Even though I may seem like a voice in the wilderness, I feel that Christians today are misguided about

who the ANTICHRIST really is and are looking for him in all the wrong places. Did you know that the name ANTICHRIST in the bible doesnt mean to be against Christ but rather to be in the place of Christ? With this evidence before us it puts a whole new light on who this Man of Sin really is. The Antichrist is someone who puts himself in place of Christ rather than someone who is against Him. Is there or has there been anyone like this in history? The answer is a resounding yes and can be found in the Papacy. THE WORD ANTI- In Strongs Concordance word 473 in the Greek dictionary. You will find the word anti is often used to denote substitution- 473. anti, an-tee; a prim. particle; opposite, i.e. instead or because of (rarely in addition to):--for, in the room of. Often used in composition to denote contrast, requital, substitution, correspondence, etc. THE WORD ANTICHRIST- Antichrist (word 500 in Strongs Greek dictionary) can be correctly interpreted then, as someone who substitutes himself for Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
The word 'Antichrist' is a Greek word and the word 'Vicar' is an English word and both words are synonymous. They have exactly the same meaning. 'Antichrist' translated into the English is 'Vice Christ' or 'Vicar of Christ.' 'Vicar of Christ, rendered into the Greek is 'Antichristos' = 'ANTICHRIST.' The ordinary use of the word in the Greek is decisive on this point. The Vicar of Christ, the Vice-Christ, the Antichrist, comes in the room and in the place of the true Christ.

THE VICAR OF CHRIST (VICARIUS CHRISTI) -Vicar of Christ . . . This title was used almost exclusively of the Bishop of Rome as successor of Peter and, therefore, the one in the Church who particularly takes the place of Christ; but used also of bishops in general and even of priests. This term was first used by the Roman Synod of A.D. 495 to refer to Pope Gelasius. THE WORDS VICARIOUS AND VICAR - Look up the word vicarious in almost any common dictionary. Here is what you would find in the Webster Handy College Dictionary: substituting for or, being in place of another. The Papal title of VICAR OF CHRIST which in Latin is VICARIUS CHRISTI, means a SUBSTITUTE FOR CHRIST, which is synonymous with Antichrist, i.e., assuming the power of God on earth! This blasphemous claim is made repeatedly by various Popes through the ages and is the very foundation of Roman Catholicism and its Papacy. The Roman Catholic Church has taught that the Pope, titled Vicarius Christi (which is synonymous with the word Antichrist), takes the place of Jesus Christ on Earth: ... We [the pope] hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty, ...
Source: Pope Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter Praeclara Gratulationis Publicae (The Reunion of Christendom), dated June 20, 1894, trans. in The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII (New York: Benziger, 1903), paragraph 5, page 304.

666
Revelation 13:18 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. Many are looking for one man to be the Antichrist but 666 is not necessarily meant to be a mans name but rather a mans title: Look at Revelation 19:16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. The same Greek word translated as name (onoma: G3686) that appears in Revelation 13:17-18 is also used in chapter 19:16, so we see that the word can also apply to a title, and not just one man's name. Now, we are told that it takes a certain understanding and wisdom to discern just how this number is actually applied. This would then fit the reign of Popes during the Dark Ages who had the title Vicarius Filii Dei Vicar of Christ. In place of Christ VICARIUS FILII DEI: VICARIUS - substituting for, or in place of FILII - means son DEI - means God

V = 5 I = 1 C = 100 A = 0 R = 0 I = 1 U = 5 S = 0 = 112 F = 0 I = 1 L = 50 I = 1 I = 1 = 53 D = 500 E = 0 I = 1 = 501

112 + 53+ 501 = 666

Did you know that famous Christians such as Moody, Spurgeon, Finney, Bunyan, and Hudson Taylor all believed that the Papacy was the Antichrist? Even though I too believe that the Antichrist has come already during the Dark Ages, I want to make it plain that I am not against the Catholic Church today for much has changed since the Pope lost his temporal power in 1870 AD and the prophecy fulfilled of Antichrists 1260 years reign. Im now not looking for another Antichrist in the future, with all sorts of speculation as many Theologians have. I want to add that I have been to some combined Catholic meetings over the last few years and seen God doing great things in their midst with many filled with the Spirit.

For more on the Antichrist go to my web site:

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~ghotter/7_Churches