It was nearly 3:00 in the morning when he answered his last question. Justus Jonas, sensing the end was near, asked, “Reverend Father, will you die steadfast in Christ and the doctrines you have preached?” “Ja!” cried that loud voice for the last time. Then, on February 18, 1546, a most improbable thing happened. The Pastor condemned to the stake by the Pope; the world’s most powerful churchman, and condemned to an outlaw’s demise by the Emperor; the world’s most powerful nobleman, that Pastor died of entirely natural causes.
Two days later, Bugenhagen, Luther’s pastor, ascended the pulpit of the Castle Church in front of princes and knights, academics and commoners. And before the assembled mourners, he preached Luther’s funeral sermon. The text was from John’s Revelation, the 14th chapter, verses 6 and 7, "6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. 7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.” With these prophetic words from saint John, pastor Bugenhagen sought to comfort the mourners gathered before him by reminding them that though Martin Luther was gone, they still had the eternal gospel to proclaim.
It was a reminder that was desperately needed. You see the men and women of the reformation lived in a time of beasts. Saint John describes these beasts in the previous chapter. In Revelation 13:1 saint John says, “I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.” Saint John tells us this blasphemous sea creature was used by Satan “to make war against the saints and to conquer them.”[1] Saint John does not identify this beast, however, Daniel was given a similar vision of this sea creature and in Daniel 7:17 the beast is identified as the governmental powers that were established by God to do us good but are now being used by Satan to wage war against the Church.
The men and women of the reformation were all too familiar with this beast. At the age of 16 Charles the V had his sights set on becoming the Holy Roman Emperor. Knowing that his ambitions could not be obtained without the assistance of the pope, Charles did everything he could to extinguish the fire of reformation that was spreading from Germany. Charles called Luther a “devil in monk’s clothing” and put a death sentence on his head. He made it illegal to associate with Luther or read any of his writings. In effect, Charles made it against the law to be Lutheran.
Our government has not yet gone so far. To my knowledge there isn’t a death sentence on my head and it is perfectly legal for you to be Lutheran. But increasingly the governments of our world are becoming anti-Christian. It is estimated that one in twelve Christians worldwide are victims of intense persecution. Governments like North Korea claim to provide religious freedom. However, anyone who claims to be Cristian within that atheist state faces arrest, re-education in a labor camp, or execution. Here in the United States we do not face persecution of that kind. Instead our government has purged the Ten Commandments from our public spaces, outlawed prayer in our schools, and legalized abortion. With each passing year, that which was intended to do us good looks more and more like a beast of the sea.
In Revelation 13:11 saint John tells us he “saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon.” Saint John tells us this monster “deceives the inhabitants of the earth” and leads people into idolatry. Saint John tells us this beast looks like an innocent lamb but speaks like a dragon. Saint Matthew warns us about this beast in Matthew 7:15 where he writes, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” This beast is the church that pretends to be the bride of Christ but in truth is a tool of the devil.
The deception of this beast is so convincing that for a long time the men and women of the reformation did not recognize it. Under the papacy, the church in Rome looked like a lamb but spoke like a dragon. It seems strange to think of the church as anti-Christian, but that is what it had become. The people were told to look not to Christ for salvation but to look rather to themselves. They were told they could merit forgiveness by their acts of piety or the generosity of their purse. Pilgrimages were taken, acts of penance were performed, and indulgences were bought. In so doing, man attempted to become his own savior. In effect the church of Rome told the people to worship themselves.
Unfortunately, this beast is no longer confined to just the church of Rome. Work-righteousness is the one religious notion shared among all pagan religions and all false doctrines. It is the self-deceit that if we try our best, God will have to accept us for who we are. Increasingly the modern church participates in this deception by inviting people to look within for salvation. That is why emotions are pandered too, and egos are stroked; personal opinions are shared, and popular thinking is accepted. More and more the idol of self is worship in place of the Savior. Any church that encourages people to look to themselves for salvation ceases to be the bride of Christ and becomes a tool of the devil.
We, like the men and the women of the reformation, live in a time of beasts. However, as pastor Bugenhagen reminded those who gathered to mourn the death of Martin Luther, we also live in a time of angels; angels who proclaim the gospel. Saint Paul describes the gospel to the Ephesians with these words, “it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”[2] He described the gospel to the Corinthians with these words, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”[3] And he described the gospel to the Romans with these words, “ But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”[4]
Pastor Bugenhagen told those who gathered to mourn the loss of the great reformer that “he [Martin Luther] was without a doubt the angel concerning whom it is written in Revelation 14, who flew through the midst of heaven and had the eternal gospel.” Indeed, it is not difficult to see how God used Martin Luther as a messenger of that gospel. Luther preached a salvation that is by grace alone, through faith alone, from Christ alone, and found in scripture alone. The men and women of the reformation were surrounded by beast, but Luther flew above them all and proclaimed the gospel. He stood defiantly before emperor and pope and with a conscience held captive to the Word of God made his stand. It is not difficult to see why pastor Bugenhagen saw Luther as the angel that is described Revelation 14:6-7.
But then he died, the angel of the reformation died and his metal coffin was lowered beneath the floor of the Castle Church. As the stones slipped into their places, they resounded with a finality that must have made everyone wonder, “What will happen now that death has muted God’s messenger?” “What will happen to the gospel now that the angel of the Reformation is laid to rest?”
Pastor Bugenhagen answered the questions that were on the minds of the mourners with these verses from Revelation. The answer was and is, the gospel that was described by Paul and preached by Luther will continue to be proclaimed! Despite the death of the great reformer, the gospel will be proclaimed. For it is as God tells us, the eternal gospel. It is not the gospel of the 1500s. It is not the gospel of Martin Luther. It is the eternal gospel. And Saint John tells us it will be proclaimed “to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people.” It will be proclaimed to all people of all time.
In times of distress God raises up angels to proclaim His eternal gospel. Luther may have been one of the angels described in Revelation 14, but he was not the only angel the Lord uses to proclaim His gospel. Throughout history God’s messengers have soared above the beasts and proclaimed the gospel. Before Luther they were men like the prophet Isaiah and king David and women like Ruth and Ester. Since Luther, many more angels have taken flight. Among them are the parents who teach their children how to say bedtime prayers, the Sunday school teachers who help children memorize the ten commandments, and the pastors whose sermons rightly divide law and gospel. The angel of the reformation has been laid to rest, but the eternal gospel remains. Therefore, God continues to raise up angels to proclaim His eternal gospel. We may live in a time of fiercely scowling beasts but never forget that God’s angels are still flying above them.
Despite the dangers the beasts of the sea pose to believers living in places like North Korea, over the last two decades there has been tremendous growth in underground Christianity. It is estimated there might be up to 300,000 Christians secretly living in North Korea alone. The North Korean angels may not be as well-known as Martin Luther, but obviously the eternal gospel is being proclaimed. And regardless of how many in our own country have been deceived by the beast of the earth, there are still hundreds of thousands of people who look to Jesus Christ of Nazareth for their salvation and confess that “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”[5] My friends, angels are still soaring above us and the eternal gospel is still being proclaimed among us. Admittedly, we live in a time of beasts, but those beasts will never silence the eternal gospel.
It has been over 500 years since Bugenhagen preached his funeral sermon. Plenty of time, one would think, for the fad of the reformation to fade. And yet, here we are. In place of one Luther God has raised up a room full of Lutherans. Like Luther and all the faithful who have gone before us, let us be known as angels of the reformation. Let us go out into a world full of beasts and proclaim the eternal gospel to every nation, tribe, language, and people. To God be the glory. Amen.
[1] Revelation 13:7
[2] Ephesians 2:8-9
[3] 2 Corinthians 5:21
[4] Romans 3:21-24
[5] Acts 4:12