The Antichrist
A Bible Study Worth Having
“24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”
Matthew 7:24-27, KJV
The antichrist.
It is an important biblical topic, especially for the times that we are living in.
But before we begin, let’s make one thing clear:
“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, KJV
There are many antichrists out there in the world.
We are not just talking about one person.
Although there may come a time when we will be faced with the final antichrist, his time has not come yet.
So, when we are talking of the antichrist, keep in mind that it is not just one person.
With all that being said, let’s begin.
Who Is An Antichrist?
Before we get to the Bible study as to who the antichrist is, we must know what the definition for one is.
We have this Bible verse that gives us a clue:
“22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.”
1 John 2:22-23, KJV
Whosoever that denies that Jesus is the Christ is an antichrist, or the spirit of antichrist is working in him or her.
This is what we learn from this Bible verse.
Now, having been an atheist before, and having since become a Christian, I understand that simply because someone can deny Jesus being Christ today, it doesn’t necessarily mean they will do so tomorrow as well.
Nonetheless, if somebody is out there denying the Christhood of Jesus, then that is the spirit of antichrist at work.
But the more stressing point, I find, is lying and deception.
This is because Jesus said this:
“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”
John 8:44, KJV
And He also said this:
“And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.”
Matthew 24:4, KJV
So, we are instructed to watchout for lies.
In order to do that, we must know what truth is.
Now, knowing what truth is, is not too difficult:
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
John 14:6, KJV
Jesus is the truth, and He is also the Word (John 1:1-10, KJV).
We also know this about the scripture:
“16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17, KJV
All scripture is given by inspiration of God.
It is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction and is to be used for instruction in righteousness.
Basically, we should be able to find all the important clues straight from the scripture.
This should be easy enough to understand for a Christian.
Finally, Jesus said the following:
“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)”
Matthew 24:15, KJV
Jesus told us to pay attention to what the prophet Daniel was saying/writing, because it tells us something important about the end times.
And that is where we are going next.
The Book of Daniel
The book of Daniel is best known for the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the “Daniel fast” and prophecy.
Today we’ll be taking a closer look at the prophecy.
In Daniel chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, dreams a dream:
“2 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.
2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.
5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.”
Daniel 2:1-5, KJV
He calls before him the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to interpret the dream for him.
They were unable to help the king, which made him furious:
“10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.
11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.
12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.”
Daniel 2:10-12, KJV
Now, Daniel and his friends just so happened to be some of these wise men, and they were about to be slain as well:
“And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.”
Daniel 2:13, KJV
But Daniel sought the king and said he would interpret the dream for him:
“14 Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:
15 He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.”
Daniel 2:14-16, KJV
Daniel went home after this event, and God would reveal the secret unto him in a night vision:
“Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.”
Daniel 2:19, KJV
Daniel is then brought before the king, and this is what happens next:
“26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?
27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;
28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;
29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.
30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.”
Daniel 2:26-30, KJV
It is after this point that Daniel starts telling what the king saw in his dream:
“31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.
32 This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.”
Daniel 2:31-36, KJV
From this interpretation we get the famous image of a statue of Nebuchadnezzar:
These elements represent kingdoms from earths history.
Daniel goes onto explain it further:
“37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.”
Daniel 2:37-35, KJV
Basically, the king dreamed a dream that would predict the current time, as well as the future kingdoms, and Daniel was brought in to remind king of the dream and then interpret its meaning.
Now, to understand what this interpretation means, all we have to do is go back in history and look at the kingdoms that came one after another.
That is what we’ll do next.
The Kingdoms
Here we will go through each kingdom in order to help us understand what it is that the king of Babylon actually saw in his dream.
As Daniel said, the kingdom of Babylon was represented as the head of gold.
The kingdom of Babylon was in power between the years 605BC to 539BC.
After this came the kingdom represented as the breast and arms of silver.
This kingdom ended up being the kingdom of Persia (led by Cyrus the Great), which ruled over the years between 539BC to 331 BC.
After this came the kingdom represented as the belly and thighs of brass.
This kingdom would be the kingdom of Greece, which took over Persia after the Battle of Gaugamela in 331BC.
The rule lasted from 331BC to 168BC.
Then we have the feet of iron, which represents the Roman empire.
The Roman empire was a great one, with its rule spanning over centuries.
In the end, the Roman kingdom happened between 168BC to AD476.
Now, the next kingdom is the last kingdom.
We have a clue on who is the head of this kingdom from what came before it.
The last kingdom is represented as the feet of iron and clay.
Considering it was the Roman empire that was the one before this one, we are looking for something that is at least partially Roman.
It should also have a religious element, because it is important for the end times.
With this in mind…
To whom did Rome “hand” its power to?
The Roman Catholic Church is the answer.
Here is a quote from historyguild.org:
“After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476, the Catholic faith competed with Arianism for the conversion of the barbarian tribes. The 496 conversion of Clovis I, pagan king of the Franks, saw the beginning of a steady rise of the Catholic faith in the West.”
What may perhaps be news to the reader is that the Roman Catholic Church enjoyed great privileges, and was really the head of power during the dark ages.
They were the ones with great influence over the emperors of Europe.
But this influence was based on a forged document called Donation of Constantine.
Here is a quote about this document:
“The Donation of Constantine is a historical document that purportedly records a grant from the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great to Pope Sylvester I, allegedly conferring significant authority over the Christian Church and political power in the Western Roman Empire. This document consists of two main parts: a confession of Constantine's miraculous healing by the pope and a donation that grants the pope supremacy over all Christian churches and the use of imperial symbols. Throughout the Middle Ages, it was employed to bolster papal authority against secular rulers.”
It continues:
“However, the authenticity of the Donation of Constantine has been called into question since the Renaissance. Notable critiques arose from figures such as Nicholas of Cusa and Lorenzo Valla, who provided historical and linguistic analyses indicating that the document could not have originated from the time of Constantine. Modern scholars widely agree that it is a forgery, likely created in the 8th century, with theories suggesting it was intended to enhance the papacy's legitimacy during negotiations with the Franks or to elevate the status of a particular church.”
Lies.
Many lies in fact.
The Roman Catholic Church has been the author of a massive amount of lies over its time as a great power in Europe, and all over the world.
But to know more about these lies, we need to learn more about this kingdom from the book of Daniel.
Let’s continue our research.
All Roads Lead To…
Rome.
That’s right.
For this part, we must take a brief look at Daniel chapter 7.
This time, however, we will keep it short.
In this chapter Daniel has a dream:
“In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.”
Daniel 7:1, KJV
In this dream he saw four beasts:
First Beast (Lion): Represents the Babylonian Empire.
Second Beast (Bear): Represents the Medo-Persian Empire.
Third Beast (Leopard): Represents the Greek Empire, which split into four parts after the death of Alexander the Great.
Fourth Beast (Dreadful and Terrible): Represents the Roman Empire, a powerful and destructive kingdom.
From this, the vision continues to mention ten horns:
“After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.”
Daniel 7:10, KJV
These ten horns represent kings or kingdoms.
There are two interpretations regarding these kingdoms:
The first interpretation is that there are ten kingdoms at the end of time, and that they play a role during those times.
There isn’t much to add to that, because if we make such an interpretation, then all we have to do is wait for it to happen.
But there is also the other option, which just so happened to be the more common way to look at things during the middle ages.
In the second interpretation, the kingdoms came and went already.
Let’s take a closer look at this interpretation.
Rome (the fourth beast/kingdom) was divided into ten kingdoms: The Huns, the Ostrogoths, the Visigoths, the Franks, the Vandals, the Suevi, the Burgundians, the Heruli, the Anglo-Saxons, and the Lombards.
These divisions have ever since been spoken of as the ten kingdoms of the Roman empire, which came to power between 351AD and 476AD.
Considering the years, this works well with what we’ve already gone through previously, as the end of the Roman kingdom is also marked to be 476AD.
For further confirmation, this is the AI overview by Google:
“The event on September 4, 476 AD, where the Germanic chieftain Odoacer deposed Romulus Augustulus, marked the end of the Western Roman Empire.”
Instead of going into details on these empires (you are welcome to do your own research), let’s continue on with our study into the rest of the chapter.
This is what is mentioned next:
“I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.”
Daniel 7:8, KJV
The little horn is the papacy.
The three horns plucked up before it were the Heruli, the Ostrogoths, and the Vandals.
Here is a relevant quote:
“Daniel considered the horns. Indications of a strange movement appeared among them. A little horn (at first little, but afterward more stout than its fellows) thrust itself up among them. It was not content quietly to find a place of its own, and fill it; it must thrust aside some of the others, and usurp their places. Three kingdoms were plucked up before it. This little horn, as we shall have occasion to notice PICTURE more fully hereafter, was the papacy. The three horns plucked up before it were the Heruli, the Ostrogoths, and the Vandals. And the reason why they were plucked up was because they were opposed to the teaching and claims of the papal hierarchy, and hence to the supremacy in the church of the bishop of Rome.”
And here is some information about the little horn (now known the papacy):
The Little Horn
Origin: The little horn arises from the midst of the Roman Empire, outrooting three other kingdoms.
Characteristics: It is characterized by boastful words against God, persecution of God's saints, and attempts to change God's laws.
Persecution was mentioned.
Did Roman Catholic Church persecute those who did not agree with their version of the religion?
Yes, they did.
They persecuted anyone who went against the doctrines of their church.
This includes Protestants, which can be seen in the Jesuit oath (they are Roman Catholic… still active today):
Now, this doesn’t sound too Christian of an oath.
That being said, they more than lived up to this oath throughout the ages.
But let’s continue our research.
The Roman Catholic Church wanted the Bible to remain in Latin language only, which was only readable by those with higher education (which, as you might guess, was a small minority of people for most of history).
This made sure that the masses didn’t know what the Bible actually says, but rather had to rely on the Catholic priests (and the Pope) to tell it to them.
This meant that when some began translating the Bible into other languages, it caused a huge uproar.
We can see an example of this by studying the history of William Tyndale.
But rather than going into deep study, let’s just ask Google AI to give us a short summary:
“William Tyndale was a pivotal figure who was executed in 1536 for translating the Bible into English from the original Hebrew and Greek texts. He was betrayed, arrested in Antwerp, and imprisoned before being condemned for heresy. Tyndale was then strangled and burned at the stake, but his influential translation work became a model for future English versions of the Bible, including the King James Version.”
The other famous example almost everyone knows is Martin Luther.
He’s famous for writing his 95 theses, going against what the Roman Catholic Church was doing (and he was a devout Roman Catholic priest and a monk).
Here is a short summary:
“Martin Luther's 95 Theses are a list of 95 propositions questioning the Catholic Church's practices, particularly the sale of indulgences, posted on a church door in Wittenberg, Germany, on October 31, 1517. Written by German professor Martin Luther, the document challenged the church's authority and believed the theses would initiate an academic debate, but instead, they sparked the Protestant Reformation due to the rapid printing and circulation of the document across Europe.”
Indulgences got mentioned, here is a relatively short video on that topic:
There is a whole lot of research you can do into this topic if you so choose.
In case you want someone to help you with this process, I recommend the video series called “Total Onslaught” by Walter Veith.
Here’s one video from the series (you can find most of them on YouTube):
As for this article, let’s continue our Bible study.
Next in the book of Daniel this gets mentioned:
“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 7:25, KJV
He shall speak great words against the most High…
Well, here are some quotes:
“All the faithful must believe that the Holy Apostolic See and the Roman Pontiff [the Pope] possesses the primacy over the whole world, and the Roman Pontiff is the successor of blessed Peter, Prince of the Apostles, and is true vicar of Christ, and heed of the whole church, and father and teacher of all Christians; and that full power was given to him in blessed Peter to rule, feed, and govern the universal Church by Jesus Christ our Lord.”
(First Dogmatic Constitution on the Church of Christ, “Eternal Pastor,” published in the fourth session of the Vatican Council, 1870, chap. 3, in Philip Schaff, Creeds of Christendom. vol. 2, p. 262)
“The Pope’s authority is unlimited, incalculable; it can strike, as Innocent III says, wherever sin is; it can punish every one; it allows no appeal and is itself Sovereign Caprice; for the Pope carries, according to the expression of Boniface VIII, all rights in the Shrine of his breast. As he has now become infallible, he can by the use of the little word, “orbi,” (which means that he turns himself round to the whole Church) make every rule, every doctrine, every demand, into a certain and incontestable article of Faith. No right can stand against him, no personal or corporate liberty; or as the [Roman Catholic] Canonists put it—“The tribunal of God and of the pope is one and the same.”
Ignaz von Dollinger, “A Letter Addressed to the Archbishop of Munich” 1871; as quoted in MacDougall,
“The pope is the supreme judge of the law of the land… He is the vicegerent (replacement) of Christ, who is not only a Priest forever, but also King of kings and Lord of lords.”
(La Civilia Cattolica, March 18, 1871, quoted in Leonard Woosely Bacaon, An inside view of the Vatican Council [American Tract Society ed.], p.229)
Just so you know, Anti has double meaning:
It either means something that goes against something else, or it means something replacing another in its place.
“The Pope is not only the representative of Jesus Christ, he is Jesus Christ himself, hidden under the veil of flesh.”
(Catholic National July 1895)
“The Pope takes the place of Jesus Christ on earth…by divine right the Pope has supreme and full power in faith, in morals over each and every pastor and his flock. He is the true vicar, the head of the entire church, the father and teacher of all Christians. He is the infallible ruler, the founder of dogmas, the author of and the judge of councils; the universal ruler of truth, the arbiter of the world, the supreme judge of heaven and earth, the judge of all, being judged by no one, God himself on earth.” (Quoted in the New York Catechism)
You can find a whole list of quotes like this here.
It is also well-known that supposedly Catholic priests can offer absolution (which was also the case with the indulgences… paying ahead of time to have your sins be forgiven in the future.)
Now, you might wonder, what is a blasphemy?
You can either speak against the Holy Ghost, or you can claim to forgive sins are the definitions given in the Bible:
“Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?”
Mark 2:7, KJV
“And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.”
Luke 12:10, KJV
Of course, the Catholic church says they’re simply acting as intermediaries between men and God, but that doesn’t exactly work.
It is God who forgives our sins, not men.
But let’s not dwell on this issue any longer, we must take a look at the other issue that was mentioned before, and that is changing of times and laws.
Has the Roman Catholic Church changed laws?
Yes.
If you compare what they have written in their catechism, you will find that they have actually changed the Ten Commandments.
Here are the Ten Commandments:
I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy.
Honor thy father and thy mother.
Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness.
Thou shalt not covet.
You can find the these Ten Commandments in the book of Exodus chapter 20.
And here they are according to the catechism:
I am the Lord your God: You shall not have strange Gods before me.
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day.
Honor your father and mother.
You shall not kill.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.
You can also find list here.
The Roman Catholic church has a plethora of graven images, everywhere.
They are obviously not following the second commandment from the Bible.
Nothing more needs to be added here, as it is so blatant breaking of the second commandment.
As for the changing of times, this is what happened:
“You see, at that time the cult of Mithraism or sun-worship was the official religion of the Roman Empire. It stood as the greatest competitor to the new Christian religion. It had its own organization, temples, priesthood, robes—everything. It also had an official worship day on which special homage was given to the sun. That day was called “The Venerable Day of the Sun.” It was the first day of the week, and from it we get our name Sunday. When Constantine pressed his pagan hordes into the church they were observing the day of the sun for their adoration of the sun god. It was their special holy day. In order to make it more convenient for them to make the change to the new religion, Constantine accepted their day of worship, Sunday, instead of the Christian Sabbath which had been observed by Jesus and His disciples.”
The actual sabbath day is Saturday, not Sunday.
This is because Saturday is the seventh day of the week, while Sunday is the first day of the week.
And this is what happened according to the Bible:
“2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”
Genesis 2:2-3, KJV
Here is the fourth commandment:
“8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.”
Exodus 20:8-11, KJV
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
We are called to remember the sabbath day.
Now, the change here was not made by the Roman Catholic Church, but Constantine.
However, remember the “Donation of Constantine” that the Roman Catholic Church used?
And the fact that the iron and the clay come together to create the final empire?
This means that the final empire is a combination of both, the pagan and the papal Rome.
Saturday still remains as the sabbath day.
Sunday is the first day of the week, and as the name suggests, it has something to do with sun worship.
A whole lot more could be said about the pagan practices of the Roman Catholic Church, but I will let the reader do rest of the research (I recommend Walter Veith’s Total Onslaught video series).
To continue, I wanted to go through some quotes from certain important figures in Christian faith.
Here we go:
Interesting Quotes
These quotes are simply to show that it was known for centuries that the papal Rome is the antichrist church.
It is only in recent history that this statement has disappeared from common knowledge among bible students.
“By that which withheld, let, or hindered the open appearance of antichrist, were the Roman empire and emperors; these stood in his way, and whilst this empire lasted, and the emperors wore the imperial crown, and sat on the throne, and held the government in their hands, the popes could not come at the height of their ambition, dignity, and authority, nor shine in their glory; nor could the whore of Babylon take her seat, and sit upon the seven hills of Rome until the Roman emperor was taken out of the way: this therefore hindered, that he might be revealed in his time. . . . ‘Only he who now letteth, will let, until he be taken out of the way’; that is, the Roman empire and Roman emperors, and which were by degrees entirely removed, and so made way for the revelation of this wicked one.”
John Gill (Baptist; 1697-1771)
“Expositors, both popish and protestant, pitch upon the Roman emperor and empire as most probably meant here by the apostle; and therefore he wrote not plainly, lest by writing of the taking away that empire, which the Romans thought to be eternal, he might stir up their hatred against the Christians.” The Roman Empire being “divided into ten distinct kingdoms under distinct governments . . . and Italy and Rome wholly in the pope’s possession: and hence this man of sin hath been long since revealed.”
Matthew Poole (Anglican ~1700)
“To any one acquainted with the decline and fall of the Roman empire, nothing can be more manifest than the correspondence of the facts in history respecting the rise of the papacy, and the statement of the apostle Paul here. … In all history there cannot, probably, be found a series of events corresponding more accurately with a prophetic statement than this; and there is every evidence, therefore, that these are the events to which the Spirit of inspiration referred.”
Barnes’ Notes On the New Testament (1832-1851)
“Surely now the wickedness, iniquity, and baseness of Antichrist has been revealed in the Pope and his associates in the Council.”
John Huss (1415)
“The man of sin and the son of perdition … by his teaching and his ordinances increases the sin and perdition of souls in the Church; while he yet sits in the Church as if he were God. All these conditions have now for many ages been fulfilled by the papal tyranny.”
Martin Luther (1520)
“Some persons think us too severe and censorious when we call the Roman pontiff Antichrist. But those who are of this opinion do not consider that they bring the same charge of presumption against Paul himself. … I shall briefly show that (Paul’s words in II Thess 2) are not capable of any other interpretation than that which applies them to the Papacy.”
John Calvin (1509-1564)
“Nor can the Pope of Rome in any sense be the head thereof; but is that antichrist, that man of sin, and son of perdition, that exalteth himself in the church against Christ, and all that is called God.”
The Westminster Confession of Faith (Presbyterian; 1646)
“Nor can the pope of Rome, in any sense, be head thereof, but is (2 Thess. ii. 2-9) that antichrist, that man of sin and son of perdition, that exalteth himself in the church against Christ, and all that is called God; whom the Lord shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.”
The Philadelphia Confession of Faith
You can find more quotes here.
Finally, I will briefly touch on the topic of the second beast.
The Second Beast
In the book of Revelation it speaks of the first beast, which we have identified as the papacy.
But there also comes the second beast.
To understand who the second beast is, think of the current world empire, The United States.
I won’t go into this matter too much in this article.
I will instead just give you this one video for viewing:
Altogether, there have been 32 meetings between six popes and 14 US presidents over the past century.
You can find photos of some of the meetings here.
It isn’t just the U.S. presidents who go and visit the pope; anyone who is famous enough will go there.
Elon Musk:
And many other photos you can find here.
All you need to know it is the second beast that will follow the orders from the first beast.
Here is the AI Overview:
The United States is interpreted by some, notably within Seventh-day Adventist thought, as the "second beast" of Revelation 13, a nation symbolized by two lamb-like horns representing its origins in the New World and its foundation on religious and civil liberty. While appearing innocent and Christ-like at first, this nation will eventually "speak like a dragon" by repudiating these principles and enforcing false worship, causing the world to follow the first beast (the Papacy).
Key Interpretations Linking the US to the Second Beast
Origin in the New World:
The second beast rises from the earth, contrasting with the first beast that rises from the sea. The United States emerged from the sparsely populated New World, a concept that aligns with this symbol.
Two Lamb-like Horns:
These horns are seen as representing America's unique foundation in religious and civil liberty. Unlike the monarchical first beast, the United States was a republic with principles of freedom.
Speaking Like a Dragon:
The lamb-like nature of the beast will be contradicted as it begins to speak like a dragon. This transition is interpreted as the nation abandoning its founding principles of liberty to legislate religious laws and enforce false worship, particularly the worship of the first beast.
Worldwide Influence and False Worship:
The second beast will exert global influence, causing the earth's inhabitants to worship the first beast. This happens as the nation's religious and political authority expands, enforcing a false system of worship.
Historical Context:
By the mid-19th century, Adventist leaders began to identify the United States with this prophecy, even as the nation's power was still developing.
The Role of the Second Beast
The "False Prophet":
The second beast is also identified as the "false prophet," the one who performs great signs before the first beast to deceive people into worshipping it.
Enforcement of Worship:
This beast will use its power to enforce the worship of the first beast and its image, ultimately leading to the "mark of the beast".
And that’s pretty much it.
Although, one can do a much deeper study into this matter on their own if they so choose.
But I will leave that deeper study up to the reader themselves.
We’re done here for today.
The End
I hope I’ve at least got you interested in the topic of biblical prophecy.
Considering this is a well-known interpretation from centuries past, it shouldn’t come as a complete surprise to you.
Now, there should still come the man of sin:
“3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”
2 Thessalonians 2:3-10, KJV
We can take this to mean that there will still be the final antichrist before the second coming of Jesus Christ.
And this final antichrist will be a deceiver on a grand scale, able to show signs and lying wonders.
“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”
2 Corinthians 11:14, KJV
The only real way to guard yourself is to study the Bible, because knowing and quoting scripture was how Jesus was able to rebuke satan when he was being tempted.
You can not trust what you see or hear, or just go with your emotions - you should study scripture for yourself.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
2 Timothy 2:15, KJV
With all the being said, take care, and have a wonderful rest of your day.
There exists also this other belief among Christians, and it is to point out the Jews as the synagogue of satan.
Here is someone talking about it briefly:
It is true, the bible verse(s) do exist, but they simply do not align with what is written in the book of Daniel.
There are also these verses:
“28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”
Romans 2:28-29, KJV
It is not the outward appearance that makes on a Jew; it is the inward what matters.
This can simply be interpreted that devout Christians are spiritual Jews.
Going about it this way once again points to the Roman Catholic Church being the antichrist church.
That is all.