The Reformers were pretty much lost when it came to eschatology. Luther wanted to dismiss athe Book of Revelation. And for someone to call the Pope the AntiChrist is akin to conservatives calling Obama the AntiChrist. There was really no support for that viewpoint.
Today, Presbyterians, Lutherans, and Reformed theology have strayed quite a bit. Most don’t believe in a literal return of Christ. Instead, they will minimize the Second Coming with an argument that Jesus already reigns in our hearts.
They will then add that we need to institute His kingdom on Earth and make it a better place through being tolerant, instituting liberal social justice policies, ecumenism, etc.
Pastor Bill and most of the posters on this thread are fortunately dispensationalists who expect a literal return of Christ and a literal millenium.
quote-And for someone to call the Pope the AntiChrist is akin to conservatives calling Obama the AntiChrist. There was really no support for that viewpoint.
The Antichrist is going to come out of the 4th Beast/Kingdom of Daniel-
Scholars
1st-Babylon
2nd-Medes/Persia
3rd-Greece
4th-Rome
Anti- Strongs 473- instead of, in return for, over against, opposite, in exchange for, as a substitute for, (b) on my behalf, (c) wherefore, because.
I know I was never introduced to the meanings ‘instead of’ or ‘in exchange for’ or ‘as a substitute for’ for ANTI until I read it in a Concordance.
The word Anti that we use for Anti-Smoking or Anti-Choice, isn’t the only definition history and research shows for that word.
an ‘instead of’ Christ
an ‘in exchange for’ Christ
an ‘substitute for’ Christ
With that understanding of the word ‘Anti’ in a historical way, the 1st Reformers calling the Papacy the ‘seat of ‘instead of Christ’ or ‘in exchange for Christ’ or ‘a substitute for’ Christ doesn’t sound too far fetched at all.
and then add in they would have called the Pope Gregory calendar the ‘instead of Christ’,’in exchange for’ Christ, an ‘substitute for Christ’ calendar if it was around back then-
that seems to be an ‘us’ problem- not a ‘them’ problem.
And without Ezekiel 46:1, we wouldn’t know how Rome has changed times, to where people of faith can test and prove all things- especially something named after what the 1st Protestant Reformers called the ‘instead of Christ’ or ‘in exchange for’ Christ- if we accept some of the definitions of ‘Anti’ in the concordances I have seen.
Not too shabby for men without smart phones or computers.