VI. The Treatise on Antichrist
The exact date of this treatise cannot be established; it bears no date in the text. The year 1120 was assigned, first by Perrin and then by Leger, in this wise: The treatise was received by Perrin in the same book or packet with a Confession of Faith, and certain other’ documents, with the general date “1120’r affixed by the collector. But the affixing of a single date to several undated manuscripts is not, of course, determinative. The absence of an exact date does not affect its genuineness, for its author does not claim to be writing in 1120. There are, however, three accompanying tracts—on purgatory, invocation of saints, and the sacraments—which are obviously of later date, for they refer to a thirteenth-century work. PFF1 878.4
In this treatise the spirit of false Christianity manifest in the papal church is none other than the Beast and Babylon, predicted by Daniel arid John, and therefore the great Antichrist-Paul’s Mystery of Iniquity-not an individual infidel Jew as Antichrist. The principle which grew into the papal system, in its “infancy” in apostolic times, had now grown to the full stature of the Man of Sin, the Mystery of Iniquity, which could not in earlier centuries be so easily discerned, for it was at first only a “falling away.”PFF1 879.1
The Man of Sin had not yet fully developed when, under Constantine, the church was elevated by the state; nor even when, under Justinian, the Roman bishop was recognized as head of all the churches. But at the time when the Papacy was waxing most powerful, from the days of Hildebrand, who exalted himself to be head of the nations as well, the worldliness and corruption in the hierarchy were matched by the loss of faith in the church, the rising chorus of protest, and the cry for a return to evangelical poverty and simplicity.PFF1 879.2
What ecclesiastics saw from within the church with more or less haziness, the Waldenses saw from without with crystal clarity. The wonder would have been if they had remained blind to a fulfillment of prophecy so plain and palpable that even men within the apostate church recognized it. Such a treatise was therefore to be logically expected. Both Waldenses and Albigenses agreed that the church of Rome was the whore of Babylon designated in the Apocalypse, as we hake seen from several sources.PFF1 879.3
1. ANTICHRIST STIGMATIZED AS FALSEHOOD AND DECEIT
The opening words of the treatise comprise an unsparing description of his character as falsehood or hypocrisy in the church:PFF1 879.4
“Antichrist is a Falshood worthy of eternal Damnation, covered over with a shew of truth, and of the Righteousness of Christ, and his Spouse, contrary to the way of Truth, Righteousness, Faith, Hope, and Charity, as likewise to moral Life, and to the ministerial Truth of the Church, administred by the false Apostles, and resolutely upheld by the one and the other Arm of Secular and Ecclesiastical Power; or else we may say, Antichrist is a Deceit which hides the Truth of Salvation in substantial and ministerial matters; or, that it is a disguised contrariety to Christ and his Spouse, and every faithfull member thereof.” PFF1 880.1
2. PAPAL CHURCH FULFILLMENT OF PROPHETIC PREDICTIONS
Antichrist is declared to be not an individual but a whole system, as the whole congregation of hypocritical ministers and laity, described under the symbols of Daniel, Paul, and John. Here is the remarkable identification:PFF1 880.2
“And so it is not any one particular person, ordained to such a Degree, Office, or Ministery, it being considered universally; but it is Falshood it self, in opposition to the Truth, covering and adorning it self with a pretence of Beauty and Piety, not suitable to the Church of Christ, as by the Names, and Offices, the Scriptures, the Sacraments, and many other things may appear. Iniquity thus qualified with all the Ministers thereof great and small, together with all them that follow them, with an evil heart, and blindfold; such a Congregation -comprised together, is that which is called Antichrist or Babylon, or the fourth Beast, or the Whore, or the Man of Sin, the Son of perdition.” PFF1 880.3
3. MUST EMBODY COMBINED SPECIFICATIONS OF PROPHECY
After listing the various Biblical expressions that describe the papal clergy and the worldly character of the false church, the treatise declares that Antichrist must embody the combined specifications of prophecy.PFF1 880.4
“Antichrist could not come in any wise, but all these forementioned things must needs meet together, to make up a complete hypocrisie and falshood, viz. the worldly wise men, the Religious Orders, the Pharisees, Ministers, Doctours, the Secular Power, with the worldly people joyntly together. And thus all of them together make up the Man of sin and errour completely.” PFF1 880.5
4. HAS GROWN FROM EARLY EMBRYO TO FULL-GROWN MAN
Existing only in embryo in apostolic days, and so lacking parts and facilities, he later grew to full age.PFF1 880.6
“Although that Antichrist was conceived already in the Apostles time, yet being but in his infancy as it were, he wanted his inward and outward members; ... he wanted yet those hypocritical Ministers, and humane Ordinances, and the outward shew of those Religious Orders .... he wanted the secular strength and power, and could not force nor compell any from the truth unto falshood. And because he wanted many things yet, therefore he could not defile or scandalize any by his deceits, and thus, being so weak and tender, he could obtain no place in the Church. But growing up in his Members, that is to say, in his blinde and dissembling Ministers, and in worldly Subjects, he at length became a complete man, grew up to his full age, to wit, then when the lovers of the world in Church and State, blinde in faith, did multiply in the Church, and get all the power into their hands.” PFF1 880.7
5. MAN OF SIN LONG SEATED IN THE CHURCH
After referring to Antichrist’s defrauding of God and of “Christ as Mediator,” fostering idolatry, and stirring hate and violence against “those that love the truth,” the treatise sets forth Antichrist as having already fulfilled Paul’s specifications of the Man of Sin-and not still to be waited for:PFF1 880.8
“According to the Apostle we may truly say, This is that man of sin complete, that lifts up himself against all that is called God, or worshipped, and that setteth himself in opposition against all truth, sitting down in the Temple of God, that is in his Church, and shewing forth himself as if he were God, being come with all manner of deceivableness for those that perish. And since he is truly come, he must no longer be looked for; for he is grown old already by God’s permission.” PFF1 880.9
6. CITY OF BABYLON ALREADY SUFFERING FROM DIVISION
This treatise declares that Antichrist “begins even to decay, and his power and authority is abated” by “divers persons of good dispositions, sending abroad a power contrary to his,” and that God “puts division into that City of Babylon, wherein the whole generation of Iniquity doth prevail and reign.” PFF1 881.1
7. ATTACKS TRUTH AND PERSECUTES SAINTS
Enumerating the “works” of Antichrist as taking away the truth, changing it into falsehood, and covering falsehood with a semblance of truth, the treatise Of Antichrist charges that this”; perfect and complete” wickedness surpasses any other power up to the “time of Antichrist,” and is Christ’s most effective enemy, oppressing the true church.PFF1 881.2
“The holy Mother the Church with her true Children, is altogether troden under foot, especially in the Truth, and in what concerneth the true worship in the Truth, and the Ministry, and the exercise thereof, ... the holy Church is accounted a Synagogue of Miscreants, and the Congregation of the Wicked is esteemed the Mother of them, that rightly believe in the Word. Falshood is preached up for Truth, Iniquity for Righteousness, Injustice passeth for justice, Errour for Faith, Sin for Virtue, and Lyes for Verity.” PFF1 882.1
8. ROBS GOD, CHRIST, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
Antichrist robs God of “the worship properly due to God alone.” He “robs and bereaves Christ of His Merits”—of grace, justification, regeneration, remission, and sanctification. He “attributes the—Regeneration of the Holy Spirit unto the dead outward work.” He puts forth the mass and a “patchwork” of Jewish, heathenish, and Christian ceremonies. He parades works and resorts to simony. Then follow the seventh and eighth works:PFF1 882.2
“The seventh Work of Antichrist is, that he doth, not govern nor maintain his Unity by the Holy Spirit, but by Secular Power, and maketh use thereof to effect spiritual matters. ‘PFF1 882.3
“The eighth Work of the Antichrist is, that he hates, and persecutes, and searcheth after, dispoils and destroys the Members of Christ.” PFF1 882.4
9. ELECT OF GOD STILL IN ANTICHRIST’S BABYLON
Then are enumerated the devices by which Antichrist’s true character is concealed-plausible confession of faith, antiquity of succession, extent of control, apostolic authority, outward holiness, writings of the ancients, and the authority of councils. Consequently, many of God’s elect are still in Babylon.PFF1 882.5
“The Elect of God, that desire and do that which is good, are detained there, as in Babylon; and are like unto Gold, wherewith the wicked Antichrist doth cover his Vanity, not suffering them to serve God alone, nor to put all their hope in Christ alone, nor to embrace the true Religion.” PFF1 882.6
10. CHRISTIANS BOUND TO SEPARATE FROM ANTICHRIST
Antichrist covers his “lying wickedness” lest he be “rejected as a Pagan,” under which he acts his villanies, which necessitates separation.PFF1 883.1
“Now it is evident, as well in the Old, as in the New Testament, that a Christian stands bound, by express Command given him, to separate himself from Antichrist. For, the Lord saith, Isai 52. Withdraw, withdraw your selves, go forth thence, touch no unclean thing, go forth from the midst of her; cleanse your selves, ye that bear the Vessels of the Lord.” PFF1 883.2
11. CALLED TO JOIN HOLY CITY OF JERUSALEM
Then follow parallel texts from Jeremiah 50 (“flee out of Babylon, and come out of the land of the Chaldeans”), Leviticus 20 (“separated you from the rest of the nations”), Exodus 34 (“Make no friendship (or alliance]”), and others. Many references are cited from the New Testament, climaxing with Revelation 18 (“O my people, come forth out of her, and be not partakers of her sins”). Then follows this paragraph:PFF1 883.3
“Also the Lord commands our separating from him, and joyning out selves with the holy City of Jerusalem: therefore knowing such things, the Lord having revealed them unto us by his Servants, and believing this Revelation according to the holy Scriptures, and being admonished by the Commandments of the Lord, we do both inwardly and outwardly depart from Antichrist, because we know him to be the same; and we keep company and unity one with another, freely and uprightly, having no other intent and purpose but purely and singly to please the Lord, and to be saved: and by the Lords help, we joyn our selves to the Truth of Christ and his Spouse.” PFF1 883.4
12. IMPELLED BY CONSCIOUSNESS OF TWOFOLD TRUTH
Declaring it essential to set down the causes of the separation and the “kinde of Congregation” they themselves have in contrast, the treatise declares separation is for “the real Truths sake of the Faith.” Then follows a statement of evangelical faith in the Triune God, salvation through Christ, the communion of saints, the ministering of pastors to congregations in convenient place and time, and the preaching of the Word—of ‘the gospel. Next comes a list of the’ errors arid impurities of Antichrist, who “hath reigned a good whip already in the church `by Gods permission:’” This is accompanied by an extensive catalogue of Antichrist’s evil teachings and practices! that well covers the range of Catholicism; climaxing with, the religious: orders and rules. Here is the “fourth Iniquity“:PFF1 883.5
“The fourth Iniquity of Antichrist is, that notwithstanding his being the fourth Beast formerly described by Daniel, and.: the Whore, of the Revelation, he nevertheless adorns himself with the Authority, Power, Dignity, Ministry, Offices, and the Scriptures, and makes himself equal with the true and holy Mother the Church, wherein Salvation is to be had ministerially, and no, where else.” PFF1 884.1
What an amazingly comprehensive and balanced statement of the prophetic platform of the ostracized Wilderness Church! It is interesting to note that the Protestant Reformers of the sixteenth century; in the full glory of evangelical light, expressed similar views: And the seventeenth-century British investigators like Morland; and leaders like Cromwell and Milton, whose attention was called to the Waldensians by their persecutions, openly agreed with them that the Papacy is the prophesied Antichrist of Daniel; Paul, and John. Two extract’s must suffice to indicate how Morland shared their prophetic views:PFF1 884.2
“That this is the, Desart whither the woman fled when. she, was persecuted by the, Dragon with seven, heads and ten-horns: And where she had a place prepared of God, that they should feed her one thousand two hundred and sixty dales: That here it was that the Church fed, and where she made-her. Flocks to rest at noon, in those hot and scorching: seasons of the nine and tenth Centuries; Then it may be thou wilt begin: to believe with me, that it was in the clefts of these Rocks, and in the secret places of the stairs of these Valleys of _ Piemont, that the Dove of ‘Christ then’ remained, where also’’ the Italian Foxes then began to -spoil the Vines with their tender Grapes,, although they were, never able utterly, to destroy’ or pluck them up by the roots.” PFF1 884.3
“This little’ flock of Christ in the Valleys of Piemont; by reason of the remoteness and obscurity of their Country, and habitations (adding thereto the natural genius of those plain and simple people, which was not at all to effect high things) did for many Centuries together, peaceably enjoy, or at least preserve amongst them the purity of that Doctrine which was left them by Christ and his Apostles; and therefore when once the seaven horn’d beast rising out of the bottomless pit, began to shew it self in the world, and corruption to be foisted into the Church by the Roman Clergy, those true Nathaniels, could by no means drink down such abominations, but did with all their might resist and oppose the same, and that oft times, even unto bloud; and upon this account, and this alone, was it, that they became first the objects of their enemies’ hatred, and afterwards the subjects of their Antichrtstian fury.” PFF1 884.4
Picture 2: WALDENSIAN CONTRIBUTION TO THE REFORMATION
Part of title page of Bible translated into French in 1535, the Waldensian gift to the reformation (upper); portion of pages of manuscript of gospel of John, copied in the medieval language of the Waldenses (center); monument in the Angrogna valley commemorating the meeting at Chamforans in 1532 between the emissaries of the new reformation movement and note: data not clear.
Page 886PFF1 886
An idealized picture of primitive purity amid degeneration and corruption? Perhaps. But it is not too much to say that the Waldensian witness in the face of torture and death stands in luminous contrast to the murky darkness of papal misconception and intolerance. Most appropriate were the Waldensian insigne—the lighted candle in the midst of the seven stars—and their motto, Lux Lucet in Tenebris (Light Shines in Darkness). This is what we would expect; it is what we find. And it was the twofold consciousness of the all-sufficiency of Christ and the ominous character of Antichrist that held the Waldenses on their course in the face of mounting persecution, and impelled them to witness to this twofold truth, even if it meant the sacrifice of life itself.PFF1 886.1
