Throughout church history, certain Protestant theologians have argued that the office of the Pope fulfills the biblical description of the Antichrist. This view, prominent during the Reformation, was not a personal attack on any individual Pope, but rather a critique of the papal system as it developed in medieval Christianity.

The Biblical Concept of “Antichrist”

The term antichrist appears explicitly in John’s letters.

1 John 2:18 says, “Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.”

1 John 2:22 says, “Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.”

According to these passages, antichrist refers to anyone opposing or replacing Christ’s authority. Reformers like Martin Luther and John Calvin argued that the papal office claimed a level of spiritual and temporal authority that rightly belonged to Christ alone.

Exalting Authority Above Christ

Paul warned of a coming figure often called the man of lawlessness. 2 Thessalonians 2:4 says, “…who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.”

Many early Protestants interpreted this as referring not to an atheistic ruler, but to a religious leader within the church who would claim divine prerogatives. They believed the papal titles such as Vicar of Christ and claims of infallibility could be seen as fulfilling this pattern of “exalting” oneself in God’s temple.

The Warning Against False Teaching and Corruption

The New Testament repeatedly warns believers about spiritual deception arising from within the church.

2 Corinthians 11:13 says,“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.”

2 Timothy 4:3-4 says, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine… and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.”

Reformers applied these verses to what they viewed as doctrinal corruption: indulgences, mediation through Mary and the saints, and papal supremacy, seeing such practices as evidence of a system leading believers away from the simplicity of the gospel.

Historical Context of the View

The identification of the papacy with the Antichrist was central to classic Protestant confessions such as the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) and the Smalkald Articles (1537). These documents argued that the papal system had usurped Christ’s mediatorial role, though later Christian traditions, including many modern Protestants, interpret these passages symbolically or apply them more broadly to any system opposing Christ.

A Call to Biblical Discernment

Regardless of one’s stance, Scripture exhorts believers to remain discerning. 1 John 4:1 says, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

The enduring lesson is not to single out individuals, but to examine every teaching and authority in light of God’s Word.

Closing Remarks

The claim that the papacy represents the Antichrist arose from historical tensions and differing interpretations of Scripture. While this view played a key role in the Reformation, many Christians today focus instead on the broader biblical principle: that any power or teaching that supplants Christ’s unique authority embodies the spirit of antichrist.