No, the Pope Is Not the Antichrist
A Biblical, Historical, and Early Christian Response to a Persistent Anti-Catholic Claim
Spend enough time watching certain anti-Catholic Evangelical preachers on YouTube and eventually you will hear the accusation:
“The Pope is the Antichrist.”
Sometimes the claim is delivered dramatically, accompanied by ominous music, images of the Vatican, references to Revelation, the number 666, the “man of sin,” and quotations from Protestant Reformers.
The accusation is not new.
Martin Luther explicitly identified the pope as Antichrist. The original Westminster Confession made essentially the same accusation. Some conservative Lutheran groups continue to defend that interpretation today.
So Catholics should not pretend that the charge was simply invented by modern YouTubers.
But neither should Christians assume that because Luther said something, Scripture therefore says it.
The real question is not:
What did Martin Luther believe about the Pope?
The real question is:
What does the Bible actually say identifies Antichrist?
And once we allow Scripture itself to establish the criteria, an enormous problem appears for the anti-Catholic argument.
The Pope does not deny that Jesus is the Christ.
The Pope does not deny the Father and the Son.
The Pope does not deny that Jesus Christ came in the flesh.
The Pope does not deny Christ's divinity.
The Pope does not proclaim himself God.
The Pope does not claim to be the Messiah.
The Pope does not tell Christians to abandon Jesus and worship him instead.
Quite the contrary: the entire Catholic faith formally professes that Jesus Christ is Lord, true God and true man, the only-begotten Son of the Father, crucified for our sins, risen from the dead, and returning in glory.
That is a strange confession for the supposed Antichrist.
1. Start With the Only Biblical Authors Who Actually Use the Word “Antichrist”
One of the most important facts usually overlooked in YouTube prophecy videos is that the word “Antichrist” does not actually appear in Revelation.
Nor does Paul use the word in 2 Thessalonians.
The Greek word antichristos appears specifically in the letters of John.
Therefore, before attempting to identify Antichrist, perhaps we should allow the Apostle John to tell us what an antichrist is.
He writes:
“Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist.”
—1 John 2:22
John immediately adds that such a person denies “the Father and the Son.”
That is extraordinarily important.
John does not say:
“Anyone who has bishops is Antichrist.”
He does not say:
“Anyone who believes Peter possessed authority is Antichrist.”
He does not say:
“Anyone who celebrates Mass is Antichrist.”
He does not say:
“Anyone who believes in apostolic succession is Antichrist.”
He gives a theological test:
Antichrist denies Jesus as the Christ and rejects the Father and the Son.
Now compare that with Catholicism.
Every Sunday Catholics throughout the world confess concerning Jesus Christ:
“God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God.”
The Nicene Creed continues that Jesus is:
“begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father.”
It then professes His Incarnation, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension and future return in glory.
That is not denial of Jesus Christ.
It is one of the strongest declarations of His divinity ever written.
2. John Gives Us Another Test
John returns to the subject:
“Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.”
He identifies such a teacher as “the deceiver and the antichrist.” —2 John 7.
Again, notice the criterion.
Antichrist rejects the Incarnation.
Catholicism emphatically teaches the Incarnation.
The Catechism states:
“Jesus Christ is true God and true man.”
It teaches that the eternal Son of God truly assumed human nature while remaining divine.
The Catholic Church does not merely acknowledge that Jesus once existed.
It requires Catholics to believe that the eternal Word became flesh.
The Church teaches that Jesus:
- is eternally begotten of the Father;
- is truly God;
- became truly man;
- was born of the Virgin Mary;
- suffered under Pontius Pilate;
- was crucified;
- truly died;
- rose bodily from the dead;
- ascended into heaven;
- reigns at the Father's right hand;
- will return personally in glory;
- will judge the living and the dead.
Those doctrines are embedded in Catholic worship itself.
If John's test for antichrist is rejection of the Incarnation, identifying the papacy itself as Antichrist immediately runs into a biblical contradiction.
3. The Pope Does Not Deny That Jesus Is God
This point deserves particular emphasis because some anti-Catholic rhetoric gives the impression that Catholicism somehow replaces Jesus with the Pope.
Official Catholic doctrine says precisely the opposite.
The Catechism teaches:
“Jesus Christ is true God and true man.”
It further explains that the Church confessed at Nicaea that the Son is consubstantial with the Father—one God with Him.
This is not some peripheral Catholic teaching.
It is foundational Christianity.
Indeed, much of the theological vocabulary modern Evangelicals use when defending the Trinity and the deity of Christ comes from the theological battles fought by the ancient Catholic Church.
The Council of Nicaea rejected Arius because Arius denied the full divinity of the Son.
The Council of Chalcedon defended Christ as one divine Person possessing both a true divine nature and a true human nature.
The Catholic Church continues confessing those doctrines today.
Pope Leo XIV, writing in 2025 on the anniversary of Nicaea, explicitly reaffirmed the Nicene confession of Jesus as “true God from true God.”
Whatever theological disagreements an Evangelical may have with Catholicism, claiming that Catholic teaching denies Christ's divinity simply does not survive contact with Catholic doctrine.
4. The Pope Has Never Claimed to Be God
Here we arrive at another major problem.
Anti-Catholic videos sometimes treat the Pope's titles as though Catholics believe the Pope is divine.
We do not.
No Catholic doctrine teaches:
“The Pope is God.”
No Catholic creed says:
“I believe in the Pope, God Almighty.”
No Catholic Mass worships the Pope as one of the Persons of the Trinity.
No Catholic sacrament requires believing that the Pope possesses a divine nature.
The Pope is a human bishop.
Catholic theology understands his office as the successor of Peter and visible pastor of the universal Church.
Whether a Protestant agrees with that doctrine is another question entirely.
But claiming ecclesiastical authority is not the same thing as claiming divinity.
This becomes particularly significant when we compare the Pope with Paul's description of the man of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians.
Paul describes a figure who:
“exalts himself above every so-called god”
and who presents himself as God.
That is dramatically different from Catholic teaching about the Pope.
The Pope celebrates Mass to God.
The Pope prays to God.
The Pope kneels before the Eucharist because Catholics believe it is Christ.
The Pope baptizes people in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The Pope recites the Creed declaring Jesus true God from true God.
The Pope receives the Eucharist like other Catholics.
The Pope goes to confession.
The Pope expects judgment before Christ.
That is remarkably strange behavior for a man supposedly claiming to be Almighty God.
5. What Did the Early Christians Think Antichrist Would Do?
This question is particularly devastating to the theory that identifying the Pope as Antichrist represents ancient Christianity.
Long before Luther, Calvin, modern dispensationalism or YouTube prophecy channels existed, Christians were already writing about Antichrist.
Their writings provide an invaluable window into how early Christians interpreted these passages.
St. Irenaeus — Second Century
St. Irenaeus wrote Against Heresies around the late second century.
He had connections remarkably close to the apostolic generation: Irenaeus had known Polycarp, who in turn had known Christians belonging to the generation of the apostles.
Irenaeus describes Antichrist as an apostate ruler seeking divine worship.
He says Antichrist desires to be:
“adored as God.”
Irenaeus describes him as impious, lawless and apostate, ultimately attempting to present himself as God.
That is something quite different from a bishop professing belief in Jesus Christ and administering a Christian Church in His name.
Interestingly, Irenaeus also warned Christians not to make reckless attempts at identifying Antichrist prematurely.
Discussing the mysterious number 666, he cautioned against rash conclusions concerning the person's identity.
Apparently, sensational speculation about Antichrist was already tempting Christians in the second century.
YouTube simply gave it better thumbnails.
6. St. Cyril of Jerusalem
Around A.D. 350, St. Cyril of Jerusalem gave one of the most detailed early Christian descriptions of Antichrist.
According to Cyril, Antichrist would falsely present himself as the expected Christ.
Cyril writes that this individual:
“shall falsely style himself Christ.”
He further describes Antichrist as deceiving people through spectacular false signs, seizing political power and persecuting Christians.
Cyril contrasts this false Christ with the real Jesus Christ who will descend gloriously from heaven.
Again, compare this with the papacy.
No Pope announces:
“I am Jesus Christ returned to earth.”
No Pope teaches:
“Do not wait for Jesus to return. I am the Messiah.”
No Pope teaches:
“Jesus Christ is false; worship me instead.”
Catholics are explicitly commanded to await the return of Jesus Christ, not the Pope.
Every Mass looks forward to Christ's coming.
7. St. John Chrysostom
St. John Chrysostom, one of the great fourth-century biblical preachers, interpreted Paul's “man of lawlessness” as an individual who would demand worship.
Commenting on 2 Thessalonians, Chrysostom says Antichrist:
“will order men to worship him instead of God.”
That point matters enormously.
The Pope does not order Catholics to worship him instead of God.
Catholic teaching would condemn such an action as idolatry.
Were a pope ever to announce:
“Jesus Christ is not God. I am God. Worship me instead.”
Catholics would have an extraordinarily serious theological problem.
But that is precisely the point:
Popes do not teach this.
The office of the papacy teaches the opposite.
8. Catholicism Actually Teaches That Antichrist Will Come
Another strange feature of the “Pope is Antichrist” accusation is that Catholicism itself explicitly teaches about a final Antichrist-like deception.
The Catechism says that before Christ's Second Coming the Church will undergo a tremendous final trial.
It describes:
“the supreme religious deception”
as that of Antichrist: a false messianism in which humanity glorifies itself in place of God and the Messiah.
Notice something extraordinary.
Catholicism teaches Christians to resist Antichrist.
The Church expects a final deception directed against Christ.
Catholics are warned not to abandon Jesus for some earthly pseudo-messiah.
That would be an extraordinarily self-defeating doctrine if Catholicism secretly believed the Pope himself was supposed to replace Jesus.
9. But Didn't Martin Luther Say the Pope Was Antichrist?
Yes.
Catholics should acknowledge this plainly.
Martin Luther wrote in the Smalcald Articles:
“the Pope is the very Antichrist.”
Luther believed papal authority displaced Christ's authority and therefore interpreted 2 Thessalonians 2 polemically against Rome.
Some confessional Lutherans continue defending this position.
For example, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod still presents the historic Lutheran identification of the papacy with Antichrist.
So when an Evangelical preacher repeats this claim, he does have historical Protestant precedent.
But historical Protestant precedent is not the same as biblical proof.
Luther lived approximately fifteen centuries after the apostles.
He was writing in the middle of an enormous ecclesiastical conflict in which both Protestants and Catholics frequently used extremely harsh language toward one another.
His identification therefore must be evaluated against Scripture—not treated as an inspired interpretation of Scripture.
And when John's definition of antichrist is compared with Catholic doctrine, the identification becomes extremely difficult to maintain.
10. The Westminster Confession Went Even Further
The original Westminster Confession of Faith declared concerning the Pope:
“but is that Antichrist.”
That language reflects the intense Catholic-Protestant polemics of seventeenth-century Europe.
But here is an important fact seldom mentioned by internet polemicists:
many later Presbyterian bodies removed the explicit Antichrist identification.
Sources discussing later revisions note that versions used within significant Reformed denominations omitted the language identifying the Pope as Antichrist.
That does not mean those churches suddenly became Catholic.
They certainly did not.
They continued rejecting Catholic claims regarding papal authority.
But it demonstrates an important distinction:
You can reject the Catholic doctrine of the papacy without claiming the Pope is the Antichrist.
Those are completely separate propositions.
An Evangelical can say:
“I don't believe Peter possessed universal jurisdiction.”
Fine. Debate that.
A Protestant can say:
“I disagree with Catholic interpretation of Matthew 16.”
Fine. Debate that.
Someone can reject papal infallibility.
Fine. Debate that.
But:
“Therefore the Pope is Antichrist”
does not logically follow.
It requires another biblical argument entirely.
11. Even Protestant Commentators Recognize John's Definition
Classic Protestant commentator Matthew Henry, certainly no defender of Roman Catholic claims, recognized the Johannine emphasis.
His commentary on 1 John explains that an antichrist is characterized by denial of Christ—particularly rejection of Christ's person or offices.
That is much closer to the actual text than simply attaching the word “Antichrist” to whatever Christian institution one opposes.
John's letters speak of many antichrists.
This itself should caution us against automatically assuming that every reference must identify one particular ecclesiastical office.
The Johannine category is fundamentally theological:
opposition to the true identity of Jesus Christ.
12. “But Catholics Don't Preach the Full Gospel!”
This objection often appears next.
An Evangelical preacher might concede that Catholics technically call Jesus God but then argue:
“Rome still denies the Gospel.”
Now we have moved to an entirely different debate.
Catholics and Protestants certainly disagree about justification, ecclesiology, sacraments, authority and several other theological questions.
Those disagreements deserve serious discussion.
But Catholics do not deny the fundamental Gospel events.
Catholicism teaches that humanity is fallen into sin.
It teaches that salvation comes through Jesus Christ.
It teaches that Christ died for our sins.
It teaches that He truly rose from the dead.
It teaches that grace is absolutely necessary for salvation.
It teaches that no human being can save himself apart from God's grace.
It teaches baptism into Christ.
It teaches repentance.
It teaches forgiveness.
It teaches resurrection.
It teaches eternal judgment.
It teaches heaven and hell.
It teaches the Second Coming.
And above everything else, it teaches:
Jesus Christ is Lord.
A Protestant may disagree strongly with the Catholic explanation of justification.
But disagreement about the relationship between faith, grace, works, sacraments and justification does not establish that the Pope is the prophetic Antichrist.
That conclusion simply does not follow.
13. Does the Pope Replace Jesus as Head of the Church?
This is probably the strongest Protestant version of the argument.
Some Protestants reason:
- Christ is the Head of the Church.
- Catholics call the Pope head of the Church.
- Therefore the Pope replaces Christ.
- Therefore the Pope fulfills the role of Antichrist.
But Catholic theology rejects premise three.
Catholicism does not teach that Christ retired and appointed the Pope as His replacement.
Christ remains the supreme Head of the Church.
The papal office is understood as a ministerial office under Christ.
Whether one agrees with that office is irrelevant to this particular argument.
A pastor does not replace Christ merely because he pastors a congregation.
An Evangelical missionary does not replace Christ because he acts in Christ's name.
An elder does not become a rival messiah because he possesses ecclesiastical authority.
Likewise, Catholics understand Peter and his successors as servants exercising delegated authority.
Delegated authority does not equal divinity.
14. Peter Himself Makes the “Antichrist Pope” Theory Historically Awkward
There is another historical difficulty.
Early Christian writers associated the Church of Rome with the apostolic ministry of Peter and Paul centuries before the Reformation.
St. Irenaeus, writing around A.D. 180, discusses the succession of bishops in Rome as part of his argument against Gnostic heretics.
The same Irenaeus who wrote extensively about Antichrist also spoke approvingly about apostolic succession and the public teaching authority of bishops. In Against Heresies, he contrasts later heretics with the bishops to whom the apostles entrusted the Churches.
That does not by itself prove every later Catholic claim concerning papal jurisdiction.
But it creates an awkward historical problem for the theory that recognizing episcopal succession is itself somehow Antichristian.
Irenaeus believed in apostolic succession.
Irenaeus recognized Rome's apostolic heritage.
Irenaeus wrote extensively about Antichrist.
Yet Irenaeus does not identify the bishop of Rome as Antichrist.
15. Antichrist Exalts Himself; the Pope Points Beyond Himself
Paul's description should be allowed to speak for itself.
The man of lawlessness:
- rebels against God;
- exalts himself above worship;
- presents himself as divine;
- operates through satanic deception;
- performs false signs;
- deceives those who reject truth;
- is destroyed personally by Christ at His return.
Compare that profile with what Catholics are actually taught.
Catholics are told:
Worship God.
Believe in Jesus Christ.
Believe Jesus is God.
Believe Jesus died for your sins.
Believe Jesus rose bodily from the dead.
Obey Jesus.
Repent of sin.
Receive God's grace.
Await Jesus' Second Coming.
Prepare to stand before Jesus in judgment.
And Catholics are explicitly warned against any human ideology or pseudo-messianic system that attempts to replace Christ.
Calling this system “Antichrist” requires stretching the biblical description almost beyond recognition.
16. Could There Be a Wicked Pope? Absolutely
Catholics should avoid an equally bad argument:
“A pope could never be evil.”
History disproves that.
There have been scandalous popes.
There have been immoral popes.
There have been politically ambitious popes.
Some behaved disgracefully.
Catholic teaching does not claim that election to the papacy makes a man sinless.
Papal infallibility does not mean papal impeccability.
A pope can make bad judgments, govern badly, behave hypocritically and commit serious sins.
But none of that makes the papacy Antichrist.
Peter himself sinned.
Peter denied Christ three times before the Resurrection.
Paul publicly rebuked Peter's behavior at Antioch.
Yet neither event meant that Peter had become the eschatological Antichrist.
There is a vast difference between:
a sinful church leader
and
the prophetic enemy of Christ.
17. Ironically, Peter Confesses the Exact Opposite of Antichrist
The biblical Petrine confession itself is especially striking.
Jesus asks:
“Who do you say that I am?”
Peter responds:
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Compare that with John's definition:
Antichrist is the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ.
Peter's confession is almost the perfect inverse:
Antichrist:
Jesus is not the Christ.
Peter:
You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And Catholicism has spent two thousand years repeating Peter's confession.
Jesus is the Christ.
Jesus is the Son of God.
Jesus is Lord.
Jesus is Savior.
Jesus is true God.
Jesus is risen.
Jesus will return.
18. What About “Vicarius Christi”?
Some anti-Catholic preachers attempt another argument.
The Pope is sometimes called Vicarius Christi, or “Vicar of Christ.”
They argue that because a vicar acts “in place of” another person, this means the Pope replaces Jesus.
But that misunderstands delegated representation.
A representative acts on behalf of someone precisely because the representative is not the person whose authority he serves.
Catholic theology does not say:
Pope = Christ.
It says the Pope serves Christ.
Furthermore, the New Testament itself describes Christian ministers as representatives of Christ.
Paul writes of Christians acting as ambassadors for Christ.
Representation is therefore perfectly compatible with Christ remaining supreme Lord.
A presidential ambassador does not become president.
A king's representative does not become king.
A steward does not become the master of the household.
Likewise, calling someone Christ's representative does not mean declaring him Christ.
19. What the Early Fathers Expected
When we place several early Christian witnesses together, a recognizable picture emerges.
Irenaeus expected an apostate figure who would seek divine worship.
Cyril expected a deceptive pseudo-Christ who would falsely present himself as Messiah.
John Chrysostom described someone demanding worship instead of God.
Scripture describes someone who denies the true Christ, opposes God and exalts himself.
None of these descriptions naturally reads:
“a Catholic bishop who professes the Nicene Creed and tells everyone that Jesus Christ is God.”
One may dislike Catholicism.
One may reject papal authority.
One may believe Catholic interpretations of particular passages are mistaken.
But intellectual honesty requires us to distinguish those disagreements from the much more extraordinary claim that the Pope fulfills biblical prophecy as Antichrist.
20. The Pope Does Not Say “Worship Me”; He Says “Worship Christ”
Ultimately the question can be made remarkably simple.
Ask:
Does the Pope deny Christ?
No.
Does the Pope say Jesus was merely human?
No.
Does the Pope deny that Jesus is Messiah?
No.
Does the Pope deny the Father?
No.
Does the Pope deny the Son?
No.
Does the Pope deny the Incarnation?
No.
Does the Pope deny Christ's Resurrection?
No.
Does the Pope proclaim himself Jesus returned to earth?
No.
Does the Pope proclaim himself Almighty God?
No.
Does Catholicism teach that the Pope should be worshipped?
No.
Does Catholicism teach that Jesus is God?
Yes.
Does Catholicism teach that Jesus died for our sins?
Yes.
Does Catholicism teach that Jesus rose from the dead?
Yes.
Does Catholicism teach that Jesus alone is the divine Savior of humanity?
Yes.
Does Catholicism expect Jesus—not the Pope—to return in glory?
Yes.
At some point the accusation collapses beneath the weight of the evidence.
Conclusion: Read Scripture Before Watching Another “Pope Is Antichrist” Video
Anti-Catholic Evangelical preachers on YouTube can produce dramatic thumbnails.
They can circle Vatican symbols in red.
They can play sinister music.
They can quote Martin Luther.
They can mention 666.
They can place photographs of popes beside images from Revelation.
None of that establishes an identification Scripture itself does not make.
The Apostle John gives us theological characteristics of antichrist.
Antichrist denies Jesus as the Christ.
Catholicism proclaims Him the Christ.
Antichrist denies the Father and the Son.
Catholicism confesses the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Antichrist rejects Christ coming in the flesh.
Catholicism dogmatically professes the Incarnation.
Paul's man of lawlessness exalts himself as God.
The Pope professes that Jesus is God.
The early Fathers expected a deceptive pseudo-messiah who would draw people away from the true Christ.
The Pope directs Christians toward the true Christ and publicly confesses Him.
Catholics therefore do not have to choose between Scripture and the Pope on this question.
Rather, Catholics should challenge their Evangelical brothers and sisters to return to Scripture itself.
Disagree with papal supremacy if you wish.
Debate Matthew 16.
Debate the keys of the kingdom.
Debate apostolic succession.
Debate justification.
Debate purgatory, Mary, the saints, the Eucharist or the Mass.
Those are legitimate theological discussions.
But calling the Pope “the Antichrist” requires evidence.
And repeating a sixteenth-century accusation does not constitute evidence.
Indeed, once John's own definition is taken seriously, the fundamental problem with the accusation becomes impossible to miss:
The biblical Antichrist denies Jesus Christ.
The Catholic Church exists to proclaim Him.
Its altars bear His cross.
Its Creed proclaims His divinity.
Its Scriptures announce His Gospel.
Its sacraments are celebrated in His name.
Its martyrs died confessing Him.
Its bishops preach Him.
And every Catholic Mass reaches its culmination not in worship of the Pope, but in worship of Jesus Christ—the Son of God, crucified, risen and coming again in glory.
That is not the confession of Antichrist.
It is the ancient confession of Christianity:
Jesus Christ is Lord.
