The Pope Confesses That He Is the Antichrist

Below is an excerpt from the book, Antichrist: The Beast Revealed.

 

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            The first mention of the antichrist in scripture is made by Jesus Christ. “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” (Matthew 24:5) Jesus did not use the word antichrist, but he was clearly warning of “many” who would come claiming to be Christ. Jesus clarified his warning a few verses later when he stated: “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” (Matthew 24:24) See also, Mark 13:22. Jesus warned of false (pseudo) Christs (plural). In identifying the antichrist, one should not look for one but rather “many,” who will not only oppose Jesus Christ but also seek to take his place as Christ.


            John builds on what Jesus had warned and for the first time in scripture comes out and calls the false Christ, antichrist. “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.” 1 John 2:18. Notice the warning of John includes the point that even then there were many antichrists (plural). We know from what John and Jesus said that antichrist, while a singular noun, is intended to describe a person who occupies an office that is filled by “many” antichrists. Christian historian J. A. Wylie explains the significance of the title, antichrist, used by John. Wylie’s sublime writing cannot be equaled, and so I will quote him directly:

 

Who is Antichrist? It will help us to the right answer to this question if we shall first determine, What is Antichrist?

 

Antichrist is an enemy who makes war with the Son of God. Of that there is no doubt. But what is the form of this war, and under what character does Antichrist carry it on? Does he wage it openly, or does he fight it under a mask? Does he take the field as an open rebel and a declared foe, or does he come as a friendly adherent who professes to bring support and help to the cause which, in reality, he seeks to undermine and destroy? To determine this point, let us look at the meaning of the word Antichrist as employed in Scripture. 1


            Wylie explains that the key to understanding who is the antichrist, is to first understand what the word antichrist means.

 

The reader sees that the term is a composite one, being made up of two words anti and Christ. The name is one of new formation; being compounded, it would seem, for this very enemy, and by its etymology expressing more exactly and perfectly his character than any other word could. The precise question now before us is this –What is the precise sense of anti in this connection? Does it designate an enemy who says openly and truly, “I am against Christ.” Or does it designate one who says plausibly, yet falsely, “I am for Christ.” Which? 2 To determine this, let us look at the force given to this prefix by writers in both classic literature and Holy Scripture. First, the old classic writers. By these the preposition anti is often employed to designate a substitute. This is, in fact, a very common use of it in the classic writers. For instance, anti-basileus, he who is the locum tenens of a king, or as we now should say viceroy: anti having in this case the force of the English term vice. He who filled the place of consul was antihupatos, pro-counsul. He who took the place of an absent guest at a feast was styled antideipnos. The preposition is used in this sense of the great Substitute Himself. Christ is said to have given Himself as an antilutron, a ransom in the stead of all. Classic usage does not require us to give only one sense to this word, and restrict it to one who seeks openly, and by force, to seat himself in the place of another, and by violent usurpation bring that other’s authority to an end. We are at liberty to apply it to one who steals into the office of another under the mask of friendship; and while professing to uphold his interest, labours to destroy them. 3


            So the antichrist must be a man who cunningly and secretly works against Christ while coming in a line of “many” who comes in the guise of being in place of Christ. Antichrist, therefore, means one who takes the place of Christ while opposing him. Wylie explains why this cannot be any of the leaders of atheism or pantheism.

 

Antichrist, then, is a counterfeit. But this one mark is not alone sufficient to identify the person on whom it is found as the great apostate. All deceit in religion is anti-Christian; the other marks must come along with this one to warrant us to say that we have found that pre-eminently wicked one, and that portentous combination of all evil that is to form the Antichrist. Yet this one mark enables us to test certain theories which have been advanced on this subject. If Antichrist must necessarily be a deceiver –a false Christ – then no Atheist or body of Atheists can be Antichrist. No Pantheist of body of Pantheists can be Antichrist. They are not deceivers; they are open enemies. They make war in defiance of God and Christ, and under the protestation that there is no such person as the Bible affirms filling the office of the world’s Mediator and Saviour. They hold the whole affair to be an invention of priests. Antichrist dare make no such avowal. It would be fatal to him. Were he to affirm that Christianity is a fable, and out and out imposture, he would cut away the ground from under his own feet. He would deny the very first postulate in his system; for there must first be a Christ before there can be an Antichrist. 4


            The antichrist does not openly oppose Christ, his opposition is surreptitious. The antichrist is a pretender. He is the leader of a phalanx of evil men, engaging in a spiritual battle against Christ by deceiving the unwary into believing they are ministers of righteousness.

 

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)


            The antichrist is not a political leader who openly opposes Christ. The antichrist certainly opposes Christ, but he does it through dissimulation, under the guise of being an advocate of Christ. Wylie explains:

 

And not less does this mark shut us up to the rejection of the theory which has been advanced with much earnestness and some plausibility, that Antichrist is a political character, or potentate, some frightfully tyrannical and portentously wicked King, who is to arise, and for a short space devastate the world by arms. This is an altogether different Antichrist from that Antichrist which prophecy foreshadows. He may resemble, nay, surpass him, in open violence, but he lacks the profound dissimulation under which Antichrist is to commit his atrocities. The rage of the mere tyrant is indiscriminately vented upon the world at large; Antichrist’s rage is concentrated on one particular object and cause; nor with any propriety can such a one be said to sit in the “temple of God,” the seat on which the mock-Christ specially delights to show himself. Prophecy absolutely refuses to see in either of these theories the altogether unique and over-topping system of hypocrisy, blasphemy, and tyranny which it has foretold. So far we are helped in our search. When we are able to put aside some of the false Antichrists, we come more within sight of the true one. 5


            There are many characters who oppose Christ, but in order for that person to be the antichrist, he must seek to replace Christ. If he is not a substitute, indeed a counterfeit Christ, he cannot be the antichrist. Wylie explains for that reason, a religious leader who opposes Christ without claiming to replace Christ cannot be the antichrist; so also a religious leader who ostensibly supports Christ without claiming to replace him cannot be the antichrist.

 

Well, let us suppose that one or other of these notoriously wicked personages or systems has been put to the bar, on the charge of being the “adversary” predicted by John. “Who are you?” says the judge. “Are you a Vice-Christ? So you make a profession of Christianity, and under that pretext seek to undermine and destroy it? “No,” replies the accused. “I am no counterfeit. Christ and His Gospel I hate; but I am an open enemy, I fight under no mask.” Turning to the likeness drawn by Paul and John of Christ’s great rival and opponent, and finding the outstanding and essential feature in the portrait absent in the accused, the judge would be constrained to say, “I do not find the charge proven. Go your way; you are not the Antichrist.”

 

Mohammedanism comes nearer than any other of the opposing systems to the Antichrist of the Bible; yet it falls a long way short of it. Mohamet did not disavow the mission of Jesus; on the contrary, he professed to hold Him in honour as a prophet. And in much the same way do His followers still feel towards Christ. But Islam does not profess to be an imitation of Christianity. Any counterfeit that can be discovered in Mohammedanism is partial and shadowy. 6


            Who is this antichrist warned of by Jesus and John? The answer is clear, because the antichrist has announced to the world his identity. The pope considers himself to be the “Vicar of Christ” (which means Vice-Christ), and it is this that identifies him as the antichrist. Pope Boniface VIII stated: “Therefore, of the one and only Church there is one body and one head, not two heads like a monster; that is, Christ and the Vicar of Christ, Peter and the successor of Peter.” 7


            That quote from Pope Boniface VIII is purported to be an infallible pronouncement on the primacy of the pope over all rulers and authority on earth. Clearly, Pope Boniface is stating unequivocally that he and all popes in succession are the vicars of Christ. The world recognizes the pope as the vicar of Christ. Even the satanically subversive Rolling Stone magazine in a laudatory cover story on the newly installed Pope Francis called him, “Pope Francis, the 266th vicar of Jesus Christ on Earth.” 8 J. A. Wylie describes the title, vicar of Christ, as the key to unlocking the identity of the antichrist.

 

The Papacy holds in its name the key of its meaning. We shall make use of that key in unlocking its mystery and true character. The Papacy cannot complain though we adopt this line of interpretation. We do nothing more than use the key it has put into our hands. 9


            How is the title, vicar of Christ, the key to identifying the antichrist? The key is found in the meaning of vicar. The word vicar means one who acts in place of another. We derive the English word vice from vicar. For example the Vice President acts in place of the President during those times when the President himself cannot act. The Bible talks about one who would come and deceive the world into believing that he is in place of Christ. He is identified as the antichrist. The pope himself is acknowledging that he is the antichrist by claiming to be the vicar of Christ. Vicar of Christ means antichrist. Noah Webster defined the prefix “anti” as a preposition meaning not only against but also in place of the noun it precedes. 10 The Oxford English Dictionary 11 defines “anti” as meaning “opposite, against, in exchange, instead, representing, rivaling, simulating.” Antichrist means one who is against Christ and at the same time purports to take the place of Christ. Therefore, vicar of Christ = antichrist.


            Wylie explains: “Of all systems that ever were on the earth, or are now upon it, Romanism alone meets all the requirements of prophecy, and exhibits all the features of the Vice-Christ; and it does so with a completeness and a truthfulness which enable the man who permits himself to be guided by the statements of the Word of God on the one hand, and the facts of history on the other, to say at once, ‘This is the Antichrist.’” 12


            Wylie elaborates on the significance of the title “Vicar of Christ” used by the popes of Rome and how that title reveals the papacy is the very office of the antichrist:

 

The Apostle John, we have said, speaking of the apostacy, the coming of which he predicts, styles it the “Antichrist.” And we have also said that the Papacy, speaking through its representative and head, calls itself the “Vicar of Christ.” The first, “Antichrist,” is a Greek word, the second, “Vicar,” is an English word; but the two are in reality one, for both words have the same meaning. Antichrist translated into English is Vice-Christ, or Vicar of Christ; and Vicar of Christ, rendered into Greek is Antichrist–Antichristos. If we can establish this –and the ordinary use of the word by those to whom the Greek was a vernacular, is decisive on the point–we shall have no difficulty in showing that this is the meaning of the word “Antichrist,”–even a Vice-Christ. And if so, then every time the Pope claims to be the Vicar of Christ, he pleads at the bar of the world that he is the “Antichrist.” 13


            The pope’s claim to be the vicar of Christ continues to be the official position of the Catholic Church. For example, Pope John Paul II made the claim that the pope is the fulfilment of Christ’s promise that he will be with us until the end of the world. John Paul II says that Jesus is personally present in his church through the office of the pope.

 

Once again, concerning names: The Pope is called the ‘Vicar of Christ.’ This title should be considered within the entire context of the Gospel. Before ascending into heaven, Jesus said to the apostles: ‘I am with you always, until the end of the age’ (Matthew 28:20). Though invisible, He is personally present in His Church. Pope John Paul II. 14


            Jesus’ promise in Matthew 28:20 to be with his church until the end of the age is fulfilled by the Holy Ghost. It is the Holy Ghost, not the pope of Rome, through whom Jesus is present with us.

 

These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:25-26)

 

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. (John 16:7)


            Pope John Paul II’s claim to be the fulfillment of the prophecy by Jesus that he would be with them until the end of the age reveals the pope as the deceiver, whom Christ warned of in Matthew when he said “many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ.” Matthew 24:5.


            The case for the pope being the antchrist is so compelling that even informed Catholic theologians admit to the uncanny similarity of the pope to the prophesied antichrist. For example, the Catholic Encyclopedia (without admitting the pope is the antichrist) acknowledges that, because“the pope is an image of Christ, Antichrist must have some similarity to the Pope.” That statement in the Catholic Encyclopedia comes as precipitously close to the edge as one can come to identifying the papal vicar of Christ as the antichrist, while at the same time denying that fact. The Encyclopedia avers that the “Antichrist simulates Christ,”and therefore, “Antichrist must have some similarity to the Pope,” since the pope claims to be “an image of Christ.” The Catholic Encyclopedia maintains that the pope is not the antichrist, but at the same time avers that the antichrist must necessarily be just like the pope. The full quote is below:

 

The gibe, “If the Pope is not Antichrist, he has bad luck to be so like him”, is really another argument in favour of the claims of the Pope; since Antichrist simulates Christ, and the Pope is an image of Christ, Antichrist must have some similarity to the Pope, if the latter be the true Vicar of Christ. 15

Endnotes

1

J. A. Wylie, The Papacy is the Antichrist, A Demonstration, at 14 (1888), available at http://www.historicism.net/readingmaterials/thepapacy.pdf.

2

J. A. Wylie, The Papacy is the Antichrist, A Demonstration, at 14 (1888), available at http://www.historicism.net/readingmaterials/thepapacy.pdf.

3

J. A. Wylie, The Papacy is the Antichrist, A Demonstration, at 14 (1888), available at http://www.historicism.net/readingmaterials/thepapacy.pdf.

4

J. A. Wylie, The Papacy is the Antichrist, at 16.

5

J. A. Wylie, The Papacy is the Antichrist, at 16.

6

J. A. Wylie, The Papacy is the Antichrist, at 12.

7

Pope Boniface VIII, Bull Unum Sanctum, November 18, 1302, available at New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia, http://www.newadvent.org/library/docs_bo08us.htm.

8

Mark Binelli, Pope Francis, The Times They Are A-Changin’, Rolling Stone, at 37, February 13, 2014.

9

J. A. Wylie, The Papacy is the Antichrist, A Demonstration, at 11 (1888), available at http://www.historicism.net/readingmaterials/thepapacy.pdf.

10

NOAH WEBSTER, AMERICAN DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE (1st ed. 1828) republished by Foundation for American Christian Education, San Francisco, California.

11

Oxford University Press (1979).

12

J. A. Wylie, The Papacy is the Antichrist, at 12.

13

J. A. Wylie, The Papacy is the Antichrist, A Demonstration, at 11 (1888), available at http://www.historicism.net/readingmaterials/thepapacy.pdf.

14

JOHN PAUL II, CROSSING THE THRESHOLD OF HOPE, p. 12, 1994.

15

Maas, Anthony. “Antichrist.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 17 Mar. 2014 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01559a.htm>.

9 thoughts on “The Pope Confesses That He Is the Antichrist

  1. Hi Mr. Hendrie,

    I’ve been a reader of yours for a while. You helped reveal the doctrines of grace (election, predestination, limited atonement) to me while I was trapped in the Arminian-Charismatic movement (I would classify myself as a Pelagian back then). I agree with you that the Pope is the antichrist and I’ve left off my old pre-trib, dispensationalist eschatology in favor of historicism. My question is, how is all of this COVID-19 stuff related to the Vatican? I see the move towards world government from COVID, but how will the world be persuaded to receive the Pope as God’s representative on earth/world ruler, especially as the world appears to be becoming more secular/liberal/atheistic? Do you believe the whole world will become Catholic or do you see it more as an “all religions lead to God” type system where the pope represents a nebulous “god”? I am an amillenialist and I believe we’re in (or close to) Satan’s “little season” where he’s unleashed to deceive the nations which I would also argue is the same movement of Revelation 16 where the dragon, beast and false prophet unite the world against Christ. I do know based on 1 Thessalonians 5, when the world says “peace and safety” Christ will suddenly return without warning. Any insight into these things you might have would be greatly appreciated!

    In Jesus’ Name

  2. ‘This Vice Causes Death of Bodies and Destruction of Souls’

    Peter Damian (1007-1092) helped to place in motion the Gregorian Reform in the Church, which dealt with moral transgressions that were taking place at that time among the clergy. He wrote the Book of Gomorrah against the sin of SODOMY and offered the work to Pope St. Leo IX, who praised it in glowing terms. It is considered the main work on the topic in Catholic teaching.

    THE CONFESSION BOX WAS THE PEDOPHILE HUT
    Peter Damian said:
    “In fact, this vice cannot in any way be compared to any others, because its enormity supersedes them all. Indeed, this vice causes the death of bodies and the destruction of souls. It pollutes the flesh, extinguishes the light of reason, and expels the Holy Ghost from His temple in the heart of man, introducing in His stead the Devil who is the instigator of lust.
    “It steers the soul into error, banishes all truth from the deceived soul, sets traps for those who fall into it, and then caps the well to prevent those who fall in from getting out. It opens the gates of Hell and closes the doors of Heaven to them, turns a former citizen of the heavenly Jerusalem into an heir of the infernal Babylon, transforming him from a heavenly star into a straw for the eternal fire. It wrenches a member from the Church and plunges him into the voracious flames of the fiery Gehenna.
    “This vice strives to tear down the walls of the heavenly motherland and rebuild those of the ruined Sodom. Indeed, it violates temperance, kills purity, stifles chastity, and cuts the head of virginity – which is irrecoverable – with the sword of a most infamous union. It infects everything, stains everything, pollutes everything; leaving nothing pure, nothing but filth, nothing clean. ‘All things are clean to the clean,’ as the Apostle says, ‘but to them that are defiled, and to unbelievers, nothing is clean; but both their mind and their conscience are defiled (Tit 1:15).
    “This vice expels one from the choir of the ecclesiastical host and forces one to join the ranks of the possessed and those who work in league with the Devil. It separates the soul from God and links it with the devils. This most pestiferous Sodomite queen makes those who obey her tyrannical laws repugnant to men and hateful to God, forcing them into a nefarious war against God and obliging them to enlist in the ranks of the perverse spirit.
    “It [this sin] separates him from the company of angels and deprives the soul of its nobility, imposing on the unfortunate soul the yoke of its own domination. It tears its henchmen from the arms of virtues and leaves them exposed as prey to the arrows of all the vices. It leaves one to be humiliated in the Church, condemned at court, defiled in secret, and dishonored in public. It gnaws at the person’s conscience like a worm and burns his flesh like fire..
    “The miserable flesh burns with the fire of lust, the cold intelligence trembles under the rancor of misgivings, and the unfortunate man’s heart is overwhelmed by hellish chaos, subjecting him to countless pains of conscience as he is tortured in punishment.
    “Yes, as soon as this most venomous serpent plunges its fangs into the unfortunate soul, it is immediately deprived of its senses and memory, the edge of the intelligence is dulled, he forgets God and even himself.”
    “Indeed, this scourge destroys the foundations of the faith, weakens the forces of hope, dissolves the bonds of charity, annihilates all justice, undermines fortitude, eliminates hope, and dulls the edge of prudence.
    “And what else shall I say? For it [the sin of sodomy] expels all the forces of virtue from the temple of the human heart, and, as if pulling the door from its hinges, allows the entrance of every barbarity of vice ….
    “In effect, the one whom …. this most atrocious beast has swallowed down its bloody throat is prevented, by the weight of its chains, from practicing any good work, and is precipitated into the abysses of his uttermost iniquity.
    “Thus, as soon as someone has fallen into this abyss of extreme perdition, he is exiled from the heavenly motherland, separated from the Body of Christ, censured by the authority of the whole Church, condemned by the judgment of all the Holy Fathers, despised by men on earth and rebuked by the society of heavenly citizens. He creates for himself an earth of iron and a sky of bronze.

    “On the one hand, laden with the weight of his crime, he is unable to rise; on the other hand, he is no longer able to conceal his evil in the refuge of ignorance. He cannot be happy while he lives nor have hope when he dies, because here and now he is obliged to suffer the ignominy of men’s derision and, later, the torment of eternal condemnation.”

    St. Peter Damian, Liber gomorrhianus, cols. 175-177

  3. Good information but a painful read. Repeating yourself and restating the same argument numerous times only takes away from the interest of the article. Posing your opinions and then the opinion of Wylie is interesting at first, but done so much one should just read Wylie’s works and than your take on the subject.

  4. the Jewish ADL admits the Pope supports them. 1 John 2:22 – Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. (ALL Jews deny Jesus and that makes them antichrist, if they believed in Jesus then they would be CHRISTIANS. IF you do not believe me call any Synagogue and ask them if Jesus is the Messiah.)

    1 John 2:23 – Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.

    If Jews do not accept Jesus as messiah, then who is their messiah? SATAN?

    1 Corinthians 16:22 – If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema (CURSED) Maranatha.

    DO JEWS LOVE JESUS OR ARE THEY CURSED?

  5. Hello,

    I can see your argument. Nonetheless I found a few flaws. The Popes calling themselves vicars, are not calling themselves Pastors. A vicar and a Pastor are not the same, nor do they interchange.

    The false prophet, will usher in the real antichrist. I see a pope acting more on this vein than begin the actual antichrist.

    There IS indeed a Christ still being waited for: Mashiach. This particular country/ethno-group, will NOT accept a Christ that is not part of them. They will embrace him as readily as they rejected Jesus. This is the most important clue.

    Today, we are closer than we have been in history because of the existence of this state-nation readying to reclaim temple mound by extreme force from Mohammedanism.

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