His sympathies originally lay with the revolutionary Anabaptists who held Münster during the Münster Rebellion, but between Easter and Pentecost 1535, the Batenburgers from Groningen urged him to declare himself as 'a new David'.
Han sympatiserede oprindeligt med de revolutionære anabaptister, der holdt Münster besat under Münster-oprøret, men mellem påsken og pinsen i 1535 opfordrede batenburgerne fra Groningen ham til at udråbe sig selv som "en ny Kong David".