According to this bible prophecy, a way in which we can identify the Antichrist is by how he will speak great things against God. Many Christians are still waiting for this man to appear on the scene in the future, but the Historicist view is that the Antichrist has been already in the Dark Ages, and was fulfilled in the Papacy (Reign of Popes) and that these men did speak many blasphemous words against God. History proves this as you look at some of the Popes self presumed titles.
“Our Lord God the Pope,”
“Another God upon earth,”
“King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”
Here are some of the adulation's the Popes have received from their followers without their even batting of an eyelid.
A Venetian Nobleman in the fourth session of the Lateran Council addressed the Pope as follows:
"You are our Shepherd, our Physician, in short,
a second God upon earth."
Another bishop called the Pope.
"The lion of the tribe of Judah, the promised Saviour."
Lord Anthony Pucci, in the fifth Lateran Council, said to the Pope,
“The sight of your divine majesty terrifies me, for I know
that all power both in heaven and in earth is given unto you,
that the prophetic saying is fulfilled in you,
“All the kings of the earth shall worship him,
and nations shall serve him. "
See Oswald's “Kingdom, Which shall not be destroyed,"
The High Priest the Supreme Bishop.
You are the Prince of Bishops;
You are the Heir of the Apostles.
You are Abel in Primacy,
Noah in government,
Abraham in the patriarchal rank,
in the order of Melchisedec,
in dignity Aaron,
in authority Moses,
Samuel in judicial office,
Peter in power,
CHRIST IN UNCTION.
From Pope Boniface VIII
(1294-1303 AD)
we have the following decree.
"We declare and pronounce it
necessary for the
salvation for every
human being to be subject to the Pope."
Pope Gregory Vll, in 1063 AD
ordained that the
Pope should be called
Father of Fathers,
and draws the following
verses from
Genesis 1:16,
to support papal pretensions:
“God made two great lights in the heavens; the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night; they are both great, but one is greater, in the heavens. In the universal church, God made two great lights, that is, he set up two dignities, Papal authority and Regal power. That which rules over the day is the spiritual power which is greater and that which rules over carnal things is the less. For as the sun differs from the moon, so do Popes differ from kings.”
The Lateran Council
in its first session gave to the Pope the appellation of
"Prince of the Universe.”
In its second session it called him
"Priest and King, who is to be adored by all people, and
who is very like unto God."
In its fifth session it referred prophecies of Christ's glorious reign to Leo X,
in these terms;
"Weep not, daughter of Zion, for
behold, the Lion of the tribe of
Judah, the root of David:
behold, God has
raised you up a savior."
From Ferraris' Ecclesiastical Dictionary, which was a standard Roman Catholic authority, we quote the following condensed outline of papal power as given under the word; PAPA:
“The Pope is so high that he is not simply a man but, as it were, God, and the vicar [representative] of God.
Hence the Pope is crowned with
a triple crown, as king of heaven, of earth and of hell.
The Pope's excellence and power are not only above the heavens and the earth, but he is also above angels, and is their superior; so that if it were possible that angels could turn from the faith, they could be judged by the Pope. . . . He is of such great dignity and power that he is as one with Christ; so that whatsoever the Pope does seems to proceed from the mouth of God. . . . The Pope is, as it were, God of earth, the only prince of the faithful of Christ, the greatest king of all kings, possessing all power; to which the government of the earth and the heaven is entrusted."
From the Catholic National, July of 1895:
"The Pope is not only the representative of Jesus Christ,
but he is Jesus Christ, Himself, hidden under the veil of flesh."
In a bull, or edict, Sixtus V.
(1585-1590 AD)
“The authority given to St. Peter and his successors by the great power of God, is greater than all the power of earthly
kings and princes. It passes uncontrollable sentence upon them all. And if it find any of them resisting God's ordinance, it takes more severe vengeance on them, casting them down from their thrones, however powerful they may be, and tumbling them down to the lowest parts of the earth as the ministers of aspiring Lucifer.”
A bull of Pope Pius V,
(1566 -72 AD)
Entitled "The damnation and excommunication of Elizabeth, Queen of England, and her adherents with an addition of other punishments,"
reads as follows:
"He that reigns on high, to whom is given all power in heaven and in earth, committed one holy, catholic and apostolic church (out of which there is no salvation) to ' one alone upon earth, namely, to Peter, the Prince of the apostles, and to Peter's successor, the bishop of Rome, to be governed in fullness of power. Him alone he made prince over all people and all kingdoms, to pluck up, destroy, scatter, consume, plant and build.
All these blasphemous flattering titles have been applied to and received by the Roman Pontiffs (Popes), as rightfully belonging to them.
You are he to whom the keys of heaven are given,
to who all the sheep are entrusted.
There are indeed other door-keepers of heaven,
and other shepherds of the flocks;
but you are the more glorious in proportion
as you have also in a different fashion,
inherited before others both these names . . .
The power of others is limited by definite bounds:
yours extend even over those who have received authority over others.
Can you not, when a just reason occurs,
shut up heaven against a bishop,
depose him from the Episcopal office,
and deliver him over to Satan?
Your privilege is immutable,
as well in the keys committed to you as sheep
entrusted to your care.”
By St. Bernard, Abbott of Clairvaux,
writing to Pope Eugenius III 1150 AD.
FOR MORE ON THE ANTICHRIST GO TO: www.revelation-illustrated.com/Antichrist
