THE NEW POPE IS GOING TO BE TERRIFYING | JOHN MACARTHUR

My friends, we are living in a time where deception has taken on a priestly robe. We are no longer talking about subtle lies and quiet distortions. We are dealing with an organized system of spiritual fraud dressed in sacred garments, speaking in religious tones, and operating under the guise of Christ's church.

And as the world anticipates the rise of a new pope, I want to warn you plainly: what is coming will be terrifying. Not terrifying in the way the world defines terror, but in the way heaven defines apostasy. This new figure will not be a shepherd of truth, but a spokesman for ecumenical delusion. He will speak peace, but he will wage war against the truth. He will smile, but his theology will be poison. His reach will not be limited to cathedrals and councils. He will influence kings, nations, movements, and multitudes.

The terrifying part is not his appearance, but his deception. The terrifying part is not his title, but the way he will be embraced by the masses, even evangelicals who should know better. The office he assumes already claims the unbiblical titles of vicar of Christ and holy father, which are blasphemies in and of themselves. No man is the vicar of Christ. No man stands in the place of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ has not vacated his throne. He does not need a substitute. He reigns eternally. And yet the world is preparing to hand its allegiance to a man who dares to occupy that place.

The coming pope will not only affirm the false doctrines of centuries past. He will add new layers of compromise. He will likely embrace every form of perversion under the banner of tolerance. He will speak warmly of other religions, calling them paths to God. He will seek to unify Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and every other system of belief into one global fellowship, and the world will applaud it. But God will not. He will not preach repentance. He will not declare the exclusivity of salvation through Christ alone. He will not warn of hell. He will not call out sin. He will not uphold the word of God as the final authority. Instead, he will exalt tradition, human reason, and emotionalism. He will use his influence to silence dissent. He will urge obedience not to the Lord of glory but to the system of Rome, and millions will follow him straight into judgment.

This is not a small issue. This is not religious preference. This is a matter of eternal life and death. Scripture warns us of a coming global religious deception. Revelation speaks of a harlot system dressed in purple and scarlet, drunk with the blood of the saints, seated on seven hills. This is not vague poetry. This is prophetic clarity. And the rise of a new pope, one who is more inclusive, more deceptive, more global in influence, fits that pattern with chilling accuracy.

Do not be deceived. The Bible is not silent. Two Thessalonians speaks of a great falling away. One Timothy 4 says, "Some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils." Revelation 13 describes a false prophet who performs signs, speaks like a lamb, but is a servant of the dragon. Do you think these are just ancient metaphors? These are warnings etched in scripture for a generation that will trade truth for tolerance and holiness for harmony.

Many will say, "But look at his humility. Look at his charity. Look at his desire for unity." Let me remind you, Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. False teachers always appear godly. They always present themselves as kind, sincere, and well-meaning. But behind the mask is a hatred for biblical truth. Behind the robe is a rejection of Christ's lordship. Behind the smile is a message that leads people to hell.

This new pope, whoever he is, will serve as a religious figurehead for a new world agenda. He will not confront sin. He will normalize it. He will not uphold the Bible. He will reinterpret it. He will not glorify Christ. He will compete with him. He will not prepare souls for eternity. He will distract them with temporal promises of unity, peace, and social justice. And the terrifying thing is, he will be celebrated by the world. He will be invited into governments. He will be praised by media. He will be quoted by pastors. He will be followed by youth. He will be embraced by the religious left and the compromised right. And all the while, the true gospel will be pushed further into the shadows.

But as the church of Jesus Christ, we must not be silent. We must not be swept up in the hysteria. We must not bow to the golden image of ecumenism. We must draw the line where scripture draws the line. We must proclaim the truth, even if it costs us our reputation, our platform, or even our freedom. The terrifying thing is not the man himself. It is the system he represents, the lies he will promote, and the souls who will believe them. The terrifying thing is not his charisma. It is the counterfeit gospel he will preach. The terrifying thing is not his religious ceremonies. It is the way they distract from the finished work of Christ on the cross. This is not about conspiracy. It is about clarity. Biblical clarity.

Do not marvel when the world follows him. Do not be surprised when churches applaud him. Do not be shaken when your own friends defend him. Stand on the word of God. Stand firm. Stand alone if you must. But do not be deceived, because the new pope is going to be terrifying. Not because of what he looks like, but because of what he will represent: the final form of religious rebellion before Christ returns.

The coming pope will champion a global religious deception under the mask of unity and peace. He will not come as a warlord or dictator, nor will he raise his voice like a revolutionary. Instead, he will arrive with calm speech, soft tones, and seemingly noble intentions. His words will be filled with calls for brotherhood, peace, mutual understanding, and love. But beneath these attractive terms will lie a dangerous agenda. The religious deception he promotes will be cloaked in terms so emotionally persuasive that few will discern its true spiritual danger. He will gather leaders of multiple faiths, call for interreligious dialogue, and even affirm practices and beliefs that directly contradict the truth of scripture. His aim will not be division between right and wrong, but union without truth. He will blur the lines between biblical Christianity and false religions. The world, already primed for tolerance over truth, will celebrate him as a peacemaker, as a spiritual unifier, as a moral authority in a time of chaos.

But those who know the word of God will recognize that this kind of unity is not biblical unity. It is not grounded in the gospel of Jesus Christ, but in a man-centered theology that exalts peace over purity, compromise over conviction, and inclusivity over holiness. The global religious deception he champions will not be overtly satanic in appearance. It will seem kind. It will seem noble. It will even use Christian vocabulary. He will talk about Jesus, quote scripture, and make references to the love of God. But everything will be redefined. Jesus will be presented as a social figure, not the savior who demands repentance. Scripture will be used selectively, twisted to serve the broader goal of uniting all religious paths. The love of God will be spoken of constantly, but without his justice, his wrath, or his call to holiness. This redefinition of spiritual truth will seduce countless people into thinking they are serving God while they are actually embracing a counterfeit religion. That is what makes this deception so terrifying. It will be global in scope and subtle in approach. He will not come with threats or persecution at first. He will come with smiles, open arms, and a message of hope and peace that fits the narrative of a world tired of division and conflict.

The groundwork has already been laid for such a figure. The world has become spiritually illiterate. Discernment is at an all-time low. Churches no longer preach the full counsel of God. Many pastors have abandoned doctrine in favor of motivation. The average believer is more familiar with pop culture than scripture. In such a climate, a leader who seems spiritual, compassionate, and intelligent can gain massive influence quickly. The new pope will seize this opportunity. He will present himself as the solution to religious strife. He will say things like, "We all serve the same God," and the multitudes will cheer. He will gather Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians under one banner, not by preaching repentance and faith in Christ alone, but by exalting shared values like love, peace, and community. He will appeal to the emotions, not the conscience. He will stir applause from the world and, sadly, even from segments of the evangelical church. But this kind of unity is not from God. It is from the enemy of souls who seeks to replace the gospel with a lie that feels good but saves no one.

The deception will be masked with charity, humanitarian work, and global activism. He will be on the front lines of climate discussions, social justice movements, and refugee relief. He will be seen with presidents, kings, and celebrities. He will be admired for his humility, praised for his wisdom, and followed for his vision. But his mission will not be the salvation of souls through Christ. It will be the formation of a one-world religious system that marginalizes true Christianity. He will speak of love but never of sin. He will speak of unity but never of repentance. He will speak of heaven but never of hell. And because he avoids offense, the world will love him. Yet his avoidance of offense will mean the absence of truth. And where there is no truth, there is no salvation.

The terrifying part is how easily people will fall for it. Because they have not been taught the word. Because they do not test the spirits. Because they chase experiences instead of sound doctrine, they will be swept away by his charm and his message. He will not appear as a monster. He will appear as a messenger of light. But everything he does will serve to weaken the authority of scripture and elevate the authority of man. His role will be essential in preparing the world for a false religious unity that paves the way for the Antichrist system. And while many celebrate what they believe is spiritual revival, true believers will recognize it as spiritual rebellion. He will unite people in worship, but not in worship of the true Christ. He will urge mankind to come together, but not under the lordship of the Son of God. He will promote a universal religion, but not one that honors the cross or exalts the resurrection.

This pope will not be content with merely leading a religious institution. His influence will extend to political realms. He will counsel governments, shape educational policy, and even speak into economic systems. He will become a global voice of conscience, not because he preaches the gospel, but because he aligns with the values of a godless world looking for a spiritual symbol. He will promote tolerance, not truth. He will affirm lifestyles the Bible condemns. He will elevate human goodness above divine grace. And in doing so, he will turn millions away from the only message that can save them. His role will be central in the deception that leads to the great falling away. He will be seen as a solution to global division when, in reality, he is part of the final rebellion against God.

Religious deception is always most dangerous when it wears the garments of religion. It is one thing for the world to reject Christ openly. It is another thing entirely when someone claims to represent Christ while preaching a false gospel. That is what this pope will do. He will claim to speak for Jesus while rejecting the very words of Jesus. He will deny the authority of scripture with a smile. He will invite the world to join hands in peace, all while leading them away from the cross. And because the world is hungry for peace without purity, love without lordship, and unity without truth, they will follow him without resistance. He will reject biblical authority while appearing spiritual, loving, and inclusive. That is the great danger of religious deception in the last days. It does not come wrapped in obvious rebellion, but in the counterfeit garments of righteousness.

He will not openly deny Christ. He will redefine him. He will not burn Bibles in the street. He will reinterpret them from the pulpit. He will speak of God, love, mercy, and faith, but he will disconnect those words from the clear teachings of scripture. In doing so, he will lead multitudes away from the truth while convincing them they are walking in it. His tone will be gentle, his vocabulary soft, and his personality warm, but his theology will be a sword against the foundation of God's word. He will appear as a man of prayer, humility, and compassion. He will be seen embracing the poor, advocating for justice, and appealing for peace across all nations. But while the world admires his love, heaven will grieve his compromise. His rejection of biblical authority will not be blatant. It will be subtle. He will not say the Bible is wrong. He will say, "We must re-examine what it really means." He will not reject Jesus directly. He will reshape Jesus into a symbol of universal acceptance. He will not throw out doctrine. He will water it down until it loses all power.

This kind of religious figure is far more dangerous than a militant atheist. The atheist openly opposes the truth, but the false teacher hides behind the language of faith. This pope will be a master at using Christian language to undermine Christian truth. He will speak of the cross but not in the context of substitutionary atonement. He will speak of salvation but not through repentance and faith. He will speak of grace but never in a way that convicts the sinner or glorifies the holiness of God. His religion will be based on human dignity, not divine sovereignty. It will appeal to the heart but bypass the soul. And in doing so, it will keep people comfortable in their sin while convincing them they are safe.

The rejection of biblical authority will not come through open hostility. It will come through gentle redirection, through soft redefinition, through selective quoting of scripture divorced from context. And because people have not been taught sound doctrine, they will follow him with open hearts and closed Bibles. He will preach love as the highest virtue but without defining love according to scripture. Love in his mouth will not be patient, kind, holy, or truthful. It will be permissive, accepting, and affirming of everything God calls sin. He will say that love means never judging, never correcting, never excluding, never dividing. He will call those who stand on biblical truth divisive, hateful, or intolerant. And the world, which already despises absolute truth, will applaud him as a true man of God.

The terrifying power of this deception is not that it opposes the Bible. It impersonates it. It does not silence the gospel. It imitates it with a counterfeit. It does not deny Christ. It creates another Christ, one who welcomes sin, affirms all religions, and refuses to draw lines between the saved and the lost. That kind of message will be irresistible to a generation that exalts personal feelings above divine authority. That kind of pope will be loved by the world, honored by governments, and even praised by naive churches.

His rejection of biblical authority will extend beyond theology and into every cultural and moral issue. He will refuse to uphold God's definition of marriage. He will affirm sexual identities and lifestyles that scripture clearly condemns. He will call for the blessing of unions that God calls abomination. And he will do it all in the name of compassion. His message will be, "Who are we to judge?" His motto will be, "God loves everyone just as they are." And he will twist that truth until it becomes a lie. Because God does love everyone, but not in a way that ignores sin. He sent his Son to die for sin, not to make peace with it. But this pope will never say that. He will present a God who is infinitely accepting but never holy, infinitely kind but never just, infinitely merciful but never wrathful. He will remove the offense of the cross, eliminate the urgency of repentance, and build a religion that makes everyone feel loved but leaves them spiritually dead.

He will call for a global religious alliance, one that unites all faiths under shared values. He will say, "We all worship the same God," and most will believe it. He will stand alongside leaders of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and other world religions, not to call them to Christ, but to affirm them in their error. That is the ultimate rejection of biblical authority: not just to deny its truth, but to place it on the same level as false religion. In doing so, he will trample on the very words of Jesus, who said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." But those words will be too offensive for the message he wants to preach. So, he will ignore them. He will emphasize everything Jesus said about kindness and love while conveniently ignoring everything he said about judgment, sin, hell, and obedience. And by doing so, he will create a sanitized, secularized version of Christianity that bears no resemblance to the gospel.

His appearance of spirituality will make it all the more dangerous. He will pray publicly, fast visibly, speak softly, and smile constantly. He will not look like a deceiver. He will look like a saint, but he will be a wolf in sheep's clothing. And because he will not attack the Bible outright, but twist it gently, many will not recognize what is happening. They will see his humility and confuse it with holiness. They will hear his compassion and mistake it for conviction. They will follow him because he speaks peace in a world of chaos. But they will not see that the peace he offers is built on a lie. It is not peace with God through the blood of Christ. It is peace with the world through the denial of truth. And in the end, it will lead millions to eternal destruction.

He will redefine the church. He will no longer see it as a body of born-again believers under the lordship of Christ, but as a diverse community of seekers united by shared values. He will downplay doctrine, reject exclusivity, and promote interfaith dialogue. He will silence voices of warning and elevate voices of compromise. He will call for a new reformation, not based on returning to scripture, but on evolving past it. He will call the Bible outdated, patriarchal, or misunderstood. He will say that modern times require a modern interpretation of faith. And in doing so, he will subtly destroy the foundation of the Christian faith while claiming to build it stronger. His spirituality will appeal to the masses. His inclusivity will be praised. His love will be applauded. But his message will be void of the truth that saves. And as he continues to rise in prominence, fewer and fewer will have the courage to speak against him, because to do so will be seen as unloving, divisive, or un-Christian. The world will demand a faith without boundaries, a god without standards, and a savior without a cross. And he will deliver exactly that.

While appearing as a man sent by heaven, he will serve as a bridge between false religions and corrupt global agendas. His role will not be limited to spiritual matters. It will extend into the political, economic, and ideological realms of the world. He will not merely be a religious figurehead. He will function as a unifying agent between the world's systems and the world's religions. He will become a voice that speaks to governments, institutions, interfaith councils, and organizations that already reject the authority of Christ. His language will be filled with globalist ideals, climate justice, economic equality, racial reconciliation, social cohesion, and global peace, but all built upon a foundation that has no allegiance to biblical truth. He will appear to be a spiritual leader, but his mission will be deeply political. He will use the credibility of religion to advance ideologies that are not of God. He will stand shoulder to shoulder with world leaders who legislate wickedness. And he will bless their efforts in the name of compassion and unity.

He will appeal to the youth who are already disillusioned with organized religion but deeply moved by social issues. He will offer them a new form of faith, one that requires no repentance, no surrender to Christ, and no adherence to sound doctrine, only a shared commitment to progress, peace, and tolerance. The bridge he builds will not be for the purpose of evangelism or salvation. It will be for the purpose of consolidation. He will consolidate power, influence, and theology into one universal framework that accommodates all beliefs. He will meet with imams, rabbis, monks, gurus, and spiritualists. And rather than calling them to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, he will affirm their paths and elevate their traditions as equally valid. He will call for a common moral vision rooted not in scripture, but in shared human values. He will champion human rights but not divine righteousness. He will speak of equality but never of sanctification. He will denounce war but never denounce sin. He will denounce poverty but never denounce idolatry. He will denounce hatred but never denounce heresy. And by blending religious language with global causes, he will become the moral compass for a lost world that wants spirituality without the authority of the cross. His bridge-building will be praised by presidents, endorsed by celebrities, and funded by billionaires because it will serve the agenda of creating a unified world where all gods are equal and all paths are holy. This is not accidental. It is strategic.

The new pope's cooperation with global agendas will be the next stage in preparing the world for the final deception. He will help dismantle distinctions between truth and error. He will use religious influence to make way for political control. He will reduce the gospel to a mere call for justice and Christ to a figure of peace and tolerance. He will help the world believe that salvation is not needed because mankind is already good. That judgment is not coming because we are evolving into love. And that doctrine is irrelevant because love is all that matters. This distortion will not be seen as heresy. It will be seen as enlightenment, and many will embrace it because it removes the offense of the gospel while preserving the feeling of being spiritual.

The Pope's role in all this will be pivotal. He will help erase the boundaries between church and world, between sacred and secular, between truth and error. He will do it with a language of unity. He will do it in the name of peace, and he will do it with a global audience cheering him on. Religious leaders around the world will fall into step with him. Denominations that once stood for truth will collapse under the pressure to conform. Mega churches will quote him. Universities will invite him. Evangelicals will partner with him. He will host interfaith services where the name of Jesus is spoken, but his lordship is denied. He will lead prayer gatherings where every god is welcome. He will call for global days of prayer, not to the true God, but to a god of many names. He will endorse a spirituality that embraces every tradition, every belief system, every moral code. And in doing so, he will help finalize the creation of a one-world religion that welcomes everyone and saves no one. His bridge will be wide. It will have many lanes. And it will lead not to heaven, but to destruction. But few will see it that way, because the signs will say love, peace, tolerance, inclusion, justice, and hope. The bridge will not look evil. It will look holy, but its foundation will be sand, and its destination will be judgment.

His partnership with corrupt global agendas will not be hidden. He will make public statements in favor of policies that undermine biblical values. He will support institutions that promote immorality. He will bless movements that redefine marriage, gender, and family. He will support economic reforms that claim to help the poor but centralize power in the hands of the elite. He will urge churches to comply with government mandates in the name of public good, even when those mandates contradict the word of God. He will redefine what it means to be a good Christian, not by faithfulness to Christ, but by loyalty to the global cause. He will say that those who refuse to participate in this new unity are dangerous extremists. He will marginalize biblical Christians as divisive, outdated, or even hateful. And in doing so, he will prepare the way for persecution, not from pagans, but from a compromised religious system that sees faithful believers as obstacles to peace.

This pope will also play a major role in shaping the religious narrative around artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and other scientific advancements. He will be consulted on the ethics of merging man with machine, on climate control, on population management, and on the moral implications of global surveillance. He will not resist these developments. He will endorse them. He will offer a moral framework that allows technological tyranny to proceed under the banner of care for humanity. He will say that we must adapt our theology to the modern world, that we must embrace innovation, and that faith must evolve. In reality, he will be aiding in the construction of a world system that monitors, manipulates, and ultimately controls human behavior. But because he will use religious vocabulary to justify it, the masses will trust him. They will say, "If the Pope approves it, it must be good." They will not see that he is no longer functioning as a servant of Christ, but as an agent of the world's agenda. His bridge will not bring people closer to God. It will bring them closer to a global system that replaces God. His influence will not lead people to the foot of the cross. It will lead them to the altar of compromise. His message will not produce conviction, transformation, and salvation. It will produce agreement, tolerance, and spiritual blindness. And all the while, those who speak out against it will be labeled as troublemakers, fundamentalists, or enemies of progress. But the truth is that this pope will be one of the most strategic tools in the final rebellion against the truth of the gospel. He will build bridges that God never ordained: bridges that connect truth to error, righteousness to wickedness, and Christ to Antichrist. And while the world walks across those bridges with praise and celebration, they will not see the judgment that awaits on the other side.