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Monday, March 4, 2024

History Rhymes

 

I am working through Matthew Barrett’s book, The Reformation as Renewal: Retrieving the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, at my substack.  However, I have a thought based on one portion of the text that I think better fits at this blog.

“Stab, smite, slay.”  And if “you die in doing it, good for you!”  To do nothing was to be an accomplice.  “If he is able to punish and does not do it – even though he would have had to kill someone or shed blood – he becomes guilty of all the murder and evil that these people commit.”  Not grace, but sword, said Luther.  And if you die trying to kill one of these rebellious peasants, fear not – you are a “true martyr in the eyes of God.”

The occasion was the Peasants Revolt in 1525.  Luther called for indiscriminate killing on the part of the nobles and princes and against the peasants. 

By its conclusion, the Peasants’ War resulted in mass carnage.  Different numbers have been estimated, but something like eighty thousand may have died in battle.

Barely armed common folk were pitted against well-trained soldiers.  It was a one-sided slaughter.

Across Germany the insurrection was snuffed out, dead bodies lay everywhere, and the outcry in Germany was so agonizing it felt unbearable. 

Having called for slaughter, Luther faced the backlash.  While he had no control of the soldiers, he could not escape his call to stab, smite, and slay.

With countless corpses rotting in the hot summer sun, Luther’s commission now seemed cruel, even malicious, and his credibility was tarnished, as was the reputation of the Reformation as a whole.

The carnage was apocalyptic in proportion, and the devastation was so severe that recovery felt like an impossibility.

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Christian Zionist leaders cheer on Israel.  In the wake of October 7, they cheered on Israel.  Today, many continue to cheer on Israel.  Despite the slaughter, they cheer on Israel.  In fact, knowing the imbalance, they cheered on Israel four months ago in the face of the genocidal statements from Israeli leaders and despite what was certain to be the result of Israel’s aggression.

One of the best equipped militaries in the world against a trapped peasant army.  Tens of thousands killed, large portions of housing destroyed.  Hospitals targeted.  Food and power cut off.  Like shooting fish in a barrel, but only after not feeding the fish and pouring a little acid in the water.

I pray that the idea that Christians have to somehow support this corrupt state in order to give God the ability to carry out (their corrupt version of) His plan gets crushed.  In fact, I pray this crushes their corrupt version of God’s plan.

I pray that the reputation of these Christian Zionist leaders today is not only tarnished, but destroyed.  Unfortunately, they add to the reputational destruction of the Church.

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Despite the damage to Luther’s name, the Reformer did not regret his previous writings.  He wrote An Open Letter on the Harsh Book against the Peasants and further defended himself.

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And I bet most of today’s Christian Zionists will do the same.  The money is too good.

8 comments:

  1. It is astonishing to me. Some conservatives, even those in the neocon camp, wizened up to the Ukraine war after a while. But I don't see anything changing the minds of basic Republican voters.

    They simply can't think about the situation. When Israel comes up their minds go insane. It is like they have been brainwashed. They refuse to think about the other side. They refuse to think about events before 10/7/23. Instead they type mantras like "if Israel doesn't continue this war Hamas will wipe them out, it is Hamas who started the whole thing, Israel is our greatest ally."



    https://thecrosssectionrmb.blogspot.com/

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    Replies
    1. For the evangelical crowd, it comes down to how they understand the various times God says "I will bless those who bless Israel, and curse those who curse Israel" (or variations on this theme).

      Of course, however one slices it, aiding Israel in committing sin cannot be considered blessing Israel.

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    2. Yes. I actually recorded a podcast last week talking about how people who believe in premillennialism should think about Israel and at the end give my summary about how we should view Israel's current actions.

      The blessing, cursing thing is actually a misinterpretation as the statement was to Abraham not about the nation of Israel. It is another tentacle of the mind virus these people have.

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  2. Each day - whether I'm reading about Ukraine, Gaza or NATO having multinational military exercises, added to the actions of our White House and Congress - it seems I'm reading reports from an insane asylum......all intended to drive us insane as well.
    However, after 15-20 years on a journey of discovery, it's no longer a mystery.
    All roads lead to DaSynagogue of Satan (DSOS) - https://crushlimbraw.blogspot.com/2022/10/propaganda-lifeblood-of-dasynagogue-of.html?m=0 - and when you pursue truth in everything, it will become clear to you as well. What you see are the physical and material consequences of a spiritual battle since the dawn of man. Once you recognize DSOS in action NOW - it will become self-evident who they are and always have been.

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    Replies
    1. Amen, Crush. The prince of the power of the air is working through his sons of disobedience.

      The battle is not with flesh and blood, but principalities and powers....

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    2. It literally breaks my heart what is askec for in the name of God. There was an atrocity Oct 7 - and now it continues in childish game of “well you hit me first” . What would be awesome to see is a leader identify it as such - but amongst leaders today i see few adults in the room. Luther had such promise - and still believe his original abhorence to the indulgences valid - but no adults appeared there either.

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  3. This may shed some light on the reason why the peasants revolted and how radical the Anabaptist movement really was.
    https://www.dailyhistory.org/What_was_the_impact_of_the_German_Peasant_War_(1524-1527)_on_the_Reformation

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  4. A few thoughts:
    1. The preferred outcome of the Gaza War for the Israeli side is the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians from Gaza, largely because the Israelis have determined a modus vivendi with the people living there is impossible
    2. The neighbouring states will not take in millions of refugees both for pragmatic and historic reasons esp. in the cases of Egypt and Jordan
    3. The Israelis also made clear statements about their preference to expel the Palestinians to Europe and Canada
    4. The already existing Palestinan diaspora is well integrated into the "Babylonian coalition" ruling the West
    5. The Palestinian diaspora is also well integrated into the international shadow realm where intelligence agencies, political radicals and organized crime intersect. The so-called "Arab/Lebanese clans" active in various countries are overwhelmingly Mhallamiye-Kurdish or Palestinian families eg. the Abou Chaker clan of Germany
    6. Therefore Israel is waging not only an "internal" war but also an external, hybrid war against it's percieved enemies in the West
    7. However succeeding will further erode the position of the Jewish diaspora, both secular-left and religious-zionist. Turns out while Ben Shapiro may not be interested in the browning of Amrica, the browning of America is interested in him.

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