Unmasking the Antichrist
- The Final Crisis
- Nov 15, 2021
- 13 min read
Updated: Apr 24
When people think of the antichrist, they often picture mysterious symbols like 666 or focus on the mark of the beast. Many are waiting for a future moment when this figure will appear and force the world to receive its mark. But what if the antichrist is already here—and has been for a very long time? Let’s explore what the Bible says and why it's crucial to identify this power correctly.
The word antichrist is commonly thought to mean someone who is “against Christ,” and that’s certainly part of its meaning. But more precisely, it refers to someone who seeks to take the place of Christ. So, in our search for the antichrist, we should be looking for a system that aims to replace Jesus—claiming His position, His authority, and even His worship.
As we go through Scripture, particularly the prophecies, we’ll see that this power has long been active, working behind the scenes to secure the loyalty and worship of the world. Soon, this power will play a central role in the final crisis.
THE LITTLE HORN
The first key prophetic passage that helps us identify the antichrist is found in Daniel 7. Here, it is symbolised by the little horn. If you haven’t yet read the blog “The Keys of Prophecy” or the tract “The Final Crisis,” I recommend doing so, as they lay the foundation for understanding the prophetic symbols in Daniel 7. In summary, the fourth beast in Daniel’s vision represents the Roman Empire, and the ten horns symbolise the ten major divisions that emerged after its collapse.
These divisions include:
Ostrogoths
Heruli
Vandals
Suevi (Portuguese)
Lombards (Italians)
Burgundians (Swiss)
Franks (French)
Saxons (English)
Alemanni (German)
Visigoths (Spanish)
Daniel tells us that the little horn would rise among these divisions and uproot three of them on its way to power:
“I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.” — Daniel 7:8
This verse gives us a clear timeframe. The little horn couldn't rise before 476 A.D., when the Roman Empire officially fell, and the ten kingdoms were not yet fully established. Nor could it rise after the destruction of three of those kingdoms, since it played a role in their removal. History shows the final of these three—the Ostrogoths—was overthrown by 538 A.D. So, the antichrist must have emerged as a political entity between 476 and 538 A.D.
This timeline matters because many believe the antichrist is still a future figure. But prophecy shows it has been active for more than 1,500 years. Notice also that the little horn is not merely a religious figure—it is political as well, since horns represent kingdoms or political powers.
SIX IDENTIFYING MARKS OF THE ANTICHRIST
Daniel 7:24–25 outlines six specific features that help us identify the little horn power—the antichrist:
“The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; he shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings. He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.” — Daniel 7:24–25
From this passage, we can draw six identifying features:
It arises to political prominence after the ten divisions of Rome are established and is different from the powers that came before it.
It subdues three of these kingdoms.
It speaks blasphemous words against God.
It persecutes the saints of the Most High.
It rules for “a time, times, and half a time.”
It intends to change God’s times and laws.
Let’s explore each of these features and see how history confirms that only one power fits all six criteria: the Roman Catholic Church, specifically in its papal form.
1. It shall arise to political pre-eminence after the ten divisions are established, and be different to the ones before it.
While the Church existed since apostolic times, it gained political power only after the division of the Western Roman Empire by 476 A.D. Unlike the other ten horns (which represented purely political kingdoms), the Papacy emerged as a religio-political power, combining spiritual claims with secular authority. This made it “different” from the others. As we will see next, it could not reign unopposed until 538 A.D., fulfilling this criteria.
2. It subdues three of these kingdoms.
The Papacy was directly involved in the downfall of three Arian kingdoms:
Heruli (493 A.D.)
Vandals (534 A.D.)
Ostrogoths (538 A.D.)
These kingdoms adhered to Arian Christianity, which rejected the Roman Church’s doctrine of Christ’s divinity. Their opposition to papal authority had to be removed for the Church to rise unchallenged.
To remove these obstacles, Emperor Justinian—a devout Catholic and ally of the Church—launched military campaigns against the Arian kingdoms. Edward Gibbon, in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, records:
“When Justinian first meditated the conquest of Italy, he sent ambassadors to the kings of the Franks, and adjured them, by the common ties of alliance and religion, to join in the holy enterprise against the Arians.” - Edward Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, volume 4 [chapter 41, paragraph 32] (New York: Harper & Brothers), p. 175 emphasis supplied
By 538 A.D., with the fall of the Ostrogoths, the Papacy stood as the dominant religious-political power in the West.
3. It speaks blasphemous words against God.
According to Scripture, blasphemy includes:
Claiming to forgive sins (Mark 2:7)
Claiming to be God (John 10:33)
The Roman Catholic Church, through its priesthood and papal office, makes both of these claims.
The Church teaches that its priests act as mediators between God and man, with the authority to absolve sins. Consider the words of St. Alphonsus de Liguori:
“When he ascended into heaven, Jesus Christ left his priests after him to hold on earth his place of mediator between God and men… The priest holds the place of the Savior himself, when, by saying ‘Ego te absolvo,’ he absolves from sin.” — “Dignity and Duties of the Priest,” p. 34
This teaching stands in direct contradiction to the biblical truth that only God can truly forgive sin, for He alone can judge the heart. No sinful mortal has the authority to stand in Christ’s place as mediator (1 Timothy 2:5).
Further, the Papacy has claimed not only spiritual authority but also an exclusive role in salvation:
“Furthermore, we declare, we proclaim, we define that it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff.” — Pope Boniface VIII, Unam Sanctam (1302)
Such claims usurp the position of Christ, who alone is the way to the Father (John 14:6). This is a hallmark of the antichrist spirit—placing oneself in the place of Christ.
The blasphemous nature of these claims becomes even more evident when we examine the titles the Pope has assumed. While Scripture commands us to "call no man father" in a spiritual sense (Matthew 23:9), the Pope is widely referred to as the "Holy Father." Even more concerning are the historical titles and attributions given to him by Catholic authorities:
"But to believe that our Lord God the Pope—the establisher of said decretal—and of this, could not decree, as he did decree, should be accounted heretical." — Gloss of Extravagantes of Pope John XXII, “Cum Inter”
“We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty.” — Pope Leo XIII, “Great Encyclical Letters,” p. 304
Lucius Ferraris, in his authoritative Catholic reference work, Prompta Bibliotheca, goes even further:
“The Pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a mere man, but as it were God, and the vicar of God… He is likewise the divine monarch and supreme emperor, and king of kings. Hence the Pope is crowned with a triple crown, as king of heaven and of earth and of the lower regions… The Pope is as it were God on earth, sole sovereign of the faithful of Christ, chief king of kings, having plenitude of power, to whom has been entrusted by the omnipotent God direction not only of the earthly but also of the heavenly kingdom. The Pope is of so great authority and power that he can modify, explain, or interpret even divine laws… The Pope can modify divine law, since his power is not of man but of God, and he acts as vice-regent of God upon earth with most ample power of binding and loosing his sheep.” — Prompta Bibliotheca Canonica, Juridica, Moralis, Theologica nec non Ascetica, Polemica, Rubricistica, Historica, article, 'Papa'
4. It persecutes the saints of the Most High
History bears witness to the fact that the Roman Catholic Church, during its political ascendancy in the medieval period, persecuted countless individuals who sought to remain faithful to God and His Word. Groups such as the Waldenses and the Albigenses, known for their commitment to the Scriptures and refusal to conform to papal authority, suffered intensely under church-sanctioned violence.
The horrors of the Inquisition, the brutal tortures inflicted in Goa, the fires of Smithfield, the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre, and the bloodshed under the Duke of Alva all stand as grim testaments to the Papacy's campaign against dissent. Though estimates vary, many historians believe that over 50 million people have lost their lives as a result of papal persecution during the Dark Ages.
Even Catholic historians acknowledge the atrocities committed. Peter de Rosa, a former Jesuit and author of Vicars of Christ, offers this sobering insight regarding Pope Innocent III’s crusade against the Albigenses:
"In [Pope] Innocent's view, it was more wicked for Albigenses to call him the antichrist than for him to prove it by burning them—men, women, and children by the thousands." — Vicars of Christ, p. 225
In another passage, de Rosa underscores the institutional nature of this persecution:
"Of eighty popes in a line from the thirteenth century on, not one of them disapproved of the theology and apparatus of the Inquisition. On the contrary, one after another added his own cruel touches to the workings of this deadly machine." — Vicars of Christ, pp. 175–176
These tragic events confirm the fulfilment of Daniel’s prophecy that the little horn would "wear out the saints of the Most High" (Daniel 7:25). The persecution was not occasional or isolated—it was systematic, widespread, and enduring, carried out over centuries with the support of both ecclesiastical and civil powers.
5. It rules for a time, times and half a time.
Daniel 7:25 foretells that the little horn power would reign for a prophetic "time, times, and the dividing of time." In prophetic symbolism, a “time” represents one year (360 days), “times” two years (720 days), and “half a time” half a year (180 days), totalling 1260 prophetic days—or 1260 literal years, according to the day-for-a-year principle (Ezekiel 4:6; Numbers 14:34).
This period began in 538 A.D., when the Ostrogoths—the last of the three opposing Arian powers—were defeated, paving the way for the Papacy to rise without rival. In that same year, the decree of Emperor Justinian came into effect. This decree declared the Bishop of Rome to be the “head of all the holy churches,” granting him not only religious pre-eminence but the backing of imperial power.
Justinian did not stop at granting spiritual authority. He committed the military resources of the Byzantine Empire to enforce the will of the Bishop of Rome. This established the Papacy as a religio-political power—wielding both ecclesiastical influence and civil authority to define and punish heresy.
An excerpt from Justinian’s decree, preserved in The Civil Law by S. P. Scott, underscores this union of church and state:
“Therefore, we have exerted ourselves to unite all the priests of the East and subject them to the See of Your Holiness... because you are the head of all the Holy Churches. For We shall exert Ourselves in every way... to increase the honour and authority of your See.”— S. P. Scott, The Civil Law, vol. 12, pp. 11–13
This fusion of church and state enabled the Papacy to reign unchallenged for 1260 years, until a major turning point came in 1798 A.D. As the French Revolution erupted with fury against religious tyranny, General Louis-Alexandre Berthier, under the command of Napoleon, marched into Rome and took Pope Pius VI captive. The Papal government was declared abolished, and the Pope later died in exile. This marked the end of the political dominance of the Catholic Church—precisely 1260 years after its rise to power.
This historical fulfilment offers compelling evidence that the prophecy in Daniel 7 was accurately and precisely fulfilled, with both the beginning and end of the 1260-year reign aligning perfectly with world events.
6. It ‘intends’ to change God’s times and laws.
CHANGING LAWS
The final identifying feature of the little horn in Daniel 7:25 is its bold attempt to “change times and law.” This points unmistakably to a tampering with the very law of God—the Ten Commandments. Among those commandments, only the fourth—the Sabbath command—was utterly changed. It alone enshrines God’s authority as Creator and Lawgiver, commanding the observance of the seventh day (Saturday) as holy.
History reveals that the Catholic Church openly claims responsibility for altering the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday, not based on biblical authority, but by its own ecclesiastical power.
Consider the following admissions:
Catholic Record, September 1, 1923: "The [Catholic] Church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact."
Catholic Priest T. Enright, CSSR, Kansas City, MO:" It was the holy Catholic Church that changed the day of rest from Saturday to Sunday, the 1st day of the week. And it not only compelled all to keep Sunday, but at the Council of Laodicea, A.D. 364, anathematized those who kept the Sabbath and urged all persons to labor on the 7th day under penalty of anathema."
Stephen Keenan, Doctrinal Catechism, 3rd Edition, p. 174: "Question: Have you any other way of proving that the Church has power to institute festivals of precept?" "Answer: Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her—she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the 1st day of the week, for the observance of Saturday, the 7th day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority."
Chancellor Albert Smith, for Cardinal of the Baltimore Archdiocese (letter dated February 10, 1920): "If Protestants would follow the Bible, they would worship God on the Sabbath day. In keeping the Sunday, they are following a law of the Catholic Church."
These testimonies confirm the fulfilment of Daniel's prophecy. The Papacy has not only presumed to change the law of God but has made this change the very sign of its authority—declaring the Sunday Sabbath as evidence of its power to legislate in matters of faith and practice.
CHANGING TIMES: REDEFINING PROPHECY ITSELF
The “change of times” in Daniel 7:25 involves more than just the weekly calendar. It also refers to the change in how prophetic time is understood.
Today, there are three main methods of interpreting apocalyptic prophecy:
Futurism – Pushes nearly all of Revelation into the future, after a supposed rapture of the Church. The Antichrist is seen as a future political figure.
Preterism – Pushes nearly all of Daniel and Revelation into the distant past.
Historicism – The only method that follows the sequence of events as they unfold throughout history, aligning prophecy with actual historical developments.
What most people don’t realize is that both futurism and preterism were created by the Jesuit Order—as part of the Counter-Reformation.
Their purpose?
To divert attention away from the Papacy being identified as the Antichrist.
When the Protestant Reformers boldly used the historicist approach, they unanimously identified the Papacy as the Antichrist. This deeply threatened the authority of the Roman Church, so it was essential to undermine historicism.
The result?
Futurism, created by Jesuit Francisco Ribera, now dominates popular Christian media through novels like Left Behind by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins.
Preterism, introduced by Jesuit Luis de Alcázar, has deeply influenced many scholars and denominations.
And Historicism, once the position of all major Protestant churches, is now nearly forgotten.
This shift in prophetic understanding has paved the way for ecumenical unity—a movement bringing Protestants and Catholics back together under the Papal banner.
This final mark, together with the other five identifying features, firmly establishes that the Roman Catholic Church—specifically the Papal system—is the little horn power of Daniel 7. It rose after the fall of Rome, subdued rival kingdoms, blasphemed the Most High, persecuted His saints, ruled for 1260 years, and sought to alter God's sacred times and law.
THE ANTICHRIST AND THE GREAT FALLING AWAY
The Apostle Paul warned the Thessalonian church that before Christ’s return, there would be a great falling away within the church, and from that apostasy, the antichrist power would arise:
“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”— 2 Thessalonians 2:3–4
The phrase “falling away” comes from the Greek word apostasia, meaning a rebellion or departure from truth. Paul taught that this movement into apostasy had already begun in his time (v. 7). The early church, originally pure in doctrine and spirit, slowly compromised with paganism and political power. Over time, it fell so far that it exalted a man in the place of God and altered divine commandments.
“Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.” — 1 John 2:22
By placing a human priesthood and the pope in the role of mediator between God and man, the Roman Church denies the mediatorial role of Christ. Jesus alone intercedes before the Father on our behalf (1 Timothy 2:5). To claim otherwise is to deny both the Father and the Son.
Additionally, the Catholic doctrine of purgatory denies the sufficiency of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice. According to this teaching, the vast majority of believers must suffer in a state of purification before entering heaven. Yet the Bible is crystal clear:
“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” — 1 John 1:7
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” — Romans 6:23
If the wages of sin is death, not a temporary burning in purgatory, and if Christ paid that full price, then there is nothing more to add. His sacrifice was not partial—it was perfect, complete, and eternal. To teach otherwise is to undermine the very heart of the gospel.
Still, despite the errors of the system, God has sincere people within the Roman Catholic Church, as well as in many Protestant churches. Over time, vital biblical truths such as the Sabbath and the true gospel have been obscured by tradition, but God looks upon the heart. He judges not by outward appearance, but by how faithfully we walk in the light available to us.
“To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” — James 4:17
There will be faithful Catholics and Protestants in heaven—those who, though they may have misunderstood parts of Scripture, lived according to the truth they knew and loved God sincerely. God’s invitation is always open:
“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” — John 6:37
But now, in these final days, God is calling His people to come out of confusion and return to obedience to His commandments. The Bible describes God’s faithful people in the last days as:
“Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” — Revelation 14:12
This includes a return to true worship, the rejection of man-made laws in place of God’s Word, and the full embrace of Jesus as our only mediator.
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