Question:
"Is the pope, or the next pope, the antichrist?"


Answer:
There are many speculations about the identity of the Antichrist.
One of the most frequent “victims” of the speculation is the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.

In the days of the Protestant Reformation,
Martin Luther and some of the other Reformers were convinced that the Pope of that time was the Antichrist.
Pope John Paul II was commonly identified as the Antichrist until his death.


The current Pope, Benedict XVI, is an equally popular target.

Why is this?
Is there anything in the Bible that would indicate that a Pope will be the Antichrist?

The speculation about the Pope possibly being the Antichrist revolves primarily around Revelation 17:9.
Describing the evil end-times system symbolized by a woman riding a beast, Revelation 17:9 declares,
“This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits.”

In ancient times,
the city of Rome was known as “the city on seven hills”

because
there are seven prominent hills that surround the city.
So, the thinking goes,
we can know that it is somehow connected with Rome.
So, if the evil end-times system is somehow associated with Rome –
it does not take much thought to see a potential connection with the Roman Catholic Church,
which is centered in Rome.

Numerous passages in the Bible
describe an “Antichrist” who will lead the anti-Christ movement in the end times (Daniel 9:27;
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4; Revelation 13:5-8).

So,
if the end-times evil world system is centered in Rome

and led by an individual – the Pope is a likely candidate.


However,
many Bible commentators say the woman cannot be the Catholic Church and the seven hills cannot refer to Rome.

They cite the fact that Revelation 17-18 clearly identifies the woman riding the beast as the city of Babylon.

(The ancient city of Babylon was located near to modern day Baghdad.)


In addition,
verse 10 plainly states that the seven hills symbolize seven kings, five of which “have fallen, one is and one is to come.”

Clearly, this cannot refer to the seven hills of Rome.

Rather,
this is a reference to seven world empires ruled by the seven kings.

At the time of the Revelation,
five world empires had come and gone—Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece—one (Rome) existed,
and one (Antichrist’s world empire) had not yet come.


Whoever the Antichrist turns out to be,

the important thing is
to be warned of his coming and learn to recognize him and all who possess his spirit.

First John 4:2-3 tells us how to identify the spirit of Antichrist:

"By this you know the Spirit of God:
Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God" (NKJV).

The current Pope, Benedict XVI,
acknowledges Jesus as being from God and Jesus as coming in the flesh (see 1 John 4:2).

While we disagree with Pope Benedict XVI on numerous areas of Catholic doctrine,
his view of the Person of Jesus Christ is biblical.

Therefore,
it’s hard to believe that Pope Benedict XVI is the Antichrist.

While we believe it is possible for a Pope to be the Antichrist,
the Bible does not give specific enough information to be dogmatic.

A future Pope very well may be the Antichrist,

or perhaps the Antichrist’s false prophet (Revelation 13:11-17).

If so,
this future Pope will be clearly identified by a denial of Jesus as coming in the flesh.





Recommended Resources:
Logos Bible Software and A Woman Rides the Beast by Dave Hunt.



Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/pope-antichrist.html#ixzz2M8jeQET9

To my way of thinking the Catholic church itself is deceptive, but I don't know if the pope would be an antichrist or not.

1Jo_2:18, 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.

1Jo_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.

1Jo_4:3, And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God:
and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come;
and even now already is it in the world.

2Jo_1:7, For many deceivers are entered into the world,
who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.
This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

Sounds like there is a lot of them!

Well lets see. We did not yet know who's who yet we judge them already. They are targetting the pope because he is the head of the church.

Yes.

Simple to discern according to scripture!

Does that involve just verbal refusal to acknowledge or is it dependent upon actions? If it is based on actions you could say the POTUS is an antichrist.

1Jo_2:18, 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.


"the last time"

This is that time which Daniel calls the time of the end,
when the great restoring of all things shall be,
which all creation looks for; (Rom_8:19)

The writer of this article opines that,

"Numerous passages in the Bible
describe an “Antichrist” who will lead the anti-Christ movement in the end times (Daniel 9:27;
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4; Revelation 13:5-8)".



(So THE antichrist could be non-eccliastical. But a man who obtains great power over many.
One who wants all men to worship himself instead of worshipping God Almighty through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior)

Top to bottom, read it. interesting to find this on the net. I thought so the same, he might not be the Anti Christ though, but part of his army, and seeing him go into the Abyss for 1000 years made him loose papal charge, since the world is slowly start to bloom with the golden age (something I call the first 300 or so years after he is sent to the Abyss).

Imagine it, 300 years after corruption in the church, wars etc, since Hitler, Bush, Obama, Al Queda, all of that could be satan.

What would the world look like without satan in control. Someone quote me, it says in Revelations that the Devil is in control of the world.

Speaking of what the world will look like without the devil in charge, head here. Im making a topic : http://mingle2.com/topic/show/348086

Not going to read the long post but anyone can be a anit-Christ, but The Anti-Christ is Satan and will try to pass himself off as Jesus coming back to take us away to heaven. CeriseRose is correct in that there will be many. Satan will try to user in a false peace. Remember that Satan will try all this at the 6th trumpet, but Jesus comes at the 7th.

By the way the word “anti” in the original Greek means “instead of” as in a fake.