Jesus, upon His ascension back into His heavenly home, gave a final directive to His disciples, both to those physically present as He disappeared into the clouds, and to the myriad of believers who would come to know Him down through the ages. The story of His life and His gospel were to be preached unto all the world by those who called Him Lord. This global spreading of the Word, would, in the later vision of John, be proclaimed as one of the prerequisites of Jesus’ triumphant return at the end of time. John himself would be seen as a harbinger of these end times, based on Jesus’ words as recorded by John … If I will that he [John] tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. John 21:22.
The early Christians, understandably, felt that the return of Christ was imminent, even within the first century. The rapid expansion of Christianity, the complete moral depravity of the Roman culture, and the increasing intensity of persecution against them seemed to point to a swift and triumphant return of their Lord.
Now, two thousand years since Christ gave that promise, His soon return seems just as imminent as it did to the first century believers. Speculation on the time of His return, the manner of it, and the contributing factors are always current and controversial subjects. In the light of this continued earnest expectation of the end times, what have we to learn about our interpretations of prophecy from those who have attempted to decipher the prophetic portions of Scripture in earlier ages?
Jesus' first coming was surrounded and enveloped by perhaps the most recognizable misinterpretation of prophecy in the Bible. Roughly four hundred years of relative silence from God precluded His entry into the world in a physical, human body. His birth would be unnoticed in a society that was not only in desperate need of, but also expecting, a Savior to arrive. Daniel, writing the words God gave him, had told of a Messiah to come, and had even given a time that He would appear. Now, the Jews seethed under Roman rule, hanging their hopes on what they thought would be a sudden and triumphant extermination of the Roman troops and influence from their lands. To us, it is glaringly obvious that their interpretation of prophecy was not only incorrect, but for many, would lead them astray so that they did not even recognize or acknowledge the true Redeemer that was sent to them.
But what was it that caused this misinterpreted view? To us, it seems completely in order that Jesus would focus on the poor and destitute rather than opposing an occupying army. Jewish historians give an intriguing, but scarcely surprising, answer to the failure of the majority of their people to recognize Christ for who He was.
The religious atmosphere of first century Israel was one defined by corruption, bribery, lust for power, and all the unsavory aspects of a completely politically motivated upper class.
The priests, once chosen by God to be His servants in sanctifying His children, had sunk to buying their positions of service, most notably in the high priest’s office, where God had ordained one high priest to serve the people throughout his life. In Jesus’ day, however, the responsibilities of leading the children of Israel were divvied out, the role often changing hands on one-year terms. Becoming a high priest was a matter of birth. Most high priests came from several large, influential, and wealthy families, as one often had to buy into the opportunity of this office.
It was not only the high priest’s office that was corrupted, but most levels of prominent spiritual leadership were filled by the wealthy elites who had the connections and wealth to be placed into roles of importance amongst the Jews.
This unsavory backdrop gives even more clarity to Jesus’ feelings on the religious leaders of His day. These imposters did not hold their priestly positions to serve His Father, they held them for their own gain, turning the temple into a marketplace and holding the common people hostage through their disputes on the minutiae of the Law.
Unsurprisingly, these leaders looked for a Messiah who would fit their goals, their ideals, and their morals, rather than one that would rebuke and chastise them for their hypocrisy, greed, and selfish ambition. Their view of prophecy had been so twisted and corrupted by their lifestyle that even the miracle of a resurrection could not sway them to view Christ’s power as coming from God. This misconstrued expectation of a conquering commander, riding a horse of war over the political enemies of these elites was pandered to the common Jew as well. Centuries of fighting for just the freedom to worship, as in the case of the Maccabees and the Greeks, had deeply imprinted a sense of nationalism into the collective mind of the Jewish people. The ones who bought into it the most were the ones who received the most from this system of exclusive access to God and His promises. To those who were repressed by the stringent and often man-made laws of Jewish society, a God of peace and love who would draw the needy of the world to Him was more welcome than a Saviour who would simply install another earthly government to rule the poor, oppress the widows, and reward the wicked.
This was not the last time an oppressed people would be deceived, as Roman rule would witness another major misstep in the collective interpretations of God’s people. This time, the teachings of Jesus and the words of His disciples would be misinterpreted to fit the changing political and religious landscape of fourth century Rome. The year was 306, and Diocletian, one of the most brutal persecutors of Christians in the Roman Empire, had abdicated from his position as Caesar. In his wake, he left three contenders for his throne. One of those vying for the seat of power was a young general, experienced in politics, and power hungry. His name was Constantine, son of a prominent Roman officer and a lowly Greek Christian, Helena.
From his youth, Constantine followed in his father’s footsteps, fighting throughout the empire, rising to a rank of general. Now, on campaign in Britain, he turned his eyes to the ultimate prize of a Roman politico, the title of Caesar, and the seat of the emperor.
Constantine’s line to the throne was through his father. Diocletian had, during his rule, appointed additional Caesars to aid in ruling the empire. Constantine’s father was one of these, and despite being simply appointed to the position, it was expected that his status as a Caesar would pass to his son. Matters were not as simple as a mere transfer of titles, however.
Constantine’s rise was bloody, but his grip on power was set, until he remained the sole contender for the throne. The stage was set. He quickly undid the harsh decrees of Diocletian, legalizing Christianity and removing the persecution that had leveled churches, scattered families, and hunted down bishops and other church leadership. Almost overnight, a peace previously unheard of was gifted to these hounded believers.
The changes that Constantine made did not end, however, with merely legalizing Christianity. His sympathies ran deeper, and he made further moves to legitimize it as not only an accepted religion, but as the state religion.
To Christians eager for the return of Christ, this seemed almost unbelievable. In the span of a few short years the government had gone from crucifying, beheading, and torturing them to holding them up as examples to the rest of the empire. The favor seems to have affected the clarity with which they viewed the apparent reconciliation of the world to the church. Not only would they accept a position of power in the empire, but they would also accept Constantine as a benefactor and protector of the church itself. In their minds, the day of the Lord was come, and Constantine was the rod of iron with which God would rule.
And rule he did. The course of the church was soon swayed by this new and outside influence. Constantine sat in on meetings of the bishops, even though at the time he was not baptized nor was he even seeking baptism. The church’s new position as a tool of the state brought schisms, in-fighting, and contention at every turn. There remained a remnant, but most of the church would fall under the sway of a man motivated by a hunger for power, wealth, and influence.
Constantine would be baptized before his death, lending him even further credibility in the eyes of a straying church. Now separated from its original identity as sheep in this world, the coming centuries would see “Christians” become ravening wolves, destroying, killing, and corrupting.
In a matter more recently related to us as Anabaptists, the tale of the infamous Muensterites gives us a further example of the perils of misinterpreting prophecy, especially the prophecy regarding the second coming of Christ.
One of the great disadvantages of a heavily persecuted group is a tendency to lack stability, as evidenced by the varying beliefs developed by Anabaptist groups of the movement's first fifty years. Persecution would deprive a congregation of their leaders, who were often those most targeted by the authorities. A missing elder meant less teaching, which in turn led to more difficulty in guidance, and corrective doctrine. Even the most sincere and interconnected groups could fall into errors developed because of the lack of leadership to bring Biblical clarity and balance the brotherhood.
The situation in the Netherlands was of a rather volatile strain approaching the 1530s. Throughout the country, the Catholic Church remained the predominant religion, clinging to their power through ruthless displays of physical force, most often directed towards the minority Protestant congregations. This focus on quelling the Protestant influence was momentarily successful in this instance, with most of their groups dissolving and reintegrating into the Catholic Church or other groups.
One of the groups that was on the receiving end of this minor diaspora was the fledging Dutch Anabaptist church. For those Protestants who still refused to join the Catholics, the Anabaptists often became their choice of church, rapidly swelling their ranks. This had a profound effect on the local strain of Anabaptism, which without a doubt was fervent, but quite prone to chaos and upheaval.
By 1534 the tensions of this influx of new believers reached a breaking point, and the Anabaptist church of the Netherlands split into two main factions. The first, led by the two Philips brothers, Dirk and Obbe, adhered to the New Testament teachings of separation from church and state, as well as nonresistance. This would be the church of Menno Simmons, and the root of the Mennonite churches of today.
The other faction held to more radical beliefs, led by Jan Matthysz and Jan of Leiden. These two men became increasingly fanatical in their views of Christ’s return, believing that they would be central figures, instrumental in a kingdom that God would set up on Earth.
At the same time, social unrest was brewing, and spilled over in the city of Munster, located in northwest Germany, where the common people rose up, overthrowing their city’s government and expelling their Catholic bishop. The two Jans were quick to act, contacting the new leaders of the city, and eventually winning them over to their views.
The Jans moved to Munser in early 1534, and began sending out prophets and messengers, who called all “Anabaptists” to congregate at this “New Jerusalem”. The unrest of the area made their message all the more appealing, and thousands streamed into the city, intent in being part of this apocalyptic return of Christ.
There was, in fact, an apocalyptic return on the horizon, but not a return of Christ. This one came in the form of the ousted Catholic bishop, who swiftly set siege to the city. His army would stay there for eighteen months.
Inside the city, Jan Matthysz, proclaiming a vision was given to him for a deliverance of the city, left its walls to parade outside, proclaiming a swift delivery of the enemy into his hands. His vision, however, failed him, as he was swiftly delivered into the hands of the enemy, where he was beheaded, and his head set on a pike in front Munster’s gates.
Inside the walls, Jan of Leiden took leadership, ignoring the famine, death, and chaos that now ran rampant within the besieged walls. Instead, he began promoting polygamy, defending it from the Old Testament, killing at least one woman who refused to marry him, and at one point, having sixteen wives.
This abomination soon led to its required end as the city was overcome, with a heavy slaughter being carried out against its inhabitants. The leaders, Jan of Leiden being the most prominent, were captured, tortured, and killed. Their bodies were hung in iron cages on the tower of St. Lamberts Church, the Catholic church in Munster. To this day, the cages still hang, a bleak reminder of the pride and rashness of the two Jans, determined to see their end-time interpretation fulfilled.
In all three of these examples, the prophecy contained in God’s Word was twisted into results that strayed far from the will of God for His children. For the Jews, it caused them to miss the Messiah, failing to recognize the greatest promise God had given them. The fourth century Christians, chafing under the horrific persecution of Diocletian, accepted Constantine as a deliverer, seeing him as a fulfillment of God’s judgement against the kingdoms of this world. Instead of peace, they would sink into a state of ungodliness worse than the pagans around them, with the Catholic Church straying into sin more horrible than even their pagan society. Lastly, the troubled visions and interpretations of the 16th century Munsterites would lead them to an awful fate, sullying the name of the true church.
What have we to learn from these grave errors of those before us? In our time, the end seems imminent, and we are beset with those who would have us believe that we are truly the last of the Christians.
Luke has recorded the instructions of Jesus on this point: …The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them –Luke 17: 22-23. Here are instructions for our conduct in the last days. Let us not be running after the rumors of the end times but let us be obedient to the final admonition of our Lord—that we spread the Word of God and the Gospel of His Son, Jesus throughout the world … and then shall the end come –Matthew 24:14.
