Have you ever heard of the Montanists? For the record, they aren’t people from Montana (hello to all Montanans!). Montanists were followers of an ancient movement that was only on the scene for a short amount of time – originating around 160AD. The movement received its name from its founder and leader, Montanus, but he did have two prominent female colleagues, Prisca (also known as Priscilla) and Maximilla. They abandoned their own marriages to follow Montanus, with some suggesting that Montanus convinced them to do so through spiritual manipulation.
The movement has its origins in the area known as Phrygia (present-day Turkey). The area of its birth is of interest, considering that Phrygia was also known as the epicentre of the cult worshipping the goddess Cybele. In fact, historians claim that Montanus was a priest in the cult prior to converting to Christianity.
Practices in the cult of Cybele were known as tumultuous, noisy and ecstatic affairs which, sadly, attracted many followers. Judging by the words of third-century church historian, Eusebius, he seems to question whether Montanus truly left behind his earlier ritualistic pagan practices.
Eusebius claims that Montanus had a lust for leadership and would suddenly fall into frenzy and convulsions after which he began to be ecstatic and talk unusually, giving strange prophecies. Those who heard him were convinced that he was possessed! Nevertheless, Montanus began accumulating followers and eventually drew a number of people away from the churches in Phrygia through his movement, initially known as the “New Prophecy” movement (though others named it the “Phrygian heresy”).
Eusebius was unapologetically scathing in his assessment of the movement, writing “these sectarians slithered like poisonous reptiles over Asia and Phrygia, boasting that Montanus was the Paraclete [see John 14:26] and that his female followers Priscilla and Maximilla were his prophetesses.”
Montanists had three main emphases. First, they emphasised a greater experience of the Holy Spirit, believing that Christianity involved two groups of believers – Spirit-filled believers who were truly holy (which Montanists claimed to be) and carnal believers (who were looked down upon). They also claimed that Montanus received new revelation directly from the Holy Spirit. Second, they showed a passion for moral purity, holiness, and what we might call an ascetic tendency. Third, they emphasised the premillennial return of Jesus Christ.
As a result of their belief in the imminency of Christ’s return, they summoned all believers to prepare for the heavenly descent of the New Jerusalem. But where? According to them, the New Jerusalem would land in Phrygian territory, specifically at a town called Pepuza (now central Turkey). Joseph Smith (of Mormon fame) would have vigorously disagreed since he believed the New Jerusalem would be in Missouri! Emanuel Swedenborg (of Swedenborgianism fame) would have disagreed with them both. He taught that the New Jerusalem was not a literal future city but a body of teaching which descends from heaven. In other words, he viewed the New Jerusalem as a symbolic representation of a new spiritual era.
Depending on the source of your information, Montanists are generally called anything from misunderstood to outright heretics. Those who judged them harshly believed that their longing for Christ was contaminated by an unhealthy craving that saw them completely shun this life and its earthly tasks. Because the Montanists were also premillennial by conviction (with some carrying their Premillennialism to extremes not supported by the Scriptures) some leaders of the Greek Church at the time became suspicious of the entire premillennial view. Consequently, they began to associate Premillennialism with extremism and heresy.
Whatever your views on the Montanists are, the principle we can take from this is that there is always somebody ready, willing and able to judge your actions, particularly in relation to a doctrinal position they disagree with. Therefore, it serves us well to remember that although we long for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of Jesus, He also has expectations regarding our conduct while we wait for Him.
A recent example of not conducting oneself in the proper manner comes through the life of a former co-host of The View, Sherri Shepherd. Addressing the controversy after the recent dates for the rapture again proved inaccurate, Sherri recounted her own experience when she said she “used to be in a religion that told me that the rapture was coming.” Sherri said, “I didn’t pay my bills. I didn’t pay my taxes. I did not pay my traffic tickets because why would I pay anything when the world’s about to end? My registration had been expired for two years. I had seriously $10,000 worth of unpaid moving violations.” Despite seemingly being aware of a subsequent bench warrant, Sherri continued, “Why would I show up to court when the world is about to end and I’m about to get taken up to heaven? Jesus don’t care about no parking tickets!” Well, she didn’t get caught up but she did get caught out, spending a total of eight days in jail! So, instead of accumulating unpaid fines, what should we be doing while here below?
Wait
In the case of the Montanists, because they were intensely eschatological in doctrine and advocated for a radical detachment from worldly affairs, many adherents moved to Pepuza in anticipation of the appearance of the New Jerusalem and the arrival of the Millennial Kingdom. What they, and others, overlook is that imminent does not necessarily mean immediate. A.T. Pierson (1837-1911) once rightly stated that imminence is the combination of two conditions – certainty and uncertainty. When applying that to the pretribulation rapture, we can affirm that this event is certain to take place (not if, but when) but that the timing of this event is uncertain.
Although recent efforts to set a date for the rapture may have been well-intentioned, they were utterly misinformed. The reason for this is that setting a date for the rapture completely destroys the doctrine of imminency which is so vividly displayed in the New Testament. God commands us to wait, not set a date! 1 Thessalonians 1:10: “and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.“
Walk
There is no doubt that the imminency of the Lord’s return should affect our lives. But rather than fall prey to false teachers, sensationalism, and date setting, it is important to keep in mind the exhortation of the Scriptures concerning our current conduct.
While we wait, we need to walk.
In fact, the Apostle Paul clearly and simply said many times that we are to walk worthy of the Lord. In other words, we are to ensure (through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit) that our practical walk matches our privileged position in Christ. If it doesn’t, we will be out of balance, which is exactly what the Greek word for “worthy” conveys. To walk worthy of the Lord has the picture of scales. Does our walk with Christ match our position in Christ or are the scales out of balance?
As two men were walking one day, one turned to the other and said, “You see that man over there? He has been in the army.” Surprised, his friend replied, “How can you tell? He wears no uniform or badges!” The response was swift but simple, “I can tell by his walk.” Do people recognise that you are in the Lord’s army by how you walk?
Work
In Ephesians 2:10 we read: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Did you know the word “workmanship” is where we derive our English word “poem”? You are God’s literary masterpiece. He lovingly writes a beautiful story with your life for His glory and part of the story is that you have been saved, not by works, but for works. God has a plan and purpose for each of our lives and we should walk in His will and fulfill His plan, not withdraw from the world and live in an obscure location like the Montanists.
In Conclusion
We are all familiar with the fact that our calendars contain many days. But Vance Havner used to say that the Apostle Paul’s calendar only had two days on it – today and “that day” (when he would see Jesus face to face). Because when you meditate on “that day” it means you will be motivated to live in obedience, truth and holiness today. So, if you feel overwhelmed with your wait, your walk or your work, simplify it and think only about two days: that day and today.
