Eschatology is the study of the end times. For many world religions and cultures the end times signify a time of a re-righting of good and evil, and it often ends with either a war or other cataclysmic event or a combination. For the Early Anabaptists, some took very literally that Jesus was coming back during the Radical Reformation while others took it more figuratively. Hans Hut, Melchior Hoffman, Thomas Muntzer,Jan Mathijis, all had an apocalyptic view the times they were living.
These radicals believed it was time for the 144,000 to be chosen through believers baptism and the rest of the world should fall to their knees and beg for mercy. For some like Muntzer it would lead to a movement that would take up swords in honor of this end times gospel against the nobility while Jan Mathijis would take up the sword in Muenster. Mathijis believed that Muenster was the New Jerusalem, where Armageddon was to take place. To choose Muenster as the New Jerusalem was a "poor choice". The evangelical city was already at war with the Catholic Bishop and what the battle of Muenster did was solidify the distrust of Anabaptists by both Catholics and Evangelicals alike.
Thomas Muntzer had a vision for equality, he lead the war cry in peasants war in 1524. He was captured, tortured and decapitated. He was seen as an anarchist trying to topple the governments that had been put in place by God. The people who survived the Peasant Revolt believed that a prophet would come.
The prophet that would come, would be a socio-path named Jan Mathijis. He believed that he was the Enoch, or last prophet to be alive during the age as revealed in John's Apocalypse. Muenster was the New Jerusalem for this sect of Anabaptism from about 1534-1535. Mathijis ran the evangelicals out of the city and held it for about a year and a half. He wielded his sword with a mighty fist and his rule was not to be questioned. But when it came to the battle field he brought none. that if he simply walked out into the battle field nothing would happen to him. As walked on the battle field he was hacked to death before the Muntzerites very eyes.
Even crazier was his successor Jan Van Lienden who was a tailor and actor took the reigns after Mathijis demise. It was like the succession of the Cesars of Rome, they just got craizer and crazier. Lienden soon elevated himself giving himself to king name Jan Van Lienden, the king of the New Jerusalem. After so many men had died he took up 16 concubines and reinstated polygamy. While the City of Muenster was under siege all of this was happening, and the Evangelicals were building a bigger and bigger army. Perhaps the blood did run as high as the horses bridal in Muenster, but it would be the blood of the Anabaptists not their adversaries.
The apocalyptism of these men and their failure set Anabaptism on a different trajectory. There were those who were grew up along side violent brothers, known as the staff bearers. The staff bearers who included William Marpeck, Menno Simons, Sattler and others believed that this world was not their home, and that God was the one who should seek vengeance, not God's people. Some hoped the Turks would destroy the hegemony that persisted in Northern Europe, while others simply believed that Christ was coming soon, and they must reflect the light of Christ. Still others believed that it was meet and right to be a people who were non violent but there was no second coming eminent, Menno fell into this category.
It would seem if the Muenster would have succeeded, Anabaptism would have become a leading force in Europe. They simply did not have enough numbers or money to back the war effort. The radicals in Muenster were primarily made up of those from the guilds and the local peasant classes. Lutheranism might have been eclipsed if the Muntzerites would have succeeded. Instead, the Anabaptist have this testimony to remind themselves of how life is precious and that our lives belong to God and not government.
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