The End of the World

No period in Church history…presents a darker picture than Christian Europe at the close of the tenth century. The degradation of the Papacy, the corrupt state of the Church within, and the number and power of her enemies without, threatened her complete overthrow. Besides the Muslims in the East, and the pagan Northmen, a new enemy–the Hungarians–burst unexpectedly upon Christendom. In the strong language of history, they seemed as hordes of savages, or wild beasts, let loose on mankind. Their source was unknown, but their numbers appeared inexhaustible. Indiscriminate massacre seemed their only war law: civilization and Christianity withered before their desolating march; mankind were panic-stricken.

In addition to these appalling calamities, famines prevailed and brought plague and pestilence in their train…The prediction of our Lord seemed to be accomplished: “And there shall be…upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.”

But, though these words describe the state of things then, the prophecy was far from being fulfilled; as our Lord immediately adds, “And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Lk. 21:25-27).

But if ever man might be forgiven the dream of believing that the end of the world was come, it was then. The clergy preached it, the people believed it, and it rapidly spread over all Europe. It was boldly promulgated that the world would come to an end when a thousand years from the Saviour’s birth were expired. From about the year 960 the panic increased, but the year 999 was looked upon as the last which anyone would ever see. This general delusion, through the power of Satan, was founded on a total misunderstanding…of the prophecy concerning the Millennial reign of the saints with Christ for a thousand years. “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years” (Rev. 20:6-7).

999–THE YEAR OF TERROR

The ordinary cares and employments of this life were given up. The land was left untilled; for why plow, why sow, when no one would be left to reap? Houses were allowed to fall into decay; for why build, why repair, why trouble about property, when a few months will put an end to all terrestrial things?…

The rich, the noble, the princes, and bishops, abandoned their friends and families, and hastened to the shores of Palestine in the persuasion that Mount Zion would be the throne of Christ when He descended to judge the world.

Large sums of money were given to churches, as if to secure a more favorable sentence from the supreme Judge. Kings and emperors begged at monastery doors, to be admitted as brethren of the holy order; crowds of the common people slept in the porches of the holy buildings, or at least under their shadow.

But in the meantime the multitudes must be fed. The last day of the thousand years had not yet arrived. But food there was none; corn and cattle were exhausted, and no provision had been made for the future. The most frightful extremities were endured, far too revolting to be repeated here. But the day of doom drew nearer and nearer.

The last evening of the thousand years arrived: a sleepless night for all Europe! Imagination must fill up the doleful picture.

But in place of some extraordinary convulsion, which all were tremblingly waiting for, the night passed away as other nights had done, and in the morning the sun shed forth his beams as peacefully as ever. The amazed but now relieved multitudes began to return to their homes, repair their buildings, plow, sow, and resume their former occupations.

Thus closed the first thousand years of the Church’s history; the darkest day in the reign of Jezebel, and in the annals of Christendom.

Miller’s Church History, pp. 323-325

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