This claim was famously made by the Rev Ian Paisley, moderator of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster, and now head of the largest political party in Northern Ireland.
Just wondering if other protestants share this view.
2006-08-04 09:23:54 · 11 answers · asked by the last ninja 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The Bibles says the anti-christ will be good looking so in my own humble opinion, I don't think he is. :)
2006-08-04 09:29:09 · answer #1 · answered by BeeFree 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Some of them are probably going off of the prophecy to Pope Celestine II that there would follow 110 popes after him who will be proper but the 111th will be a man of evil. The new pope is, by some counts the 110th. So the next one will supposedly be evil. I have some issues with the RC Church, but I don't think the anti-Christ will be a pope. If anything, this bad pope will probably fill the role of the False Prophet who is a lackey to the anti-Christ.
2006-08-04 09:35:32 · answer #2 · answered by Crusader1189 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, most protestants do not believe that he will be the anti-Christ. The anti-Christ will be an imitation of Christ, being mortally wounded to the head,and then coming back to life again. He will appear to bring peace, being a pawn of Satan, deceiving most of the world. He is the one who brings in the tribulation and the battle of Armageddon in end times prophecy. No one knows the nationality of this person, with "666" being the number of his name. Another sign is that he forces everyone to receive a mark on either their forehead or the back of their hand, which will be required for anyone to purchase food, etc.
2006-08-04 09:50:16 · answer #3 · answered by Bill Mac 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Pope is the visable Head of the Church. In order for the Pope to be the anti-Christ he would have to be the opposite of Christ which is far from the TRUTH!
The Pope is the representative of Christ on the Earth--this responsibility/privilage was given to him by Jesus through apostolic succession from our first Pope, Saint Peter.
2006-08-04 09:31:32 · answer #4 · answered by CatholicMOM 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nah, I don't think that. I think that eventually when the time is right, whoever is the Pope might be a candidate to be the "head of the global church" that the Evil One will set up, and then destroy... but that could be said for any arbitrary major religious leader from any religion.
2006-08-04 09:49:39 · answer #5 · answered by Paul McDonald 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, the current Pope does look a little...shady, LOL! Certainly no John Paul II, but then no one else will be John Paul II.
2006-08-04 09:29:17 · answer #6 · answered by Nicole S 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just the whackjobs like Paisley
2006-08-04 09:27:14 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Martin Luther was not the first person to claim that the pope is the anti-Christ. John Wycliffe came to the same conclusion some 200 years before Luther did. Unlike Luther, Wycliffe had everything to loose and nothing to gain from proclaiming this, but he did it anyway because that is what he believed. Let us examine the facts.
What is the beast (the anti-Christ)? It is a religious power that rises out of Europe after the fall of Rome (and 3 of the tribes of the fallen empire are taken out) that acts as sovereign nation. It has much wealth and wants to change the laws of God.
"And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. “(Daniel 7:24 - 25 KJV)
The history of Europe settles the matter. There were 10 kingdoms that formed directly after the fall of Rome. After three kingdoms were taken out (the Vandals, Lombards, and Huns), the "Bishop of Rome" rose to power and formed what we now know as the Roman Catholic Church and this position is now known as the pope. With this power, the pope has changed God's times and laws. Many Christians no longer observe the Sabbath (God's time and God’s law) because the pope has instituted Sunday worship; the Roman Catechism even has a different set of Ten Commandments in it than the Bible's. It is also obvious that this kingdom represented by the little horn is different from all the others. The Vatican is a nation that has great wealth (the little horn wares an expensive crown earlier in Daniel chapter 7) but is very small (like a little horn among big ones) and is wholly ruled by a religious leader unlike any other nation in Europe today. The Vatican is a nation because the USA has an ambassador to the Vatican.
There are even more clues to point to the papal system as being the anti-Christ.
"And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast." (Revelation 13:3 KJV)
The pope was taken out of power and made prisoner (wounded) in 1798 by Napoleon. But, the pope was miraculously healed from his deadly wound in 1929, by Premier Mussolini if Italy who gave the pope all his power back!
The whole world has wondered after the pope. Just look at everyone that attended the funeral of the late John Paul II - leaders of almost every nation in the world!
Also, we find this of the anti-Christ. " And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. (Revelation 13:5 - 6 KJV)
What is blasphemy? "The act of claiming for oneself the attributes and rights of God." (American Heritage Dictionary)
Does the pope blaspheme?
"Against this background of love towards Holy Church, 'the pillar and bulwark of the truth' (1 Tim 3:15), we readily understand the devotion of Saint Francis of Assisi for 'the Lord Pope', the daughterly outspokenness of Saint Catherine of Siena towards the one whom she called 'sweet Christ on earth'" (Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation VITA CONSECRATA, (On The Consecrated Life And Its Mission In The Church And In The World), March 25, 1996.)
"The Pope is of so great dignity, and so exalted that he is not a mere man, but as it were God. and the vicar of God." (Ferraris Ecclesiastical dictionary)
"All names which in the Scriptures are applied to Christ, by virtue of which it is established that He is over the church, all the same names are applied to the Pope." (On the Authority of the Councils, book 2, chapter 17)
"The Pope and God are the same, so he has all power in Heaven and earth." (Pope Pius V, quoted in Barclay, Chapter XXVII, p. 218, "Cities Petrus Bertanous")
""To believe that our Lord God the Pope has not the power to decree as he is decreed, is to be deemed heretical." (the Gloss "Extravagantes" o.f Pope John XXII *** inter, Tit. XIV, Cap. IV. Ad Callem Sexti Decretalium, Paris, 1685)
I would say he dose! The pope also claimes to be able to forgive sins. The bible clearly says that this is blasphamy.
"Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?" (Mark 2:7 KJV)
I think the papal system matches up with the anti-Christ too much to be a coincidence.
2006-08-05 01:48:12 · answer #8 · answered by dee 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
actually the anserwer is ------NO! the antichrist will come from the E.U. it will be the false prophet that will be the pope so this rev.paisley is wrong dont these ppl read & study the Bible geeez
2006-08-04 09:30:13 · answer #9 · answered by chefgoudah 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
of course not besides he already died
and the new one i dont think so
2006-08-04 09:29:28 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋