Two hundred years ago John Nelson Darby, a minister in the Church of England, became thoroughly disillusioned with that church, all churches in fact. He began to teach a doctrine of the ruin of the church. "The church lies in ruins and cannot be restored, revived or rebuilt." From there he moved to teaching that … Continue reading The virus of division
antichrist
Antichrist
The following passages are a brief summary of a writing entitled Antichrist which is at least 900 years old. It originated among the Albigensian Christians of southern France, around the time of Pierre de Bruys, and was preserved by the Waldensians. Readers who have a copy of the Martyrs Mirror will find a brief excerpt … Continue reading Antichrist
Living in Apprehension
Many people today are convinced that the Great Tribulation and the rule of Antichrist are imminent. One would think that if such a person had an assurance in the depth of his heart that he would be removed from the earth before that happened, he would be at rest about the future. That doesn’t seem … Continue reading Living in Apprehension
Jesuitical craftiness
It was clear to true Christians (often called Anabaptists) until the late Middle Ages, that the Church of Rome was the Antichrist foretold by the apostles. In the sixteenth century Menno Simons made it very explicit. The following are only a few of the references to Antichrist in his writings. Since Christ has commanded that … Continue reading Jesuitical craftiness
An imposter in the temple of God
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the … Continue reading An imposter in the temple of God
The origins of the Waldensians
One thing that is clear is that there were Waldenses before Peter Waldo, thus it cannot be said that he founded the Waldensian movement, or church. Waldenses, Vaudois in French, means “people of the valleys,” referring to the valleys in the Alps which form the border between France and Italy. Peter Waldo, Pierre de Vaux … Continue reading The origins of the Waldensians
The Works of Antichrist
[From a Waldensian writing dating from the year 1120. The historical belief of the Anabaptist-Waldensian-Mennonite faith is that Antichrist refers to a counterfeit of Christ.] The first is that he perverts the worship properly due to God alone, by giving it to Antichrist himself and to his works, to the poor creature, rational or non … Continue reading The Works of Antichrist
The Principal Errors of Pietism
Pietism, with a capital P, refers to a movement that began within the Lutheran Church around the year 1600. The Pietists emphasized the new birth, the inward spiritual life of the heart and a pure moral life. There were earlier threads of pietism, but this was the beginning of a distinctive and dynamic movement. The … Continue reading The Principal Errors of Pietism
Antichrist
The word antichrist appears in only four verses of the Bible, three in 1 John and one in 2 John. In the Authorized Version it is never preceded by the definite article. There are mentions of "the spirit of antichrist", "an antichrist" and "many antichrists". Rather than being an individual who appears at the end … Continue reading Antichrist
Get out of the bus and walk
Sunday morning. Dad had come in with pails of steaming milk and was cranking the cream separator, Mom was getting breakfast ready and I was setting the table. Over the radio came the voice of Ernest Manning, telling us again how world events were shaping up just as foretold in the book of Daniel and … Continue reading Get out of the bus and walk
Flatlander Faith 