There are several views with which people interpret the book of Revelation.
Sort of like colored glasses through which one sees.
The least popular of these is the Idealism, where the prophecies are seen only in a personal spiritual context. It usually goes something like: Revelation is about the battle within us, overcoming and kicking out the evil in our own life, and setting up Christ on the throne of our heart. Idealist deny that any of Revelation will actually take place in the physical world with a real man known as the AntiChrist or a man who is The False Prophet.
More popular views are the Historist and Futurist eschatology. The historists try to tie prophecy's to actual past/present events and the futurist says, "they are yet to happen. Historists have often tried to paint the Pope as the Antichrist. They point to the ruthless way the Pope tried to exterminate the protestant reformation and the apostasy that lead to the reformation.
To answer the Historists attacks on the Pope, Jesuit Luis de Alcasar expounded upon the writings of Eusebius of Caesarea (c. AD 263 – 339) where he states what happened to Israel at the hand of the Romans was a fulfillment of the teachings of Jesus. By making all prophecy to be fulfilled upon Israel in the past it took the blame off the Pope.
Indeed some of Jesus' prophecies about Israel, such as the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple were no doubt fulfilled in 70 A.D. The Roman army, led by the future Emperor Titus, with Tiberius Julius Alexander as his second-in-command sacked Jerusalem, burned the Temple and overturned every stone to get the gold that had melted and run down in the cracks. However many other prophecies were left unfulfilled. The numbers of the armies, the bowls of wrath, The need to "cut the days short...or no-one would have survived", etc.
That brings us to the Futurist interpretations. The futurist believes that most of the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation are yet to occur at some time in the future. Premellenial dispensationalism is probably the most popular of futurist interpretations today. This is where I would pitch my tent. And that brings me to why I write this piece today.
I have never ever thought that the Pope was or would be The Antichrist. I however have often cast a side glance his way when considering the person of The False Prophet. Here is why.
1) When the Pope sits in his chair and speaks "ex cathedra" he is considered infallible.
means(from the chair), chair also meaning as a leader in a position of authority. The infallible part is that he claims to be speaking the very words of God. That is what a prophet does when he he speaks, "thus saith the Lord...."!
2) Revelation speaks of a Dragon and ,two great beasts one from out of the sea....and another from up out of the earth. The Dragon is Satan. The first beast is The Antichrist the second beast is The False Prophet. Notice that the second beast performs signs and wonders and causes worship. This is what a biblical prophet often did. Think of Elijah as he confronted the 500 prophets of Baal.
REV 13:1 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. 2 The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. 4 Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?"
REV 13:5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. 6 He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7 He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.
REV 13:11 Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. 12 He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. 14 Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 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. 16 He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17 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.
With these things in mind carefully consider the news link
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/10/24/vatican-calls-for-new-world-economic-order/?test=latestnews
