
Exposing the Mystery of Iniquity: A Revelation of the True Antichrist

Samuel Smith
23 Jan'19
5
LESSON 12
EXPOSING THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY: A REVELATION OF THE TRUE ANTICHRIST
You are welcome to another edition Insights from God's Word, a Bible Study Programme that is committed to sharing God's Word by allowing the Bible to speak for itself.In this edition, we continue with our series on The Final Events of Bible Prophecy. The topic for this study is: Exposing the Mystery of Iniquity: a Revelation of the True Antichrist. In this study, we are going to discover the identity of the antichrist power.
For some time now, our studies have focussed on trying to gather biblical facts concerning the identity of the antichrist power. We have critically examined the characteristics of this power from scriptural passages such as
Now, the million dollar question that I believe many of you have been waiting patiently to find an answer to is this: Who is the antichrist power described in the passages of Scripture we have considered so far?
Beloved, before I answer this very important question, I will want to first let you know that the message you are about to read is a serious one. I know that many of my readers are going to be angry or maybe hurt, after going through the numerous revelations in this study, concerning the true antichrist power. But I am encouraged by the words of King Solomon in
Friends, I wish I could give an interpretation that would have made everyone happy. But as a true friend who desires your eternal salvation, I cannot do that. I wish I could just tell you that the antichrist is yet to appear from some unknown planet in the near future. But the Spirit of God inspires me to tell you the plain truth. I expect that as an intellectual, you will not allow your emotions to hold sway in this matter, but that you will consider the evidence critically and do further research on the subject. I expect that like the Bereans of old, you will give this topic further attention and find out for yourself whether these things are so (
Beloved, there is only one power in the whole world that fits all the characteristics that we have considered from the Bible about the antichrist. And friends, that power is the Papacy; the Roman Catholic System. The Roman Catholic Church is the only power in all history that meets all the characteristics of the antichrist as described in the Bible. In other words, God closes every other option and forces us to the only possible conclusion. Having said this, I must be quick to add that the antichrist here does not refer to members of the Roman Catholic Church, but rather, the power structure of the church. In fact, there are many sincere Christians in the Roman Catholic Church. And this is due to the fact that most of these faithful children of God do not have the slightest clue that they are connected with the true antichrist power of Bible Prophecy.
At this point, a follow up question that I believe you have the right to ask me is this: Why do you think that the Roman Catholic System is the antichrist of Bible Prophecy? Can you really prove this from the Bible? Friends, my answer to this question is the content of this study. This study is designed to prove that the Roman Catholic Church actually fulfils all the characteristics that the Bible portrays in regard to the antichrist power. Now, let's check the evidence:
1. Prophecy: The little horn (antichrist) received his power, seat, and authority from the dragon (
Fulfilment: From lesson 9 of this series, we noted that the word 'dragon' has a dual application. First, the dragon basically represents Satan (see
From Stanley’s history, page 40 we read the following in relation to the transfer of power from the Pagan Roman Empire to the Papacy:
"The popes filled the place of the vacant emperors of Rome, inheriting their power, prestige and titles from paganism…the papacy is but the ghost of the deceased Roman Empire sitting crowned upon its grave."From the American Catholic Quarterly Review, April, 1911 we read the following:
"Long ages ago, when Rome through the neglect of the Western emperors was left to the mercy of the barbarous hordes, the Romans turned to one figure for aid and protection, and asked him to rule them; and thus,…commenced the temporal sovereignty of the popes. And meekly stepping to the throne of Caesar, the Vicar of Christ took up the sceptre to which the emperors and kings of Europe were to bow in reverence through so many ages."2. Prophecy: The little horn arose among the ten horns (
Fulfilment: The Papacy did arise in Western Europe, the same location as the ten nations that sprung up after the collapse of the Roman Empire.
3. Prophecy: The little horn arose after the ten horns (
Fulfilment: The Papacy did come after 476 A.D., when the Roman Empire had disintegrated into ten distinct nations. It was in the year 538 A. D. that a decree from Emperor Justinian went into effect, assigning absolute prominence to the Catholic Church.
4. Prophecy: Even though the antichrist power came up as a little horn, it soon became stout than the other horns (
Fulfilment: The Papacy actually rose from a mere religious entity to control the nations of Europe. From the Papacy and World Affairs by Carl Conrad Eckhart, p. 1, we read the following:
"Under the Roman Empire the popes had no temporal power. But when the Roman Empire had disintegrated and its place had been taken by a number of rude barbarous kingdoms, the Roman Catholic Church not only became independent of the states in religious affairs but dominated secular affairs as well."5. Prophecy: The little horn plucked up three of the ten horns by their roots (
Fulfilment: When the Papacy arose, it was opposed by three Arian powers. These tribes, consisting of the Heruli, Vandals, and Ostrogoth’s were completely annihilated by the armies of Rome. The Heruli, were annihilated in 493 A. D.; the Vandals were annihilated in 534 A. D.; and the Ostrogoths, in 538 A. D. You will not find any of these three nations on the map of Western Europe today. From history, it was after the overthrow of the Ostrogoths in 538 A. D. that the Papacy began to reign freely over Europe as a religio-political power.
6. Prophecy: The little horn had eyes like the eyes of a man (
Fulfilment: The Catholic Church system is run by a high level of intelligence at every level that astounds even the sophisticated mind. Moreover, the church has a powerful man, the pope at the head of its system.
From the great encyclical letters of Leo, XIII, p. 304, we read the following:
But the supreme teacher in the church is the Roman Pontiff. Union of minds, therefore requires complete submission and obedience of the will to the church and the Roman Pontiff, as to God himself."We also read from Lucius Ferraris in his work entitled Prompta Bibliotheca, 1763, Volume VI, ‘Papa II’, p.26 the following:
"Hence the Pope is crowned with a triple crown, as king of heaven and of earth and of the lower regions (infernorum)."7. Prophecy: The little horn was different from the other ten horns (
Fulfilment: Unlike the nations that preceded the Papacy, the Catholic system is not just a political power but a religious entity as well. And this point is what makes her different from the other powers that preceded her. From our first point, we noted how Constantine added the responsibility of political administration to the bishop of Rome. And so, besides being a religious system, the Catholic Church also take active part in politics. In fact, the headquarters of the Catholic system, that is the Vatican City, is actually a country on its own. Like any other political nation of the world, the Vatican City has got her own constitution, coinage, seal, flag, newspaper, radio and above all ambassadors from various countries across the world. Thus, the Roman Catholic system can be best described as a Religio-political power.
8. Prophecy: The antichrist power is an apostate religious system. The Bible refers to this power as a whore or prostitute (
Fulfilment: The antichrist power, as the Scripture describes here, was actually a religious system that was once faithful to the principles of God. However, with the passage of time, she gradually forsook these godly principles until she became corrupted and worldly.
From history, we learn how the Catholic Church in a gradual manner became corrupted and worldly. This church did not only leave the true principles of Christ, but rather substituted these principles with pagan traditions and philosophies of men. Friends, some of the unbiblical doctrines of the Catholic church include the following: immortality of the soul, praying to the dead, purgatory, limbo and eternal torment; Sunday worship instead of the Bible Sabbath; baptism of infants instead of baptizing believing teachable adults and baptism through sprinkling instead of immersion; penance instead of the merits of Christ; tradition placed above the Bible; sale of indulgences (money for salvation); holy water, the mass, transubstantiation (Change of the Lord’s supper bread to Jesus); worship of images, relics, cross etc.; immaculate conception (Mary proclaimed sinless) and Mary worship; rosary beads, the tonsure, the mitre, the confessional, pontiff etcetera.
Beloved, it was due to these unbiblical teachings of the Roman Catholic Church that sparked the reformation in the sixteen hundreds. Godly men such as John Wycliffe, Martin Luther, Tyndale, Huss, Jerome, John Smith, John Calvin and many others stood against the unbiblical teachings of Catholicism.
9. Prophecy: The antichrist power speaks great words and blasphemy against God (
In our previous studies, we defined the meaning of blasphemy from the Bible. First, we learnt that when a human being makes himself as God, or takes the prerogatives of God, that person has committed blasphemy (
Fulfilment: First, the Catholic Church commits blasphemy by exalting the status of the pope, as to that of God himself. From the book, Prompta Bibliotheca Canonica Juridiea Moralis Theologica by F. Lucii Ferraris, we read the following:
"The Pope is of so great a dignity and so exalted that he is not a mere man, but as it were God, and the vicar of God... the Pope is as it were the vicar of God on earth... Chief king of kings, having plentitude of power."From the book, "On the Authority of Councils 1619 ed, book 2, chapter 17, we read the following:
"All names which in the scripture are applied to Christ by virtue of which it is established that He is over the church, all the same names are applied to the pope."Friends, when we begin to consider some of the names that apply to Christ in Scripture, we shudder at such pompous words from the Catholic Church. Is it possible to apply names such as The Mighty God, Prince of Peace, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and The Everlasting Father, to a mere man?
In fact, in
Some of these titles of God that have been taken over by the Catholic system, make some of us to understand better, the words of Paul concerning the antichrist in
"Seek where you will, through heaven and earth, and you will find one created being who can forgive the sinner, who can free him from the chains of hell. That extraordinary being is the priest, the Roman Catholic Priest."Moreover, in the book, Shall I be a Priest? By William Doyle, p. 14 and15, we read the following:
"The poor sinner kneels at his confessor’s feet. He knows that he is not speaking to an ordinary man, but to another Christ. He hears the word, 'I absolve thy sins' and the hidden load of sin drops from his soul forever."Beloved, when we read the news and other historical documents, and discover some of the basest crimes that have been perpetrated by some of these priests; such as even the sexual molestation of children, we begin to wonder whether these so called priests can really stand in the shoes of Christ as our mediator, and forgive various sins of which they themselves may actually be guilty of. Beloved, besides the human flaws that are associated with these priests, the real problem with these pompous statements on forgiveness above is this: The Bible clearly states in
10. Prophecy: The little horn power will think to change God's times and laws (
Fulfilment: Many Christians have been deceived to believe that it was Christ or His apostles that actually changed the law of God. However, as
"The pope has power to change times, to abrogate laws, and to dispense with all things, even the precepts of Christ."Beloved, this is a serious statement. But true to their words, the Church of Rome has actually tampered with God's Ten Commandments. In fact, the Catholic Church has removed the second commandment from her doctrinal books and catechism, because it condemns the worship of images. Friend, if you are familiar with Catholic temples and worship services, you will understand why the power structure of the church thought it wise to do away with the second commandment in the law of God. You will realize that in various Catholic churches and worship centres across the world are actually numerous images and relics. It is an established fact that members of the Catholic Church are encouraged to pray to, and bow down in worship to these still images against the clear commandment of God in the Decalogue.
Moreover, the Catholic Church has also attempted to change God's times. Friends, the only commandment in the Decalogue that relates to time is the fourth commandment, which concerns the Sabbath. The Papacy has boldly proclaimed to the entire world that it was her act that changed the Sabbath time from Saturday to Sunday, and not from any authority of Scripture. From the book, A Doctrinal Catechism by Stephen Keenan, p. 174, we read the following:
"Question: Have you any other way of proving the Church has power to institute festivals of precept?Moreover, in the Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 4, page 153, we read the following:
Answer: Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her, she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday, the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority."
"the church... after changing the day of rest from the Jewish Sabbath, or seventh day of the week, to the first, made the third commandment to refer to Sunday as the day to be kept holy as the Lord's day."Beloved, because the Catholic Church removed the second commandment restricting the worship of images, they were left with just nine of the commandments. To solve this impasse, they actually moved each of the subsequent commandments one step forward, making the third commandment to become the second commandment, the fourth commandment to become the third commandment in that order. Now having done this, they then divided the tenth commandment concerning covetousness into two parts, so that they will still have ten distinct commandments intact. Beloved, it is sad to realize that there are many Roman Catholics who are not aware of this obvious change. This information I’m sharing with you is not something that is secret. Just get an official Roman Catholic Catechism, and you can quickly verify this fact for yourself.
11. Prophecy: The antichrist power also persecutes and kills the saints of God (
Fulfilment: Even though the Catholic Church is a religious system, she is actually an apostate religious system as we have noted already. In fact, this "Christian church", so to speak, has persecuted and destroyed more of the true saints of God than any other institution that has ever existed. Many of God’s children have been denounced as heretics by this power for holding on to the Bible as the standard of their faith. Friends, many of these people who stood against Romish idolatries were persecuted, tortured and inhumanly massacred by the Catholic Church.
From the book, The Rise and Influence of the Spirit of Rationalism in Europe by W. E. H. Leckey Vol. ll p. 32, we read the following:
"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."Moreover, in the book, The Approaching end of the age, by H. Grattan Guiness, p. 212, we read the following:
"It has been calculated that the Popes of Rome have directly or indirectly slain... fifty millions of men and women who refused to be parties to Romish idolatries, who held to the Bible as the Word of God."Friends, the Catholic Church has persecuted the saints of God in the past, and prophecy predicts she will do it again in the very near future (
12. Prophecy: His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power (
Fulfilment: Being a highly religious institution, the Papacy does not have the military muscle needed to punish heretics (people who do not go along with her doctrines) However, she is still able to carry out the role of exterminating heretics by utilizing the secular arms of kings and governments. For instance, the persecution of the reformers and their followers; the war against the Waldenses and Albigenses; as well as the Inquisition carried out in Europe were all perpetrated by the Papacy through the strong arms of willing state powers. And friends, Bible prophecy predicts that the Papacy will continue to utilize state powers against the people of God in the near future (
13. Prophecy: The antichrist power is a universal religious system. From
Fulfilment: The official name of the power we are describing in this study is the Catholic Church. The word Catholic is derived from a Greek word, Katholikos, originally meaning universal. Friends, from the Revised Catechism of the Catholic Church, we read the following:
"The Church is catholic: she proclaims the fullness of the faith. She bears in herself and administers the totality of the means of salvation. She is sent out to all peoples. She speaks to all men. She encompasses all times. She is 'missionary of her very nature'" (No. 868).14. Prophecy: The antichrist power is described as the mother of all apostate churches (
Fulfilment: It is interesting to note that the Catholic Church has for ages regarded herself as the mother of all Christian denominations just as Bible prophecy predicted. For instance, from "The Dominus Iesus declaration, which was written by a close aide of Pope John Paul II, says that the Roman Catholic church is the "mother" of all Christian denominations and that it is incorrect to refer to the Church of England and other Protestant churches as "sister" organisations on a par with Rome." (Vatican declaration provokes churches. BBC, September 5, 2000.)
Friends, the Catholic Church has always seen the Protestant churches that left her fold during the era of the reformation as "erring daughters" who need to be brought back to her fold. And beloved, through the vehicle of ecumenism, the Church of Rome is almost on the verge of realizing this goal.
15. Prophecy: The antichrist power is decked with gold and precious stones and pearls. In other words, this power is an extremely rich organization (
Fulfilment: Friends, unlike the humble Carpenter of Nazareth, this apostate woman is extremely wealthy; and is decked with gold and precious stones and pearls. The Roman Catholic system is one of the richest organizations in the world. The Catholic system actually controls the highest percentage of the cash that flows across the world. Concerning investments in trusts and properties such as banks and other corporate businesses, sports, schools, hospitals, and other institutions, the Catholic system comes second to none.
16. Prophecy: The antichrist power is clothed in purple and scarlet colour (
Fulfilment: The two major official colours of the Roman Catholic system are actually purple and scarlet. Biblically, purple denotes riches or royalty (
Friends, in addition to the fact that the biblical meanings of purple and scarlet are fitting symbols of the Papacy, it might interest you to know that the two major official colours of the Roman Catholic system are actually purple and scarlet. The top hierarchy of the Catholic Church, that is her Bishops and Cardinals, actually make use of these colours as their official wear. The bishops wear purple while the cardinals wear scarlet. This practice of the church dates back to the first millennium. Beloved, I don't think this is just a coincidence but rather a clear message from God, regarding the identity of the true antichrist power. This knowledge, as we are gaining today, is what I believe will save us from the great deception that has broken upon the whole world.
17. Prophecy: The antichrist power sits on seven mountains (
Fulfilment: For over 2000 years, it is only one city that has consistently been known as the city on seven hills. And friends; that city is Rome. From the Catholic Encyclopaedia, we read the following:
"It is within the city of Rome, called the city of seven hills, that the entire area of Vatican State proper is now confined."18. Prophecy: The antichrist power was to reign for a thousand two hundred and sixty years (
Fulfilment: History records that the papacy rose to power after Emperor Justinian’s decree in 538 A. D. From 538 A. D., the Papal power reigned over the world until 1798; an exact period of 1260 years.
19. Prophecy: The antichrist power was to receive a deadly wound after his 1260 - year reign. However, this deadly wound will be healed, and the entire world will wonder at him (
Fulfilment: After her terrible reign of 1260 years, the Papal power received a deadly wound. In 1798, the French general; Alexander Berthier, under the command of Napoleon, marched his armies into Rome and pulled the pope off his throne. Berthier brought the pope to France as a captive. All the properties of the church were confiscated, and the French directory government decreed that there would never be another bishop of Rome.
From the book Church History, p. 24, we read the following:
"The enemies of the church rejoiced. The last Pope, they declared had resigned." In fact, as far as the world was concerned, and by all outward appearances, the Catholic Church was dead."But careful students of Bible prophecy knew that this fatal blow was not the end of the Catholic Church; for the prophecy predicted that his deadly wound will be healed and that the entire world will come to wonder at him (
"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 ... extreme cordiality was displayed on both sides."On the next day, that is, February 12 1929, the same paper came out with the headlines:
"Mussolini and Gasparri Sign Historic Roman Pact … Healed Wound of Many Years".Friends, it is interesting to discover how the editors of the San Francisco article utilized almost the same wording from
Friends, after this memorable event in 1929, the Papal power has risen to world influence and recognition at a speed that has surprised many. The Bible clearly predicted that his deadly wound will be healed and all the world will wonder after him. Beloved, we are living at a time in the history of our world where this prophecy is being fulfilled right before our eyes. Today, almost the entire human race is wondering at the power and prestige of the Catholic system. The pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church is revered not just by almost all religious entities, but political leaders as well. No human being, how high his office, will be able to compete with the pomp, display and preparations that go into welcoming the bishop of Rome into any country of the world today. The sore wound of the Catholic Church is forever healed; and she is just bidding her time for the right opportunity to assume total control of the world.
20. Prophecy: The antichrist power shall utilize the vehicle of peace to destroy many (
Fulfilment: As this power persecuted in the past, Bible prophecy predicts she will do the same in the future when she regains control of the world. Through peace, we are told she will destroy many. But can one really utilize the virtue of peace to destroy people?
Beloved, this sounds quite ambiguous but from Scripture we learn that this is the nature of the Papacy. In fact, through the ecumenical movement, the Papacy is already bringing under her umbrella the entire religious and political world. In an upcoming presentation, we will be looking at the Catholic ecumenical agenda in detail. But for now, I want us to get the point that the Catholic Church is at the moment utilizing the vehicle of ecumenism and other peace initiatives to further her agenda of regaining total control of the world.
Friends, we should open our eyes from henceforth to see just how Bible prophecy is going to be fulfilled right before our eyes as the Papacy utilizes the vehicle of peace to further his purposes. In fact, we saw an example of this prophecy being fulfilled in June of 2014 when the current pope Francis took the audacious step of inviting the presidents of Israel and Palestine to the Vatican to pray for peace. The two presidents, Shimon Perez and Mahmoud Abbas accepted the invitation from the Holy See and the prayer meeting occurred on June 8.
Beloved, as I said earlier, the sore wound of the Catholic Church is forever healed, and she is ready to bear rule over the whole world once again. Bible prophecy predicts that when she obtains power over the world again, she will repeat exactly what she did in the past. With the military support of the world's superpowers (
Exhortation: "And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name" (
"Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them" (
In our next study, we will consider the topic: The Seal of the Living God. The Bible study reference for this study is
The remaining topics in our 19 - part prophecy series dubbed: The Final Events of Bible Prophecy are as follows:
1. The Seal of the Living God.
2. 666 and the Mark of the Beast.
3. When a Lamb Becomes a Dragon: the United States of America in Bible Prophecy.
4. Coronavirus, Climate Change and Sunday Laws.
5. Come out of her, My People: God's Final Call of Mercy to His children in Babylon.
6. A Great wonder in Heaven: a Woman Clothed With the Sun, and the Moon Under her Feet.
7. Countdown to Armageddon: Survivors of the War Behind all Wars.
These upcoming studies will unravel unto us how the great controversy conflict between good and evil actually affect us, and the choices that each of us will have to make in the soon coming future. Stay tuned and never miss any of these upcoming studies. Stay blessed and keep shining for King Jesus.
Maranatha!
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