# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_August 1860_S238
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

238 The Struggle within the Prussian Lutheran Church.

Here too may fittingly be considered the prophecies of Holy Scripture concerning the rejection of the unbelieving Jews, Ps. 44:13, how the scepter was to be taken away from them, Gen. 49:10, and has now, before the eyes of all the world, been utterly taken away from them, so that they have no government or any dominion of their own, but are scattered throughout all the world. Likewise belongs here the siege and destruction of the city and Temple of Jerusalem, where not one stone was to be left upon another, Luke 21:20, 19:43, which has been fulfilled before our eyes. Then, too, one may rightly consider here the calling of the Gentiles in place of the Jews, Isa. 60:3, and whatever else has been foretold concerning the signs of the last days before the end of the world and the approaching Last Judgment, Isa. 13:10, Luke 21:25, which we find daily thus at work, and whatever else may be of the same kind.

With these twelve grounds, then, I will for the present briefly let the matter rest, and I admonish those who deal with such persons as are caught in doubt concerning the divine Word and are anxious in such despondency, that once they have, by the granting of divine grace, gained a little ground with them, they should thereafter press more and more upon the grounds that can be taken from Scripture itself, and bring forward the foremost proof-texts belonging to this argument, such as 2 Pet. 1:19: We have a sure prophetic word, and you do well to pay attention to it. And verse 20: This you should know, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from one's own interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. Matt. 5:18: Truly I say to you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter, nor a single stroke of the Law, will pass away until all is fulfilled. John 17:17: Your word is truth. Ps. 33:4: The word of the LORD is right, and whatever He promises He surely keeps. Matt. 24:35: Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. Likewise, Deut. 4:2, 28:14, Gal. 3:10, Josh. 1:7, Isa. 30:21, 51:16, Jer. 1:9, etc. With these and the like they should press home their point and entreat the help of the Almighty; then there is no doubt at all that He, through His Holy Spirit, will richly grant success, strength, and blessing to it, in Christ Jesus His most beloved Son, and for His sake.

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The Struggle within the Prussian Lutheran Church.

(Continued.)

The very same thing that we found in Räthjen's teaching concerning the Church — namely, that he holds up the correct doctrine against his opponents, but for his own part does not acknowledge it, but rather distorts, confuses, and obscures it through additions of his own — we find also in his teaching concerning church government,