#130 The Triumph, Peace, and Power of True Christianity - Part 2

The Triumph, Peace, and Power of True Christianity part 2, by Pilgram Marpeck

The original title page, and a warning for dangerous times

The Uncovering of the Harlot of Babylon, and the Old and the New Mystery of the Antichrist, as Well as the Triumph, Peace, and Power of True Christians, How They Submit to Authority, How They Carry the Cross without Stirring Up Trouble or Defending Themselves, and How They Carry It with Christ in Patience and Love, Brought to Light for the Praise of God and for the Strength and Inspiration of Those Who Truly Seek Him.

Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's (Matthew 22).

Don't get yourself mixed up with troublemakers (Proverbs 24).

May God give us grace to understand and to seek the truth from our hearts in these dangerous times of the end. The Lord warned us of these times (Matthew 24). He said that such great deception would come upon us that even the elect would not hold out if it were not for the shortening of days. Lord, come back soon! Bring time to an end! Cut it off for the sake of your elect! May your will be done.

All men can see and feel (even apart from the witness of the scriptures) that time is coming to an end and judgment will be upon us. God's works show this. All creatures have reason to fear and tremble, as they trembled at the word of the prophets who spoke of the great and terrible day of the Lord (Isaiah 24; Jonah 2–3; Zephaniah 1–3). The fact that the lost, perverted, and Sodom-like world is not taking this seriously, nor doing anything about it, is simply another proof that the Lord's word is being fulfilled. These last days are like the days of Lot and Noah. People eat and drink, marry and give in marriage (without fear), but sudden destruction will come upon them all (Luke 17).

The world overflows with terrible corruption—the kind of corruption that used to stay hidden in secret. Along with this, the worldly church, by uncovering its shame, is revealing itself for what it is, like a woman who has long been playing the harlot in secret, but who suddenly drops all attempts at covering up and brazenly comes out into the open with her affairs. Now she puts on her harlot's attire and does what she can to seduce and deceive men with the thousandfold tricks of her trade. She leads the whole world into error and deception. All nations are drunk with the wine of her adulteries (Revelation 17–18), and few are left who fear or whose consciences bother them for what they do.

True knowledge springs from the fear of God.

Here and there, where weak Christians gather, the power of God still works. But the clever harlot does what she can to splotch up their garments with the stains of error. Some Christians fall away, but John says they were not of us (1 John 2). And the harlot walks along beside us with many false teachings and clever sayings to spy out our liberty in Christ, as Paul says (Galatians 2). Blessed are those who do not contaminate themselves with her adulteries, because they have been bought by the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 14). God purchased them to become his firstborn and has saved them through the power of the Lamb.

There is one Lord of Lords who calls all the elect believers to him (Acts 17). To him be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.