The Legacy left by Martin Luther,
the first Protestant!
His Legacy is Not
something that anyone should be proud of.
"Noblemen, townsmen, peasants, all classes understand
the Evangelium better than I or St. Paul; they are now wise and think themselves
more learned than all the ministers."
Walch XIV, 1360. quoted in O'Hare, Ibid, 209.
By this time Luther realized that he had opened the door to error and he
was powerless to close it.
He had released the genie and now found that the genie had grown too large
to be forced back into the bottle.
Luther remarked several years later,
"We concede -- as we must -- that so much of what they [the Catholic
Church] say is true: that the papacy has God's word and the office of the
apostles, and that we have received Holy Scriptures, Baptism, the Sacrament,
and the pulpit from them. What would we know of these if it were not for
them?"
Sermon on the gospel of St. John, chaps. 14 - 16 (1537), in vol. 24 of
LUTHER'S WORKS,
St. Louis, Mo., Concordia, 1961, 304
It sounds like yet another lamentation from him doesn't it?
Interestingly, how many of his present day followers would agree with what
he said in those remarks?
In his favor was the fact that in 1450, the printing
press had been invented. Prior to this it took months or even years to
convey messages to wide areas of the population since it all had to be
hand copied. Luther took great advantage of this giant leap for mankind,
and it is said that he was the most prolific user of mass printing for
several years. He wrote many pamphlets and letters and printed them by
the thousands and distributed them all over Germany and most of Europe.
Imagine the surprise of the masses at receiving so much printed material,
many for the first time.
Anyhow with this great new tool at hand, Luther proceeded to the next step.
Here he was attacking the largest and oldest institution on earth. He had
no authority to do so. He could not claim Apostolic tradition. He had a
Bible that he took from the Catholic Church. He had a huge ego, and he
was like a caged lion to boot.
What could he possibly do to try and justify what he was about to do?
He decided that if he could not fight them on their level, then he would
demonize*
them.
Luther wanted changes done his way and when he was rebuffed by the
Catholic hierarchy, he turned more and more vicious in his writings against
the Papacy and the Catholic Church.
In 1520, Luther wrote a document called, "The Babylonian
Captivity of the Church".
In it, likened to the roaring lion of Scripture (1Peter 5:8), he made these
rather coarse statements simply because he did not have his way
in his attempt to dictate to the Papacy:
"Godless pontiffs boastfully claim the right to do this, that they
pretend to be seeking the Church's welfare with this Babylon
of theirs."
"Since they are wolves, they want to look like shepherds."
"Since they are antichrists, they want to be
honored as Christ."
"The Papacy is antichrist."
"The Papacy is the Kingdom of Babylon."
"The Papacy is the power of Nimrod."
"The Papacy is truly the kingdom of Babylon,
yes, the kingdom of the real antichrist."
Notice that Luther called the Pope the antichrist,
and the Papacy itself the Kingdom of Babylon,
and he wrote several other calumnizing remarks in this one document.
Isn't this Demonizing?
No way could the Pope ever be antichrist
as explained in this antichrist link.
*Demonize,
to portray as a demon, to turn into a demon, to represent as evil or diabolic.
The Catholic Church or the Papacy is "The
Whore of Babylon".
How many times have you heard that from the Protestant Fundamentalist mouth?
Those who propagate that lie are also the same
ones who claim to follow the Bible religiously.
Okay, let us see if they follow Scripture to the word, as they profess
to do.
They base this lie from the Book of Revelation
Chapter 17:
"1. Then one of the seven angels who
were holding the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come here. I will show
you the judgment on the great harlot who lives near the many waters. 2.
The kings of the earth have had intercourse with her, and the inhabitants
of the earth became drunk on the wine of her harlotry.” 3.
Then he carried me away in spirit to a deserted place where I saw
a woman seated on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names,
with seven heads and ten horns. 4. The woman
was wearing purple and scarlet and adorned with gold, precious stones,
and pearls. She held in her hand a gold cup that was filled with the abominable
and sordid deeds of her harlotry. 5. On her
forehead was written a name, which is a mystery, “Babylon
the great, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth.”
6. I saw that the woman was drunk on the blood
of the holy ones and on the blood of the witnesses to Jesus. When I saw
her I was greatly amazed. 7. The angel said
to me, “Why are you amazed? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman
and of the beast that carries her, the beast with the seven heads and the
ten horns. 8. The beast that you saw existed
once but now exists no longer. It will come up from the abyss and is headed
for destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been
written in the book of life from the foundation of the world shall be amazed
when they see the beast, because it existed once but exists no longer,
and yet it will come again. 9. Here is
a clue for one who has wisdom. The seven heads represent seven hills
upon which the woman sits."
Revelation 17:1-9
Verse 9 is what Protestants, including the
first one, use to try to "prove" what they had said.
We all should realize by now that truth can be proven, but the lie
cannot.
Notice very closely in verse 9, the words
"Here is a clue for one who has wisdom", as it clearly
shows that those who do not have wisdom will interpret this verse as saying
the seven hills upon which the woman sits is Rome. Demonizing?
I will prove what I said here:
"The woman whom you saw represents the great city that has
sovereignty over the kings of the earth."
Revelation 17:18
So, the woman is a great city, and from what we have found so far
is that she sits upon seven hills.
So now, how do we determine which city is the great city? Are there
other cities in the world other than Rome which sit on seven hills? Well,
for one, Jerusalem does. How then do we determine which city is the great
city spoken of in Revelation 17:18?
Well, believe it or not, the Book of Revelation tells us in another verse
which city is the great city:
"Their corpses will lie in the main street of the great city,
which has the symbolic names “Sodom” and “Egypt”, where indeed their
Lord was crucified."
Revelation 11:8
So, in which great city was the Lord Crucified? Was He crucified
in Rome? No, it was Jerusalem, as "those who have wisdom"
can readily see quite easily. With Scripture as clear as these verses,
why then do non-Catholics continue to say the great city is Rome,
other than to try to Demonize the
Catholic Church? Answers anyone?
Revelation 11:8 is yet another verse which was ignored by Martin
Luther and which is still being ignored by his Protestant Fundamentalist
followers.
Once again, the lie of Protestantism
is exposed, destroyed by the truth of Holy Scripture.
Another bit of information which fits quite nicely here, is the fact that
the "seven hills of Rome", as they are called in Biblical times,
all lie east of the Tiber River, whereas the Vatican, the seat of Christianity,
which came hundreds of years later, is located to the west of the Tiber.
For those who wish to check this for themselves, the names of the seven
hills of Rome in its origin are the Palatine, Capitoline, Quirinal, Viminal,
Esquiline, Caelian, and Aventine.
Here are verses from Holy Scripture which describe
a great city.
Notice that not one verse describes Rome as being a great city.
Great city, Babylon: Rev 14:8,16:19,17:5,18:2,10,21
Great city, Jerusalem: Neh 7:4, Jer 22:8, Lam 1:1, Rev 11:8,16:19,17:18,18:16,
Rev 18:18-19,21:10 Great city, Nineveh: Jonah 1:2,3:2-3,4:11
Here is a Biblical comparison between Jerusalem and Rome. See what the
Bible says about each:
There are many verses describing Jerusalem. See how many are degradations
which dovetail perfectly with the "Whore of
Babylon".
Jerusalem in Holy Scripture:
Abomination: Ez 16:2, Mal 2:11
Associate of the Scarlet Beast: Rev 17:1-3
Babylon: Rev 17:5,18:2,18:10,21
Babylon the Great: Rev 17:5
Bad City: Ezra 4:8,12
Bloody City: Ez 22:2,24:6,9, Nah 3:1
Burdensome Stone: Zech 12:3
Captivity of Jerusalem: Joel 3:1
City of Precious Stones and Fine Clothing: Ex 35:30-36,39:1-2, Ex 39:8-14,
Isa 52:1, Rev 18:16-17
Cup of Trembling: Zech 12:2
Cursed in the City: Deut 28:15-19
Daughter: Lev 21:9, Lam 2:15-18.
Death of the Prophets: Mt 23:29-36, Lk 11:47-51,13:31-34, Rev 17:5-6,18:24
Den of Dragons: Jer 9:11
Desolation: Isa 64:10, Dan 9:2
Destroyed by Fire: Deut 29:22-24, Lev 21:9,26:15-16,27-28, Ez 16:2-3,35,38,41,
Ez 19:12,21:2-3,
Ez 22:19-21,23:2-4,17-19,22-25,44-47, Lam 2:all, Neh 1:3, Mt 24:15-22,
Mk 13:14-20,
Lk 21:20-24, Rev 18:8,17. Note: Jerusalem was completely destroyed
by fire in 70 A.D., whereas Rome was only partially burned
by Nero in 64 A.D.. This is yet another reason why the Whore
of Babylon could
not possibly be associated with Rome, for the whore is destroyed by
fire in
Rev 17:16.
Egypt: Rev 11:8
Evil brought upon Jerusalem: Ez 14:22
Evil Done to the Saints in Jerusalem: Acts 9:13,21
Faithful City: Isa 1:21
Fire Devouring Palaces of Jerusalem: Amos 2:5
Fornicator: Jer 13:27, Rev 18:3,9
Four Grievous Judgments upon Jerusalem, sword, famine, beasts, and pestilence:
Ez 14:21
Fury upon Jerusalem: Ez 9:8
Gomorrah: Isa 1:10, Jer 23:14, Rom 9:27-29
Great City: Jer 22:4-8, Rev 11:8,17:18,18:10,16,18-19,21
Great Evil upon Jerusalem: Dan 9:12
Great Harlot (RSV): Rev 17:1,19:2
Great Mourning in Jerusalem: Zech 12:11
Great Whore, (KJ): Rev 17:1,19:2
Habitation of Demons: Rev 18:2
Harlot (RSV): Isa 1:21, Jer 2:20,3:3,6,5:7, Ez 16:1-3,15-16,28,31,35, Ez
16:41, Ez 23:2-49,
Hos 3:3,4:15, Joel 3:3, Amos 7:17, Mic 1:7, Nah 3:4, Rev 17:1,5,15-16
Her: Rev 17:4,18:4-10,20,24
Immoral: Rev 18:3
Iniquity Built Jerusalem: Mic 3:10
Jerusalem Encompassed with Armies: Lk 21:20
Jerusalem Killed the Prophets: Matt 23:37, Lk 13:33-34
Jerusalem Shall be Trodden Down: Lk 21:24
Jerusalem to Become Heaps: Mic 3:12
Jesus Killed in Jerusalem: Matt 16:21, Mk 10:33
Laid Waste: Ez 26:2
Menstruous Woman: Lam 1:17
Mother of Harlotries: Rev 17:5
Mother of the Abominations of the Earth: Rev 17:5
Prostitute: Jer 2:20, Ez 16:15
Queen: Rev 18:7
Rebellious City: Ezra 4:8,12
Reduced to Ruins: Psa 79:1, Isa 3:8
Removed: Lam 1:8
She: Rev 18:2
Sin and Uncleanness: Zech 13:1
Sinned Grievously: Lam 1:8
Smitten City: Ez 33:21
Sodom: Isa 1:10, Jer 23:14, Rom 9:27-29, Rev 11:8
Sorcerer: Rev 18:23
Unfaithful Wife: Ex 16:1-3,44-63
Whore (KJ): Ez 16:28, Rev 17:1,15-16
Wickedness of Heart: Jer 4:14
Woman: Rev 17:3-9,18
Worship of GOD shall not be in Jerusalem: Jn 4:21
With such titles as, Abomination, Associate of the Scarlet Beast, Babylon,
Bad, Bloody City, Cursed, Death of the Prophets, Evil brought upon, Evil
Done to the Saints, Fornicator, Gomorrah, Great Harlot, Great Whore, Habitation
of Demons, Harlot, Immoral, Laid Waste, Mother of Harlotries, Mother of
Abominations, Prostitute, Rebellious, Smitten City, Sodom, Sorcerer, Unfaithful
Wife, Whore, and Wickedness of Heart, do you have any doubts as to just
whom, what, or where, the Whore of Babylon
refers?
Rome in Holy Scripture:
Visitors from Rome, Acts 2:10
Claudius ordered Jews to leave Rome, Acts 18:2
Paul said he must also see Rome, Acts 19:21
Bear witness in Rome, Acts 23:11
We came to Rome, Acts 28:14
On our arrival at Rome, Acts 28:16
To all GOD's beloved who are in Rome, Rom 1:7
I am ready to preach the gospel to you also who are at Rome, Rom 1:15,
But when he came to Rome he sought me out, 2Tim 1:17
Contrast what is written about Jerusalem in Scripture with what is written
about Rome?
Where is the coarse and degrading language regarding Rome in Holy Scripture?
"And in her was found the blood of the prophets,
and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth."
Revelation 18:24
"For true and righteous [are] his judgments: for he hath judged the
great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and
hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand."
Revelation 19:2
What city is responsible for the blood of the
prophets? Is it Rome, or is it Jerusalem?
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest
the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often
would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her
chickens under her wings, and ye would not!"
Matthew 23:37
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets
and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered
your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and
you would not!"
Luke 13:34
Again, what city is responsible for the blood
of the prophets?
Jesus Christ in Holy Scripture clearly said it is Jerusalem.
Why then do Protestants insist it is Rome, when Holy Scripture does not
agree with them?
The only place I could find regarding the Demonizing
of Rome, or association of Rome with the Whore
of Babylon,
is from the false charges spread by Protestantism,
as I can find nothing whatsoever from Holy Scripture to support what clearly
is a lie.
Remember, for believers of the false man-made doctrine of Sola
Scriptura, if you cannot find it in the Bible then it simply
did not happen, or does not exist, right?
Now that the lie of the Whore
of Babylon being connected with Rome
has been exposed, let us find from whom it had its origin.
There are no authentic historical documents in which the Catholic Church
or the papacy is called the Whore of Babylon
before the Protestant reformation
of 1520-1521.
Therefore, it is a Protestant fabrication.
Isn't this Demonizing?
When you think about it, a lie or fabrication, is an untruth designed to
deceive, denigrate, or to calumnize another. Jesus Christ said, "I
am the way, the truth, and the life",
in John 14:6.
If He is the truth then the devil is the liar, and Jesus even said so speaking
of him in John 8:44,
"When he tells a lie he speaks from his
very nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
So from whom, and through whom, comes the Demonizing
of the Catholic Church?
Referring again to Hebrews 13:17, Luther obviously failed to comprehend,
or he deliberately ignored the fact, that the Catholic Church to which
he belonged never was, and is not today, a democracy, but a "theocracy"
which is governed by a hierarchy. Jesus Christ Himself is the invisible
head (Ephesians 5:23), who governs through His visible head, or "Father
Figure" on earth through whom GOD has always spoken, and in conjunction
with the guidance of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17, John 16:12-14, Acts
15:28).
"But just as the Church is subject to Christ, so also let wives be
to their husbands in all things".
Ephesians 5:24.
With that said, you can clearly see that the governing powers of the Catholic
Church do not come from the Body of Christ but from the Head. Scripture
does not say that the Church is subject to any person, as in a democracy.
It is obvious from "Here is a clue for one who has wisdom",
as mentioned earlier, that the head always tells the body what to do. The
body, Luther, or any other person can never tell the head what to do in
a theocracy.
Luther took it upon himself, as a member of the body who had no authority
whatsoever, to try to tell the visible head of the Church on earth, how
to run it. He did make some good points, as some things needed to be changed.
However, he went about it the wrong way. Some personnel needed to be changed,
but instead, Luther decided to break from the Church which Jesus Christ
founded, and to form his own church. Now, I ask anyone to show me the verse
in the Bible which gives authority for any human person to found another
church other than the ONE Church which the divine person of Jesus Christ
founded in Matthew 16:18?
Here is yet another verse which Luther either did not see, or intentionally
ignored:
"Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain."
Psalms 127:1
Doesn't that one verse negate every church founded by mere human persons?
Doesn't it say that the labors of Martin Luther and all of his followers
are in vain?
By September 1522, Luther had translated the New Testament into his
version of the German Bible. It is to be noted that Luther taught a false
doctrine that man was saved by faith alone, and
upon his own recognizance and without any authority, he added the word
"alone" to Romans 3:28, as mentioned earlier, thereby ignoring
all of the verses which admonish anyone not to add to or take away
from, the Holy Word of GOD.
He displayed his inflated ego and total arrogance, when he wrote the following
regarding his addition:
"If your Papist annoys you with the word (alone), tell him straightway,
Dr. Martin Luther will have it so: Papist and ass are one and the same
thing. Whoever will not have my translation, let him give it the go-by:
the devil's thanks to him who censures it without my will and knowledge.
Luther will have it so, and he is a doctor above all the doctors in Popedom."
Amic. Discussion, 1, 127. Demonizing again!
My My, tsk tsk, such language Dr Luther,
and didn't he elevate himself above everyone on earth?
This is the example set by the first Protestant,
for his version of the command of Jesus Christ of,
"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself"
(Matthew 22:36-40).
The only verse in the whole Bible in which the words "faith"
and "alone" are both to be found, is in James 2:24, and it says
"NOT" by faith alone. By the way, it is for this reason, that
James was one of several New Testament books which Luther wanted to remove
from the Bible. The book of James, among others, proved to be a great embarassment
to him, since it was diametrically opposed to his teaching.
He wrote regarding it:
"...the epistle of St. James is an epistle full of straw, because
it contains nothing evangelical." Luther's "Preface to the New
Testament".
He also wrote against the Book of Revelation:
"...to my mind it bears upon it no marks of an apostolic or prophetic
character... Everyone may form his own judgment of this book; as for myself,
I feel an aversion to it, and to me this is sufficient reason for rejecting
it."
Sammtliche Werke, 63, pp. 169-170
By writing against Holy Books of the Bible, inspired by GOD, wasn't Luther
judging GOD Himself?
"And the LORD said to Job: "Shall a faultfinder contend with
the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it."" Job
40:1-2
He also, again without any authority, removed seven
books from the Old Testament which had been in the Bible for over 1100
years, simply because they did not agree with his false teaching.
One of the many arguments for the impossibility of the false man-made doctrine
of Sola Scriptura ever being workable at that time, was the fact that 90-95%
of the population was illiterate. If they could not read, then how could
anyone say it is "bible only", which by its very title meant
being literate? Present day Protestants deny this. History proves them
wrong. However, paradoxically, their founder and the originator of Sola
Scriptura, found himself in a dilemma. How could he claim Sola Scriptura,
and at the same time convey his message to a mostly illiterate populace?
Realizing this, Luther decided the best way to convey his message
was through pictures added to his text. Consequently, he had his artist
friend Lucas Cranach (1472-1553) make woodcuts, pictures, and had them
inserted into his German bibles so that all of the populace could see and
understand his teaching, first in his native Germany, and then throughout
much of Europe.
It was by a visual reference that Luther first communicated with the bulk
his followers the false charge of the Papacy as being the Whore
of Babylon. Here
is a reproduction of that woodcut.
The Pope as the Whore of
Babylon, as portrayed in a woodcut by Martin
Luther's
friend and artist, Lucas Cranach, September 1522.
Notice that the figure is carrying a golden cup (Rev 17:4)
shaped like a chalice with a cross on top, and is wearing a three tiered
Papal crown. Neither a chalice with a cross on top, nor a Papal crown is
mentioned in Revelation 17, nor a Pope either, for that matter.
This is nothing more than another Protestant fabrication
designed to Demonize the
Catholic Church. I seem to recall earlier in this text that the man made
doctrine of Sola Scriptura, by its very title and
nature, assumes that everything is in the Bible, and as such, demands that
anything not mentioned in it is not to be believed. Well I wish some Sola
Scriptura believer could show me in Biblical text where a chalice, a triple
papal tiara, and the Pope are found? For this fabrication of Protestant
Sola Scriptura believers to be true, then please show me where I can find
it in Holy Scripture?
Therefore Luther has shown us yet another error of his ways, that
of hypocrisy. If it is not in the Bible, but fits his method to Demonize
the Catholic Church, he will use it regardless of the rules of Sola
Scriptura.
Interestingly, apparently the outcry of the masses over the woodcuts was
so great that Luther removed the offensive ones, such as this one, from
his German translation just a few months later. That is why it is so hard
to find. But alas, the genie of the title "Whore
of Babylon"
was yet another genie which Luther had released
and found himself powerless to put back into the bottle.
More of Martin Luther's remarks. Here you can see
more of his unauthorized changes and examples of his coarse language designed
to Demonize the Catholic Church:
In his version of the Apostles Creed it reads, "One
Holy Christian Church".
Isn't it written "One Holy Catholic Church"?
Smalcald Articles, 1537, Article II, of the Mass.
"The Mass in the Papacy must be the greatest and most horrible abomination."
Demonizing?
"The Mass itself and anything that proceeds from it, and anything
that is attached to it, we cannot tolerate, but must condemn, in order
that we may retain the holy Sacrament pure and certain..."
Smalcald Articles, 1537, Article IV, of the Papacy.
"A power so false, mischievous, blasphemous, arrogant and diabolical,
a tyrant and faithless scoundrel for the ruin of the entire holy Christian
church. All of which amounts to nothing less than [the Pope] saying, Although
you believe in Christ, and have him [alone] everything that is necessary
to salvation, yet it is nothing and all in vain unless you regard [have
and worship] me as your god, and be subject and obedient to me."
Demonizing? Martin,
where is this written by the Pope?
"As little as we can worship the devil himself as Lord and God, we
can endure his Apostle, the Pope, or antichrist,
in his rule as head or Lord." Demonizing?
"The Pope is not the head of all Christendom."
What about Luke 22:32? Another verse ignored?
"The holy Christian [or Catholic] Church can exist without such a
head..."
Then why did Jesus appoint a head for His Church?
"The Papacy is of no use in the church, because
it exercises no Christian office, and therefore it is necessary for the
church to continue and to exist without the Pope."
What about Matthew 16:18?
"The Pope, however, prohibits this faith, saying that to be saved
a person must obey him."
What about Hebrews 13:17?
"The Pope is the very antichrist who has exalted
himself above, and opposed himself against Christ because he will not permit
Christians to be saved without his power which is nothing and is either
ordained nor commanded by God."
What about Luke 22:32? Demonizing?
"We will appear before the Pope and devil himself, who intends
to listen to nothing, but merely to condemn, to murder, and to force us
into idolatry."
Calumny Luther... Demonizing?
Smalcald Articles, 1537, Article X, Of Ordination and the call.
"...we ourselves will and ought to ordain suitable persons to this
office."
Sorry Luther, but it takes a Bishop to ordain a priest, so your so-called
"ordinations" as a priest are invalid.
Smalcald Articles, 1537, Article XII, Of the Church.
"We do not concede that they are the Church, and in truth they are
not, nor do we listen to those things which, under the name of Church,
they enjoin or forbid. For, thank GOD a child 7 years old knows what the
church is..."
Once again, his followers are to believe what Luther said, and not what
GOD said in Scripture.
Luther was also known to contradict himself in his writings, and this quote
above is a perfect example. Earlier in this writing you may recall that
I posted a contrary quote from him, and I have repeated it below.
Notice that both statements were written in the same year, 1537.
"We concede -- as we must -- that so much of what they [the Catholic
Church] say is true: that the papacy has God's word and the office of the
apostles, and that we have received Holy Scriptures, Baptism, the Sacrament,
and the pulpit from them. What would we know of these if it were not for
them?"
Sermon on the gospel of St. John, chaps. 14 - 16 (1537), in vol. 24 of
LUTHER'S WORKS,
St. Louis, Mo., Concordia, 1961, 304
Against Catholicism, a pamphlet, par 2, 1535.
"We, through God's grace, are not heretics, but schismatics, causing,
indeed, separation and division, wherein we are not to blame, but our
adversaries, who gave occasion thereto, because they remain not by God's
Word alone, which we have, hear, and follow."
This one sentence by Luther is loaded with admissions of desception. First
the lie that he is not a heretic. I have shown otherwise in this writing.
Next he admits he is schismatic. Then he admits to separation and division.
Isn't that what apostates do?
"Has Christ been divided up?" 1Corinthians 1:13
Do you remember, "...he who does not gather
with me scatters"? Luke 11:23
And what about the many verses which admonish us to be of one mind:
"I do not pray for these only, but also
for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one;
even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in
us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me."
John 17:20-21
Luther was not only disobedient to his superiors, but also to Jesus Christ
Himself, and yet he claimed he was not a heretic.
Holy Scripture is teeming with verses telling us to lead pure lives and
to avoid sin.
Luther, however, writes a different story.
Letter to Melanchthon, August 1,1521 Luther's Works, vol. 48
"If you are a preacher of grace, then preach a true and not a fictitious
grace; if grace is true, you must bear a true and not a fictitious sin.
God does not save people who are only fictitious sinners. Be a sinner and
sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly.... as long
as we are here [in this world] we have to sin.... No sin will separate
us from the Lamb, even though we commit fornication and murder a thousand
times a day."
Next, typical of what his followers do today, he
blames his adversaries and denies blame for his own deeds. Finally he injects
his false doctrine of Sola Scriptura with 'God's Word alone'.
Against Catholicism, a pamphlet, par 5, 1535
"There are many that think I am too fierce against popedom; on the
contrary, I complain that I am, alas! too mild;"
Luther, I would not call demonizing another
human person mild.
Riffel, Kirchengeschichte.
"Heretics are not to be disputed with, but to be condemned unheard,
and whilst they perish by fire, the faithful ought to pursue the evil to
its source, and bathe their heads in the blood of the Catholic bishops,
and of the Pope, who is the devil in disguise."
Luther advocating murder? Calling the Pope the devil
is demonizing
the Pope again Luther.
Walch, XVIII, 245.
"As for pope, cardinals, bishops, "and the whole
brood of Roman Sodom", why not attack it with every sort of weapon
and wash our hands in its blood."
Luther called for murder of others again.
The Church and the Pope, Chapter 5, Against the Papacy, An Institution
of the Devil.
"The Pope being born from the devils
behind".
Calumny, lies, and filth Martin, and from where does it come? Did anyone
read John 8:44?
What could this be called other than demonizing another
human being of whom Jesus Christ commanded us to love?
Luther had a low opinion of women.
Works 12.94
"The word and works of God is quite clear, that women were made either
to be wives or prostitutes."
Works 20.84
"Even though they grow weary and wear themselves out with child- bearing,
it does not matter; let them go on bearing children till they die, that
is what they are there for."
Luther was highly anti-semetic
later in his life.
Look at some of what he wrote against those who are the very roots of Christianity.
Concerning the Jews and Their Lies, 1543.
"We are at fault for not slaying them [the Jews]."
Again Luther condones the murder of innocent people.
Concerning the Jews and Their Lies, 1543
"First, their synagogues or churches (sic) should be set on fire,
and whatever does not burn up should be covered or spread over with dirt
so that no one may ever be able to see a cinder or stone of it.
Secondly, their homes should likewise be broken down and destroyed.
Thirdly, they should be deprived of their prayer books and Talmuds in which
such idolatry, lies, cursing and blasphemy are taught.
Fourthly, their rabbis must be forbidden under the threat of death to teach
any more...
Fifthly, passports and travelling privileges should be absolutely forbidden
to Jews.
Sixthly, they ought to be stopped from usury. All their cash and valuables
of silver and gold ought to be taken from them and put aside for safekeeping.
Seventhly, let the young Jews and Jewesses be given the flail, the ax,
the hoe, the spade, the distaff and spindle, and let them earn their bread
by the sweat of their noses..."
Tragically, these anti-Semetic rantings written by Luther were adopted
and carried out by thugs of Adolf Hitler's Nazi Third Reich in that terrible
Kristallnacht in November 1938 in Germany.
Added to the Luther Legacy was Hitlers's admiration who revered him as
a great German.
Hitler wrote this about Luther in his book Mein Kampf:
"To them belong, not only the truly great statesmen, but all other
great reformers as well.
Beside Frederick the Great stands Martin Luther as well as Richard Wagner."
Mein Kampf, book 1, chap 7, "The Beginning of my Political Activity",
October 16, 1924
Now let me recap what I have presented here:
It is the Legacy left by Martin Luther, and all of Protestantism owes its
heritage to this one man.
As I said at the beginning, it is not something anyone should be
proud of.
Again, from Revelation 17:9, "Here is a clue for one who has wisdom".
Take heed!
1. Luther had no Biblical authority to do any of the things of which he
did.
2. Luther started the false man made doctrine of Sola
Scriptura. Then he promptly defied the theme of it by ignoring
many verses from Scripture which I have mentioned in this writing,
Psalms 127:1
Hebrews 13:17
Matthew 16:18
Matthew 18:15-17
Luke 22:32
Acts 5:29
Ephesians 5:24
James 2:24
Revelation 11:8
3. Luther started the man made "individual interpretation of Holy
Scripture" and ignored verses of Scripture which forbid it. Since
I could not find the verse which authorizes individual interpretation of
Scripture, then this is another violation of Sola
Scriptura by him.
2Peter 1:20-21
Acts 8:26-34
4. Luther denied Apostolic tradition which had been preserved for almost
1500 years.
That was a clear violation of, 2Thessalonians 2:15
5. Luther added to the Bible, in Romans 3:28, inserting the word "alone".
This was a clear violation of all of the verses which forbid any person
to do so.
See Deut 4:2, Deut 11:32,13:1,Psa12:7,33:4,50:16-17,10 Psa 7:10-11,119:57,139-140,
Prov 5:7,
Prov 30:5-6, Eccl 3:14, Jer 23:36, Gal 1:8-9, 1Pet 1:24-25, 2Pet 3:15-16,
and Rev 22:18-20.
6. Luther subtracted from the Bible, the seven Deuterocanonical
books which had been in the Bible for over 1100 years, and he wanted to
remove others such as the book of James from the New Testament. This is
a clear violation of Holy Scripture in many places, proving him to be guilty
of all of the verses shown in the previous segment.
Show me the verse in Scripture which authorized him to do this?
7. Luther ignored other verses which I have not presented earlier.
No private interpretation of Holy Scripture, Acts 8:26-34
That we all may be ONE, and not more than the
one Church which Jesus Christ founded
in Matthew 16:18
8. Luther refuted the GOD given gift of ordination by a Bishop, by saying
he will do his own ordination. Clearly, this is blatant arrogance at its
worst, by creating heresy and placing himself above Holy Scripture.
9. He is guilty of calumnizing and Demonizing,
and of calling for the murder of other human beings, while completely ignoring
the command of Jesus Christ to love one another. (John 15:12)
10. He spoke against some of the New Testament books, two of which were
James and Revelation.
11. By speaking against GOD's Holy Word, Luther has judged GOD Himself.
12. He converted Scripture handed down by GOD into scripture devised by
man.
13. He preached anti-Semitism against the Jews who are the very roots of
Christianity.
14. I have shown in this document that Martin Luther placed himself above
the authority of the Church which Jesus Christ founded. He placed himself
above Holy Scripture with his "listen to me" rhetoric, and he
has tried to place himself above GOD by criticizing GOD's Holy Word.
Back
to Home Page...