The Black Pope or the Dark Lord? What’s Lurking Behind the Scenes

Is he the devil himself, or perhaps the ultimate puppet master, scheming from the darkness to enslave the world? This eerie, bone-chilling presence is terrifying for good reason. His arrival on the world stage marks the prelude to a final judgment, unleashing a whirlwind of chaos: unprecedented disasters, global conflicts, spiritual crises, and the rise of a new world order.

Fueled by apocalyptic visions, seers like St. Malachy (12th century), Baba Vanga (20th century), and other prophets have foretold the emergence of this malevolent force. They claim this infernal entity will shake the world to its core, rattling the very foundations of humanity. Among the most famous prophecies are those of the 16th-century French astrologer and physician Michel de Nostredame, better known as Nostradamus, whose visions still haunt our collective imagination.

With a cryptic, symbolic flair, Nostradamus captivated the world with his predictions. In his work Les Propheties, he penned enigmatic verses that have fueled conspiracy theories and pop culture, including references some tie to the fall of the Twin Towers and beyond.

One verse from Les Propheties stands out, its mysterious tone linked by some to the myth of the Black Pope:

“From a black man shall be born a white,
Who as a lord shall arrive too late,
From a nation he’ll be born most valiant,
At his rising, by the sea he’ll be haunted.”
(Century II, Quatrain 76, Les Propheties, 1555)

This quatrain has sparked endless speculation. Some connect the “foreign Pope” to John Paul II, hailing from Poland; the “old Pope” to Benedict XVI, elected at 78; and the “Black Pope” to Francis, a Jesuit, whose order is led by a superior dubbed the “Black Pope” for his black robes. Others take “black” literally, suggesting the next pope might be African.

But if we’re trying to figure out whether a sinister force will herald the end of days, plunging the world into chaos and ushering in a new era, let’s crumple up those old scrolls and toss them out. The ultimate source of prophecy is the Bible. Its pages reveal more than a hidden figure: a kingdom of evil, a power brewing in the shadows, paving the way for Christ’s return. The Apostle Paul, in his second letter to the Thessalonians, calls it the “man of sin,” the lawless one, the son of perdition:

“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.”
(2 Thessalonians 2:3)

Truth is, the Bible doesn’t focus on a “Black Pope” but on a deceptive power, a reign of lies that will signal Christ’s second coming (John 14:3). In other words, this force’s rise is a sign the end is near. But its arrival will bring apostasy—a mass abandonment of faith. So, what’s apostasy?

Apostasy (from the Greek apostasia, meaning “departure” or “rebellion”) is a deliberate rejection of God or true faith, a conscious turning away from once-accepted truth. It’s not just disbelief; it’s spiritual mutiny, whether personal or collective, showing up as idolatry, spiritual infidelity (Jeremiah 3:6-10), demonic teachings (1 Timothy 4:1), or stubborn disobedience (Acts 21:21). It’s the ultimate betrayal of God’s word, a brazen defiance of His will.

Biblically, this dark power has been at work since ancient times. Paul warns in 2 Thessalonians:

“And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.”
(2 Thessalonians 2:6-7)

This “mystery of lawlessness” shows a deceptive force, held back for now, simmering in the shadows, waiting for its moment to unleash chaos.

What’s holding this evil back from fully manifesting? An angelic force, or perhaps Satan himself, keeping his plans in check? Truthfully, if this anti-God power was to rise after the apostolic era, some tie it to the Roman Empire, heir to the paganism of Greece, Babylon, and ancient false religions.

Yet the Roman Empire was already around in the apostles’ day, persecuting the true church (Revelation 13:7). Paul’s prophecy suggests the “mystery of lawlessness” was restrained by a political power keeping it at bay. That restraint vanished with the fall of the Roman Empire, clearing the path for evil’s rise.

Then, Paul writes, the lawless one will be fully revealed:

“And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders.”
(2 Thessalonians 2:8-9)

With the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD, a new power rose, morphing into a political and spiritual force that claimed supremacy over secular rulers. This rise culminated in the establishment of a… papal theocracy? Exactly. An authority that merged scepter and altar into one hand.

So, does the Bible speak of a Black Pope? Yes and no. Not as a shadowy figure from folklore, but as a complex system of deception and evil, allied with the antichrist and the devil himself. In 2 Thessalonians, it’s described as a deeply deceptive power:

“For this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie.”
(2 Thessalonians 2:11)

And in Revelation, it’s part of a satanic trinity—dragon, beast, and false prophet—that seduces the unsuspecting:

“Then I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”
(Revelation 16:13-14)

Don’t fear the rise of a dark power—it’s been at work for centuries. The ancient serpent, Satan, pulls strings from the shadows, weaving his web through countless agents of his will. Instead, beware of falling into the system of evil orchestrated by the serpent’s venomous hiss and the foul song of demonic frogs. Nearly two thousand years ago, Paul issued this warning:

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.”
(1 Timothy 4:1)

What demonic doctrines are spreading today? How do the dragon, beast, and false prophet work to deceive? These questions, steeped in mystery, await answers another time.

All citations are from the Reina-Valera 1960, translated idiomatically to align with English conventions.

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