And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? Revelation 13:3-4
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. Revelation 13:16-18
Who is this beast of Revelation that all the world wonders after in the final days of this earth’s history? Who is this man who is responsible for this mark and has the number 666 that requires people to obey and worship him? If you have listened even a little bit to the news, you can’t help but know the answer. There is only one person in our world today who that fits this description. Newspapers and news networks are continually featuring him. The whole world has their eyes on him—the papacy, the “Holy Father.” He is being called the savior of the world, the religious leader of the world. And he intends to be Lord of the earth.
A dear Christian sister from Sri Lanka called me saying,“Oh, you can’t believe what I am seeing, here in this Buddhist country! The pope (Francis) has come to visit and they have flocked to him in huge numbers, the streets are full, and they fall at his feet and they worship him, like he was a god. Buddhists worshiping the pope! Can you imagine that?”
“He seems so humble and nice.” “He is the people’s pope.” But does he teach the truth as it is in scripture? Remember, nice is not the same as Christian. Hitler also seemed nice, at first. He spoke words of hope to economically-depressed Germany. He sounded so good, at first. He promised to make Germany great, to solve their financial problems, and to eventually bring peace in the world with Germany as the leader. He even sounded good to the German people part-way through the war. Sounding good and looking good is no guarantee of real goodness.
The ultimate question is, Should we follow this man? Is the pope really Christian? Or is he the antichrist we are warned about in scripture as the last great deception of Satan? He certainly fits the part of all the world wondering after him and worshiping him. Let’s compare what he says with what the Bible says and see if they match. Then we can make an intelligent decision as to who he is.
The pope on fundamentalism: Following his first visit to the Middle East as pope last month, the pontiff criticized fundamentalism in Christianity, Islam and Judaism as a form of violence. “A fundamentalist group, even if it kills no one, even if it strikes no one, is violent. The mental structure of fundamentalism is violence in the name of God.” [www.israelnationalnews.com, June 13, 2014]
What is a fundamentalist? According to Merriam-Webster: A movement . . . emphasizing the literally-interpreted Bible as fundamental to Christian life and teaching.
So, if you are truly a Bible-believing Christian, you are a fundamentalist, and a terrorist according to the pope. Does that sound like a Christian teaching to you? If the Bible is not the basis of your religion, of what religion are you?
Jesus: He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. John 12:48, 49
He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 1 John 5:10-12
The pope says, “If you are a Bible-believing Christian you are a terrorist.” Jesus says, “If you don’t believe my word, your not a Christian.”
Whom shall we believe and follow?
The pope on evolution: Pope Francis Says Evolution Is Not Inconsistent With God, Backs Scientific Advancements” [www.christianpost.com, October 28, 2014]
“Pope Francis Says Evolution is Real and God is No Wizard”
The pontiff appeared to endorse the theory of the Big Bang and told the gathering at the Vatican that there was no contradiction between believing in God as well as the prevailing scientific theories regarding the expansion of our universe.
When we read about creation in Genesis, we run the risk of imagining God was a magician, with a magic wand able to do everything. But that is not so,” Francis said. [The Washington Post, October 28, 2014]
The evolutionary theory, as scientists preach it, scoffs at the idea that the world was created by the word of God. But the pope wants to blend evolution and biblical creation.
God’s word: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:1
For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Exodus 20:11
By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. . . . For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. Psalm 33:6, 9
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 2 Peter 3:3-5
The Bible teaches that death is the result of sin and that it was man’s sin that brought death. Evolution teaches that the life/death cycle has been in operation for eons with no reference to the sin factor.
God’s Word: Therefore, as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin; and so death passed unto all men, for that all sinned: Romans 5:12
For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 1 Corinthians 15:21
There is no way that the theory of evolution is consistent with what the Word of God says. But then the pope also said that to believe the word of God as it reads (Christian fundamentalism) is terrorism!
God’s Word: To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. Isaiah 8:20
The Pope on Mary: “May Mary, Cause of our Joy, who brings peace amid the profusion of sin and the turmoil of history, obtain for us the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and enable us to be good and faithful servants.
“Through her intercession, may the fullness of time come about also for us. The transition from before to after Christ means little if it remains a date in the annals of history. May each one of us be able to make an interior passage, a Passover of the heart, towards the divine “style” incarnated by Mary. May we do everything in littleness, and accompany others at close hand, with a simple and open heart.” [www.aleteia.org, July 28, 2016]
The papacy teaches that Mary is our intercessor and salvation is only through the Roman Catholic church.
Jesus: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6
Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole . . . Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:10, 12
The pope on law-keeping: “How the rigid suffer! When they are honest and realize this, they suffer! Because they do not have the freedom of the children of God; they do not know how to walk in the path of God’s Law and they are not happy. And they suffer so much! They appear good because they follow the Law; but they are concealing something else: either they are hypocritical or they are sick. And they suffer! [www.romereports.com, October 24, 2016]
He is saying that those who follow God’s Law implicitly are rigid and hypocritical or sick.
God’s word: He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 1 John 2:4, 5
The pope on evangelism: “Proselytism is a great sin against ecumenism.” [www.romereports.com October 3, 2016]
The ecumenical movement is for the purpose of uniting all into one world church. The pope is criticizing evangelistic efforts that win converts from other churches.
Jesus: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:19, 20
The pope on Sunday: “On Sunday, our participation in the Eucharist has special importance. Sunday, like the Jewish Sabbath, is meant to be a day which heals our relationship with God . . . And so the day of rest (Sunday), centered on the Eucharist, sheds its light on the whole week, and motivates us to greater concern for nature and the poor.” [Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’]
God’s word: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. Deuteronomy 5:14
Jesus: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. Mark 2:28
Jesus was referring to Sabbath, the seventh day, as His day, not Sunday, the first day.
The pope’s title:
Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six. Revelation 13:18
Vicarius Filii Dei is the Latin title for the Pope. It means Vicar of the Son of God. A vicar is a substitute. According to this title, the pope claims to be a substitute for Jesus. Can we accept that?
Here is the title with its numerical value in Roman numerals:
V I C A R I U S F I L I I D E I
5 1 100 0 0 1 5 0 0 1 50 1 1 500 0 1 = 666
The pope’s title identifies him as the beast of Revelation 13. And, as we have seen in these news clips, he is leading away from pure Bible truth. Should we be calling him a Christian and admiring him as most of the world is doing now?
There is much more that could be said, but the point is already clear. Are you seeing the picture? The pope’s beliefs and teachings are not the same as the Bible. Shall we follow this man as so much of the world is doing? Or is he the very man that we are warned about in scripture? The decision is yours. Who will you choose? I pray that you will not join in this fatal deception!
And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. Revelation 14:9-12