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What is the Mark of the Beast? |
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Who is the Anti-Christ? |
The questions that intrigued me the most as a young Christian was:
- Who was the Anti-Christ?
- What is the mark of the Beast?
It was these two questions that drove me deeper into God's word...
I had a hunger for prophecy, a hunger for truth.
For those who are like me, who hunger for the truth, it is for you that I am writing this blog.
If you wish to skip all the reading, scroll down to watch a short video about the mark!
I will show you the truth behind these two very important bible questions through the Holy Scriptures, and the world news!
Are you ready?!?...
First let's start off with some news, then we will jump into the bible!
Pope admits ‘Actually I am the Antichrist’
At a press conference in Rome this morning, Pope Benedict XVI has officially confessed that persistent rumors that he and most of his predecessors are Antichrist are in fact true...
It has emerged that for at least five hundred years successive popes have all been working behind the veil of holiness to further the purposes of Satan on Earth...
Protestants from Cromwell to Ian Paisley have consistently asserted that the Bishop of Rome was the human personification of Satan, but now the present incumbent has finally put his hands up and declared ‘Yup, fair cop, you’ve got me banged to rights.’...
I thought I was one of the good guys’ said the German-born pontiff and former Hitler Youth member. ‘But there’s no way to resign from the post and, well, I assumed if it was OK for the great John Paul II, it must be OK for a humble tiller in the fields of the Lord like me.’...
Read full story:
OK, ok.. I don't believe this is a legit interview with the pope, but I had to get you primed and ready for this study!
First off we need to know this.
Satan copies EVERYTHING God does. Remember in the beginning he said:
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: Isaiah 14:13
So here he is saying he wants to take Gods position, he wants what God has has. Position, title, kingdom, power, and most of all our worship!
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Lucifer fell from heaven, and became know as satan. |
So now that we know this lets move on..
Christ is our High Priest. Satans high priest is the anti-christ (because it is the literal anti-typical christ) The Antichrist has to be the High Priest as Jesus is a High Priest forever!
Hebrews 3:1 Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;
Hebrews 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
Now, what is an anti-christ?
Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. 1 John 2:22
He that denies Christ is anti-christ. (denies the sole authority of Christ)
Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. 1 John 2:18
From this we can gather that the anti-christ has to be a high priest, and has to deny the sole authority of Christ, and we know that many anti-christs have already been here.
What more does the bible say about him?
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Where does the anti-christ reside?
"...I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, ... and here is the mind which hath wisdom. ...The seven heads are seven mountains (hills), on which the woman sitteth (a women in the bible is a church)."
(Revelation 17: 7, 9)
The Catholic Encyclopedia states: "It is within the city of Rome, called the city of seven hills, that the entire area of Vatican State proper is now confined" (The Catholic Encyclopedia, Thomas Nelson, 1976, s.v. "Rome").
The
Seven Hills of Rome east of the Tiber form the heart of Ancient Rome. The original city was held to have been founded by Romulus on the Palatine Hill, and the other six hills are now called the Aventine, Capitoline, Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline, and Caelian. The independent settlements on these hills began to unify into what is now known as Rome as the marshes between the hills were drained, and as inter-settlement religious games began to be held.
While the Vatican Hill, Northwest of the Tiber River, is not one of the Seven Hills of Rome, this hill has been included within the city limits of Rome since Pope Leo IV (848 - 852 A.D.) expanded the city walls to protect St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican.
Are you starting to put the puzzle together?
"So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman ... and the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls."
Revelation 17:3, 4
Look familiar now?
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Look at the bent cross. That means against Christ. | | | | | |
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You got it! The anti-christ, who is a high priest, who comes in place of Christ, who sits on the seven hills and many anti-christ have already been is the one and only Pope of the Catholic church.
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Do you see the upside down cross? |
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If the anti-christ is the Pope head of the Catholic church. (which is another anti-type, because Christ is the head of His church) then the mark of the beast must have something to do with the Catholic church..
The data you are about to read will not be found in newspapers or spread across everyone’s TV screen. Even the Fox News channel, as newsworthy as they are, will not air the information which follows, for their news organization appears to be Catholic oriented—very much like The Des Moines (Iowa) Register and other avenues of communication that provide the public with news.
- Pope John XXIII was worldly-minded, crafty, unscrupulous, and immoral (Catholic Ency., Vol. VIII, p. 434).
- Pope Innocent VIII had seven or eight illegitimate sons by different women. He sold Catholic offices to the highest bidders (Catholic Ency., Vol. VIII, pgs. 19-20).
- Pope Alexander VI is called the worst pope. He had eight illegitimate children by different women. Four of his children were brought to Rome with him when he became pope (Catholic Ency., Vol., VI, p. 213).
- Pope Sergius was father of Pope John XI by Morozia, one of the worst women in history. He declared as valid the fourth marriage of Leo VI, Greek Emperor (Catholic Ency., Vol. XIII, p. 729).
- Pope John X was made Archbishop when he was five years of age (Catholic Ency., Vol. VIII, p. 425).
- Pope John XI, son of Pope Sergius III, was made pope by his mother at twenty years of age (Catholic Ency., Vol. VIII, p. 426 & De Montor, Vol. I, p. 247).
- Pope John XVII had three sons (Catholic Ency., Vol. VIII, p. 429).
- Pope John XII is described as “a coarse, immoral man.” He was stricken with paralysis while committing adultery (Catholic Ency., Vol. VIII, p. 426).
- Pope Benedict IX was the nephew of two preceding popes and one succeeding one, and was made pope at 12 years of age. “He was a disgrace to the chair of Peter” (Catholic Ency., Vol. IV, p. 17, and Vol. II, p. 429).
- Pope Julius II was wicked and had three illegitimate daughters and bribed the Cardinals for the office (Catholic Ency., Vol. VIII, p. 562).
Numerous other popes, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, and priests were wicked and immoral. History testifies to this fact.
The Catholic Hierarchy has paid out billions of dollars to settle cases of sexual molestation and homosexuality. How unholy must these “Holy Fathers” (popes) become before they lose their “holiness”? How unfaithful must these “Holy Fathers” become before “the faithful” become a laughing stock of the nations? If this is what Jesus founded, I’ll settle for atheism instead. But praise His Name, He did not usher in a religious system that is and has been pregnant with all manner of evil from its very genesis. But here is more data about the Catholic Papacy and her practices and teachings:
- It was not until after the fifth century the Roman Church was completely organized. She did not have an Archbishop until the end of the fourth century, and it was centuries later before she had Cardinals and Popes (Catholic Ency., Vol. IX, p. 61, and Catholic Ency., Vol. IV, p. 44). Yet this “Holy See” claims that her Popes and Cardinals can be traced back to the first century A. D. and that Peter was the first Pope. This is Catholicism against itself.
- According to Ancient Civilizations, (2002, Times Books), between 327-750 A. D., Rome, Antioch, and Alexandria had Bishops who were major figures, but no pope yet. The Bishop of Rome claimed preeminence as the direct successor of Peter.
- “The religious use of incense was unknown in the primitive Church” (Cath. Dic., p. 437).
- “In the Middle Ages and in modern times various sects have repudiated infant baptism. It is difficult to give strict proof from Scripture in favor of it” (Catholic Dic., p. 61).
- Infants were not baptized during the early years of the Christian community. “There is no express mention of the baptizing of infants in the New Testament” (Question Box, p. 243).
- When the Catholic sect began to teach the doctrine of original sin in the fourth and fifth centuries, it became necessary to initiate infant baptism. “When in the fourth and fifth centuries the doctrine of original sin and consequently the necessity of baptism for all became better known, the practice of infant baptism progressed rapidly” (Legislation on the Sacraments in the New Code of Canon Law, p. 72).
- The use of “Holy Water” and incense was borrowed from the pagans. “Moreover, the use of holy water and incense was also no doubt suggested by similar customs amongst pagans around them” (Catholic Ency., Vol. III, p. 76).
The Worship Of Images And Popes
The Roman Catholic clergy and their followers will tell you they do not bow down and pray to and worship images, statues, and idols. But according to Catholic history, they do.
- An image bowed its head to St. John Gaulbert while he kneeled and prayed before it (Butler’s Lives of the Saints, p. 247). Yet Catholics deny they bow before and pray to images, statues, and idols.
- Catholics deny worshipping the pope. Their own history testifies against them. Kissing of the pope’s foot was done as early as the eighth century and was done as an “act of reverence by which all the faithful do honor him as the Vicar of Christ” (Catholic Ency., Vol. XII, p 270).
A religious “act of reverence” is the same as an act of worship. Yet Peter, who is alleged by Catholics to have been the first pope, refused to allow Cornelius to bow down to and worship him. He told Cornelius who bowed before him, “Stand up! I am only a man myself” (Acts 10:25-26). The Catholic Bible says, “Stand up! I’m not a god!” Catholic Popes, then, must consider themselves God, as they expect others to bow to them. Every pope in history has expected others to bow down to them, including Pope John Paul II—the exact opposite of what the apostle Peter told Cornelius. Catholics and their clerics dishonor the very Bible they claim to have written by rebelling against its teachings. They do the same by bowing to and worshipping images, statues, and idols. Based on this information, Catholicism resembles paganism more than it does Christianity. But here’s more:
- There were no statues in Catholic meeting structures prior to 325 A. D. “To avoid even the appearance of idolatry, no statues were placed in the early churches” (Short History of the Catholic Church, p. 65). This translates into the truth that idolatry is prevalent in Catholic Churches today, for statues and images abound.
- “Though the veneration of images was a gradual growth in the Church—owing to the prevalence of heathen idolatry and the caution required to prevent their use from being misunderstood by the pagans—sculptured memorials of the Blessed Mary are found as early as the third century” (Practical Preaching for Priest and People, pgs. 89-90).
Identifying This Apostate System
Needless to say, there was no apostate system within the Christian movement until Catholicism began to germinate in about the second or third century. There were local pockets of apostasy, but no general apostasy until 2-3 hundred years later. It was at that time that Roman Catholicism bloomed to stardom. These passages do not refer to Nero and the Judiazers, because this apostate system was to develop within the redeemed community (Acts 20:29-30). Note the marks of this apostate system, as recorded in 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, and then tell me which ecclesiastical institution bears these marks.
- He will exalt himself over God.
- He will set himself up in God’s place.
- He will claim to be God.
- He’ll do counterfeit miracles and every sort of evil.
- He’ll continue his dirty work until the Lord comes again.
No apostate system in history bears these marks except the Roman Papacy. Keep in mind there was no general apostasy from the Christian faith, and no widespread abandonment of heaven’s new arrangement, during the first century. This being the case, the counterfeit system Paul described—Roman Catholicism—still exists for Jesus has not returned and “overthrown it with the breath of his mouth and destroyed it by the splendor of his coming” (v. 8).
If I have established my claim that the “Holy See” and her popes compose the apostate system of which the Apostle Paul prophesied, and that Satan is behind it all.
And the most import question? What is the 666??
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The official title of the pope is Vicarius Filii Dei, Vicar of Christ (in place of Christ) |
It has to be calculated in Roman Numerals, for that's how John saw it. 666- The popes title!
Revelation 13:7 ...'And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.' ... So this beast is a persecuting power, just like the little horn in Daniel 7. The Papal Church of Rome (Roman Catholic Church) persecuted and killed millions upon millions of Christians during it's reign of power between 538-1798.
Adolph Hitler was also a Roman Catholic. The Catholic Church never excommunicated Hitler, even though he had killed over 6,000,000 Jews, as well as perhaps 5,000,000 Christians and other "troublemakers" who dared to disagree with Hitler. (Those Jewish/Christian "troublemakers" had to go - they had to be destroyed.) The Roman Catholic Church, by the way, did not at the time openly and publicly oppose those murders of Jews and Christians.
Now many people are waiting for one person to fulfill the role of antichrist. They believe that the antichrist is yet to appear, but this teaching came from the Jesuits as a counter to the great reformation which pointed to the Roman Catholic Church as the antichrist. This teaching of a "future" antichrist by the Jesuits was proclaimed and spread around the world to take the focus off the Papal Church of Rome as being the true antichrist system, and it unfortunately worked, because countless Christians around the world are now waiting for this single charismatic leader to appear as antichrist.