Was Martin Luther a Prophet?

Was Martin Luther a Prophet? Matthew 13:31-35 Ephesians 1:3-10 Revelation 14:6-13 January 29, 2017 Pastor Dave Bolte The closest thing to a prophet in the post-apostolic, New Testament era is Martin Luther. When you study Church history, there is no one who has impacted the Holy Christian Church in the New Testament era --- besides the Apostles --- more than Martin Luther. Luther appeared in history, and boldly spoke the Word of God. Like the Old Testament prophets before him, he was persecuted and threatened with death for speaking the Word of God. Both Church and State were against him; both the Roman pope and the Roman emperor sought his death. But by God s grace he survived. And like the prophets before him, his work affects the entire Christian Church. But we do not consider Martin Luther a prophet nor an apostle. There are three things that disqualify Martin Luther as a prophet or an apostle: 1. Luther was not inspired. His words were not inerrant, nor did He have divine inspiration from the Holy Spirit as he wrote or spoke. Martin Luther did not speak from inspiration; rather, He spoke and wrote about the Word of God, which is already inspired and inerrant. 1

2. Luther did not perform miracles. One of the signs of the prophets and the apostles were great miracles to confirm that their words were true. Luther did not need miracles, since God had already confirmed His Word with miracles through the prophets and apostles long before Luther was born. 3. Luther did not have any new Word from God, nor did he predict the future or make any prophecies that would be fulfilled in the future. Rather, Martin Luther directed the Holy Christian Church back to the Word of God: to Holy Scriptures. Specifically, Martin Luther called the Holy Christian Church back to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. For nearly 1,000 years, during the Dark Ages (500AD -1500AD), the Holy Christian Church had drifted farther and farther away from Christ, His Word, and His work of salvation. The Roman Catholic Church emerged during the Dark Ages as a world power, and it taught people that salvation depends on each person and their good works. A common phrase from sermons in the Dark Ages was Do what you can it meant that if you do your best, God will help you. The emphasis was on each person accumulating their good works to earn salvation from God. If a person did not accumulate enough good works by the time they died, then they would have to suffer in purgatory. The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ was smothered in these and a plethora of other false teachings. 2

The Christian Church no longer taught the grace of God; it no longer taught that God is merciful and compassionate; it no longer focused on Christ, His holy life, His sacrificial death, or his powerful resurrection. The Holy Christian Church was in bad shape under the papacy in the Dark Ages. So the Lord sent an angel not a divine messenger, but a human messenger -- to proclaim the Gospel once again. I used the word angel because historically, Martin Luther has been identified as the flying angel of Revelation 14: 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. Revelation 14:6 Many believe that this flying angel is Martin Luther. This is the verse that Martin Luther s pastor used at Luther s funeral in 1546. Pastor Johannes Bugenhagen identified Luther as the flying angel who taught the ETERNAL GOSPEL: the human messenger who preached the powerful, blessed, divine teaching of Christ! 1 In the Book of Revelation, this flying angel comes in the midst of some horrible and terrible images of false teachers leading millions of people astray. In spite of the efforts of the devil and the unbelieving world to silence the Word of God, the flying angel boldly preaches the eternal Gospel in spite of the danger, and the Gospel comforts the Church of every nation, tribe, language and people. 1 Prof. John T. Pless, Reformation sermon, 10/26/14, Naples, FL; found online 3

This Revelation reflects what was happening during the Dark Ages, with Martin Luther boldly proclaiming the eternal Gospel in a hostile environment. It s been 500 years now, and the Lutheran Reformation has continued to believe, teach and confess the eternal Gospel in the midst of persecution, false teachers, and satanic-inspired opposition. Did you notice the term THE ETERNAL GOSPEL? That s a unique way to describe the good news of Jesus. In fact, there is no other place in Scripture where the Gospel is described this way. The Eternal Gospel is about the Eternal Son of God. The good News that God the Father sent His only begotten Son to be our Savior. The Eternal Son enters history and the world; He is born in Bethlehem, baptized in the Jordan, teaches and works miracles in Israel. His perfect and sinless life leads to His obedient and sacrificial death in Jerusalem. Three days later He rises from the dead, which boldly and powerfully proclaims Him as the eternal Son of God and the Savior of the world. Forty days later, in the Ascension, He returns to Heaven and the right hand of the Father. We now long for His imminent return as the eternal Lord of lords and King of kings. The eternal Gospel is about the eternal Son of God. The eternal Gospel about the eternal Son brings eternal life to all of us! The Son of God rose from the dead on the third day, and He has given you the free gift of eternal life. You will not die in your sins; you will die in God s grace and mercy! You were given eternal life in your Baptism. Your name is written in Book of Life 4

the Book of Life is a list of those who will inherit eternal life because of the eternal Son s eternal Gospel! On the last day, your body will rise from the dead, and you will live forever in the Kingdom of heaven! The eternal Gospel about the eternal Son of God brings eternal life to all of us! This eternal Gospel does not change! The same Good News that the prophets proclaimed, that Christ earned by His death and resurrection, and that Luther boldly preached, is for all people: to every nation, tribe, language and people (Rev 14:6). Today, none of us are the flying angel of Revelation 14 who proclaims the eternal Gospel in the midst of the New Testament era that turns the Holy Christian Church around, but every one of us are messengers (= Greek angels) of the eternal Gospel in the lives of the people all around us. Like the Flying Angel of Revelation 14, the Gospel has to be proclaimed. The Light shines. The Word is spoken. That is why we preach the Gospel in every worship service; that is why we teach as many Bible classes as we can; that is why our congregation has Trinity Lutheran School; that is why you share your faith with our neighbor: The eternal Gospel has to be proclaimed! The theme of the 500 th Anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation is It s All About Jesus! --- because the eternal Gospel is All About Jesus! The eternal Gospel is the message that made Martin Luther the bold and courageous reformer of 500 years ago! 5

The eternal Gospel is what the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and our congregation proclaim. Our mission is to teach and preach the eternal Gospel of the eternal Son of God that brings eternal life to all people. Our desire is that all people hear and believe, and become biblically literate, doctrinally sound, mission minded, and passionately engaged disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. The eternal Gospel is also what your personal witness to your neighbor is all about. The Lutheran Reformation continues through you as you live and share your faith with others. The ETERNAL GOSPEL is All About Jesus! Our Lutheran heritage is that we believe, teach and confess the eternal Gospel of the eternal Son of God that brings eternal Life to us. May you believe it, live it, and share it! Amen! 6