gods. And he exalted himself so far above everything that is called God that he even dared to rise above the supreme apostolic and true pope, namely Urban VI.
[N. B. Matthias is referring to the Western Schism (1378-1417) when there were rival popes (Urban VI in Rome and Clement VII in Avignon). Matthias views the Avignon / Clementine antipope of being the “son of perdition” — exalting himself above the true Pope and the Church.]
That a Christian man should dare such a thing — and dare it through lies and fabrication, and dare boldly to present himself as such to the whole world, and dare to persist in it to the end with the eternal damnation not only of himself but of the whole Catholic Church and countless other souls, and under such a lie and hypocrisy to persecute the saints, slaughter them, and assault the entire Church in so factional and partisan a manner, that is, cunningly and skillfully, so strongly and erroneously, covertly and openly, so that even drew the entire highest assembly to himself and made all other assemblies waver, even a multitude of the greatest wise men, who have always been the sanity of the world, such as the wise of the Parisian studies and other holy and famous universities, so that just as Jesus crucified by his truth and spirit made the whole multitude of His Church one heart and one soul, so this one through lies and the spirit of the evil devil has caused the hearts of the whole Church of Christ Jesus, his Lord (which certainly is the greatest iniquity) to dissent from one another, as well as causing many souls to divide in and from each other throughout his whole time, for twelve years of strife and contention, so that each cries out and contentiously says to each: “I am of Cephas, I am of Paul, I am of Clement, I indeed am of Urban,” and what is worse, that everywhere they plot mutual schism, saying: “This is Christ,” another says: “No,” he says, “but Christ is with us”; religion also rises cruelly against religion, assemblies of the same religion rise against assemblies; monks furthermore against the priests of the people, priests are impiously divided against each other; laity and especially nobles strive against priests, priests struggle against laity, commoners against their own fathers and pastors, pastors who are theirs complain they undervalue their commoners, and all things are filled with schisms, contention and consequently with the worst forms of Satan, who are the seven most wicked spirits of Antichrist. Who, therefore, I ask, does not yet see the abomination of desolation and above all and finally of the whole Church of Jesus Christ sitting in the temple in these exceedingly dangerous times and exalted above all that is called god or that is worshipped?
CHAPTER 10: On the working of Satan through his Antichrist.
For by no means would any other promised or imagined Antichrist, if he were to come openly and tyrannically, as is stated and believed by many, be able to involve the Church of God in so many errors, but only through secrecy and craft, would he be able to widely and contagiously, harm and damage it so strongly and extensively, that even, if possible, the elect would be led into error. Therefore, it must not be believed that the evils of the Church were caused by any one man, although principally by one most suitable for this purpose, for the evil could not grow as strong, spreading by men alone, but through the working of Satan, who long before introduced this evil into the Church of God, enlarged and strengthened it, until in these times reaching its highest degree, he concluded that never in the future could a similar effect be produced. And therefore, not only does that supreme college of wise men [College of Cardinals] or priests seem to be corrupted in its judgments by lies, but also many other colleges in the church, since there is no man among them who would stand as a wall for the truth against liars. Thus, today many fictitious human inventions and fables are strongly and widely promoted among the holy people, as well as the illustrious and perfect Christian, and therefore, the greater abomination before the Most High God is continuously promoted day after day by such men.
For, alas, today certain colleges and many of those who call themselves masters of the Church and wise have established decrees of God in the Church, namely, that wooden and stone statues, silver and the like, should be worshiped and venerated by Christians, openly and explicitly contradicting Holy Scripture which says: “You shall not worship them nor serve them.” This can by no means be taken or defended from the assertion of Thomas Aquinas or other doctors. For what they themselves put forth in their books, they have certainly taught only disputatively and in schools, which is not fitting to declare decisively before the unlearned in the pulpit, thereby wounding little ones in Christ Jesus not a little, for example by urging that henceforth stone and wooden statues must be worshiped. For such doctrine favors the detractors, whom Jews and Pagans exaggerate with insults against Christians, affirming that Christians are worshipers of statues, nor can this be easily denied before a Jew if that doctrine, which the aforementioned men now spread, is preached.
For it seems to follow quite logically that anyone who reveres and adores statues and teaches they are to be worshiped is rightly called a worshiper of statues. But according to those aforementioned, the Christian people revere and adore statues. Therefore, the Christian people are worshipers and adorers of statues. And so, the accusation the Jews make against Christians — in their slander — will prove true, when they say, for instance: ‘You Christians worship carved images and statues, and therefore you have gods made of wood and stone.” For the inference is quite proper — or at least very close — even if it is not formally valid among logicians, yet it is obvious to ordinary people. Once it is granted and accepted (as stated above) that images of Christ are to be adored with the same adoration as Christ Himself — that is, with latria — then, when such an image is pointed out, the argument can be made like this: “Christians adore this with the worship due to God alone and teach that it should be adored. But this is wood or stone. Therefore, Christians adore wood or stone with the worship due to God alone.”
But if some Christian should deny it and say: “It is not the image itself we adore, but the images of God,” then the argument will again be brought against him in this expository form: “You adore this image with the very same adoration you give to God. But this image is nothing other than this [wood, stone, etc.], or it is nothing at all if it is not this. Therefore, you adore this [material thing] in the same way you adore God — just as before. But this is wood, therefore… And so, Christians worship this wood or gold in the place of God.”
What Jew, then, would not abhor and curse the faith of people who worship stones and metals? Or who could fairly withhold criticism from a faith that permits and instructs that silver and stone statues are to be adored as if they were God?
From this it is inferred how disgraceful and dreadful it is not only to preach such things but also to favor or even mention them before the simple Christian people in public, for example, that images, just like God, are to be worshiped. For as I began to say, although perhaps a sophist and logician might evade the aforementioned Jewish arguments without injury to conscience and faith, nevertheless, the common uneducated Christian is entirely overcome and severely harmed as to the integrity of the Christian faith by them. Therefore, many doctors have said in schools that such things should by no means be preached before the common people. Wherefore also the holy Church, although it admitted images and statues and teaches them to be honored and venerated, has nowhere taught or established that they are to be worshiped or adored, as is evident in the Corpus in the faculty of jurists.
They further decreed that images are to be prayed to, which in the Bohemian (Czech) language sounds ‘modlyty sye,’ [‘to pray’] and thus to teach the people together: ‘aby sye obrasom lyde modlyly,’ [‘that people should pray to images’]. Furthermore, they have decreed and synodically commanded that it be preached to the people to piously believe that in the stone or wooden statues depicted is divine power, even those of His saints; and from this, those in which there appeared to have been miracles or are reputed as such, it is God who works through them because of those particular images; and therefore, whoever believes this or places trust in such a statue, and flees to the statue, does no harm at all. Indeed, it is not possible, they say, that he does harm; so, the simple people are not to be corrected and rebuked for fleeing to statues in times of need or when seeking relics of saints or other such dead things that are without merit and power. They have further decreed that nothing is to be preached against the abuse of statues or relics, declaring that the Christian people do not err by their observance of such things.
Who could fail to see how harmful these things are to the simple and carnal Christian people? If one considers that today’s ordinary folk, lacking the Spirit of the Lord Jesus, are utterly unable to lift their minds to spiritual realities, but are driven solely and chiefly by fleshly judgment and imaginations, valuing only physical things, standing in awe and terror before them, and pouring themselves out completely upon them. Such things cannot exist among Christians without great sin and without injury to Christ Jesus the Spirit and the Truth — for it is written: ‘God is spirit, and therefore those who worship the Father must worship in spirit and truth’; and God seeks such worshipers.
I will strive to demonstrate these things otherwise, unanswerably, with the companionship of Christ Jesus the Spirit. But oh that the venerable lords mentioned above would realize that the loftiness of Satan — whose thoughts we do not ignore — knows and is able, through the mere appearance and splendor of such corporeal things, to traffic in the souls of the simple, and especially in those things that are precisely corporeal — which I say because of the divine sacraments of the Church, which are neither purely corporeal nor purely spiritual, but both.
Thus, it is precisely through these material things that demons have greater power to deceive — things about which the simple have less fear and which carry a greater appearance of certainty. This is because they are located in a holy place and serve as certain instruments closely tied to religion; also because they possess in themselves a very strong appearance of holiness according to human eyes, though in reality they contain no salvation or true holiness, and because their striking appearance and celebrated splendor powerfully affect the senses of the simple. For this reason, they are astonishing and marvelous to both the unlearned and the more advanced.
Would that they had still reflected, I say, that these impostors of the devil — hypocrites, carnal clerics, monks, and priests — whose whole aim is to chase after and pile up profits from the things of the Christian religion, and to live quietly and comfortably off their gains — treat the flocks of Christ like pigs hunted in the desert. These men, therefore, and others like them — a vast brood of whom has now infiltrated the Church — lacking the power of true life, the wisdom of Jesus, and the truth, therefore through invented fables and all the things described above (such as their famous images or their new and old relics made notorious, through fabricated miracles and wonders) most cunningly acquire for themselves authority, celebrity, and fame in their places, and thereby riches and honors, the curse and applause of the ignorant. In this way they are manifestly the executors and supporters of the mystery of the Antichrist spoken of earlier. From all this, how great a profit to Satan and how great an injury to the truth and power of Christ Jesus arises — who, I ask, would not easily see and judge?
Of these things I am a witness before God: I have personally seen many such cases, but I have heard far more — through which the devil’s lie and deception rages to the ruin of the Christian people. For the deceived multitude, by confirming in themselves a false hope through such fables, does not hurry with all their might to the crucified Jesus and to His power and the truth of life — until, placing confidence in nothing, they are suddenly snatched away.
CHAPTER 11: On the obstruction of the preaching of the truth by the Antichrist.
Nevertheless, there are now many great, illustrious men, powerful and wise, who say that such things are beneficial to the simpleminded; indeed, asserting it should be preached that it must be piously believed that these things are from God Himself. Therefore, according to their assertion, at this time God, having abandoned His virtuous and holy elect, has instead transferred Himself to stone statues. Does He then, after the Lord Jesus ceased to work miracles and powers in His name and by His word, now work through stones and wood? Or perhaps He has taken away power, virtue, and miracles from His holy devotees, He has now given them to statues? Or perhaps, contrary to scripture, God needs our lie or perhaps without our lie the word of the law cannot be fulfilled? Or perhaps the holy and faithful God, by showing His power through statues, images and other such dead things, will thus give entrance of the idolatry of the Gentiles into His Christian people, and thereby favor Satan, so that by resembling God through the deceitful working of spirits, may usurp divine honor for himself? Or perhaps the Devil, on account of vengeance taken upon ungrateful Christians, has been permitted [by God] to seduce using every deception and lies? [And may it not be that he] who also, through men who appear to be very religious and holy to many, but are not, persist in his work, deceiving by working his signs and wonders, according to the aforementioned; will not the same be able or permitted to do similar things through statues or relics of saints? And he who could dare to tempt Jesus Christ and carry Him at his own will, might he not also be able to handle and transform the image of the cross or other relics, which otherwise neither have free will to resist nor any sanctity of the Holy Spirit to drive away demons, as has also been deduced above?
But would that those who disturb us, those teachers who, instead of preaching the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, itch the ears of the simple Christian people, celebrating such fables and fabrications and entirely uncertain physical things, while neglecting the faithful evangelical truth and that which is useful for the salvation of Jesus Christ – may they be cut off! Which truth the Apostle did not want to be hindered even by prophecy and wise eloquence with mere temporal matters among the people redeemed by the blood of Christ Jesus. “For Christ did not send me to baptize,” says the Apostle, but to preach the Gospel, not in the wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the word of the cross is folly to those who perish, but to us who are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” Truly Christ Jesus made foolish and now has condemned the wisdom of this world and the prudence of the prudent in the times of the great Antichrist, because “they did not receive the love of the truth so that they might be saved.” Therefore, God abandoned them to the working of error, that they might believe lies, to be judged — all those who did not believe the truth. How did they not believe the truth? Although they knew Jesus Christ, the King of Glory, more than the princes of this world, they did not glorify Him as God. Because even though they confessed they knew God, saying: “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and teach in our streets,” yet by their deeds they denied Him, being workers of iniquity and the Antichrist. Therefore, God gave them over to a reprobate mind; because of which their thoughts were vain, and their foolish hearts were darkened, claiming to be teachers and wise men, they became so foolish that they erected statues and other dead things to be worshiped and venerated as good and holy.
And furthermore, so-called wise men seized those preachers of the Gospel of Christ and of His cross because they had set out to oppose, not the presence of images in the Church itself, but rather the fables, human inventions and the deceptions of others, by means of the sound teaching of Christ. At first these ‘wise men’ publicly exposed them to mockery and tried in every way to force them to lie; then they imposed silence on them concerning the Gospel of Christ Jesus for a time, times, and half a time, so that in this way the fables described above might gain advancement and progress, while the truth of Christ Jesus falls in the street.
Who, I ask, looking at these things as they truly are and judging each one fairly, could say or believe anything else except that the time of the most wicked Antichrist is now upon us — the time when such an ordinance and decree has come forth from the long-standing counsel of wise men and doctors, doctors of theology and law, and from so solemn and renowned a college that no man was found in it who would boldly stand as a wall for the truth? Or who could fail to see that this is the confirmation of the fables long foretold, the multiplication of every kind of fiction and lie of the Devil and his followers, and the strengthening of all impostors and false prophets who, through such things, have long trafficked in the simple, pursuing their gains and promoting the mysteries — or rather the manifest seduction — of the Antichrist? No one, I say, has been found among them who understands or seeks God, who would set himself as a wall against these things and for the truth of Jesus Christ. But would that even now those mentioned above would become wise and understand what damage they have done to the preaching of the truth by that act, and so taking repentance, would make provision for their last times.
CHAPTER 12: On promoting/advancing the ways of the Antichrist.
Here it must still be noted that, just as we have mainly assumed regarding the lie — that it has now been shown to be the greatest and worst, set at the very summit of the Church and widely disseminated — from which we have concluded that this is that supreme and worst son of iniquity who in the highest place sets himself against the truth, namely Jesus Christ. Similarly, you will discover that every vice, crime or deception perpetrated among [professing] Christian people is much greater and worse today when comparing the primitive centuries with the modern ones.
Behold, in the same way avarice, lust, pleasure, and pride are greater when they infect the entire family of the faithful than if they infect only one person; but greater still, if they infect the community; greater yet, if they infect the community of priests; but supreme, if they infect the community of the highest priests of the Church. Among the modern priests, both the lowest and highest, iniquity has abounded to such an extent that, as Scripture says concerning avarice: “From the least even to the greatest, all strive after avarice, and from the prophet even to the priest, all practice deceit,” [Jer. 6:13], which now even the laity themselves, together with priests, consider such sins as minor, indeed, honorable, since they see all the common people of greater or lesser status and condition manifestly involved in these sins. And this is especially true of the laity, as well as the little ones in Christ, that is, the weaker common folk, for they now exceed in committing evil without fear when considering that no punishment enjoins their crimes since they see that their superiors and leaders, who ought to have been light and salt by which their souls should be preserved, publicly occupied with similar or greater sins.
And they receive the boldness to sin by example from those who ought to have corrected them more strictly for their excess, so that if now one’s own conscience or a man reproves his subjects for sin they immediately stubbornly maintain the defense of their crime, complaining: “People commonly do this.” Or: “Yet the same is commonly done by priests and the holy religious. Therefore, this should by no means be considered a sin because if it were a sin learned men, priests and the religious would not do it.” Moreover, clerics and monks who see the common people currently openly engaged, without shame, in the sins mentioned above, namely the lusts of the flesh, avarice, and pride of life, they believe they themselves can now act more licentiously in such things, even though it is completely contrary to their religion and primary profession. And the result is the same: as with the people, so with the priest – and even more so with the people than with the priest. And accordingly, Behemoth, that is, the spirit of the Antichrist, has long been sleeping secretly in the reeds and rests under the shadow protecting his shadow, and “his body is like shields of bronze, firmly joined together with scales pressing one against another, and not even a breath passes between them; they cling to one another and hold fast so that they can never be separated,” [Job 41].
Behold, in the present Christianity, the synagogue of sinners, like gathered tow [to be burned], wonderfully and powerfully nourish one another in their iniquities, and adhering to one another in evil, they protect and excuse each other, for the common people, on account of their respect for the sins of the clergy, regard their own sins as nothing while believing their otherwise foolish and unworthy lives to be comparatively good. The clergy, whom the common people call seculars, though walking unworthily before God, nevertheless consider themselves to live holy lives by comparing themselves to the depraved religious [orders]. Thus, the religious now freely run to indulge their carnal desires as if this were allowed them, since both the common people and clergy engage in such behaviors without reproach. Therefore, the multitude of laity mutually incite each other to sin and are themselves incited by the clergy; the community of clerics also openly sins, pushing one another to commit evil and forcibly promoting the laity themselves. Moreover, monks are involved in evil; the truly religious run to excuse their own crimes, while clerics, laypeople, and all others, use this fact as a defense so that they have no need to withdraw or separate themselves from their evils. Nor can a single breath of the virtue of Jesus and wisdom pass through these kinds of people and through this body of the Antichrist. I say it cannot unless perhaps your omnipotent word, Lord, coming from royal thrones, breaks into the deadly silent night of the wicked; either on the great day of judgment or through your friends, the preachers, who, like you, redeem the dead from their death and by your word make those who are dying live again; for it is written in John: “The hour comes, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear shall live”; and again another Scripture says concerning the same thing in Job 41 [sic: Ezekiel 27:21-22]: ” His friends will cut him to pieces, his merchants will divide him.”
CHAPTER 13: On the unique way, which is the supreme arrogance of the Antichrist.
I have touched on these things in general, but if you do not mind, let us examine the present overabundance of iniquity, with a few particular sins singled out; the first concerning pride.
Was it not so in the Church of the Lord Jesus, that humility was certainly victorious over pride and contempt, so that people commonly shunned the pursuit of priories, dignities, and honors, and came only when called and drawn, the truth then prevailing which says in Hebrews 5:4: “No one takes this honor upon himself, but only when called as Aaron was.” And if perhaps you wish to insist on some from the early Church of Christ, you will find only a few, like Diotrephes, who coveted the primacy, and such were soon marked and despised by the Church because then the unshaken word of the Gospel still shone forth, Matthew 20: “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so shall among you, but whoever wants to become great among you shall be your servant,” etc.
But now, I ask, look, if you have eyes, to what the Church has come and how the brightness of the word of our Lord Jesus Christ is covered and clouded. And the pride of the Antichrist has risen to such an extent that now people commonly rush to primacies, though not called; indeed, now almost no one waits to be called to the chairs of Aaron’s order, but rather by prayers, services, money, power, friendship, and all possible ways they already break in to rectorates and honors. And not only this, but they do this without any conscience, fear, or shame; rather he is said to be the best and wisest who knows how to better promote himself to benefices.
This concerning the present pride of the clergy, through which the greatest Antichrist now rightly comes to the supreme seat of holy Church, who is exalted above all that is called God or that is worshipped. And this is the singular and infallible sign of the Antichrist and of everyone who is of him, namely, that pride driving him or the desire for vain glory which forces him to thrust himself into dignities and honors, and thus, he properly comes in his own name, just as Christ came in the name of his Father. And this is what Jesus said to the Jews, distinguishing between himself and the Antichrist in John 5: “I come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him.”
Concerning the pride of this age and the pomp it uses to claim the highest place and rule over many peoples; like in the Apocalypse: “I sit as a queen, and am no widow, and will see no mourning,” there’s no need to say more since everyone can see it around them rather than just hear about it. The main point is that pride has grown so much among Christians that it now replaces true virtue. People act as if pride itself is virtue and truth, even boasting about it. Many Christians treat pride as if it were honesty and goodness, calling it integrity, while rejecting humility and patience as weakness and shame. This is obvious everywhere among Christians, especially in the clergy and great priests—in their sermons, both ecclesiastical and common, their gestures, dress, actions, and studies.
And I ask, compare the state of pride in the present Church to the state of humility in the early Church: then you will see how much the body of the most wicked Antichrist has now expanded. And hence it is that whoever wishes to follow the humility and patience of Christ is afflicted as if by a thousand deaths; he is immediately spit upon and cast down by [professing] Christians as the refuse of the world and other most vile slanders, just as the humble Apostles were treated by proud Pagans. But since these insults directed to the Apostles were by infidels and strangers, it was not surprising, nor was it contagious, but tolerable. This present tribulation of the saints and humble in Christ is worst because it is done by those who are within [the professing Church] and who say they, too, are good, indeed, among the more faithful Christians. Therefore, this is such an erroneous contagion that the disciples of Christ Jesus today do not know of what real humility consists or what to believe; whether to follow Christ humbly in weeping and abasement, or to imitate the infinite multitude of proud Christians, conforming to them in all things, to have peace with them, enjoying good days with them; especially since they confess themselves to be good Christians and shout moreover to Christ: “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name,” etc.; whether, I say, it is better to lie abject in the dust if and when it pleases God to be called, waiting, or rather shamelessly to thrust oneself with the common multitude of the proud, especially of men who are doctors and are considered upright according to popular opinion, even when thrusting themselves forward to be called to chairs and honors.
For if you now wait to be called to ecclesiastical benefices or offices, then you will realize that the prophet’s words are fulfilled in you: ‘Wait, wait again, a little here, a little there,’ [Isaiah 28:10] — yet you will find no room in the inn because of the vast crowd of those rushing and seizing offices, dignities, and honors. Or perhaps if you try to support yourself with the Gospel and the Scriptures — thinking that for conscience’s sake it is not fitting for you to push yourself forward to be called — you will immediately find among the counselors strong testimonies and hear from the Gospel and the Scriptures that all these people [allegedly] do well and are well excused, who seek the things of this world, and obtain honors, benefices, and offices, and that it is perfectly compatible to seek and possess those things while still meriting the kingdom of heaven, by rendering such service to our Lord Jesus Christ. Truly, no crime or iniquity can now be found that does not receive from the Gospel and the Scriptures a pleasant and colored defense — at least by giving itself the name of some nearby virtue, as was recently discussed concerning pride, because it is now called uprightness.
So, if you ponder these things back and forth in your mind, unless the Spirit of Jesus is present to help our weakness, you will — after many others — choose to walk the broad road that leads to destruction. That road now seems straight to the crowds of people because of the disguises of Satan and the darkness brought by the thick layers of error caused by the body of the Antichrist. Therefore, when a sensible man sees these things — and things like them — spreading almost through the entire Church, recognizing the iniquity abounding everywhere in public and in private, what else can he conclude except that the fullness of time [of the coming] of the supreme Antichrist is now upon us?
CHAPTER 14: On Antichristian greed and sexual immorality.
Just as a report was made about the vice of pride, so, too, you will find that in these times avarice has reached the highest possible degree among Christians. For just as it was abominable and shameful in the primitive Church for the sheep of the saints and the household of the kingdom of heaven to covet, seek, or possess earthly things, so now among all Christians it is not only not a sin to seek what is one’s own and of this world, but it is the prudence and circumspection of honorable and upright men, and those who, on the other hand, commit themselves to poverty aligning themselves with Christ Jesus the poor, are considered lazy and weak men even though they may excel in wisdom and virtue. And the worst kind of avarice has gained a foothold in the community, namely, to conduct business for profit in divine matters or in things freely given and ordained for the eternal salvation of souls, as is the case with the offices and the administration of the Church’s offices and their appendages, such as the sacraments—and to do this openly without any guilt of conscience.
And considering how horrible it [selling the divine] was to the early Church — yet who, reflecting on Simon being struck with that terrible curse, would not realize or declare that there can now be no greater greed than what exists in our own day and in the times yet to come? Or what could be greedier than what we see today: everyone — even the clergy who already hold endowments — pursues benefices with the utmost zeal, and hardly anyone is satisfied with a single benefice, but instead seeks to acquire increasingly more?
The laity are also not only content to follow greed all day long, all commonly having an infinite concern for riches, but, as Christians, they fulfill their desire through various subtle methods of usury, and this is done freely since there is no one who prohibits or protests.
Indeed, the religious, who had voluntarily chosen the highest degree of poverty for Christ, have come to such a state that they apply their greatest effort to gathering and expanding riches for their community, and in this way, similar to the most wicked manner of priests, they traffic in their alms with a painted color which is manifestly that of Antichrist because under the guise of piety, the monks have exceeded all others in this greed, since they notoriously and solemnly vow not to have property, condemning it by the supreme anathema. But behold, now they notoriously and solemnly retain and pursue their own possessions, not fearing to accumulate more sins which are added to their ultimate damnation. And moreover, they set the worst example, offending the entire Church by openly preaching that owning property is now permitted to them, and that without property it is not possible to live in the community.
Therefore, when you see this abomination of desolation, namely greed, now abounding everywhere and because of its excess not only does it not receive punishment today, but claims the name of some virtue for itself and sits in the temple of God, above all ruling at the highest summit, lording it over all dignity of the Church, bringing to himself and for himself all that is called or worshiped as God? And furthermore, supplies these things for himself for gain – proclaiming it publicly in all corners and streets – what else can one conclude except that the time of the very worst [final] Antichrist is truly at hand?
Again here, I beseech you, faithfully observe the state of the holy Church [which should have a] contempt for earthly things, and the disposition of the present community of Christians and their pursuits and lust for earthly things, and how that which in times past was considered horrible and to be avoided is now presently embraced as lawful and honest. Thus, we must now understand that today that scripture is most properly and literally fulfilled which in Revelation chap. 13 speaks of the Antichrist, saying: “And he will cause all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves, to receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads; and that no one may buy or sell, unless he has the mark of the name of the beast or the number of its name.”
To summarize, these prophecies can be explained as follows: The devil, who is the head of the Antichrist, will cause, by his working, men of every status in the Church who are in charge of the sacred mysteries and consequently, who are a great multitude who are to be conformed to this world and are to be lovers of this world and to “have the mark,” that is, to bear some conspicuous sign “on the hand,” that is, a conspicuous sign in their foremost work, “or in the forehead,” that is, to please this world in their foremost purpose or will,—and that no Christian who adheres to Christ Jesus with all his heart will be esteemed or considered of any importance, whether layman or priest, but rather will suffer severe persecution from carnal Christians, as can be seen today, unless his morals conform to those of the lovers of this world. And therefore, because of great contempt and rejection, however holy and wise a man may be, he will not be able to gain the salvation of souls nor profit, unless he has “the mark of the name of the beast,” that is, some title, manner, or habit of the rich and wise of this world, that is, Christians who love this world; or unless he has sufficient money, or some annual revenues, or benefices and prebends; otherwise he will be considered poor and wretched and will be expelled and trampled upon. And this is what follows: “or the number of its name,” that is, money and revenues.
And it is notably added in the text: “here is,” that is, in such a time, “the wisdom of the saints,” that is, which they must have to be guided, lest they become involved in the leaven of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. For these things are so hidden and disguised that no one can recognize them except a saint illuminated by the wisdom of God, as it will shortly be said here, that “wherever the body is, there will the eagles be gathered,” and in Daniel it is said: “The wicked act wickedly and all the wicked do not understand; but those who are wise shall understand.”
Now if you wish to contemplate the present concupiscence of the flesh, you will again see that it has a place in the kingdom to the highest degree; a part of which consists of lust and gluttony. This you will understand to be in the greatest degree possible when you behold these things overwhelming not a few individual persons nor some particular groups of people, but almost the whole community of the Church is in bondage to them, and above all the clergy and priests. For because they are given to sloth, they are therefore violently seized by pleasure and desires, in particular by surfeiting and drunkenness. And because these are strong incentives to lust, there arises in clergy from this occasion, as well as the necessity and impulse of natural desires, and since marriage is not permitted, therefore almost inevitably they will engage in fornications, debauchery, adulteries, incest, and sins that fill, pollute, and profane the Church of God with shame. To these sins is added the common shamelessness committed by all due to the multitude of pimps and harlots [who ply their trade freely without punitive action taken].
From these things, therefore, you conclude that there is the greatest abomination in the temple of the Lord, when the people of God, that chosen and holy people in whom once fornication was neither allowed to be named, is now covered with fornication and drunkenness, especially the priests, as it is written in Isaiah: “Their tables are full of vomit and filth,” [Isaiah 28:8]. Moreover, the church and temple are commonly filled with both fornicators and concubines, and without fear and shame they handle the sacraments and mingle themselves with divine things. And if, perhaps, you choose to say that similar things have occurred before, it is true, I say, but never with such abundance and height. For fornication is now so rampant among the clergy and religious that they are already infinitely polluted with the sin of Sodom, as that final evil, and their belly’s gluttony is so expanded that no modesty seems to be remain in priests and religious who engage in daily drinking, who frequent taverns openly, who are incessantly driven by drunkenness.
Therefore, since these things seem to be commonly and widely occurring in the Church, how will anyone not see that the time of the worst and last Antichrist is already fulfilled? I am silent about other individual crimes,—the inundation, variety, and extent among the Christian people have exceeded all narration, nor do I think it necessary to explain in writing their current excess since everyone now openly cries out to his neighbor that there is such great iniquity and so many crimes unpunished, which things have never before been seen, nor is punishment believed to be forthcoming at any time later. Indeed, even those who abounded in crimes, but who are now convicted and in a certain way satiated, call today’s iniquity among Christians ‘excessive.’ Therefore, if Satan would not now produce his greatest Antichrist at such a time suited to himself, then when, I ask, will he so copiously and freely fulfill his wicked and long-conceived seduction and malice in the future? Whatever some may say or perhaps fabricate, I judge from these things that the [final] Antichrist has certainly already come.
END
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ON THE SUCCESSIVE REVELATION OF THE ANTICHRIST BY THE FAITHFUL PREACHERS
CHAPTER 1: How Christ Jesus was successively and more clearly shown to have come, and thus, also the Antichrist.
According to these things which have been said here about the Antichrist and his bestial body or about the great prostitute dwelling upon many waters, or about the multitude of carnal Christians insisting, and especially about the multitude of carnal, greedy, and proud clergy and religious who preside over peoples, who occupy a higher rank, it must be carefully noted that the Lord Jesus and His Spirit have revealed all things concerning His hidden matters to the Church in a very useful manner, according to what is written: “I am God who teaches you what is beneficial,” Isaiah [48:17], and the Apostle in Corinthians [12:7], “To each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the profit of all,” because God and nature work nothing in vain. He also reveals in order. Hence the Apostle: “For all things that are from God are done in order.” Moreover, He reveals to each one in measure. Hence, the Apostle: “To each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit according to the measure of faith,” [Eph. 6:7]. And Romans [12:3]: “Do not be wise beyond what you ought but be wise unto sobriety according to the measure of faith.”
For our purposes, the first of these can be considered as follows: From the origin of the world, the revelation of the coming Jesus Christ in the flesh soon began to be made, as much as was necessary for the person to whom it was made, or to the community of the elect, on whose behalf it was made, or both, so much, I say, as was beneficial for imitating and attaining that great future salvation and for showing oneself worthy by provoking desire and hope. Likewise, the revelation of the antagonist of Christ, namely, the Antichrist and his like-minded children who are of a secret and subtle faction, was stated as much as was beneficial to the time or person or community of the elect in order to avoid and guard against the working of demons through such false men. Hence, [inferences were found] in Jacob’s blessings upon his sons in Genesis: “Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations,” etc. And after: “Let Dan be a serpent in the way, a horned serpent by the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider falls backward.” All these things are explained by the doctors to be literally spoken of the Antichrist, as will be made clear elsewhere. And likewise, Jude says: “Certain men have crept in unawares, ungodly men,” (who were formerly written about in this judgment). And shortly after: “And Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying: Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his saints to execute judgment,” etc. These I have more distinctly and fully drawn out in the first treatise at the beginning and according to the rules ordered for such an endeavor.
Secondly, the revelation was made in a progressive order. And this is seen to be purposefully done in this way because from the beginning news about Christ Jesus was given from above according to the exigency and dispensation of times, namely, the farther before the incarnation of Christ, the more obscure and general or less distinct the news [of His coming] was made; whereas the closer, the more distinct and clearer announcements were made. This is analogous, for example, to what occurs when our sun approaches the hemisphere; the closer it gets to us, the more harmful and active it seems or is felt to be. By way of example: Lord Jesus was indeed announced from the origin of the world that the Lord would come, but this was very general and not distinct, as it was allegorized above by Judah. Then to blessed Abraham, He was promised more clearly still, namely that He would be from his seed, but still with obscurity in general. Then to Jacob it was given to know more distinctly because he was told not only that He would come from his seed, but from which tribe or which son He would be born. And after this, to blessed David, from which house, that is which family, namely, from his. And then to blessed Isaiah, from which mother He was to come, for she was to be a virgin, and what His manner would be because He would eat butter and honey, and what His name would be, because new, which the mouth of the Lord named, or because He would be Emmanuel. Later, however, the time of His coming or the number of weeks was distinguished, for He was prophesied even more specifically through the Prophets, as is evident through Daniel. And then also the place of His birth, namely in Bethlehem of Judea, as is clear in Zechariah [sic: Micah].
Though Christ’s birth became clearer and more distinct, the silence of prophecy grew closer and more fitting. This was due to the unworthiness and ingratitude of hypocrites, and to test the faith of those who claimed to be worthy of God and Christ’s coming, while judging those who boasted they had seen, as it is written in John 9:9: “I came into this world so that those who do not see,” understood as the Lord and His Christ, but worthily expect to see Him, “may see Him.” “And those who see,” that is, have knowledge of God and His coming Christ but do not care to watch, turning instead to their own fables, while neglecting to show themselves grateful, “may become blind,” that is, much more shaken and dazzled by the light of the now present sun, just as shortly thereafter they contentiously argued the same thing from the prophets against Christ, saying: “Are we also blind?” And concerning this blindness, which is the subject of this discourse, Jesus immediately expressed a distinction to them, saying: “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”
But the Apostle sets forth this kind of judgment more clearly in Romans 1, saying: “They, when they knew God,” he says, “did not glorify him nor give thanks as God, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. For claiming to be wise, they became fools. And they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of the image of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.” The Lord, by Isaiah, [5:4]. also proclaimed the same judgment against the wicked hypocrites, saying, “What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done?” and thus many things there follow to the same effect up to that place in chapter 6, where it is said to the purpose: “Make the heart of this people fat and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and be converted, and I heal them.” Behold, the worst plague of hypocrites who are the body of Antichrist! Behold, the incurable venom of these asps! O, who will grant me that this Scripture may be understood broadly and widely throughout the Church, which is now most and supremely fulfilled, and thus, must be preached and broadcast, so that at least the Elect may be able to awake and not be seized by the present error of Satan’s most factious pride!
But now let us return to the text! For as has been said, the merciful and just God from the beginning took care not only to show mercy to those sons fit for grace, but also to exercise judgment and justice upon the ungrateful and the proud. For this reason, after Christ had been increasingly clearly revealed as coming and set apart at last there was silence in Judea before the coming of Christ with respect to signs and prophets. And so according to the Scripture of the wise man [Wisdom 18:14-15]: “While all things were held in the midst of silence, and night” — the night of the blindness of the ungrateful and the wicked — “in its course held the middle of the journey, your almighty Word, O Lord, leaped down from heaven from the royal thrones, came, a stern warrior into the midst of the land of destruction, sprang forth, bearing a sharp sword in his simulated empire, and standing filled all things with death. And he reached even to heaven while standing on the earth.”
This is the Almighty and most sweet Jesus Christ, who, when the fullness of time had come, was born of a woman, made under the law. Then night receded and day drew near, and the midst of silence was broken — first by the angel Gabriel to Zechariah; then Zechariah saying: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel;” finally John the Baptist, who was spiritually Elijah and more than a Prophet, and not only very near to the coming of Christ, but also immediately present, pointing Him out with his finger, saying: “Behold, the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world,” concluding the sum of all prophecies about Christ Jesus and all preceding revelations and notices of intention, leading to the highest degree of knowledge, no longer in enigmas and bodily figures as a presage, but face to face, and pointing his finger to the truth to those who were found gracious and worthy to see the Son of God’s coming above others, who were enveloped in thick darkness and more densely covered by their assumed gloom, just as it is written in Isaiah 60: “Behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples: but upon you the Lord will arise, and His glory will be seen upon you.”
CHAPTER 2: On the silence made concerning the Antichrist before and during his time.
Thus it must be said accordingly about the son of iniquity, the Antichrist, with his bestial concubine. For although the Antichrist was announced by the Prophets, as has already been said, and after Christ, from the origin of the Church, and as much as was granted, more properly declared, nevertheless, this was done similarly with the successive increasing of his knowledge and that of his fellow antichrists, as it approached more closely to the time appointed for his coming, that is, to the present time.
And thus it can be gathered from those things which have recently been premised about the Antichrist, since the Prophets, as if from afar, spoke about him; then more clearly Jesus crucified and His Apostles describing the antichrists, revealed him; and after them, still more clearly the great and holy doctors handed down descriptions and testimonies of him and the multitude of his princes, as if near and immediate to the coming of the Antichrist. Lastly, modern doctors, observing what is unfolding, tend to focus more on recounting the story of the son of lies rather than predicting the future. They have taken it upon themselves through their words and writings to attack and expose his nations, which, when revealed and concealed, are referred to by the spirit of Jesus as Gog and Magog. These nations surround, and have surrounded, the camp of the holy Elect, just as the spiritual Sodom and Gomorrah once troubled the soul of the righteous Lot, bringing destruction to their deeds through ruin and bitter persecutions.
Then, in a wonderful way, there was silence, concerning the last coming of Christ and the previous coming of the Antichrist. Which silence, in my judgment, began from the year of the Lord 1209 [sic? or 1290 per Daniel 12:11-12] of the incarnation of the Lord Jesus according to the prophecy of Daniel, and lasted until the time of the years 1350.
For it is in such a time above all that a great famine arose for hearing the living and powerful word of Jesus. Then the smoke from the pit of the abyss darkened the sun and the sky, and the crowned locusts — of which we have spoken — came out from it at that time. And then the nations called Gog and Magog surrounded the camp of the saints, afflicting and scattering them.
Likewise, at that time, self-loving, proud, puffed-up, covetous men multiplied greatly in the church, and from these came many storytellers, vain talkers, and teachers for itching ears, saying, “Peace, peace, where there is no peace,” who bless the people for a handful of barley and crumbs of bread.
Also, then the people of God were possessed by the aforementioned fictitious and fabricated teachings, and the abomination of desolation was set up in the holy place. And then the truths were greatly diminished by the sons of men, and notable saints and faithful doctors in the Church failed and fell like stars from heaven; also the sun was darkened, that is, the Pope, and the moon was clothed with blood, that is, the Christian community, with countless slaughters and wars, where an immense amount of blood was shed, as noted above. Or then the moon was turned into blood, because then iniquity greatly abounded, as homicide and adultery and sodomitical sins flooded the Christian people, and blood touched blood.
That, then, is the final and greatest silence — and the most harmful one. It is the reason why the silence before Christ’s coming, noted earlier, is called in Scripture ‘the midst of silence,’ as it is written: “While all things held the midst of silence,” [Wisdom 18:14]. And concerning this silence now prevailing, it is written in Revelation 8:1: “And when the seventh seal was opened, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” Likewise, this silence is that night in which all the beasts of the forest must pass through, and in which the wise and foolish virgins, while the bridegroom delayed, all slumbered and slept. And then blindness came upon Israel, so that the fullness of the Gentiles might enter — I mean into Israel, that is, into Christians [true Christianity], and especially into priests and clerics, who have forgotten the crucified Jesus as though in their hearts He was dead, or “although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened; professing to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God.”
[N. B. Matthias holds the common Protestant Reformers’ view that ‘Israel’ is nomenclature symbolizing the visible Christian Church, whether Old Testament or New, consisting of true and false believers. Within visible ‘Israel’ is the true Israel of God consisting of only the Elect.]
All these things have been fulfilled to the letter, exactly, already among apostate Christians and especially in Israel. [N. B. Here ‘Israel’ is interpreted as the corrupt members of the professing Christian Church.] Concerning whom it is written: “And since they did not think it worthwhile to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignant intent, whisperers, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, proud, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents; senseless, covenantless, without affection, without mercy. Who, though they knew God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.”
Therefore the same or a similar cause and dispensation exists for that final silence in both the time and before the time of the Antichrist, which was the middle silence foretold—namely, before the [2nd] coming in the flesh of Jesus Christ—that is the testing of the faith of Christ’s Elect as well as that of the ingratitude and iniquity of the reprobate Christians concerning the faith of Jesus, who say to Christ: “Lord, Lord,” and yet even with this profession are, in fact, workers of iniquity who confess they know God, but are like a people who honor God with only their lips, but deny Him in their deeds because their heart is far from Jesus crucified. For this reason, hypocrites fear God primarily through the commandments and inventions of men, according to Isaiah, and worship him in vain, teaching the commandments and doctrines of men; not according to Jesus Christ. And the Apostle expresses this same cause in 2 Thessalonians, which is the reason for the coming of the Antichrist: “And the lawless one will be revealed, whose coming is according to the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders and with all deception of wickedness for those who are perishing,” and he adds the reason: “Because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved, God will send them a working of error, so that they may believe a lie, that they may be condemned who did not believe the truth but consented to iniquity,” and to sum this up, stated plainly:
CHAPTER 3: The cause of the silence and abundant wickedness of the Antichrist.
The cause, or the greatest cause, of the aforementioned last and most harmful silence and blindness, and then of the coming of the most wicked Antichrist and greatest tribulation of all, including error in the Christian religion, is drunkenness, luxury, greed, pride, and all the iniquity of priests and clerics. And this can be clearly and demonstrably proven from all canonical Scriptures of the Apostles and Prophets, and from the sayings of individual doctors, which I have not taken care to introduce here due to their excessive length.
It is sufficient for the present that the venerable man and master Rupert of Deutz says about the Apocalypse, speaking of the Antichrist, on chapter XI, citing the blessed Jerome discussing the passage of the prophet Micah: “Its princes judge for a bribe, and its priests teach for a price, and its prophets divine for money; yet they lean on the Lord, saying, ‘Is not the Lord among us? No evil shall come upon us.’ Therefore, Zion shall be plowed as a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, and the mountain of the temple as the high places of the forest.” Among other things, the Apostle Peter says: “Silver and gold I do not have.” Surely, he could have sold to Simon the magician what he sought, indeed, he could have pretended to sell, for the Holy Spirit can neither be sold nor bought, but he condemned the money offered along with the offerer. Now you see the Prophets not having prophecy in their mouth concerning Jerusalem, but instead resting on the Lord, saying: No evil shall come upon us. For their sake the watchtower of God is torn apart by the enemy’s plow, the place that was once peace is filled with ruins, the temple of the Lord is turned into briars and thorns and becomes a dwelling place for wild beasts. And after some words, he says, [Micah 3:11], that the cause of our [sufferings] — we who are such as build Zion in blood and Jerusalem in iniquity, who judge for bribes, who answer for hire, who divine for money, and while claiming a feigned holiness for ourselves, say: ‘Calamities will not come upon us.’ Let us hear the Lord’s sentence that follows, [Micah 3:12], “Zion and Jerusalem and the mountain of the temple, the watchtower and vision of peace, and the temple of Christ at the consummation and the end, when charity has grown cold and faith is rare — the field will be plowed and reduced to heaps, and it will be in the height of forests, and where once there were spacious houses and countless stores of grain, there will scarcely be a small hut preserving the appearance of food but containing no refreshment for the soul.”
When he says these things, we may certainly know and declare that the cause of the future great tribulation is sin — and above all the sin of the ecclesiastical orders, the sin of venality and avarice, which we now see reigning everywhere, with excessive ambition laying waste to everything, avarice devouring almost all things stored up within the Church. Now avarice is permitted to live, permitted even to strive for offices; yet there will come a time when avarice will not be permitted to live, one will not even wish to hold offices, will be far less permitted to strive for ambition — much more so and far more miserably than in the time of the persecutions of Nero or Diocletian, when, under similar pressure, the ecclesiastical offices that one had once delighted to purchase will be left entirely unsold.
From these, it is clearly gathered that the abundance of iniquity, chiefly and mainly of wicked priests, is [the cause of] that worst and last tribulation of the blessed Elect foretold by Jesus Christ and the Prophets; or the very abundance of iniquity in priests and clerics along with the most harmful silence is the most grievous cause of that aforementioned last tribulation. At present, however, the great abundance of iniquity arises from the overwhelming multitude of the substance of iniquity and the magnitude of its form.
(1) There are two things which constitute the substance of iniquity:
(a) first, the infinite multitude of impious [professing] Christians — and above all the clergy and priests — spread throughout the whole Church of God across the entire world. And these are properly those “many peoples” or “many waters” upon which the great harlot, the mother of the fornications of the earth, was seen sitting and reigning as a queen, saying: “I sit as a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no mourning.” For she has a broad kingdom and many subjects, on account of which she glories. But the one true spouse of Christ, who is without spot or wrinkle, by contrast now has far too few and is greatly forsaken of the children. For in the present time there is an extreme scarcity of the Elect of God and of holy priests who possess the Spirit of the crucified Jesus — and especially of those who would faithfully seek the things that are Jesus Christ’s. And wherever they are, it is hidden and indistinguishable to the wicked hypocrites; for they keep silence or do not dare speak the truth freely in the Church of God with the multitude of hypocrites powerfully oppressing their mouths.
(b) The second [cause] is this: although good is not properly the subject or matter of evil, evil cannot exist except in some good as its substrate. Thus — using the improper but commonly accepted term — the ‘matter’ of the overflowing abundance of malice consists in the indescribable and infinite multitude of God’s gifts, His graces, every virtue and wisdom accumulated and treasured up across all previous ages, now abundantly poured out on this final age — together with the vast multitude of all the saints (patriarchs, prophets, the apostles of Jesus Christ, evangelists, martyrs, confessors, and virgins) and of all their merits and intercessions, all of which have been reserved and destined for these last days.
All these things – the deadly, countless multitude of hypocrites and terrible peoples — after whom there is no other, that is, Gog and Magog, have turned to the increase of hypocrisy and abuse. Lacking the ‘life-giving Spirit’ — the Spirit of the crucified Jesus — they have taken the very matter of great righteousness and holiness and, because of their love of the world and the leaven of self-satisfaction, have made it into a vast substance of overflowing iniquity, malice, and wickedness.
(2) The magnitude of the form of the abundance of iniquity in the Church of the crucified Jesus has been brought about by these things:
First, the deep rooting and tenacious hold of malice and wickedness in Christians.
Second, the far and wide diffusion of the same, and the occupation of communities and peoples by it.
Third, through the convergence of all possible forms of malice and wickedness, the intensity or ascent reaching the highest degree in the Church of Jesus — which is the holy nation, the royal priesthood, the acquired people of God, that it might proclaim the virtues of Jesus — and behold, almost this entire people, so great and such as it is, is now occupied and covered with all iniquity at the highest degree of intensity and extension.
Fourth, the inveteracy of all these in the same Christian people.
Fifth, the common defense and excuse of all these.
Sixth, the general disregard of all evils and the acceptance of evil for good and good for evil.
Seventh, the regard of evils as good and the coloring and operation of evil as good.
Eighth, the common association and commixture of good and evil.
In the Church, among many people, Christ Jesus—the true source of justice and wisdom—is often forgotten. This has allowed great wrongdoing and evil to take hold, even in holy places. Good virtues are hidden or ignored, while bad behavior is accepted and even praised in Christian communities. Because of this, the true spirit of Jesus and the saints is missing, and no one follows the true path of Christianity. This situation hides great evil and has caused much trouble and confusion for God’s people. These are the things that cover Gog and Magog, peoples placed at the extreme of all wickedness, and they themselves have composed and painted the harlot and have placed her to preside over many peoples. These are the things that have made the deepest night fall at midday and caused all people, both foolish and wise, including virgins, to sleep and be drowsy. They caused a delay in the coming of the bridegroom, which supported this slumber. These same things have brought harm and hunger to those who faithfully hear the word of life, and have caused deadly silence about the Antichrist and the time of the Antichrist. This silence is so strong that not only do people fail to reveal or warn about the Antichrist openly in God’s sanctuary and among His saints, but even those who dared to speak publicly about the Antichrist or his deadly harlot in the synagogue of hypocrites were silenced. This was clearly shown by the imposed silence on respected teachers at the University of Paris, as well as by a helpful booklet they wrote for the Catholic Church of Jesus Christ. Similarly, silence was imposed on a certain venerable priest and famous preacher named Milic, who faced great persecution from the Antichrist’s followers for exposing the shameful harlot who placed a horrible abomination in the holy place. This harlot became so insane with lust and greed that, like Maacah, mother of King Asa, she publicly and commonly raised an idol of Priapus in the temple of Jesus and abominably worshiped it. You will find more details about this in Distinction XII throughout the text. About Milic, the venerable priest mentioned, see chapters 6 and 7 shortly after, including his treatise on the Antichrist in the same distinction.
And from these individual considerations, it can be reasonably inferred that the worst time is at hand for the wickedness and depravity of impious [professing] Christians and for the grace and virtue of God’s beloved and Elect, since both wickedness and virtue now appear, which the learned say according to God they have reached the highest degree of maturity in God’s field, that is, in the Church. For it cannot be conceived that there could be greater possible wickedness in breadth or extent than that which notoriously fills the world everywhere with its outcry; nor is there possibly a more intense degree of iniquity and wickedness in God’s [professing] Christian people than that which is now openly seen by all who are willing to accept the manifest truth. And similarly, the same judgment must be made about the virtue and grace of Jesus Christ, for by virtue I mean the saints of God, those who hold a faith worthy of God, who hope in Jesus crucified, and have a perfect love toward God and neighbor, who have such fierce surrounding opposition, and are in such difficulty, with such great conflict inside and out; even with their closest friends and household members, in addition to alien and external evil spirits and men, with a multitude of hypocrites and the greatness of aerial powers and spiritual evils in the heavens, when there is such scarcity of God’s elect; and then, when the Church of God is so desolate from the spirit of Jesus crucified, and when His face is so hidden and in such tribulation that, if it were possible, even the Elect of God would be led into error— Then, I say, to truly and worthily receive the power of God and perfect, tested wisdom is undoubtedly that virtue brought to full maturity at its highest level.
Similarly, judgment must be made and inquiry conducted concerning the grace and virtue of Jesus Christ, which at its highest degree, as far as we are concerned, was shown and poured out for this age: so that, as was said a little before, God and Lord Jesus Christ have gathered, multiplied, and granted to Christian men all grace and every work that is helpful and suitable for human salvation, providing grace as fully as possible for the salvation of people at this time, collectively and together. However, since the contrary contempt and abuse of all and each of these is now at its highest by an infinite multitude of hypocrites and through the latitude of the church, It is concluded the power of God and the patience of Christ have reached their fullest maturity and perfection, not in their own nature, which is immense and unchanging, but in relation to the requirements of justice and mercy in the mission of saving this world.
From these things it is clearly evident that the time of the harvest of both is now at hand, and that both now cry out to God, the iniquity of the Sodomites for vengeance, and the cry of the power of the saints for reward. And furthermore it follows that it is now clear that the Scripture is fulfilled [Matt. 13:30] which says: “Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers: First gather the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” And Revelation 14: “And I saw, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting upon the cloud one like the Son of Man, having on his head a golden crown.” And then to the point: “And in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him who sat upon the cloud: Put in your sickle and reap.” And then very much to the point: “Because the hour has come to reap, because the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he who sat upon the cloud sent his sickle into the earth and reaped on the earth.”
And from these things it is clearly inferred that the time has come and is coming, that the almighty word of the Lord may come from royal seats and deeply illuminate the middle of the night, and that the silence about the coming of the Antichrist and the coming of Jesus Christ to judgment may now pass away and be broken by a multitude of preachers.
CHAPTER 4: What is, or of what sort is the falling away/apostasy [2 Thess. 2:3] in the time of the Antichrist, and so forth?
Wherefore here it is to be noted that which the Apostle says concerning the Antichrist, whose coming is according to the working of Satan. Therefore, it seems, according to what has been previously demonstrated, that the Antichrist or his members will not come through the working of men: for example, through the tyranny of manifest unbelievers or by any other means compelling the manifest denial of the name of Jesus Christ, but they will come in hypocrisy and in every seduction and deceit. For the mode of that work is more clearly declared by 1 Timothy 4, saying: “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, abstaining from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.”
But by the departure from the faith of Christ by some I understand not simply the denial of faith, as was previously the case with heretics and other manifest apostates from the Christian faith, but rather, to the point, namely of antichristianity, I think the departure from the faith occurs through the extinction of love for Jesus crucified and the love of the spirit of Jesus towards neighbors, and consequently through the multiplication of all sins and fictitious errors and fables among the Christian people.
For many other prophecies in Scripture clearly allude to this sentence, many of which have been brought forward above, and especially the truth of Jesus Christ, which properly describes the last times of the Antichrist, says Matthew 24: “For many will come in my name, saying, I am the Christ, and will deceive many.” And shortly after: “And then many will be offended, and will betray one another, and will hate one another, and many false prophets will rise and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” These things said do not denote a manifest denial of faith, but a corruption of the faith and morals of the saints and the introduction of many errors into the holy faith to such an extent that, if possible, even the elect may be led into error. Moreover, the words of the apostle that follow clearly hint at this understanding. For after he said: “Some will depart from the faith,” he immediately expresses the quality of the departure, saying: “Paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron.” Behold, these particulars denote more of a corruption or depravity concerning the faith rather than an express denial of the faith. For he alludes to what follows; for he says: “Forbidding to marry, abstaining from foods which God created.”
But if that departure from the faith of Jesus signifies a denial of faith, not in such a way as Peter thrice denied to know Jesus, or as heretics denied that Jesus is God, or as the Jews and Saracens deny Jesus, but rather a denial that is made through bad morals and things contrary to the Christian religion, about which the Apostle says: “They confess to know God, but by their works deny him,” [Titus 1:16], and 1 Timothy 5 says: “If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever”; and likewise, Job 31: “If I have rejoiced at my wealth because my hand found much”; and then shortly after to the point: “This is the greatest iniquity and denial against the Most High God”: therefore, the departure from the faith of many in the end times has been noted to occur through bad morals and the extinction of the love of many, more than through a simple denial of faith, as heretics might have done, since it is manifest that the faith of Jesus Christ is formed or is the beginning and mother of all virtue, as it is written in Hebrews: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen,” and again: “He who comes to God must first believe;” and truly to come to God is, according to virtues, to be assimilated or conformed to God, as it is written: “Be imitators of God, as beloved children,” and again: “Be holy, as I am holy, and be merciful, as your heavenly Father is merciful, and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.” Or faith is that which draws to itself every virtue and the effectual fulfillment of all commandments. Or faith in Jesus is such that it is completed by every virtue, so that if one virtue is lacking, faith in itself is corrupted and reckoned dead. For this reason, James says: “Faith without works is dead;” and likewise: “He who offends in one point is guilty of all.” And hence also that which was cited above, where it is said: “If anyone does not provide for his own, especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” And the Lord to John the Baptist: “Thus it behooves us to fulfill all righteousness.”
Therefore, since the faith of Jesus is called formed because it is composed of every virtue, or because it is the beginning and mother of all virtues, or because it is corrected and completed by every virtue, it follows that a Christian’s departure occurs by the admission of a sin and the omission of a virtue. And since today we see the highest degree of omission of all virtue in the Christian people as it was prophesied: “And the love of many will grow cold,” as well as the common public admission of all sins to the highest degree, as Christ added: “And lawlessness will abound among many,” it evidently follows that today that departure from the faith and love of Jesus has occurred; both of which were prophesied to happen in the time of the Antichrist. Therefore, it is no longer to be expected that another Antichrist will come, since he is already in the world and has reached his height and fullness whereby he rages against the saints of God and the elect.
Likewise, if the departure from the faith is understood to mean the departure from obedience to the Roman Empire and government, and in spiritual matters, for example the departure from obedience to the apostolic lord, then today that departure is fully completed to such an extent that it is not necessary to demonstrate it except with an open finger everywhere through the Church, and to such an extent that without doubt everyone concludes that a greater departure cannot happen, if one is too ashamed to consider the present disobedience throughout the entire church among laypeople and priests, religious and secular, commoners and prelates, as when he sees all things divided and fallen apart as a fig tree when it puts forth its large figs, and as bones scattered broad across the field, and as a deserted house whose parts are altogether torn apart by ruin unless reformed, as you will find more fully declared above in Scripture: for it is written: “Every head is sick, and every heart faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it,” [Isaiah 1:5-6], when now there has been a departure from the cross and justice of our Lord Jesus Christ which is completed through the cross and in the cross by the Son of God, in addition to a departure from the commandments of God to commandments and inventions and doctrines of men, and a departure from the truth of the word of the Lord to fables which you have read about in the second treatise of this distinction.
CHAPTER 5: On the preachers who reveal the Antichrist and their succeeding multitude.
Now it is permitted to return to the subject.
Therefore, since blindness has long been judged—whether in darkness or silence—as unjust and harmful, it was creating a middle path and fulfilling the appointed times, as it is written: “He made the moon for the seasons, and the sun knows its setting. You have set darkness, and it became night: through it all the beasts of the forest shall go. Young lions roaring to seize and seek their food,” [Psalm 104:19-21], then, I say, that ravenous horned beast seen by John passed through, and the great harlot, the mother of fornications, fulfilled her excessive fornication. From these was revealed the Antichrist with his peoples, namely Gog and Magog, about whom many prophets, Jesus crucified and his disciples, wise men and doctors have transmitted their writings to us until now: of whom many things have already been brought forward above.
And behold, Elias and Enoch, two witnesses, like two olive trees and two lampstands, coming, broke that deadly silence and harmful slumber and made a cry, saying: “Behold, the bridegroom comes, go out to meet him!” And they no longer spoke in figures and enigmas but plainly pronounced the Antichrist and will still proclaim him. [N. B. Matthias is of the view that the witnesses all have the spirit of Elijah and Enoch.] And they did not prophesy of what would be in general, but as John did Christ, so these singularly pointed out the Antichrist already coming with their finger. They also indicate, and will indicate further, and they themselves revealed him and will reveal him, until the Lord kills him with the spirit of His mouth and destroys him by the brightness of His coming, until Satan is crushed under our feet at last. But his friends will fall upon him, his merchants will divide him, that is the multitude of preachers of Jesus Christ united in love and wisdom, which is from God and communed according to those things declared above. And then the word will be fulfilled which is written: “And the ten horns which you saw on the beast: these will hate the harlot and make her desolate and naked and will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put into their hearts to do His will, to give their kingdom to the beast until the words of God are fulfilled.”
But if you inquire about the time in which the foretold night or silence began to pass away and in which the voices and thunderings of God have already begun, I say before God and my Lord Jesus Christ, conforming myself to what has been produced and determined above by the Prophets, that the time of the passing of that silence began from the year of our Lord 1350, the cry having been made before the coming of the bridegroom and continues until the end continuously and successively through the all-encompassing spirit of Jesus Christ, and the sound of the trumpets of Jesus will rise more and more to its increase. Here I speak of the aforementioned preachers and their preaching, which I know will still greatly multiply in fruitful old age, and they will be well patient to announce until it is preached, “the Gospel of this kingdom,” that is, the Gospel of Jesus crucified, “in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then will come the end.”
Wherefore it is to be noted here that those things which are prophesied concerning the ravenous and horned beast and the great harlot sitting upon the same beast, which constitute the body of the Antichrist, likewise concerning the two witnesses and their testimonies and all others which may be considered about this, all, I say, are to be understood as being fulfilled temporally and successively through places and times and moments which the Father alone has placed in His power, and consequently unknown to all men and revealed only to certain few faithful witnesses of God, and revealed only as much as it is expedient for the elect of God or useful for them according to place and time for salvation, as has also been distinguished above. And to this end it is said in the prophet Habakkuk: “He who believes shall not make haste.” And again: “If he delays, wait for him.” Moreover, these successive increases of holy preaching and at last are described by the Lord in Ezekiel in an enigmatic vision of chapter 47, where it is said: “And behold, waters were flowing out from the right side. When a man went out from the east, who had a measuring line in his hand, and measured a thousand cubits and led me through water up to the ankles. Again, he measured a thousand and led me through water up to the knees. Again, he measured a thousand and led me through water up to the loins. And he measured a thousand but could not pass through the torrent because the deep waters of the torrent had swollen, which cannot be passed over. And he said to me: “Son of man, have you seen?” And he led me and turned me to the bank of the torrents. And when I turned, behold, on the bank of the torrents there were very many trees on both sides. And he said to me: “These waters that go out toward the eastern region of Zabulei and descend to the plains of the desert will enter the sea and come forth and heal the waters. And every living soul that creeps wherever the torrent comes shall live, and there will be many fish after these have come, and they shall be healed, and all that the torrent comes to shall live,” etc., there to the point. [N. B. Matthias views the increase of flowing water as symbolizing the increase of Holy Spirit anointed preaching which brings life to the dead sinner.]
These individual words of this prophecy clearly express the succession of the aforementioned preaching and the multiplication of holy preachers and the holy reformation of the Church through them. To this end also the Lord says in Matthew 13: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour until it was all leavened.” And again there: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the smallest of all seeds; but when it has grown, it is greater than all herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and dwell in its branches.” [N. B. Matthias views these parables as positive Kingdom growth.]
Behold, the manner and form of the succession of preaching in the world, which having been begun by a few small ones is successively extended throughout the whole world. So, it will be also at the consummation of the age, which has already begun to happen, as has been said. This succession, as is known to us, seems to have been prolonged for a long time, which seems interminable to us because of the nature of our very short life resulting in the cycle of mistrust of many who say: “Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come,” [Jer. 17:15], and again in another prophet, Isaiah: “Wait, wait again, wait, wait again, a little here, a little there;” and again, “But while the bridegroom delays, they all slumbered and slept” — this same time is very brief to God and according to the dispensation of times most distinct in which not one jot or one tittle passes without all being fulfilled in their turn. For this reason, Peter plainly speaks to us about it, saying in 2 Peter 3: “This first, know that there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own lusts, saying: Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation:” And shortly after to the point: “But do not let this one thing escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. God is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
CHAPTER 6
Once more, the details mentioned earlier about Elijah—especially regarding his era and his holy nature—should be considered in light of the spirit of the crucified Jesus; in other words, the anticipated Elijah has already appeared, battled the beast, was defeated, and suffered whatever was done to him.
For this it must be considered more carefully that the Lord Jesus, when asked about the coming of Elijah, answered, saying: “Elijah indeed shall come and restore all things.” Do you think that by this scripture it truthfully denotes the literal person of Elijah, the teacher of Elisha, or perhaps rather some other filled with the spirit of Elijah and his attributes? Indeed, I think from my understanding that not Elijah himself, that is the person of Elijah literally, or not only Elijah, is meant in the assumed word, but rather the spirit and power of Elijah as prescribed, that is to say, the multitude of holy preachers and doctors, through whom the abundant spirit of Elijah will restore all things, and at their prophecy the spirit coming from the four corners will inspire dry bones scattered in the breadth of the field, and according to Ezekiel’s prophecy will make them live again. These are the shepherds noted a little earlier in Ezekiel. And furthermore, if that Elijah were to come bodily from Paradise, as some formerly have supposed, it does not seem how one person running bodily throughout the entire world could by his care and persuasion restore the universality of the Elect. For this is not subject to his ability but only to the spirit of Jesus Almighty who fills the whole earth, and for His work the literal Elijah is not greatly needed, since He can also raise up from these stones—that is from the Gentiles and laity, sons of Abraham – which could also be many Elijahs; unless perhaps it is said that it is more expedient that Elijah personally come in order to convict ignorant and negligent men alike. That statement by no means seems to hold up, since the Scripture contains a reply to the rich man who, from Hades, interrupts the preacher and pleads for him to send someone to his brothers. “They have,” he says, “Moses and the prophets; let them listen to them.” And again, it is added: “And if they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.” And again those who believe in a literal Elijah state that Elijah, coming in person, would bear witness to the truth and lay it bare. However, in the cultivation of the Christian religion at that time the merit of faith would be nullified or certainly taken away from the Christian religion, which, of course, should not happen at all in the very last days, as the Scriptures testify in many places, because at that time the faith of Jesus was said to be perfected and proven, [1 Peter 1:5, 7]. For this reason, even the miracles of the saints of God ceased, while the false wonders and portents of the Antichrist were multiplied beyond number. Thus, there is no reason why the person of Elijah would labor for the restoration of all that has fallen in the Church by coming, although according to Augustine, that Elijah will indeed come, either before Christ for judgment or with Christ.
As far as the present inquiry is concerned, another Elijah, that is, a man abundant in the spirit of Elijah, is sought, who broke the long silence about the coming of the last Christ and the Antichrist. And if you wish to take as much as the news of deeds compels me to assert, he himself is John Milic, a venerable presbyter and preacher, powerful in work and word whose speech burned like a torch, and likewise Conrad of Waldhauser, certainly a religious and devout man whose words and writings filled the chief metropolises of the holy Church, namely Rome and Avignon, where the Pope is, and Bohemia and Prague, where the Emperor of the Church is, and one of them, namely Conrad, died in Prague, where the Emperor was, the other died in Avignon, where the Pope is. And both in their final moments for the truth and justice of Christ Jesus “in the midst of tribulation” died most miserably, fighting unto death against the beast and the torn and scattered peoples, namely Gog and Magog.
And I beseech here every reader not to be displeased with me if I bear witness to those things which I have seen with my own eyes and heard with my own ears and handled with my own hands; although I am willing to suffer contempt and many mockeries on account of this, nevertheless, I know that nothing new or unexpected will happen to me, since similar things have happened to all who wished to live in Christ from the beginning of the world; for it is the lot of professors of the truth to suffer many tribulations, that is the royal and public path for all orthodox Christians from the beginning to the end. Meanwhile, the Lord Jesus crucified will be my rest forever and ever, and my glory, a testimony of my conscience.
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Three things to be noted about the pseudo-Christs or false Christians:
First, that they come from the rulers and from the devout only according to appearance, such as false religious men and false priests of Christ or false curates and bishops or other prelates and religious men. And this is clearly implied when it says: “And from among yourselves shall arise men,” [Acts 20:28-30].
Second, that they enter the people not for the sake of the people out of charity, to feed them, but for themselves, so that they may lead a pleasurable and honored life. Therefore, they are “ravening wolves in the flock and do not spare the flock.” Hence comes the saying that “they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not move them,” [Matt. 23:4].
Third, that they do not love the Christian community much, but greatly delight in gathering a fraternity for themselves or several of their disciples into their own obedience and singular profession, and they do this by commending themselves and detracting from other conventicles. This the apostle clearly explains when he says: “Men speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.”
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