THE POPE (ANY POPE) Lived: First century A.D. to Present CLAIM TO FAME: The Bishop of Rome and worldwide head of the Roman Catholic Church. Throughout history, just about every pope has been tagged with the Antichrist label, especially by evangelical anti~Catholic fundamentalists, who wont let go of the crazy idea that the Vatican is the Whore of Babylon as described in Revelation 17~18 1) A MAN Yes. The papacy is still an exclusive boys club. 2) ENEMY OF GOD This ones a stretch, although some popes have been naughtier than others. Like Alexander VI in the late 1400s, who bribed his way into the position and soiled his pointy white hat with nepotism, greed, murder, and the occasional orgy. 3) AUTHORITY/ POPULARITY Lots. As leader of the largest church in the world and the absolute monarch of Vatican City, the pope wields considerable political and moral power. Before 1870, he also had authority over a large chunk of territory in Central Italy called the Patrimmy of St Peter. And hes been appointed to his position by God, so whos to argue? 4) PEACEMAKER Lets get specific. John Paul II was engaged in Middle Eastern diplomacy for several, to promote reconciliation between Catholics and Jews and even to bridge the gap between Muslims, Jews, and Christians. Which really, really bothered those who looked at his interfaith dialogues and saw the first steps toward a one~world religion based around the Church of Rome. 5) FALSE MESSIAH/ WORSHIPABILITY You know how the pope comes out on the balcony of the massive Basilica of St. Peter and waves to the teeming crowds of supplicants and admirers below? And they all seem to cheer and weep and carry on like hes a spiritual rock star? That also really, really bothers some people. And the popes claim to be Vicar of Christ on earth is also suspect, because vicar comes from the Latin root vicarius, which literally means substituting for, or in place of. And a guy claiming to be a substitute for the Sun of God? Yep. Pretty fishy. 6) HEAD WOUND In 1981, John Paul II was shot in the stomach and nearly killed by a Turkish gunman as the pope entered St. Peters Square via Popemobile (an assassination attempt that some say was the partial fulfillment of a prophecy made decades earlier by Padre Pio, the famous stigmatic). He recovered just fine, though which raised eyebrows among the fanatical set, who went to work trying to figure out how head wound could be interpreted symbolically as a reference to the stomach. 7) 666/MARK OF THE BEAST Back in the second century, Irenaeus proposed that the ancient Greek, word Latienos (Latin~speaking man), using the numeric equivalents of Greek letters, added up to 666. It also works with Italika Ekklesia (Italian Church).And the Latin Vicarius Filii Dei (Vicar of the Son of God) thats said to be inscribed on the papal tiara. Truly the pope must be the Antichrist. If only we could figure out which pope. 8) JEWISHNESS Nope. Sorry. Even though John Paul II, who grew up amid a flourish Jewish culture in Poland, was perhaps the most pro~Jewish pope in history. He was the first pope ever to visit the Synagogue of Rome and made pit stops at Jerusalems Wailing Wall during his frequent visits to the Holy Land. 9) NEW ROMAN EMPIRE/EUROPEAN CONNECTION. Who needs a New Roman Empire when youre the head dude right in the middle of the place where the Old Roman Empire had its heyday? 10) OTHER REASONS FOR SUSPICION Revelation 17 says that the seven heads of The Beast represent the seven hills of the city where the Great Harlot (The Whore of Babylon) lives. Quick: Name a city famous for its seven hills. Thats right! Rome! You win a gold star! Or better yet, a microchip implanted in your forehead. SO COULD THE POPE~OR A POPE~BE THE ANTICHRIST? Probably not, despite the long~standing Protestant tradition of equating the two. In fact, its more popular these days to tag the pope as the False Prophet, the powerful, authoritative guy who tells everyone to pony up and start bowing to the Antichrist. That takes a fair amount of influence, especially if youre suggesting that people worship, for instance, Prince Charles
Posted on: Sun, 23 Mar 2014 21:48:47 +0000
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