Holy Scripture employs the term antichrist in a wider and in a narrower sense. Used in a wider sense, the term denotes all teachers who supplant the Word of God with doctrines of men, 1 John 2, 18. All false teachers must be regarded as antichrists (ἀντίχριστοι, adversaries of Christ), since our Lord insists that in the Church no other doctrine should be taught than that of Holy Scripture, Matt. 28, 20; John 8, 31. 32; 17, 20; 5, 39; Rom. 16, 17; 1 Pet. 4, 11; 1 Tim. 6, 3ff.; 2 Tim. 3, 15 - 17; 2 John 10; Rev. 22, 18. 19. All who disregard this divine command are insurgents and adversaries of God, Luke 11, 23.
In its narrower sense the term ἀντίχριστος, however, denotes the great Antichrist, whose coming is foretold in 2 Thess. 2, 3-12. In 1 John 2, 18 this .Antichrist κατ' ἐξοχήν is carefully distinguished from the "many antichrists," and his appearance is represented as a sign of the last times. In him antichristianism culminates, 2 Thess. 2, 7 f.
Since Holy Scripture pictures the Antichrist as the Wicked, of whom all believers must beware and whom therefore they can know, 2 Thess. 2, 8, we must carefully consider the marks by which divine prophecy characterizes him. These unmistakable marks, according to 2 Thess. 2, 3-12, are the following: -
a. The "falling away" (ἡ ἀποστασία). That this "falling away" must not be understood in a political sense (Communism and anarchy; the appearance of despotic sovereigns), as some erroneously opined, but in a spiritual or religious meaning, 2 Thess. 2, 10-12 clearly shows. The apostasy is caused by a "strong delusion," the result of which is that men believe lies and are damned through their misbelief. It is therefore "a falling away" from Christ and His Word, 2 Thess. 2, 4.
b. The "sitting in the temple," 2 Thess. 2, 4. The great apostasy from Christ and the Gospel occurs not outside, but within the Church; for "the temple of God" is the Church, 1 Cor. 3, 16 ff.; 1 Tim. 3, 15; 2 Tim. 2, 20. The great apostasy which Antichrist causes is therefore not the spread of paganism or of antichristian cults, but a falling away within the external Church. For this reason it is called also "the mystery of iniquity" (μυστήριον τῆς ἀνομίας). v. 7, that is, a lawlessness which conceals itself by pious words and forms. Nor is this lawlessness only temporary, but it is permanent; for the Antichrist will continue to sit in the temple of God until the Lord's second return, v. 8.
c. The opposing and exalting above all that is called God. The Antichrist, who sits in the temple of God, will be in constant opposition to God and His Word, claiming for himself supreme authority in religion ("showing himself that he is God," v. 4). Under the reign of Antichrist the Church will obey neither Christ nor His Gospel, but do only what Antichrist by his alleged divine authority demands. All who are under his rule are bound to submit to him, not to God.
d. The working of Satan in Antichrist. While Antichrist is not Satan himself, his "coming is after the working of Satan" (κατ ' ἐνέργειαν τοῦ σατανᾶ, v. 9) ; that is, he appears by the deceitful, crafty, and wicked working of Satan and sustains himself in the Church by Satan's power; for with the help of Satan he is able to perform "all power and signs and lying wonders," v. 9. The adjective modifier lying in our translation (Greek: ψεύδους) belongs to all three nouns: power, sig11s, wonders. As Antichrist teaches doctrines that are lies, so he also performs works that are lies. His rule therefore rests upon his ability, wrought by Satan, to deceive men by all manner of lies.
e. The revealing and consuming of Antichrist with the Spirit of the LorO:s mouth, v. 8. Antichrist will remain unknown to many ("mystery of iniquity," v. 7); yet in due time he will be revealed and consumed by the spirit of the Lord's mouth, which is God's Word, Is. 11, 4; 49, 2; Rev. 1, 16. Antichrist will therefore be revealed and consumed through the preaching of God's Word. This, however, does not mean the end of his wicked reign; for the Lord Himself shall "destroy'' him (καταργήσει, annul him, put him out of the way) "with the brightness of His coming," v. 8; that is to say, the reign of Antichrist will continue till Judgment Day.
f. Antichrist's coming and reign are a manifestation of GoO:s wrath upon all those who "received not the love of the truth that they might be saved," v. 10. His appearance therefore leads to the damnation of many, v. 12, and thus foreshadows God's condemning wrath on Judgment Day, v. 3.
All these marks of Antichrist we witness not in individual deceivers (Arius, Mohammed) nor in individual tyrants (Nero, Napoleon), but in the Papacy. Here, within the external Church of Christ, is the great apostasy (ἀποστασία), namely, the rejection of Scripture as the only source and norm of faith and of the central doctrine of the Christian religion, the sola fide. "which alone begets, nourishes, builds, preserves, and defends the Church and without which the Church of God cannot exist even for an hour" Luther; St. L., XIV, 168.
In the Church of Antichrist the doctrine of justification by grace through faith is anathematized, and its Christian defenders are damned as heretics and antichrists (Council of Trent, Sess. VI, Cans. 11. 12. 20).
Here, moreover, the impious opponent of Christ performs lying works, signs, and wonders and "with all deceivableness of unrighteousness" and with "strong delusions" misleads uncounted souls into damnation, Gal. 3, 10; 5, 4.
Here, too, we find the greatest apostasy, concealed by an outward show of piety, the most consummate hypocrisy, veiled with the cloak of discipleship, and the most vicious hatred against Christ and His blessed Gospel, hidden under the pretentious names of "vicar of Christ," "viceregent of Christ," etc.
Here, within the Christian Church, we find the crassest paganism (the worship of saints and statues, work-righteousness) and the ruthless shedding of the innocent blood of thousands of martyrs, who in true Christian faith and zeal opposed this antichristian paganism.
Here we find the revealing and consuming of Antichrist by the spirit of the Lord's mouth, that is to say, the branding of the Pope as the Antichrist by the Lutheran Reformation.
Here, lastly, we find that arrogant presumption over against all existing governments, which is a true characteristic of Antichrist, the man of sin and the son of perdition, who "exalteth himself above all that is called God."
Our Lutheran Confession therefore rightly declares that the Pope at Rome is the Antichrist. "The marks all the vices of Antichrist plainly agree with the kingdom of the Pope and his adherents. For Paul, 2 Thess. 2, 3, in describing to the Thessalonians Antichrist, calls him an adversary of Christ, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God. . . . He speaks therefore of one ruling in the Church, not of heathen kings, and he calls this one the adversary of Christ, because he will devise doctrines conflicting with the Gospel and will assume to himself divine authority." (Smalcald Articles; Triglotta, p. 515, § 39.)
Again p. 517, § 41 : "This being the case, all Christians ought to beware of becoming partakers of the godless doctrine, blasphemies, and unjust cruelty of the Pope. On this account they ought to desert and execrate the Pope with his adherents as the kingdom of Antichrist, just as Christ has commanded Matt. 7, 15: 'Beware of false prophets.' And Paul commands that godless teachers should be avoided and execrated as cursed, Gal. 1, 8; Titus 3, 10. And in 2 Cor. 6, 14 he says: 'Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what communion hath light with darkness?" (Cp. also Luther, St. L., XVII, 2191; XVIII 1529 ff.)
The doctrine of our Confession "papam esse ipsum verum antichristum" (Smalcald Articles; Triglotta, p. 474, § 10) has been denied on the ground that in 2 Thess. 2, 3-12 the apostle is speaking, not of a system of teaching, but of an individual deceiver. But this objection does not hold, since St. Paul here describes "a mystery of iniquity" which was active already in his time and which will endure to the end of time, vv. 7. 8.
If modern Protestant theologians fail to recognize that the Pope at Rome is the Antichrist, it is because they themselves do not understand what an abomination it is to reject God's Word as the only source and standard of faith and to anathematize the doctrine of justification by faith. Since the Papacy destroys the central article of the Christian faith, its outward adherence to the Apostles' Creed is only one of the many lies by which it deceives the unwary. To these lies belong also the many "good works" of which it boasts. Luther rightly says St. L., XVIII, 1530: "The Papacy is a kingdom which destroys both faith and the Gospel."
The question whether individual Popes may personally be believers in Christ may hardly be answered in the affirmative, since each Pope is the head of an antichristian cult which officially and permanently anathematizes the article of justification by faith. Also the "pious Popes" belong to the "lying wonders" by which Satan deceives those who do not love the truth.
While the doctrine concerning Antichrist is not a fundamental teaching of Scripture, since no one is saved inasmuch as he recognizes the Antichrist, nevertheless we must not regard it as of little importance, since God has imparted this truth to us for doctrine and reproof, 2 Tim. 3, 16. As St. Paul warned his hearers against Antichrist, so to-day Christian ministers should warn their hearers against him, 2 Thess. 2, 3. 5. Hence for a minister to claim that he is unable to recognize Antichrist shows a weakness and dulness in Christian discernment of which he has no reason whatever to be proud, 2 Thess. 2, 13-15.
If discerning believers recognized the Pope as the Antichrist even before the Reformation (Savonarola, Huss, Wyclif), we should do so all the more since God has revealed the Wicked (2 Thess. 2, 8) through His work of the Reformation, by which He restored to His Church both Holy Scripture as the sole source of faith (the formal principle of the Reformation) and justification by grace through faith as the sinner's only hope of salvation (the material principle of the Reformation). Luther: "Deus impleat vos odio Papae!"