Who here believes the pope is the Antichrist?

Question

I thought I had seen everything until I saw a Chick tracts and this site: www.jesus-is-savior.com

How can people actually believe that the pope is the antichrist? Sure, I know many Protestants hate the pope, but why do so many believe he is the antichrist? I highly doubt that the Catholic church is going to persecute people nowadays. What's your opinion on this?

Please do not read the question out of context. I do not believe the pope is the antichrist.

Scuba dude, the media distroted what he actually said. Find the actual letter and then determine yourself what he meant.

Answer 1

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.

Answer 2

It seems to be a common belief within the RCC that a future Pope will be the "beast" of Revelation. Supposedly JPII believed this, and there is a prophecy delivered by one of those claimed Mary visitations that makes this claim.

Many *true* [not an endorsement] protestant sects claim that the Pope is a (or the) antichrist. This is central to many protestant movements (although some just refute his authority).

Why do people believe it? Consider the size of the RCC and the power that the Pope has over so many Christians. The RCC accepts the idea that a pope will be "the beast" because they consider themselves the "true" church. Others accept the idea because of the power of that particular sect when compared with other sects. At this time in history, the Pope appears to have the capacity to do more harm to Christianity as a whole than any other single individual.

Jim, http://www.jimpettis.com/wheel/

Answer 3

Jimmy Carter will become the Antichrist aka Dajjal (8th King in Rev. 17) and he will serve another term in office after the death of Obama (7th king).

The angel Gabriel told me in Aug. 1973 when i was in Phillipsbrug, Montana that Jimmy Carter will become the Anti-Christ, and that he is going to change his name, and divorce his wife!

Obama is going to die first and then the Anti-Christ aka Dajjal who was one of the previous 7 Presidents will take his place!

Rev. 17:10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, [and] the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

All 7 kings were all alive until the death of Ronald Reagan June 5, 2004 when George W. Bush was in office ;
1. Gerald Ford
2. Jimmy Carter
3. Ronald Reagan
4. George H. W. Bush
5. Bill Clinton

6. George W. Bush.... is spoken of in the present tense (and one is) because until Reagan died (June 5, 2004) all 7 were alive!

7. Barack Obama.......and one is yet to come! He will die a few days after he raises taxes!
Obama is also in Dan. 11:20
Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes [in] the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.

Rev. 17:11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

Answer 4

Biblical apocalyptic literature predicts the coming of "the" Antichrist, the name given to the one who will be Christ’s chief enemy. This will be just one person.

It is not uncommon for fundamentalist writers or preachers to attach the label to a currently living person. By calling a second (or third or fourth) person "the" Antichrist, they show that they were wrong when they applied the title to the first person.

Every Pope since the time of Martin Luther has been labeled "the" Antichrist by at least one anti-Catholic "Christian," making each one incorrect (so far).

The adjective "anti-Christ" does not refer to the person prophesied in the Bible. It may be applied to an attitude or action judged to be fundamentally opposed to Christ and his message, for example: Hating others is anti-Christ.

With love in Christ.

Answer 5

There's no such thing as "the antichrist" in the Bible. There are many antichrists -- those who are against Jesus, the Christ. If you are referring to the Beast in the book of revelation, then there is no reason to think it's the Pope because there doesn't seem to be any correlation between the Pope and what the Beast is supposed to do as recounted in revelation.

Answer 6

To determine whose the antichrist one should go to what the Bible says is the antichrist. Have you seen all the prophecies that expose the pope as the antichrist? Remnantofgod.org/666-CHAR.htm
It's no coincidence the vatican fulfills all prophecies.
God bless you to accept truth.

Answer 7

Its kind of irrational..

They thought Pope John Paul II was the Antichrist....now Pope Benedict is being called the Antichrist. How could they both be the Antichrist....did Pope Benedict inherit the title from Pope John Paul II ?

Answer 8

for starters, chick tracts are nothing but hatred and I loathe to even associate them with Protestant teachings. they do not encourage for anyone to learn about other religions, but instead spread fear and hate and bigotry. I know enough Protestants to know that this is not their way. we may disagree on religion, but no Protestant that I've ever met has ever shown the close-minded hatred of the chick tracts.

Secondly, I do not think the Pope is the anti-christ. I'm Catholic, but I also don't think that any influential leader of any other religion (Juedaism, Christianity, Islam, Hindu, etc) is the anti-christ. Personally, I think the anti-christ will wind up being a polititian, not a religious leader.

Answer 9

There's a lot of "circumstantial evidence" that points to him, but the problem is that I believe the Antichrist won't ascend to power until AFTER the Rapture. No mention is made of him in the Church Age that we live in, so I'd suppose he will be a man of great charisma in some sort of European financial/business authority (leader of the World Bank maybe?) One thing is clear...Since he's a MAN, he's alive today, but simply hasn't been indwelt with Satanic power yet because the Church Age hasn't ended with the Rapture yet.

Answer 10

THe pope is not the anti-christ... though he is more of the Anti-Pope...