The Roaring Lion: Prophetic Decision on the Bohemian War

to begin His kingdom, in which the New Jerusalem is and will be; regarding this, I shall testify elsewhere through the Spirit of God from Daniel, the Apocalypse The Book of Revelation., Christ, and all the Prophets and Apostles. But now, the Iron Scepter is promised to those saints who have overcome with Christ and must suffer much; yes, the New Jerusalem and the New Name of God are promised to those saints who have but a little strength and yet do not deny the name of Christ, as the Apocalypse testifies.

But you must understand me correctly regarding these saints, as I intend it: namely, let no one think that I am such an irrational man who would proclaim and cry out that the Bohemians are holy people as if they had never committed any sin and were altogether innocent, pure, and holy before God. No, not at all; for Bohemia, because of its great and terrible sins, is nothing other than the spiritual Sodom and Egypt A biblical metaphor from Revelation 11:8, referring to a city that has fallen into wickedness and faces divine judgment., which has been so full of sin—even more than Jerusalem ever was. At the same time, there have been such great and abominable horrors within it as in any other land; for that very reason, God has also punished us so very harshly because of our great misdeeds and sins, delivering us into the hands of our enemies. Just as He often punished His people in Jerusalem with a harsh oppressor, He nevertheless had gracious mercy upon them again—as has been very beautifully discussed by one of our praiseworthy Estates, namely the noble, aged Christian Count of Thurn Heinrich Matthias von Thurn (1567–1640), a primary leader of the Bohemian Revolt against the Habsburgs., in a fine letter to an Austrian Lord. But even if we have been severely punished by the LORD because of our sins, we are nonetheless His people; for though He has punished and wounded us, He can and will also heal us again. He kills us today and tomorrow, and on the third day He will make us alive again A reference to the prophecy in Hosea 6:2 regarding national restoration.. The enemy should not boast over us as if he had accomplished this through his own power; oh no, the LORD has delivered Jacob Meaning the people of Israel, here used as a parallel for the Bohemian people. over to be plundered because they would not walk in His ways; yet the LORD will also deliver us once more. For He takes us as His own people; yes, He punishes us as His children, and He will be gracious to us again—not for our sake, but for the sake of His holy Name, through which He sanctifies us and has sanctified us so that we are His saints, over whose enemy He [will...]