Although the Bible warns us that many antichrists will arise, it also
warns of one specific deceiver who stands out from the rest, and
clearly identifies that great destroyer of souls with Rome (Matthew
24:15,24, 1 John 2:18,22, 1 John 4:3, Revelation 17:18).
In his letter to the Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul
predicted that one, “Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is
called God, or that is worshiped” would someday sit “in the temple of
God, showing himself that he is God” (2Thessalonians 2:4).
That prophesy was fulfilled a few centuries later as
popes began to sit in God's temple, taking to themselves worship and
honor that belongs only to God. In fact, the pope still takes to
himself titles that belong to God, claims to be (and is officially
designated as) God on earth, and until the early part of the twentieth
century, required all who came before him to kiss his feet.
According to Pope Innocent III, “The Pope holds the
place of the True God.” The Canon Law [in the gloss] denominates the
Pope, “Our Lord God,” and the canonists say that, “The Pope is the one
God who has all power in heaven and in earth.” Pope Pius XII had a
medal struck depicting himself as the “Savior of Rome.” At the time of
his coronation, Pope Alexander VI had a triumphal arch erected with a
Latin inscription that read, “By Caesar Rome was great, but now is
greatest, when reigns Alexander the sixth. The former was a man, the
latter is God.” Another inscription in his honor read, “Liberty, Pious
Justice, Golden Peace, the gifts which Rome are thine, this new God
gives thee” [“The Papacy Evaluated” by E. G. Behm]
The idea that the Pope is the Antichrist spoken of
in scripture was voiced by Catholic Christians long before the Lutheran
Reformation. In fact, before the bishop in Rome ever claimed to be
Pope, Christian believers identified the head of the Roman Empire as an
Antichrist because he persecuted believers while claiming to be God.
Nevertheless, when Constantine made Catholic Christianity the official
religion of the Roman Empire, he was allowed to become the head of the
church even though he was still officially a Roman god. And, once the
capital had been moved to Constantinople, he and his successors
continued to be regarded as head of the Church. However, in the west,
the bishop of Rome stepped in to fill the void left when the city of
Rome ceased to be the capital of the known world, took upon himself all
the pomp and lavish grandeur that formerly belonged to the emperor, and
proclaimed himself to be king of kings, Christ's substitute, and God on
earth.
As a result, at the Synod of Rheims in the year 991,
the Bishop Arnulf referred to the Pope as, “The Antichrist who sits in
the temple of God and reveals himself as though he were God.” In the
year 1130 St. Bernhard said, “The beast of the Apocalypse (Revelation)
to whom has been given a mouth full of blasphemy and who wars against
the saints, has arrogated the chair of Peter as a lion devours his
prey.” Similar sentiments were voiced by Aretas in 1010, John of
Chartres in 1157, Abbot Joachim in 1200, Eberhard of Salzburg in 1240,
Rupert of Lincoln in 1250, Bishop Probus of Toulouse in 1280, Robert
Gallus in 1290, and by many others over the centuries.
In regard to the Pope's claim to be the Vicar (or
substitute) of Christ on earth, it is interesting to know that in the
Greek language the word “anti,” which is used in the Greek New
Testament as a prefix in the word antichrist, can sometimes mean
“substitute.” In fact, in Matthew 20:28 and Mark 10:45 that same word
“anti” (translated “for”) is used in reference to Christ's vicarious
(substitutionary) atonement.
Keeping in mind what Paul said about the Antichrist
in 2Thessalonians 2:4, let us take a careful look at some of the things
revealed in the Book of Revelation.
In reading the book of Revelation, it is important
to understand that it gives us a literal description of a vision, or
series of visions, that John saw, not historical events (Revelation
1:10). For that reason, even though those visions have a prophetic
significance, interpreters who regard them as a description of
historical events have departed from the literal meaning of the words.
In order to avoid that error, we must let Scripture interpret itself.
And, Scripture tells us in many places that the vision is symbolic
(Revelation 1:20, Revelation 19:8, Revelation 17:15,16,18, Revelation
12:9, Revelation 5:6,9). Therefore, in seeking to understand its
meaning, instead of professing ourselves to be wise, we need to set
aside our own ideas and pay careful attention any explanations of the
vision included in the text (Revelation 17:18, Revelation 1:20,
Revelation 12:9).
For example, in chapter 17 we encounter a woman who
is called “Mystery Babylon the Great” (verses 3-6). And, there has been
a lot of speculation as to who she is. However, verse 18 of that same
chapter explains the vision by telling us that the woman that John saw,
“is [present tense] that great city, which reigneth [present tense]
over the kings of the earth” (Revelation 17:18). The use of the present
tense is significant because it points to the time when John was
writing. And, at that time, Rome was the city that reigned over the
kings of the earth. In other words, Rome is Babylon the great. Keeping
that fact in mind, let us look at what chapters twelve, thirteen, and
fourteen have to say. [You might begin by reading those chapters.]
In chapter twelve, John describes a woman who is
clothed with the sun, and travailing in birth. When we look to what the
Bible says elsewhere for clues as to who she might be, we find a very
similar prophesy in the Book of Isaiah. In both accounts a woman (who
is portrayed as the mother of believers) brings forth a “man child”
[Christ] (Compare Isaiah 66:7-10, with Revelation 12:1-5,17, see also
Mark 3:31-35, and Galatians 4:26). However, since Isaiah identifies
that woman as Jerusalem, and Paul tells us that “Jerusalem which is
above is free, which is the mother of us all,” it becomes evident that
the woman is a personification of God's church (Galatians 4:26).
We next see the devil described as a great red
dragon, who begins by trying to destroy Christ, and after Christ is
caught up to the throne of God, persecutes the woman [the church], and
makes war on her seed [believers] (Revelation 12:3,4,9,13,17). In other
words, working first through Herod and then through the Jewish leaders,
the devil does his best to destroy Christ. Then, after Christ ascends
unto heaven (verse 5), he begins to persecute the Christian church, and
make war on believers (verses 13 and 17). Furthermore, we know from the
book of Acts that Satan worked through the Jews to carry out that
persecution. [Acts 4:17,18, Acts 7:57-60, Acts 8:1-3, Acts 9:1-2, Acts
13:50, Acts 14:19, Acts 20:3, Acts 21:27-30, Acts 23:12.]
In chapter thirteen, John describes a great beast
that carries forward Satan's war on Christian believers (verses 1-7).
When we search the Scriptures for clues as to the identity of that
beast, we find that it is similar to a beast (usually identified with
Rome) that is described in the book of Daniel. In Chapter seventeen, it
is being ridden by “Mystery Babylon the Great” who we have already
identified with Rome. And, we know from history that persecution by the
Roman government followed persecution by the Jews. Therefore, it seems
pretty certain that the first beast of chapter thirteen is a spiritual
depiction of imperial Rome. In fact, the reference to Babylon in
Revelation 14:8 supports that interpretation. [Daniel 7:1-7 and
17-23, Daniel 2:36-40, Daniel 8:20,21, Revelation 14:8 and 17:7].
When Constantine made Christianity the official
religion of Rome and moved the capital of the empire from Rome to
Constantinople, it seemed as if the great beast that persecuted
Christians had received a deathblow. However, once the bishop of Rome
took upon himself all the pomp and lavish grandeur that formerly
belonged to the emperor, the persecuting beast was revived, and
persecution of anyone who questioned the pope’s authority continued
more fiercely than ever (Revelation 13:3,7).
Going a little further in chapter thirteen, John
describes a false prophet, who looks like a lamb but speaks the words
of Satan (Revelation 13:11). This false prophet then causes men to make
a likeness of the beast, which we have already identified as imperial
Rome. In other words, he leads them to form an institution patterned
after, or similar to, Imperial Rome (an image of Rome, Revelation
13:14). Moreover, he is the spokesman of this image of Rome — the one
who makes it speak — and he makes everyone submit to it, bow down to
it, and obey it rather than God (Revelation 13:15).
This false prophet then makes everyone receive a
mark, and if you understand the gospel you should understand what that
mark is, for only unbelief damns (verse 18). The reference to the right
hand and forehead is a reference to the law, and thus to works
righteousness (verse 16, Deuteronomy 6:8 and 11:18). The name of the
beast is Rome, and all who call themselves “Roman Catholic” have that
name (verse 17). And, the number of the beast is 666, which is the
number of a man (verse 18). Since the Bible associates the number seven
with completeness or perfection, the number 666 signifies man’s
righteousness which falls short of perfection (Romans 3:23). Therefore,
the significance of the mark, the name, and the number is works
righteousness. All, who trust in man’s righteousness will die in their
sins and go into eternity unforgiven (Revelation 14:9-10).
Chapter fourteen begins with a vision of a great
multitude (144,000) who have been redeemed (verse 3). This multitude
follows Jesus (the Bible) rather than the church of Rome (verse 4).
And, the fact that they are without guile tells us that they do not
rationalize sin, or deceive themselves concerning their own
righteousness (Psalm 32:2, John 1:47, Luke 18:11). This multitude
represents the first fruits of that great restoration of the gospel
that
took place at the time of the reformation (verse 4). In verse 6, John
sees an angel who has the everlasting gospel to preach. While some see
that angel as a reference to Martin Luther, it is clear that God was at
work during the time of the reformation. So much so, that Luther
marveled at how fast the gospel spread, and commented that it seemed as
if the angels in heaven were spreading the good news.
Following the restoration of the gospel, a second angel proclaims
“Babylon [Rome] is fallen” (verse 8).
In light of what has been revealed up to this point,
we can view the bloodshed described at the end of chapter fourteen as a
reference to the bloody religious wars that followed the Reformation.
Wars in which the pope sought to bring the nations that had turned to
the gospel, back under his authority (Revelation 14:9,10,20). While war
is always a horrible thing, during that time of turmoil God was able to
reap a mighty harvest of souls (verse 15) as millions became adamant in
their devotion to the gospel, and opposition to the false gospel of
Rome.
While chapters fifteen and sixteen describe God's
ongoing wrath against Babylon [Rome], in the thirteenth verse of
chapter sixteen, we are told that John saw three unclean spirits come
out of the mouth of the dragon (Satan), the beast (Rome), and the false
prophet (the pope) (Revelation 15:6-7, Revelation 16:2,6,13). Those
unclean spirits then work to turn the world against God, and that is
what we see happening in the world today. In regard to this prophesy,
it is interesting to learn that the founder of the Luciferian order of
Illuminati (Adam Weishaupt) came out of the church of Rome (he was
trained by the Jesuits). After the order of Illuminati was outlawed,
its former members played a part in bringing the communist movement
into existence. At present, many of the Catholic clergy are
involved in communism, and they have even created a “theology of
liberation” which they use to justify their atrocities.
Now, in order to put things in perspective, I want
to make it clear that I know many Catholics who are anti-Communist.
Nevertheless, they complain about Communist activity on the part of
some of their clergy. Of course, that is no surprise, for I see the
Papacy [not the Catholic congregations, but the Papacy that controls
them] and the Communist Party as two arms of Satan's attack on
believers. Both are hostile to the gospel, both have burned Bibles, and
both have killed Christians.
Around the world, we see governments growing more
hostile to Christianity. The persecution of Christians is becoming more
common. And, even in the United States, there is a concerted effort to
exclude Christian influence from government and education. If this
hostility to believers is the same hostility described in Revelation
chapter sixteen, then what happens in the future will depend on whether
chapters 17 and 18 describe the same events as chapters 13 and 14. That
could be the case, for chapters 13 and 17 both describe Rome (Babylon),
while chapters 14 and 18 both contain the phrase “Babylon is fallen, is
fallen” (Revelation 14:8, Revelation 18:2). However, if the events
portrayed in chapter 18 are yet in the future, we can expect to see
Christianity triumph over Communism.* And, we can expect to see the
papacy revived (perhaps as a “one world church”) before Christ returns.
At the same time, we could see another reformation (compare Revelation
18:1-2 with 14:6-8). One which results in Satan being bound, in the
sense that he will not be allowed to deceive the nations with false
religion (Revelation 18:1-6, Revelation 20:1-3). Whatever happens, we
know that the Pope will be trying to pass himself off as God when
Christ returns, for the Bible tells us that “the Lord shall… destroy
[him] with the brightness of his coming” (2Thessalonians 2:8).
* NOTE: This essay was written prior to the fall of Communism in Russia
and Eastern Europe.
Although many people think that the Papacy has
changed and is no longer hostile to the gospel, it has never admitted
that it was wrong, or retracted the curse that the council of Trent
placed on everyone who believes that we are saved through trust in
God’s mercy in Christ. Instead, God has stripped it of political power.
However, it is doing all that it can to regain political power, and is
openly hostile to the gospel in countries where its influence is strong.