Why the Antichrist will be the next Pope
Posted 10-23-2009 at 05:28 AM by chrisweick
EXPLAIN THIS!!
666
The three digits of 666. No other sequence of numbers have ever been so debated, discussed, and detested for hundreds of years. Everyone seems to know the ominous feeling when the number is mentioned but not everyone knows why or even where the ‘number of evil’ came from. It is found in only one place in the Bible, the last book called Revelation.
Revelation 13:18 This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.
There are a couple of reasons why I think that God reveals one of the darkest secrets of all mankind into a form of a riddle or code. One is to get the reader to study the clues given throughout the Bible so that the riddle can be solved. We are required to look for the answers and yes, even debate them. To study the Word of God closely will also bring you closer to Him.
The other reason is that the apostle John was exiled or imprisoned on the Island of Patmos when he received the vision that the book of Revelation is about. As you will later study with me, John foresees a rise of a new empire in the future and if he had written down the prophecy in the exact words, without codes and symbols - the Roman government would have confiscated the writings and they would have never got into the hands of those who were in charge of writing the New Testament. Also, he probably would have been charged with conspiracy or treason against the Roman government, and then would have certainly been executed.
For whatever the reason, much of Revelation is confusing to the reader. However, it can be explained and especially with the clues matching up in today’s world - the Antichrist can also be exposed!
To get a better understanding of this verse and start the calculation, we need to understand a few things first.
At the time when John wrote Revelation, the only languages used during this period of the Roman Empire were Greek and Latin. The only system of numbers used was the Roman numerals. This will be the first set of clues to start with. We need to use the language and the numeral system that was in place at that time, when the ‘code’ was written. What I find amazing is that these two systems are still intact and used today, even in every day life - all around the world! The Latin language is still used in naming species of animal life, constellations in astronomy, just to name a few. Roman numerals are still used on clocks, behind the names of people (John Doe III), or even in the sequence of the Super Bowl.
Over the years, many people have tried to put the title of the Antichrist upon many different leaders. Hitler was thought to be the one by those of his day, and Ronald Wilson Reagan also was named the Antichrist because of the six letters in each part of his name. However, the mistake lies in that the name must have original Greek or Latin text, and be able to add the values of the letters together to total 666.
Do we have such a name today? Yes we do! I will go ahead and give the name and calculation of it first, and then I will explain how this name came about and the other clues that the Bible gives which support my findings. I know to some of the readers this will seem impossible, maybe downright offensive. Please stay with me and allow the Word of God to confirm what I am about to reveal. Go to the next page.
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VICARIUS FILII DEI
Translated from Latin, this means Vicar of the Son of God. Now the letter values and the sum of them:
D = 500 C = 100 L = 50 U,V = 5 I = 1
“This calls for wisdom, if anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast.” These Roman numerals were used in the day of John and they are still calculated in the same way for us today. The letter ’U’ however was not introduced into the alphabet as an individual letter until the 1300’s, when the written language took on more new words. In early Latin, the U and the V were considered one in the same. In fact, the U always followed the letter V whenever the V was in a word. Since the U was considered the same letter as the V in ancient Roman times, the value of it is also the same as the V.
1 D = 500
1 C = 100
1 L = 50
1 U = 5
1 V = 5
6 I = 6
= 666!
We now know that the name and the numbers when calculated add to the right amount. But how did we get the name ‘Vicarius Filii Dei’ to begin with? That now becomes a study in early Church history starting with the reign of the Roman emperor Constantine.
In 312AD, Constantine delivers the Edict of Milan. This edict or command stated that all persecution of Christians was to end. This came about when Constantine had a vision of a cross that caused him to convert to Christianity and that in it resulted in many changes to the early Church.
As Constantine became more powerful, the Roman Empire also grew larger in size. It was during the reign of Constantine that the Roman Empire was split into two, the Eastern Empire was controlled by the emperor himself from Constantinople in Greece. The Western half, which included Italy and the city of Rome, was given to the bishop of the Church in Rome in a formal document called the ‘Donation of Constantine’. In this document, Constantine called the bishop (in Latin) the ‘Vicar of the Son of God’, or ‘Vicarius Filii Dei’. This was the birth name or title first given to Pope Sylvester I. The title remained for the popes who followed him as well.
The Holy Roman Catholic Church abused the power of the document for it gave the church sole authority over all the affairs of Rome, not just the affairs of the church. For over a thousand years, the medieval popes upheld the document to increase their secular power, despite many attempts by others to prove that the document was a fake. Even the church had leaders who questioned the authenticity of the document. It wasn’t until 1612, when a professor by the name of Andeas Helwig, identified that ‘Vicarius Filii Dei’ was the ominous number of the beast in Revelation. That propelled the Catholic Church to deny the existence of such a document, and if it did exist - it was a forgery!
The church changed the name of the Pope’s title to ‘Vicarius Christus’, which translated means ‘Vicar of Christ’ - the calculation now does not add up. Unfortunately, there was never any other proof of the
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title being applied to the Pope. Pictures in those days were painted and the papal crown, which would have bore the title, was too blurred to make out any words. Many critics of the Catholic Church believe that the Vatican would have destroyed all evidence of the original title anyway. I feel that the evidence is compelling, or at least intriguing.
Now put that aside for a moment. Could there be other clues in the Bible that God gives us, which point to the possibility of the next pope being the Antichrist?
What needs to be considered is that the Antichrist is not alone. The beast that comes out of the sea, the Great Prostitute, the red dragon(Satan) and the false prophet all work together as an ‘evil web’. They are interconnected and each plays a role in the kingdom of Satan. Let’s examine the Great Prostitute and the beast out of the sea, and then it should become clear how these all link to the rule/rise of the Catholic Church.
BEFORE I GO ANY FURTHER!!
This is to be made clear! This rise of the religion of the Catholic Church is not a reflection of all Catholics! Are there believers in the Catholic Church? Yes!! And yes again!!
Revelation 18: Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues.”
Jesus is calling His people to leave this church, this religion. (I’ll explain the woman next) There are going to be followers of Christ caught up in the throws and upheavals of the Catholic faith. I feel that these believers will be persecuted with great severity as they struggle to leave the Catholic Church. They are the ones that the Antichrist will consider traitors and the most damaging to his cause.
Daniel 11:37 He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above all.
Daniel here prophesied that the Antichrist will ‘lose the faith of his fathers’. The pope will have no interest at all in the things of God, or the adoration of the Virgin Mary. The Antichrist is only interested in the worship of himself. A true, believing Catholic could never accept this theology, and would be forced to leave the Catholic religion - but NOT the faith. That faith will be within themselves, as with all children of God!
There are several other links to the Antichrist. As I stated before, the Antichrist does not work alone, but is part of a network of evil. To show an opposite example, the Bride of Christ are all believing Christians who have been made pure by the blood of the cross. The exact opposite of a virgin bride is a whore or a prostitute, this is the symbolism used to describe the Great Prostitute - the side of evil.
The Great Prostitute
All women mentioned in Revelation are metaphors to describe a religion, a movement with a religious base, or a large group of people who share a common belief. The Great Prostitute (or some Bible translations have the Great Harlot), is no different. This is a religion mentioned here in Revelation, see if you can see the correlation to the Catholic Church.
Revelation 17:1b “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters.”
Revelation 17:15 Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are
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peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.”
This religion is worldwide. It is practiced or has churches(sits) in many areas of the globe(many waters).
Revelation 17:3b There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.
This religion rides on the back of the Antichrist. The woman has no control of it, the Antichrist will take her wherever he wants to go, and uses her to kill those who oppose him. I’ll describe the beast next.
Revelation 17:4a The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls.
What other religion can you imagine that has more pomp and glitz than the Roman Catholic Church? Even the colors of purple and scarlet are accurate here. Gold? Ever look inside the old cathedrals in Europe? - They are beautiful, with gold overlays on just about everything. The Catholic Church likes to show off, just watch Christmas mass at the Vatican some time on television.
This is where I would argue the rise of Islam as the Antichrist. This description here is in no way close to describing the Muslim faith. Muslims worship on straw or woven rugs with their faces in the dust, their imams are dressed very simply, not much different from the worshippers themselves. Bishops and cardinals are dressed like royalty and walk around to be noticed.
Revelation 17:4b She held a golden cup in her hand.
The most important sacrament in the Catholic Church is Holy Communion. Not too long ago, the golden goblet was so holy and important, that only the priest could touch it with his hands. It is considered extreme discipline to withhold communion from a Catholic. In addition, to this day the communion cup is golden.
Revelation 17:6,7a I saw that that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. Then the angel said to me: “Why are you astonished?”
John, seeing all this happening is surprised. The Living Bible translates the word ‘astonished’ for ‘horrified’. Why does God reveal the emotion of John in this verse? I believe it is just another clue. As unbelievable as it could be, it is the Roman Catholic Church who persecutes the believers. That is why John is ‘horrified’. The Church as he knew it was always persecuted. However, it was done by the hand of pagans, pagan governments, or Jews (those who thought Christians were inferior). He NEVER would have imagined that a ‘Christian church’, one that follows Christ - would ever kill its own. Does this bring to mind the Inquisition? The Roman Catholic Church tortured and killed many of its own, in the name of Christ.
Revelation 17:18 The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.
This verse takes some careful thought. The woman is a religion, which is also a city. It becomes a government that the Antichrist uses to rule and control the whole earth. Does anything in history repeat itself?
The woman is also part of the beast that comes out of the sea. I think the best clue to the identity of the woman, is when the beast is described. Here the city that she stands for is unmistakable! This next section that describes the beast should send a shudder through everyone who reads it.
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The Beast Out of the Sea
This metaphor of a beast is referring to a government, or a form of organized authority. It is the kingdom of the Antichrist.
Revelation 13:1b And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.
Revelation 17:9 This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits.
Time to take a breath here and think clearly! This section of my article is beyond belief, even God warns the reader that it is profound! I will explain this as well as God allows me. You may have to reread this part over more that once to grasp the depth and insight that God provides.
This government comes out of the sea. It has to be geographically surrounded by water, or a sea to come out of it. If you can imagine the country of Italy - it is surrounded by water on three sides. It is always easy to spot on a map because of its boot-shaped land area jutting out in the Mediterranean Sea. In addition, the ‘sea’ has always been referred to as the Mediterranean.
The seven heads are also seven hills. The ‘City That Sits on Seven Hills’ - where is that? It is located in Italy, it is the city of Rome! Rome was known in John’s day to sit on seven hills geographically. If you would ask a travel agent today, for information on a vacation to ‘The City of Seven Hills’ - you would be sent to Rome. In argument, it could be said that there are other cities built on seven hills. Rio de Janeiro is one of many. However, there is only ONE where the entire city is confined to a religion.
The Vatican has always been linked to Rome. The name of the religion was always referred to as the Holy ROMAN Catholic Church. Remember, the woman we already identified is the religion of the Catholic Church. The ‘City’ we know is Rome. Where does the religion of the Catholicism ‘sit’? We can understand that Mormonism ‘sits’ in Utah. We know that Judaism ‘sits’ in Jerusalem. We can now conclude that Catholism ‘sits’ in Rome!
Revelation 17:10 They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come.
The seven heads are also a symbol for seven kings or KINGDOMS. These are kingdoms or empires that have ruled the area surrounding the Mediterrean. There have only been SIX empires from the history of the world. Here they are in order of existence: Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Medo -Persian, Greek and Roman.
At the time of John, five of these empires(kings) had already fallen. The ‘one is’ was the current Roman Empire who now ruled the area after the death of Alexander the Great, a Greek. The ‘other’ was not in power yet. There has been no ruling empire since the fall of Rome. It is still coming - the empire of the Antichrist.
This exact same symbolism can be found in Daniel’s interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. It also holds a clue to what the next ‘king’ will be. Found in Daniel chapter 2, the statue represented the empires that were to come to power. The head of gold was the Babylonian Empire controlled by Nebuchadnezzar himself. His successor was conquered by the Medo-Persians (also recorded in Daniel) which were the chest and arms of silver. These are split to show the empire was divided in two - the Medes and the Persians ruled the area together. Next came the bronze belly and thighs, representing the kingdom of Greece. The legs of the statue are made of iron, and split. This represents the Roman
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Empire split into the Western and Eastern Empires. The clue lies in the feet of the statue which is made up of both iron and clay. The feet represent the final ‘king’ or the Antichrist - who is partly iron, which is Roman! The feet are also split, remember this. - I’ll get to that explanation later in the article.
Revelation 17:12 The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast.
The feet of the statue also have ten toes. These ten toes are both iron and clay, they do not mix well or hold together well. This indicates that there will be ten other kings under the authority of the Antichrist who help rule the world, but they don’t get along with each other. I will make a guess here. I think some of these ten kings may be Muslim governments. That is why they don’t mix well with a religion that is not based on Islam or the teachings of Mohammed. The ‘one hour’ shows that their rule is short-lived.
Revelation 17:16 The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.
Here is another clue! The Antichrist and the ten kings will hate and destroy the religion! Why? Because the religion is based on Jesus Christ! Satan actually gives his power entirely over to the Antichrist, and Satan hates this religion as well. As a result, he will allow the Antichrist to destroy it!
Revelation 17:10b … but when he does come, he must remain for a little while.
The reign of the Antichrist will be short, he will sign a treaty with Israel and many other nations for seven years. (Daniel 9:27) - The length of the Tribulation period. He takes total control of the whole world at the halfway mark.
Revelation 17:11a The beast who once was, and now is not, is the eighth king.
This is where in the description of the beast or Antichrist, that things get really weird! I have struggled with explaining this until recently. I have never found any other explanation that satisfies this prophecy - but I think I got it right.
Go back to the staute in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The feet are split, so the kingdom of the Antichrist can be split as well. We know that the Tribulation is the time period of his kingdom. This time period of seven years is split. At the three and a half year mark - he enters the temple that is to be built in Jerusalem, and claims to be God. It is at this point, that many Bible scholars call the start of the Great Tribulation - because of the intense persecution against the believers. This is a possibility. However, I find something else. Could the split in the feet be an explanation for a split personality? Look more closely at the verse.
If the SEVENTH king is the Antichrist - then WHO is the EIGHTH one?!
Revelation 17:11b He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.
The SEVENTH and the EIGHTH kings are one in the same! It is the last or the eighth one that is destroyed. It is revealed a little more next:
Revelation 17:8a The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come out of the Abyss and go to his destruction.
Go with me slowly! The beast is the one the woman was riding on, or at the time that the Catholic
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Church takes an evil path. This eighth king ‘once was’. It is an individual who had lived BEFORE the
time of John. The king ‘now is not’. So this individual is DEAD at the time of John. ‘And will come out of the Abyss’. This person, the SECOND or other person of the Antichrist’s split personality will come out of hell! This Pope will have two personalities! The second one rears its ugly head halfway in the Tribulation period. This second ‘person’ will come directly out of hell and invade the body of the Pope! Are you thinking I am nuts at this point? Read further IN THE BIBLE!!
Revelation 17:8b The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come.
All the world, especially the unbelievers will be amazed, maybe even horrified! Why? BECAUSE this ‘new’ person coming out is from the past! He lived nearly 2000 years ago, before John had the experience on the Island of Patmos. Was dead at this time, probably around the year 80AD, when John wrote Revelation. Whoever this person was - he went to Hell. He also was a ruler of the Roman Empire(one of the seventh kings)!
Any thoughts on who it could be? I will go way out on a limb here! Who comes to mind if you describe a notorious Roman emperor? Anyone come to mind from your World History class that would have persecuted Christians? How about someone who was famous enough that all you had to say was his first name and just about everyone would know who you were talking about. One more hint… He was known to have played his fiddle(lyre) while Rome burned.
What!! NERO?! No way!
Think about this. Nero was dead (he killed himself) before John was imprisoned. The emperor Domitian was the one who exiled John to the Island of Patmos. Nero would not have spared John’s life.
Nero was obviously a Roman Emperor. Nero was known to be the most cruel of all those who persecuted the Christians. This is just a thought. If any of you have a different person that it could be - please let me know.
How would the scenario occur should the Antichrist/Pope have a split personality? This type of mental illness is more commonly called Multiple Personality Disorder and is sometimes triggered by a trauma of a mental or physical nature.
Revelation 13:3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal would had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast.
Here may be the answer to that question. One of the heads, or one of the kings receives a fatal wound. A fatal wound causes death, but this wound is healed and the king comes back to life! The only king this could have happened to, is one that has not yet reigned - the Antichrist. This ‘assassination’ is mentioned three times in this chapter. If something is repeated, it needs to have attention. If the Pope is assassinated, and the entire world sees him come back to life - that would be amazing in itself! What if the Pope comes back to life a different character? The possibility now seems likely that this is when the eighth king comes to power. This is the one who comes from Hell and has received authority from Satan himself. He enters the dead body of the Pope and possesses it like a demon.
What I find so interesting is a ritual carried out by the Catholic Church that was never taught by Jesus or the disciples. This ritual would actually play an important role at this turning point in the future.
It is a ritual that occurs at the time of death for every pope. When a cardinal becomes a pope, he chooses a man to be his ‘Carmerlengo’. The Carmerlengo has the job of declaring the pope officially dead. This seems crazy… the pope is declared dead by a medical examiner and the body is given to the Carmerlengo. He in turn, takes a silver hammer and taps the pope three times on the forehead, calling
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out the pope’s birth name with each tap. If the pope does not respond - he is declared dead! I am not kidding! I followed this on the news when Pope John Paul II died. Why did a silly idea such as this, remain on the Roman Catholic Church’s ‘to do list’? I honestly think it is for this exact day and time!
The Image of the Beast
In Revelation 13, after the Antichrist is allowed to conquer the saints or believers, another beast or authority emerges from ‘the land’. The land here I think refers to Israel. This person or government is also called the False Prophet, and may be a Jew. He would be considered the sidekick to the Antichrist, because he can only perform magic or miracles in the presence of the Antichrist. These miracles will be so spectacular that they will fool the people in making an image or statue of the Antichrist.
Revelation 13:15 He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.
This false prophet will make the statue breathe and come to life! Is it possible to have a computer or robot think independently? It will happen! Either you choose to worship this statue or you will DIE!
This is when the Mark of the Beast is put into practice. The people, who do not get this mark, will be easy to identify and life will be become even more difficult for those who don’t worship or follow the Antichrist.
The Mark of the Beast
Revelation 13:16,17 He forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.
If you get one thing out of this article, make sure you never forget this warning: If you take a mark, a tattoo, or anything that resembles an imprint that can be seen or be made visible using a device - on your right hand or forehead, this is a sign that you support and worship the Antichrist. You will receive as your punishment, the wrath of God in the end.
Revelation 14:9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.”
You will spend your eternity in a burning hole. I find no place in the Bible that states this mark can be removed once it is received. When you make the choice to worship and follow the Antichrist, you will meet your doom! Don’t be fooled! Satan is the father of all lies, and what would seem the only choice you have is to take the mark, think again! It will be a choice of eternal life or death!
666
The three digits of 666. No other sequence of numbers have ever been so debated, discussed, and detested for hundreds of years. Everyone seems to know the ominous feeling when the number is mentioned but not everyone knows why or even where the ‘number of evil’ came from. It is found in only one place in the Bible, the last book called Revelation.
Revelation 13:18 This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.
There are a couple of reasons why I think that God reveals one of the darkest secrets of all mankind into a form of a riddle or code. One is to get the reader to study the clues given throughout the Bible so that the riddle can be solved. We are required to look for the answers and yes, even debate them. To study the Word of God closely will also bring you closer to Him.
The other reason is that the apostle John was exiled or imprisoned on the Island of Patmos when he received the vision that the book of Revelation is about. As you will later study with me, John foresees a rise of a new empire in the future and if he had written down the prophecy in the exact words, without codes and symbols - the Roman government would have confiscated the writings and they would have never got into the hands of those who were in charge of writing the New Testament. Also, he probably would have been charged with conspiracy or treason against the Roman government, and then would have certainly been executed.
For whatever the reason, much of Revelation is confusing to the reader. However, it can be explained and especially with the clues matching up in today’s world - the Antichrist can also be exposed!
To get a better understanding of this verse and start the calculation, we need to understand a few things first.
At the time when John wrote Revelation, the only languages used during this period of the Roman Empire were Greek and Latin. The only system of numbers used was the Roman numerals. This will be the first set of clues to start with. We need to use the language and the numeral system that was in place at that time, when the ‘code’ was written. What I find amazing is that these two systems are still intact and used today, even in every day life - all around the world! The Latin language is still used in naming species of animal life, constellations in astronomy, just to name a few. Roman numerals are still used on clocks, behind the names of people (John Doe III), or even in the sequence of the Super Bowl.
Over the years, many people have tried to put the title of the Antichrist upon many different leaders. Hitler was thought to be the one by those of his day, and Ronald Wilson Reagan also was named the Antichrist because of the six letters in each part of his name. However, the mistake lies in that the name must have original Greek or Latin text, and be able to add the values of the letters together to total 666.
Do we have such a name today? Yes we do! I will go ahead and give the name and calculation of it first, and then I will explain how this name came about and the other clues that the Bible gives which support my findings. I know to some of the readers this will seem impossible, maybe downright offensive. Please stay with me and allow the Word of God to confirm what I am about to reveal. Go to the next page.
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VICARIUS FILII DEI
Translated from Latin, this means Vicar of the Son of God. Now the letter values and the sum of them:
D = 500 C = 100 L = 50 U,V = 5 I = 1
“This calls for wisdom, if anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast.” These Roman numerals were used in the day of John and they are still calculated in the same way for us today. The letter ’U’ however was not introduced into the alphabet as an individual letter until the 1300’s, when the written language took on more new words. In early Latin, the U and the V were considered one in the same. In fact, the U always followed the letter V whenever the V was in a word. Since the U was considered the same letter as the V in ancient Roman times, the value of it is also the same as the V.
1 D = 500
1 C = 100
1 L = 50
1 U = 5
1 V = 5
6 I = 6
= 666!
We now know that the name and the numbers when calculated add to the right amount. But how did we get the name ‘Vicarius Filii Dei’ to begin with? That now becomes a study in early Church history starting with the reign of the Roman emperor Constantine.
In 312AD, Constantine delivers the Edict of Milan. This edict or command stated that all persecution of Christians was to end. This came about when Constantine had a vision of a cross that caused him to convert to Christianity and that in it resulted in many changes to the early Church.
As Constantine became more powerful, the Roman Empire also grew larger in size. It was during the reign of Constantine that the Roman Empire was split into two, the Eastern Empire was controlled by the emperor himself from Constantinople in Greece. The Western half, which included Italy and the city of Rome, was given to the bishop of the Church in Rome in a formal document called the ‘Donation of Constantine’. In this document, Constantine called the bishop (in Latin) the ‘Vicar of the Son of God’, or ‘Vicarius Filii Dei’. This was the birth name or title first given to Pope Sylvester I. The title remained for the popes who followed him as well.
The Holy Roman Catholic Church abused the power of the document for it gave the church sole authority over all the affairs of Rome, not just the affairs of the church. For over a thousand years, the medieval popes upheld the document to increase their secular power, despite many attempts by others to prove that the document was a fake. Even the church had leaders who questioned the authenticity of the document. It wasn’t until 1612, when a professor by the name of Andeas Helwig, identified that ‘Vicarius Filii Dei’ was the ominous number of the beast in Revelation. That propelled the Catholic Church to deny the existence of such a document, and if it did exist - it was a forgery!
The church changed the name of the Pope’s title to ‘Vicarius Christus’, which translated means ‘Vicar of Christ’ - the calculation now does not add up. Unfortunately, there was never any other proof of the
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title being applied to the Pope. Pictures in those days were painted and the papal crown, which would have bore the title, was too blurred to make out any words. Many critics of the Catholic Church believe that the Vatican would have destroyed all evidence of the original title anyway. I feel that the evidence is compelling, or at least intriguing.
Now put that aside for a moment. Could there be other clues in the Bible that God gives us, which point to the possibility of the next pope being the Antichrist?
What needs to be considered is that the Antichrist is not alone. The beast that comes out of the sea, the Great Prostitute, the red dragon(Satan) and the false prophet all work together as an ‘evil web’. They are interconnected and each plays a role in the kingdom of Satan. Let’s examine the Great Prostitute and the beast out of the sea, and then it should become clear how these all link to the rule/rise of the Catholic Church.
BEFORE I GO ANY FURTHER!!
This is to be made clear! This rise of the religion of the Catholic Church is not a reflection of all Catholics! Are there believers in the Catholic Church? Yes!! And yes again!!
Revelation 18: Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues.”
Jesus is calling His people to leave this church, this religion. (I’ll explain the woman next) There are going to be followers of Christ caught up in the throws and upheavals of the Catholic faith. I feel that these believers will be persecuted with great severity as they struggle to leave the Catholic Church. They are the ones that the Antichrist will consider traitors and the most damaging to his cause.
Daniel 11:37 He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above all.
Daniel here prophesied that the Antichrist will ‘lose the faith of his fathers’. The pope will have no interest at all in the things of God, or the adoration of the Virgin Mary. The Antichrist is only interested in the worship of himself. A true, believing Catholic could never accept this theology, and would be forced to leave the Catholic religion - but NOT the faith. That faith will be within themselves, as with all children of God!
There are several other links to the Antichrist. As I stated before, the Antichrist does not work alone, but is part of a network of evil. To show an opposite example, the Bride of Christ are all believing Christians who have been made pure by the blood of the cross. The exact opposite of a virgin bride is a whore or a prostitute, this is the symbolism used to describe the Great Prostitute - the side of evil.
The Great Prostitute
All women mentioned in Revelation are metaphors to describe a religion, a movement with a religious base, or a large group of people who share a common belief. The Great Prostitute (or some Bible translations have the Great Harlot), is no different. This is a religion mentioned here in Revelation, see if you can see the correlation to the Catholic Church.
Revelation 17:1b “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters.”
Revelation 17:15 Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are
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peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.”
This religion is worldwide. It is practiced or has churches(sits) in many areas of the globe(many waters).
Revelation 17:3b There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.
This religion rides on the back of the Antichrist. The woman has no control of it, the Antichrist will take her wherever he wants to go, and uses her to kill those who oppose him. I’ll describe the beast next.
Revelation 17:4a The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls.
What other religion can you imagine that has more pomp and glitz than the Roman Catholic Church? Even the colors of purple and scarlet are accurate here. Gold? Ever look inside the old cathedrals in Europe? - They are beautiful, with gold overlays on just about everything. The Catholic Church likes to show off, just watch Christmas mass at the Vatican some time on television.
This is where I would argue the rise of Islam as the Antichrist. This description here is in no way close to describing the Muslim faith. Muslims worship on straw or woven rugs with their faces in the dust, their imams are dressed very simply, not much different from the worshippers themselves. Bishops and cardinals are dressed like royalty and walk around to be noticed.
Revelation 17:4b She held a golden cup in her hand.
The most important sacrament in the Catholic Church is Holy Communion. Not too long ago, the golden goblet was so holy and important, that only the priest could touch it with his hands. It is considered extreme discipline to withhold communion from a Catholic. In addition, to this day the communion cup is golden.
Revelation 17:6,7a I saw that that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. Then the angel said to me: “Why are you astonished?”
John, seeing all this happening is surprised. The Living Bible translates the word ‘astonished’ for ‘horrified’. Why does God reveal the emotion of John in this verse? I believe it is just another clue. As unbelievable as it could be, it is the Roman Catholic Church who persecutes the believers. That is why John is ‘horrified’. The Church as he knew it was always persecuted. However, it was done by the hand of pagans, pagan governments, or Jews (those who thought Christians were inferior). He NEVER would have imagined that a ‘Christian church’, one that follows Christ - would ever kill its own. Does this bring to mind the Inquisition? The Roman Catholic Church tortured and killed many of its own, in the name of Christ.
Revelation 17:18 The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.
This verse takes some careful thought. The woman is a religion, which is also a city. It becomes a government that the Antichrist uses to rule and control the whole earth. Does anything in history repeat itself?
The woman is also part of the beast that comes out of the sea. I think the best clue to the identity of the woman, is when the beast is described. Here the city that she stands for is unmistakable! This next section that describes the beast should send a shudder through everyone who reads it.
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The Beast Out of the Sea
This metaphor of a beast is referring to a government, or a form of organized authority. It is the kingdom of the Antichrist.
Revelation 13:1b And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.
Revelation 17:9 This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits.
Time to take a breath here and think clearly! This section of my article is beyond belief, even God warns the reader that it is profound! I will explain this as well as God allows me. You may have to reread this part over more that once to grasp the depth and insight that God provides.
This government comes out of the sea. It has to be geographically surrounded by water, or a sea to come out of it. If you can imagine the country of Italy - it is surrounded by water on three sides. It is always easy to spot on a map because of its boot-shaped land area jutting out in the Mediterranean Sea. In addition, the ‘sea’ has always been referred to as the Mediterranean.
The seven heads are also seven hills. The ‘City That Sits on Seven Hills’ - where is that? It is located in Italy, it is the city of Rome! Rome was known in John’s day to sit on seven hills geographically. If you would ask a travel agent today, for information on a vacation to ‘The City of Seven Hills’ - you would be sent to Rome. In argument, it could be said that there are other cities built on seven hills. Rio de Janeiro is one of many. However, there is only ONE where the entire city is confined to a religion.
The Vatican has always been linked to Rome. The name of the religion was always referred to as the Holy ROMAN Catholic Church. Remember, the woman we already identified is the religion of the Catholic Church. The ‘City’ we know is Rome. Where does the religion of the Catholicism ‘sit’? We can understand that Mormonism ‘sits’ in Utah. We know that Judaism ‘sits’ in Jerusalem. We can now conclude that Catholism ‘sits’ in Rome!
Revelation 17:10 They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come.
The seven heads are also a symbol for seven kings or KINGDOMS. These are kingdoms or empires that have ruled the area surrounding the Mediterrean. There have only been SIX empires from the history of the world. Here they are in order of existence: Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Medo -Persian, Greek and Roman.
At the time of John, five of these empires(kings) had already fallen. The ‘one is’ was the current Roman Empire who now ruled the area after the death of Alexander the Great, a Greek. The ‘other’ was not in power yet. There has been no ruling empire since the fall of Rome. It is still coming - the empire of the Antichrist.
This exact same symbolism can be found in Daniel’s interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. It also holds a clue to what the next ‘king’ will be. Found in Daniel chapter 2, the statue represented the empires that were to come to power. The head of gold was the Babylonian Empire controlled by Nebuchadnezzar himself. His successor was conquered by the Medo-Persians (also recorded in Daniel) which were the chest and arms of silver. These are split to show the empire was divided in two - the Medes and the Persians ruled the area together. Next came the bronze belly and thighs, representing the kingdom of Greece. The legs of the statue are made of iron, and split. This represents the Roman
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Empire split into the Western and Eastern Empires. The clue lies in the feet of the statue which is made up of both iron and clay. The feet represent the final ‘king’ or the Antichrist - who is partly iron, which is Roman! The feet are also split, remember this. - I’ll get to that explanation later in the article.
Revelation 17:12 The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast.
The feet of the statue also have ten toes. These ten toes are both iron and clay, they do not mix well or hold together well. This indicates that there will be ten other kings under the authority of the Antichrist who help rule the world, but they don’t get along with each other. I will make a guess here. I think some of these ten kings may be Muslim governments. That is why they don’t mix well with a religion that is not based on Islam or the teachings of Mohammed. The ‘one hour’ shows that their rule is short-lived.
Revelation 17:16 The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.
Here is another clue! The Antichrist and the ten kings will hate and destroy the religion! Why? Because the religion is based on Jesus Christ! Satan actually gives his power entirely over to the Antichrist, and Satan hates this religion as well. As a result, he will allow the Antichrist to destroy it!
Revelation 17:10b … but when he does come, he must remain for a little while.
The reign of the Antichrist will be short, he will sign a treaty with Israel and many other nations for seven years. (Daniel 9:27) - The length of the Tribulation period. He takes total control of the whole world at the halfway mark.
Revelation 17:11a The beast who once was, and now is not, is the eighth king.
This is where in the description of the beast or Antichrist, that things get really weird! I have struggled with explaining this until recently. I have never found any other explanation that satisfies this prophecy - but I think I got it right.
Go back to the staute in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The feet are split, so the kingdom of the Antichrist can be split as well. We know that the Tribulation is the time period of his kingdom. This time period of seven years is split. At the three and a half year mark - he enters the temple that is to be built in Jerusalem, and claims to be God. It is at this point, that many Bible scholars call the start of the Great Tribulation - because of the intense persecution against the believers. This is a possibility. However, I find something else. Could the split in the feet be an explanation for a split personality? Look more closely at the verse.
If the SEVENTH king is the Antichrist - then WHO is the EIGHTH one?!
Revelation 17:11b He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.
The SEVENTH and the EIGHTH kings are one in the same! It is the last or the eighth one that is destroyed. It is revealed a little more next:
Revelation 17:8a The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come out of the Abyss and go to his destruction.
Go with me slowly! The beast is the one the woman was riding on, or at the time that the Catholic
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Church takes an evil path. This eighth king ‘once was’. It is an individual who had lived BEFORE the
time of John. The king ‘now is not’. So this individual is DEAD at the time of John. ‘And will come out of the Abyss’. This person, the SECOND or other person of the Antichrist’s split personality will come out of hell! This Pope will have two personalities! The second one rears its ugly head halfway in the Tribulation period. This second ‘person’ will come directly out of hell and invade the body of the Pope! Are you thinking I am nuts at this point? Read further IN THE BIBLE!!
Revelation 17:8b The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come.
All the world, especially the unbelievers will be amazed, maybe even horrified! Why? BECAUSE this ‘new’ person coming out is from the past! He lived nearly 2000 years ago, before John had the experience on the Island of Patmos. Was dead at this time, probably around the year 80AD, when John wrote Revelation. Whoever this person was - he went to Hell. He also was a ruler of the Roman Empire(one of the seventh kings)!
Any thoughts on who it could be? I will go way out on a limb here! Who comes to mind if you describe a notorious Roman emperor? Anyone come to mind from your World History class that would have persecuted Christians? How about someone who was famous enough that all you had to say was his first name and just about everyone would know who you were talking about. One more hint… He was known to have played his fiddle(lyre) while Rome burned.
What!! NERO?! No way!
Think about this. Nero was dead (he killed himself) before John was imprisoned. The emperor Domitian was the one who exiled John to the Island of Patmos. Nero would not have spared John’s life.
Nero was obviously a Roman Emperor. Nero was known to be the most cruel of all those who persecuted the Christians. This is just a thought. If any of you have a different person that it could be - please let me know.
How would the scenario occur should the Antichrist/Pope have a split personality? This type of mental illness is more commonly called Multiple Personality Disorder and is sometimes triggered by a trauma of a mental or physical nature.
Revelation 13:3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal would had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast.
Here may be the answer to that question. One of the heads, or one of the kings receives a fatal wound. A fatal wound causes death, but this wound is healed and the king comes back to life! The only king this could have happened to, is one that has not yet reigned - the Antichrist. This ‘assassination’ is mentioned three times in this chapter. If something is repeated, it needs to have attention. If the Pope is assassinated, and the entire world sees him come back to life - that would be amazing in itself! What if the Pope comes back to life a different character? The possibility now seems likely that this is when the eighth king comes to power. This is the one who comes from Hell and has received authority from Satan himself. He enters the dead body of the Pope and possesses it like a demon.
What I find so interesting is a ritual carried out by the Catholic Church that was never taught by Jesus or the disciples. This ritual would actually play an important role at this turning point in the future.
It is a ritual that occurs at the time of death for every pope. When a cardinal becomes a pope, he chooses a man to be his ‘Carmerlengo’. The Carmerlengo has the job of declaring the pope officially dead. This seems crazy… the pope is declared dead by a medical examiner and the body is given to the Carmerlengo. He in turn, takes a silver hammer and taps the pope three times on the forehead, calling
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out the pope’s birth name with each tap. If the pope does not respond - he is declared dead! I am not kidding! I followed this on the news when Pope John Paul II died. Why did a silly idea such as this, remain on the Roman Catholic Church’s ‘to do list’? I honestly think it is for this exact day and time!
The Image of the Beast
In Revelation 13, after the Antichrist is allowed to conquer the saints or believers, another beast or authority emerges from ‘the land’. The land here I think refers to Israel. This person or government is also called the False Prophet, and may be a Jew. He would be considered the sidekick to the Antichrist, because he can only perform magic or miracles in the presence of the Antichrist. These miracles will be so spectacular that they will fool the people in making an image or statue of the Antichrist.
Revelation 13:15 He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.
This false prophet will make the statue breathe and come to life! Is it possible to have a computer or robot think independently? It will happen! Either you choose to worship this statue or you will DIE!
This is when the Mark of the Beast is put into practice. The people, who do not get this mark, will be easy to identify and life will be become even more difficult for those who don’t worship or follow the Antichrist.
The Mark of the Beast
Revelation 13:16,17 He forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.
If you get one thing out of this article, make sure you never forget this warning: If you take a mark, a tattoo, or anything that resembles an imprint that can be seen or be made visible using a device - on your right hand or forehead, this is a sign that you support and worship the Antichrist. You will receive as your punishment, the wrath of God in the end.
Revelation 14:9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.”
You will spend your eternity in a burning hole. I find no place in the Bible that states this mark can be removed once it is received. When you make the choice to worship and follow the Antichrist, you will meet your doom! Don’t be fooled! Satan is the father of all lies, and what would seem the only choice you have is to take the mark, think again! It will be a choice of eternal life or death!
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