NOTE: Catholics have been known to deny the veracity of Vicarius Filii Dei as an official papal title precisely for the reason indicated above. However, it clearly appears as the pope's proper/official title in the following documents:

 

1. Pope Leo IX, In Terra Pax Hominibus, 1054.

2. Pope Nicholaus IV, letter to Caydonius the Tartar, 1289.

3. Pope John XXII, Licet juxta doctrinam, 1327.

4. Pope Paul VI, Rivi Muniensis, 1965.

5. Pope Paul VI, Bafianae, 1968.

6. The Donation of Constantine, Distinctio 96

7. Gratian's Decretum, 1512

8. Summa de Potestate Ecclesiastica, Augustinus Triumphus, 1473

9. Familiar Instructions And Evening Lectures On All The Truths Of Religion, by Monseigneur Louis Gaston A. de Sègur, translated from the French, Vol. II.; London: Burns & Oates, 1881, p. 204.

 

In respect to the papal mitre displaying Vicarius Filii Dei in lettering, the April 18, 1915 issue of Our Sunday Visitor, a popular Catholic publication, clearly affirms this fact (see here).

 

8. THE POPE'S TITLE ( VICARIUS FILII DEI OR VICARIUS CHRISTI) LITERALLY MEANS ANTICHRIST

The Greek word anti, which is the prefix of antichrist, translates to mean “instead of” or “in place of” (see here). This point is important because the New Testament was originally penned in Greek. Now while the modern English commonly uses “anti” to describe the notion of being against something, the New Testament uses anti (Strong's NT Greek #473)  to describe the substitution of one thing for another (see here). So this makes better sense in relation to the antichrist references found in the epistles of John (1 Jn. 2:18; 2 Jn. 1:7).

 

Someone who claims to be “another Jesus” is essentially denying Christ's unique and divine attributes and attempting to substitute himself for the real Jesus, which is exactly what the popes of Rome have done throughout the centuries.

 

NOTE: Roman Catholics believe that Mary was conceived without sin and forever remained so. In fact, they dogmatically deny that Mary passed on a sinful nature to Jesus (see their doctrine on the “immaculate conception”). This means that Jesus had no “fleshly” sin nature, which invalidates the testimony of Scripture affirming that Christ came in the flesh and was “tempted in all points as we, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). It also meets the criteria given in 2 John 1:7 as to the doctrine of antichrist.

 

9. THE FIRST BEAST IN REVELATION 13 IS NEARLY IDENTICAL TO THE FOURTH BEAST IN DANIEL 7—BOTH SYMBOLIZE ROME IN DIFFERENT STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT

“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the names of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority....So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.” (Rev. 13:1-2; 17:3).

 

It's important to recognize that the fourth beast in Daniel 7 and the first beast in Revelation 13 are nearly identical. This indicates that they are essentially the same beast, and the few differences between them are symbolic for Rome in its different stages of development. To demonstrate this, let's compare the information in Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 to see how much of it is similar:

 

It rises out of the sea

All four of the original beasts studied in Daniel 7 came up out of the sea. Likewise, the first beast in Revelation 13 is seen emerging out of the sea, which tells us that it's related to the same configuration of empires listed in Daniel 7.

 

It has seven "heads" that represent seven mountains upon which the "woman" sits

This is an important clue because, according to Revelation 17:9, the beast's seven heads represent seven mountains upon which the “woman" sits. So the seven mountains serve as the "woman's" headquarters. Notice:

 

“And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth” (Rev. 17:9).

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But who exactly is this “woman” and what does she represent? Thankfully, the answer to this is disclosed in verse 18 of the same chapter where we are told that the woman is symbolic for a "great city" that rules over the “kings of the earth”:

 

“And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth” (Rev. 17:18).

 

So, when adding up this information, it tells us the following: The beast's seven heads are symbolic for seven mountains that serve as the headquarters of a "great city" with global power and influence. Now, since a mountain in the Bible may also describe a hill (see here), we can confidently deduce that Rome, the city of seven hills, is the best possible match for this prophetic symbol. After all, Vatican Rome is the only city in the world with unparalleled influence over monarchs, presidents, and heads of state (see here and here).

 

Essentially, the first beast in Revelation 13 is symbolic for papal Rome or the papacy. And the woman atop this beast, depicted as a “great whore” (Rev. 17-18), is symbolic for the Roman Catholic Church—the beast's religious component. But the Great Whore is clearly multifaceted in everything she represents. For instance, she is a great city (Rome). She is an apostate church (the Roman Catholic Church) and the perfect example of an illegitimate union between church and state. And she is a whore, because she masquerades herself as a church while engaging in prostitution with the "kings of the earth" (Rev. 17:2). 

Note: this point will be examined further in part 3 of this study when we explore the identity of Mystery Babylon.

 

It has ten horns with ten crowns

There is a significant difference between the ten horns of the first beast in Revelation 13 and those of the fourth beast in Daniel 7. The fourth beast in Daniel 7 is said to have ten horns  that symbolize the ten kings or kingdoms arising from it. Out of the ten, three are “plucked up” and destroyed by the little horn antichrist examined earlier in Daniel 7:8. But while three of the ten horns in Daniel 7 perish as previously described, none of those in Revelation 13 appear to suffer the same fate. In fact, the ten horns mentioned in Revelation 13 are crowned and said to receive a brief period of rule with the beast (Rome) to whom they belong. Notice:

 

“And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast” (Rev. 17:12).

 

So there is only one way to reconcile this difference. The ten horns of the fourth beast in Daniel 7 represent the ten barbarian nations that ruled ancient Rome and Europe. These existed during the earliest stages of the papacy. But the ten horns belonging to the first beast in Revelation 13 are a group of rulers who will arise sometime in the future and receive short-lived political rule with the pope. This prospect is highly feasible when considering the Club of Rome's plan to divide the world into ten individual regions controlled at the top by the United Nations. It could also be that these ten modern-day rulers are already here working in tandem with the papacy (via the EU or another UN program). In other words, this prophecy may have already been fulfilled.

 

It has "names of blasphemy" upon its seven heads

As demonstrated earlier, the beast's seven heads represent the seven hills of Rome, which is the precise headquarters of the Roman Catholic church. Of course, we also demonstrated how the Catholic church is guilty of much blasphemy because she attributes to the pope names and titles belonging only to God and claims he can forgive sin. This means that there is a clear correlation between the blasphemy of Daniel's fourth beast (Dan. 7:8,11,25) and the “names of blasphemy” attached to Revelation's first beast that should not be overlooked. If anything, it is further proof that the two beasts are one and the same and merely symbolize the blasphemous quality of the papacy. This is another reason why we should identify the pope with the “man of sin” mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, who bears the same characteristic of blasphemy described in Daniel 7 and Revelation 13. Notice:

 

“...that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 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” (2 Thes. 2:3-4).

 

So, based on this clear linkage, we can be confident that Daniel 7, 2 Thessalonians 2, and Revelation 13 all point to the same antichrist of Bible prophecy. And this antichrist is none other than the papacy or popes of Rome.

 

It has the combined appearance of a lion, bear, and leopard 

The beast in Revelation 13 is papal Rome in its final phase of development. It is depicted as a conglomerate beast containing elements from all three of the beasts that preceded it, as listed in Daniel 7 (the lion, bear, and leopard). These symbolisms are remarkable because they so precisely describe the ecumenical character of the papacy.

 

Consider the fact that as the Roman Catholic church developed in Europe, it gradually incorporated a greater amount of paganism into its liturgical practice. In fact, it adopted elements of worship belonging to the “mystery religions” of Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece (see Alexander Hyslop's "The Two Babylons"). Papal Rome eventually became a strange combination of the old pagan religions with a Christian facade.

 

It is especially noteworthy that since the second Vatican Council of 1962-1965 (Vatican II), Rome has openly embraced unity with all of the world's religions. Vatican II represents the most ambitious ecumenical movement in modern history. Even now, Rome's ecumenical gestures continue as pope Francis routinely meets with religious leaders from all Faith traditions to form ecumenical unity (see here).

 

So the beast in Revelation 13, containing elements from all of the previous world empires is a perfect depiction of papal Rome and its ecumenical agenda to unite world religions under one umbrella, conveniently led by the antichrist pope. Indeed, it's not hard to recognize the pope's antichrist role in all of these religious affairs. But we must not forget that the pope's "power, seat, and great authority" are derived directly from the dragon (satan) according to Revelation 13:2. 

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10. THE ANTICHRIST SUFFERS A MORTAL WOUND BUT IS LATER "HEALED" AND REVIVED (REV. 13:3, 12b,14b)

“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” (Rev. 13:3).

 

Rome's papacy did indeed suffer a mortal wound when during the Protestant Reformation of 1517 the pope lost almost all of his political and religious power. But that changed in 1929 when the Vatican signed the Lateran Treaty with Benito Mussolini. This restored the papacy's political power in Europe and represented a partial healing of its “deadly wound”. Nearly a century later, the Vatican would enjoy yet another remarkable victory. Indeed, its religious or ecclesiastical power was officially recovered on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation (October 31, 2017). On this very historic date, the world's most influential Protestants gathered with high ranking Catholics to sign a joint statement of unity declaring the "protest to be over" (see my documentary on this event here). This marked the complete healing of the antichrist's deadly "wound", as clearly visible in the following news excerpts:

 

"The Roman question tonight was a thing of the past, and the Vatican was at peace with Italy... In affixing the autographs to the memorable document healing the wound which had festered since 1870, extreme cordiality was displayed on both sides" --The San Francisco Chronicle, Feb. 11, 1929 (see here).

 

“The Pope is again an independent sovereign ruler, as he was throughout the Middle Ages, though his temporal realm, established today, is the most microscopic independent State in the world, and probably the smallest in all history" --The New York Times, Feb. 12, 1929 (see here).

 

“The archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, presented a text by the Anglican communion affirming a joint declaration by the Roman Catholic church and global Protestant bodies, described as 'a sign of healing after 500 years of division'”. --The Guardian, Oct. 31, 2017

 

“This sense of fellowship, if not full unity, has carried through to the Reformation festivities. ...Pope Francis met with Lutherans in Sweden to express longing “for this wound in the body of [anti] Christ to be healed...” --The Atlantic, Oct. 29, 2017 (emphasis mine).

 

The "beast that was..., and is not, and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit".

In Revelation 17, the beast's death and resurrection is described as follows:

 

“The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition...when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is” (Rev. 17:8).

 

So according to the above passage, this beast “was” or existed before, “is not” (ceases to exist temporarily), and “shall ascend out of the bottomless pit ” (re-emerge again at the end of time). Interestingly enough, this is precisely what happened with Rome. While Rome maintained control throughout its imperial and papal phases, it suffered a severe political setback when the Protestant Reformation caused it to lose much of its grip over Europe. However, the real damage came after Napoleon Bonaparte's forces conquered Rome and forced the pope into captivity in 1798. Napoleon's actions represented the final death blow to the papacy. And it wasn't until 1929 that the papacy would miraculously re-emerge to receive full political power in Europe. Once again, it is stunning how the Bible so specifically predicted these events.

 

11. THE “BEAST” AND THE “HARLOT” ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BLOODSHED OF SAINTS AND PROPHETS

“I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them...and shall wear out the saints...and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time” (Dan. 7:21, 25).

 

“And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations” (Rev. 13:7).

 

“And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus...” (Rev. 17:6).

 

“And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth” (Rev. 18:24).

 

Papal Rome couldn't score higher on this point. It is a fact of history that the Roman Catholic church murdered countless of Christians for the mere crime of "heresy" during the years of the Inquisition. Millions of Protestants were martyred simply for defecting from the “Mother Church”. Among them were the Waldenses, Albigenses, Hussites, and the Pasagians. But to better appreciate the magnitude of Rome's enormous slaughter of Believers notice the following quotes:

 

"From the birth of Popery in 606 to the present time, it is estimated by careful and credible 13 historians, that more than fifty millions of the human family, have been slaughtered for the crime of heresy by popish persecutors, an average of more than forty thousand religious murders for every year of the existence of popery." —History of Romanism By John Dowling pp. 541, 542. New York: 1871

 

"That the Church of Rome has shed more innocent blood than any other institution that has ever existed among mankind, will be questioned by no Protestant who has a competent knowledge of history . . . It is impossible to form a complete conception of the multitude of her victims, and it is quite certain that no powers of imagination can adequately realize their sufferings." (W. E. H. Lecky, History of the Rise and Influence of the Spirit of Rationalism in Europe, vol. 2, p. 32, 1910 edition)

 

So the evidence is staggering. Rome persecuted Christians at the beginning of the Church age, throughout the middle ages, and will do so again at the end of time, if we are to believe Bible prophecy: “...and they [God's people] shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time" (Dan. 7:25).

 

12. “FOR MANY SHALL COME IN MY NAME, SAYING, I AM CHRIST; AND SHALL DECEIVE MANY” (MAT. 24:5).

As the single largest religion in the world, the Catholic Church is nearly two billion strong. The pope routinely receives the worship and adulation of the Catholic faithful who see him as the infallible “Christ substitute”. But consider the fact that only the Roman Pontiffs have taken upon themselves the title of Vicar of Christ (in place of Christ) while promoting this deception to so "many" millions of Catholics. In simple terms, there has never been a more successful christ counterfeit than the pope of Rome. Therefore the pope meets the criteria found in Matthew 24:5 better than anyone else. Also, the "many" referred to in Matthew 24:5 may very well implicate the many popes that have existed throughout the past 2,000 years all of whom believed themselves to be vicar of Christ.

 

NOTE: Pope John Paul II's funeral attracted the largest gathering of heads of state outside the United Nations, with four kings, five queens, and at least seventy presidents and prime ministers paying their respects. Those who attended BOWED before his coffin, including George W. Bush, who openly admitted to seeing this pope as God (see here at minute marker 1:37).

 

PERTINENT SUBPOINTS

(A) Throughout the Reformation period, there was never any disagreement among Protestants over their conviction that the pope of Rome was the antichrist of Bible prophecy or that the Roman Catholic Church was Mystery Babylon (Revelation 17-18). All of them to a man freely held to this belief and Protestants continued to hold this view UNIVERSALLY all the way into the late 1800's. There wasn't a single denomination of Protestantism that dissented from this view until John Nelson Darby introduced his dispensational theology in the late 1860's. This fact in itself is extremely noteworthy. Essentially, the above expressed points implicating the pope as the antichrist of Bible prophecy represent the traditional view of Christianity.

 

(B) Manuel Lacunza (1731-1801), Francisco Ribera (1537- 1591), and Luis de Alcasar (1554–1613) were Catholic Jesuit priests who were responsible for inventing the eschatological views of futurism and preterism. According to these two views, the antichrist will be a single man who arrives at the end of history (futurism) or he previously existed in the form of Emperor Nero in the first century A.D. (preterism). But few realize that the purpose of their writings was to remove the onus of antichrist from the pope who was widely regarded as such by the Protestants of their time. Ignorant of these facts, most Christians today fully embrace the futurist view of Bible prophecy and expect a future antichrist at the end of time. But this false belief system was conveniently erected by Jesuits working for Rome. Notice:

 

"Lacunza's fully developed system played a major role in the Counter-Reformation, the purpose of which was to remove the stigma of Antichrist from Rome, and as such, is a very important work in regard to the history of the Reformation, and the counter-Reformation which followed, which was a reaction to the teaching of Reformers such as Martin Luther and John (Jean) Calvin that the Papacy is the Antichrist of scripture. As Lacunza's book had been placed twice upon the index of forbidden books by the Vatican, first in 1819, and then five years later in September, 1824;[24] this ' . . . of course made the book even more acceptable to Protestants - the fact that Rome had condemned it.' [25]

 

"In 'Death of the Church Victorious' Ovid Need Jr., asserts that although the Jesuits then tried to introduce this system into Protestant theology several times over the next century, they were not successful until Presbyterian Pastor Edward Irving read Lacunza's work under the pseudonym of Ben Ezra "A Converted Jew" and then translated it into English. ...In order to turn the blame away from the Papacy, the Roman Catholic Jesuits started teaching that the Antichrist was some future individual that would come at the end of time.[26] Hendrie continues: 'William Kimball, in his book Rapture, A Question of Timing, reveals that Lacunza wrote the book under the pen name of Rabbi Juan Josaphat Ben-Ezra. Kimball attributes the pen name to a motive to conceal his identity, thus taking the heat off of Rome, and making his writings more palatable to Protestant readers.'"[27]

 

CONCLUSION

It may surprise you to learn that the points outlined in this teaching have been often repeated for the past 500 years. The truth is that the identity of the antichrist is no hidden mystery. The great Protestant Reformation which rose up against the false teachings of the Roman Catholic church had revealed the identity of the antichrist centuries ago and with stunning detail. But it did so because of the Reformer's diligent and painstaking study of the Scriptures and the antichrist characteristics provided in Daniel 7 and Revelation 13. The Reformers understood the fact that the papacy was the very agent of antichrist and they suffered grievously for it.

 

Sadly, the vast majority of "protestant" Christians today are completely ignorant of what the Reformers revealed concerning the prophetic and historical antichrist. Instead, they now embrace the Jesuit's counter-reformation teaching that pegs the antichrist as a future leader, taking the focus and heat off the true antichrist, the pope of Rome. But they only favor a false, future antichrist because the Jesuits have so succeeded in burying the impeachable evidence that damns their “infallible” leader.

 

So it is my hope and prayer that God would use my meager efforts and those of other diligent Bible students to call attention to the true antichrist of Bible prophecy. And if I have succeed in this regard, I can only attribute my success to our Lord and Savior, who would have all men walk on the pathway of illumined truth in the dark days ahead.