When you think of Antichrist, you have to move away from the way Hollywood makes you think of Antichrist. Antichrist is not some ugly looking monster with an upside down cross and evil eyes. The word, Antichrist, is a compound word made up of the words, anti and Christ. The word, anti, simply means in place of or instead of. The word, Antichrist, means instead of Christ or in place of Christ. The Bible describes the Antichrist as a religious leader who is simply putting himself in place of Christ.
"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 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
"The pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a mere man...he is as it were, God on earth, sole sovereign of he faithful of Christ, chief of kings, having plenitude of power." Lucius Ferraris, Prompta Bibliotheca, 1763, Volume VI, ‘Papa II’, pp. 25 - 29
When you think of the biblical Antichrist, think of someone who is sitting in the temple of God claiming to be God and exalting himself above the word of God.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him: We ask you, brothers, not to be easily upset in mind or troubled, either by a spirit or by a message or by a letter as if from us, alleging that the Day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition. He opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
“Sunday is our mark of authority… the church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact.” ~ Catholic Record of London, Ontario Sept 1, 1923
When you think of Antichrist, think of a man sitting in the temple of God claiming to be God.
The temple of God are the people of God.
2 Corinthians 6:16 What union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For you are God’s temple, the home of the living God, and God has said of you, “I will live in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
When you think of the son of perdition, don't think of someone like Saddam Hussein or Osama Bin Laden who are outside the church, but rather, think of someone who seems to be part of the church just like Judas Iscariot. The son of perdition, like Judas Iscariot, is someone who seems to be inside the fellowship of believers, but he's not, and he is not easily recognizable as one who is against the God of Israel.
When you think of Antichrist, think of a persecuting power. Think of a religious system that speaks pompous words against God and claims to have the power and authority to change God's appointed times and Law.
Daniel 7:24-25 The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; he shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings. He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High and will intend to change appointed times and the law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.
Dictionary: Inquisitions: an ecclesiastical tribunal established by Pope Gregory IX c. 1232 for the suppression of heresy. It was active chiefly in northern Italy and southern France, becoming notorious for the use of torture. In 1542 the papal Inquisition was re-established to combat Protestantism, eventually becoming an organ of papal government.
Why does God say the golden cup is full of abominations? Because the Catholic Church says they have the power to put God in that golden cup, even if they are His enemy.
"...we find in obediance to the words of his priests - Hoc est Corpus Meum - God Himself descends on the altar, that he comes whenever they call Him; and as often as they call Him, and places Himself in their hands, even though they should be His enemies. And after having come, he remains, entirely at their disposal; they move Him as they please, from one place to another; they may, if they wish, shut Him up in the tabernacle, expose Him on the altar, or carry Him outside the church; they may, if they choose, eat His flesh, and give Him for the food of others. ;Oh how great is their power!' -The Dignity of the priesthood by Liguori p. 26,27
They say that in the Eucharist they have the power to create God.
"...the power of the priest is the power of the divine person; for the transubstantiation of the bread requires as much power as the creation of the world. ...thus the priest may be called the creator of the Creator..." -The diginity of the priesthood, p. 33
These are surely pompous words.
Identifying the papacy, as the man of sin or Antichrist, was a common belief in the early years of the Protestant movement.
Listen to what the founding fathers of the protestant reformation had to say about the Pope's position.
"The Pope is in an emphatical sense, the Man of Sin, as he increases all manner of sin above measure. And he is, too, properly styled the Son of Perdition, as he has caused the death of numberless multitudes, both of his opposers and followers... He it is...that exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped...claiming the highest power, and highest honour...claiming the prerogatives which belong to God alone." Taken from Antichrist and His Ten Kingdoms by John Wesley, pg. 110.
"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, after whom we speak and whose language we adopt... 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." Taken from Institutes by John Calvin.
The man of sin, who sits in the temple of God claiming to be God, is the position and authority of the Pope.
"Quotes of the Papacy claiming to be God"
"We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty" ...Pope Leo XIII Encyclical Letter of June 20, 1894.
"The Pope and God are the same, so he has all power in Heaven and earth." Pope Pius V, quoted in Barclay, Chapter XXVII, p. 218, "Cities Petrus Bertanous".
.-Pope Nicholas I declared that "the appellation of God had been confirmed by Constantine on the Pope, who, being God, cannot be judged by man." - Labb IX Dist.: 96 Can. 7, Satis evidentur, Decret Gratian Primer Para.
"The pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a mere man (...) he is as it were God on earth, sole sovereign of the faithful of Christ, chief of kings, having plenitude of power." -Lucius Ferraris, «Prompta Bibliotheca», 1763, Volume VI, 'Papa II', pp.25-29
It is Almighty God who sits on His throne between two angels.
Isaiah 37:16 “Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.
Since the Pope is the man of sin who is sitting in the temple of God, claiming to be God, he too must be seated on his throne between two cherubs.
The papacy shows that he is God by changing God's times and law.
"The Pope has the power to change times, to abrogate laws, and to dispense with all things, even the precepts of Christ." "The Pope has the authority and often exercised it, to dispense with the command of Christ." Decretal, de Tranlatic Episcop. Cap. (The Pope can modify divine law.) Ferraris' Ecclesiastical Dictionary.
In the process of changing God's appointed times and Law, the Papacy removed the second commandment from the Ten Commandments, which should say, "Do not make or worship idols". Then he made two commandments out of the tenth commandment so that there would still be ten.
So far we have seen how, in the apostasy, God's appointed times and Law were changed. Part of God's appointed times includes His Feast Days, which teach us His plan and timing of Messiah's ministry. The Feast Days help us to identify the true Messiah. According to God's plan and timeline, seen in God's Feast Days, Messiah was to die on Passover and be in the grave three days and three nights, but according to most of today's mainline churches, they teach Messiah died on Good Friday and rose on Easter Sunday, which is why they now call Sunday, the Lord's day. Friday evening to Sunday morning is not three days and three nights.
According to God's timeline, Messiah had to died on Passover and was placed in the tomb that evening at twilight, then three days and three nights later He rose from the dead. This is true because Messiah Himself said the only sign He would give to prove who He was would be the sign of Jonah, in that He would be three days and three nights in the grave, just like Jonah was three days and three nights in the great fish.
Matthew 12:40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
A Good Friday crucifixion with an Easter Sunday resurrection does not allow enough time for the fulfillment of God's prophecy for the true Messiah.
Here is the true timeline, according to the Scriptures, refer to chart below.
On Tuesday, at twilight, Messiah gathered with His disciples for the last supper. Satan filled Judas' heart, and then Judas left the supper to betray the Messiah. That night, Messiah was arrested in the garden. This was all in line with the timing of the Passover sacrifice, which was to take place on a Wednesday that year. The 14th is the day of Passover, so the Messiah had to die on Passover to fulfill the Passover sacrifice as the sacrificial Lamb of God.
Messiah was crucified Wednesday the 14th and dies on the cross late on Passover as the Passover Lamb. He was then placed in the tomb at twilight Wed/Thurs. Thursday is the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which, according to Leviticus 23, is the High Sabbath, not the seventh day Sabbath.
Leviticus 23:5-7 On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; it shall be a Sabbath so do no customary work on it.
Messiah was on the cross on Passover (Wednesday the 14th) but now Thursday the 15th is upon them, so they wanted Messiah off the cross because the 15th was the High Sabbath, which is the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
John 19:31 Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
Timeline of the week of Messiah's crucifixion: Tuesday, before sunset, was the Lord's supper, Messiah was arrested after sunset, He was tried, crucified and died on Passover, which was Wednesday the 14th. He was taken down from the cross and put in the tomb just before twilight on Wednesday. Thursday, the 15th, is the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, it was a High Sabbath, so Mary couldn't buy the spices until the High Sabbath was over. It's Friday now, the High Sabbath is over, so Mary buys the spices, she prepares them, but now the seventh day Sabbath is upon them, so they rest on the Sabbath according to the fourth commandment. Saturday is the third day of Messiah being in the grave, so at some point before sunset, Messiah raises from the dead. This fits perfectly with the three days and three nights and allows enough time for all the events that took place during the week of Messiah's crucifixion. This is the only sign Messiah gave to prove who He was, so if your Jesus died on Good Friday and rose on Easter Sunday, then you are following a false Messiah.
Email: MessiahofIsrael@aol.com
REFER TO CHART BELOW.
"The Pope has the power to change times, to abrogate laws, and to dispense with all things, even the precepts of Christ." "The Pope has the authority and often exercised it, to dispense with the command of Christ." Decretal, de Tranlatic Episcop. Cap. (The Pope can modify divine law.) Ferraris' Ecclesiastical Dictionary.
They "dispense with the command of Christ???" When the Catholic church is asked..."Why do you feel you have the power, authority and ability to change Scripture to match your traditions?" They 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." -Rev. Stephan Keenan, A Doctrinal Catechism, "On the Obedience Due to the Church," chap. 2, p. 174. (Imprimatur, John Cardinal McCloskey, archbishop of New York.)
When you think of Antichrist, don't think of someone who is so obviously evil and so sinful that you can spot him a mile away. But rather, think of someone who appears to be preaching and doing righteous things.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.
The position of Antichrist is subtle, cunning and religious, able to deceive even God's elect people. He is able to deceive most of the world into following a system of worship that appears godly, but it denies the very thing that defines godliness, which is God's Law given through Israel.
Matthew 24:24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
The son of perdition, spoken of by Paul, is the man of lawlessness, without God's Law. He has a form of godliness, but he denies the power of godliness, which comes from obeying God's Law. He is sitting in the temple of God claiming to be God, and he is turning God's people away from the Hebraic roots of the faith to follow pagan beliefs and practices that have their origin in Babylon, not Israel. The man of sin has replaced God's holy days with the pagan holidays of Christmas, Easter, Good Friday and Sunday worship. This is the same man identified by the Prophet Daniel who changes God's Feast Days, His Law and persecutes the saints.
Daniel 7:24-25 The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; he shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings. He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change appointed times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.
The saints, who are persecuted by the man of lawlessness, are the people of God who are trying to obey the Law of God through the teaching of Messiah. Anyone who resisted or came against these changes to God's Feast Days and Law were labeled a heretic and were tortured and killed. As a result of supersessionism, million people were put to death during the Papal crusades and inquisitions, just as Daniel said.
Revelation 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
"The church may by divine right confiscate the property of heretics, imprison their person, and condemn them to flames. In our age, the right to inflict the severest penalties, even death, belongs to the church. There is no graver offense than heresy, therefore it must be rooted out." - Public Eccliastical, Vol. 2, p.142.
"He is a heretic who does not believe what the Roman Hierarchy teaches. --A heretic merits the pains of fire. --By the Gospel, the canons, civil law, and custom, heretics must be burned."--148, 169
IF WE BELIEVE RELIGION IS TRUE, WE SHOULD BE REINTRODUCING A CRIMINAL PENALTY FOR THOSE WHO FAIL TO ATTEND CHURCH ON SUNDAY -Daily Independent 4-11-98 -Sara Maitland "On the issues of belief"
In the same way that God is working through Messiah to lead people back to obeying His commandments, Satan the Dragon is leading people through the man of lawlessness to disobey the commandments of God and to persecute those who are trying to keep the commandments of God.
Revelation 12:17 The dragon was very angry with the woman. He went off to fight with the rest of her children. They are the ones who obey the Laws of God and are faithful to the teachings of Jesus.
The dragon, or Satan, is enraged with the woman. This woman is the bride of Messiah. She is described in the Bible as a pure virgin because she has not accepted paganism taught by Antichrist and his kingdom.
2 Corinthians 11:2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.
There is another woman in the Bible. She is called the harlot or the impure woman. She is adorned in red and purple, with a golden cup in her hand.
Revelation 17:4 The woman was arrayed in purple and red, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.