Leo: the name, the pope, the prophecy

By now, most, if not all of you, know that the Catholic Church elected a new pope. He has taken the name of Leo XIV, and he is also the first American pope from the USA. Here's a few reasons why this could be very significant and prophetic. 

Daniel 7 tells us that the antichrist power would rise among the nations of Western Europe, being both a religious and political entity. This is of course the papacy. And any time a new pope is elected, they choose a name. This is partly because it is tradition to do so, but also because choosing a name signifies their goals that they have for the duration of their, for lack of a better word, rule.

Now this new pope has chosen the name Leo. You may be asking, "Why is that significant?" I'm glad you asked. Let's get into it. 

Leo means lion, or, lionhearted. the Bible tells us in 1 Peter 5:8 that Satan walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. It also tells us in Revelation 13:2 that the dragon gave the antichrist organization his power, seat, and great authority.

Here's the thing with lions: when a new male lion takes over a pride, he kills the cubs of the previous male—wiping out the legacy so he can mate with the lioness and claim the future. Satan works the same way: he seeks to destroy the spiritual offspring of God so he can replace truth with deception. 

Again, the new pope’s name is Leo—Latin for lion. But beware: this lion isn’t the Lion of Judah… he walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).

What about other pope's that took the name Leo? 

There was Leo I, who was pope from 440-461 AD. He was the first pope to claim universal spiritual authority. He claimed to sit on Peter's throne (even though Peter never had a throne and would be appalled at such a statement.) This was a key moment in the rise of Rome's religious supremacy.

There was also Leo X, who was pope from 1513-1521, not very long, but very evil. He was the pope who excommunicated Martin Luther, the protestant reformer God used to shake the religious Christian world in the 1500s. He rejected the gospel, endorsed selling indulgences, and wanted Martin Luther to be executed. He fought the protestant reformation tooth and nail.

Remember what we said earlier about how pope's choose names to signify their goals for their papacy. We are living in an age where the Bible tells us that the papacy is about to regain her lost supremacy.

This pope is also American, from the USA. (The last pope was also technically American, as he was from South America, but not from the USA.) Why could this significant?

In the interest of staying balanced and not running ahead of the message, the fact that this pope is American may or may not be significant. But here's why I think it might be.

The USA has long been considered the leading superpower of the world. However, for the last several presidential elections, the democrats and republicans are more divided than ever before, and it continues to become more extreme with each election.

The pendulum swings harder left, and then harder right. The left is painted as the group that takes this country further into sin, and the right is painted as the group that wants to bring morality back to this country. But let's be real honest: both groups are equally bringing this country further into sin, and neither is bringing it closer to God. 

I don't say this to simply comment on politics. I despise how controversial and divisive politics makes everything. I say this to make a point: the USA is in political and moral decline, and it's rapidly accelerating. 

American Bishop Robert Barron said this: "Until America goes into political decline, there won't be an American pope." And this nation is in decline. BAD. In all areas. Religious. Political. Racially. Economically. You name it, we're not doing so hot here. 

But now there's a pope who is from a country that is in a nose dive. During the last pope's papacy, the European Union wanted him to fix their problems. And he really was quite successful in winning the hearts of the world, much like Absalom did to overthrow David in 2 Samuel. And I've seen comments on videos lately from either atheists or people who say they aren't very religious saying how much they loved Pope Francis. 

This really paved the way for this new pope to do the same for the USA. As Revelation 13, and the book, the Great Controversy prophesied, protestantism is now holding hands with the papacy. And soon, a national and global sunday law will be seen as the solution for all of this country's problems. 

I believe we are about to see the final movements happen before our very eyes. Hang onto your hats, folks. It's about to get bumpy. And keep your eyes on Jesus the entire time, and He will be faithful to get us through. 

Below are two of my Bible study cards. The one on the left is a concise study on how to identify the papacy as the antichrist. The one of the right is the Sabbath study. Both of these are extremely pertinent to this time. 

For those who can't afford to buy them, they are free to read on my website under the Free Bible Studies Section. I'll link them below:

https://www.theadventtruth.com/freestudies/thesabbathtruth

https://www.theadventtruth.com/freestudies/theantichrist

And if you feel so moved by the Holy Spirit, you can donate directly to this ministry by scrolling to the bottom and finding the links there.

Stay faithful, saints. We'll be home soon.