This article is from Old Fashioned Prophecy Magazine, May – June 1963. It was sent to me by Ron Bullock of Old Working BOOKS & BINDERY. Eric C. Peters is the son of Rev. Fred J. Peters who wrote The Present Antichrist.

MOST PEOPLE are acquainted with the general scheme of that organization known as the Roman Catholic Hierarchy which considered apart from the lay membership of the Church which supports it, comprises the leadership of Roman Church affairs in the world. The chief of this hierarchy is, as everyone knows, that individual, the Pope.

The Pope is an autocrat, a totalitarian ruler. Everyone under him must hold him in the highest esteem; must regard his official utterances above anything else regardless of reason or common sense. Rules, laws and all observances, instituted by the long line of Popes as a whole, are to be enforced by each succeeding Pope. This is the system of Popery, or the Papacy. No single Pope has built this immense organization, but each, in turn, as he is elevated to this high office due to the death of his immediate predecessor, becomes the “front” or figure- head of this vast system of which, strangely, he is also a slave. The Pope, therefore, though having power in his time, is merely the materialization of the system itself. The system is the real power.

In its work the Papacy must, of necessity, consider two main fields of operation: (1) The people within its own jurisdiction, the Roman Catholic membership, and (2) those without, who are “heretics,” of course, but possible material for building up their membership by “conversion.”

In the first class the authority of the Pope reaches the layman through the channels of lesser authority: cardinals, archbishops, bishops and priests. Rules, teachings, orders must be observed faithfully; no deviation is tolerated. Severe penalties and dire consequences threaten those who flout authority. And to what end? That the “Church” be the supreme consideration in the minds and hearts of the believers. Which, in the last analysis, makes the Pope the BOSS.

In the second class, that is, all who are “outside the Church,” the Pope, today, is not in the least bit powerless. Today he wields more power than can be ascertained by a casual survey, especially in Protestant lands so called. Facts come to light constantly of Rome’s unceasing efforts to make “converts,” to “make America Catholic,” and to dominate politics, etc., etc. Among the various Protestant sects also, by more subtle means, various “isms” and rituals of Romanish origin are becoming fully established through the machinations of Roman agents and agencies such as the Jesuits and others, sheep in wolves’ clothing, mingling unsuspected with the Protestants and working “underground” in their organizations. One cannot begin to understand the devious ways through which they gain entrance in order to effect their schemes unless he happens to be on the inside.

But the fact is this: Romish customs, rituals, ideas and “isms” are now, TODAY, being sanctioned by Protestants of many sects.

So, if Romish power is working through Protestant channels, how could it have got there unless PUT THERE? And how PUT THERE unless by human agency, by tools of Rome?

The following quotation should be an eye-opener for serious Protestant Christians; it is taken from a book in the British Museum Library, Rome’s Tactics, pages 6, 12, by Dean Goode, late dean of Ripon. It can also be found in Antichrist and His Ten Kingdoms, page 64, by the late Albert Close.

We quote:

“YE ARE NOT to preach all after one method, but to observe the place wherein you come. If Lutheranism be present; then preach Calvinism; if Calvinism then preach Lutheranism … or John Huss’s opinions .. . or any that are contrary to the Holy See, by which your function will not be suspected, and yet you may still act in the interest of Mother Church; there being, as the council are agreed upon, no better way to demolish that Church of heresy but by mixtures of doctrines and by adding of ceremonies more than be at present permitted .. . and be a means to reduce all in time to the Mother Church.” [Secret Instructions for Jesuits, 1551 A.D.]

End of quotes.

If we, as Protestant Christians, would just face the situation that the above sets before us—and do something about it— a positive step would be taken in the right direction, that of defeating Rome’s plans for subverting Protestantism. How are we to recognize the wolf hair below the Roman sheep’s wool? We feel it is not truly too difficult if we but stick to God’s Word, and if we can learn to know what wolf hair looks like when we spot it.

We have just discussed briefly how the Pope deals with his own. Is he liable to deal more tolerantly with those who are not his own? Not a bit of it!

If Popery is autocratic, dictatorial, totalitarian, bombastic and seeking to be supreme, then anything that comes from Popery must have all these attributes of Popery.

It were useless in such a short article to discuss all the avenues of influence that the Pope has at his disposal in the Protestant world. But rest assured, dear friend. He has many.

There is one avenue, however, that we wish to call to your attention. That is the doctrine of a Future Antichrist which is about the only doctrine upon which it could be said all Protestant sects are in almost complete accord. This doctrine teaches a Future Antichrist to come, a secret “Rapture” of the Church, a future Great Tribulation, future “salvation” for the Jews with the Holy Spirit and all ministers of the Gospel removed from the earth, etc., etc. This doctrine is called FUTURISM; it is very, very popular in the Protestant world today.

But Futurism comes from Rome; the Jesuit Ribera was its inventor as Rome, even, acknowledges, and as many investigating Protestants already know. This is a fact of history that cannot be disputed.

Assuming that all the leaders in the Protestant world are Protestants, how does this Romish Futurism affect them when they lend their support to it? How, for example, does it affect their “delivery” when speaking on the subject? How does it affect their reaction to criticism, their willingness to debate the subject, and their readiness to humbly admit their error when challenged and told they are in error?

Our answer is not contradictory to our statement above: “anything that comes from Popery must have all these attributes of Popery.”

With hardly any exception, the doctrine of Futurism has made LITTLE POPES out of its teachers, preachers and lay advocates. Every phase of their teaching is a fully proven fact (in their own minds!); the teacher in the Bible school is boss in his own little Vatican and HIS statement must be accepted because—why?—HE said it! Bombast is not lacking, either, for they are right (and how they know it!) They will not answer a critic of the Historical School who claims there is no Future Antichrist. They permit no discussions of any phase of prophecy but their own. We know of a case of a retired missionary, living in the dormitory of a Bible School, who believed in the Papal Antichrist Doctrine, and who was questioned on the subject one day in the hallway by a puzzled student. When the dean of the school heard of it he requested the missionary to leave.

Yea, verily, we are living in the era of the LITTLE POPES! And to further substantiate the foregoing our readers will readily recall what our missionary brother in Colombia wrote in the letter we printed in our last issue (page 23). In case you have forgotten we will re-quote his words: “One of our missionaries said we are teaching ‘heresy’ with the historicist view.”

One can read paragraph after paragraph of Futurist prophetic matter in which very few verses of Scripture are quoted in direct support of a dogmatic statement. And some are definite statements of WHAT WILL HAPPEN as though it had already happened!

Indeed they out-prophesy the prophets themselves! Yet who would do such a thing except a LITTLE POPE?

The Papacy dares not indulge in open debate with anyone knowing his Scriptures. To do so means the downfall of the Papacy and all it stands for. Because then the “truth would out” and the Papacy be shown to be based on Christianized pagan fables and later inventions politely called “traditions.”

The Futurists dare not indulge in open debate with anyone knowing his Scriptures and History. They also evade and duck into a hole to hide, for an open debate would show that Futurism is definitely not Scriptural but Roman; a fair discussion would show that Futurism is not truth but a tissue of guesses cleverly interwoven with Scripture and politely called Prophetic Study.

Forsooth, our LITTLE POPES serve the cause of their big PAPA so nicely!

You may ask, “But in just what particular manner do they serve him?”

Here’s how:

The Real Protestant Prophetic Message of the Reformers told the people what God’s Word plainly said the Pope was— “the Man of Sin.” The Papacy was doomed unless this message could be stopped, for people believed it—in those days. Then Rome, through Ribera, invented (circa 1585) the Future Antichrist story to divert the truth; to keep Prophecy from showing the Pope up as God’s Word intended him to be seen.

By the early part of the nineteenth century Ribera’s story became a part of Protestant thought. Today the Roman propagandists can take it easy because the Protestant LITTLE POPES are carrying on for them and doing a wonderful job of it.

Which brings us to our conclusion: If a certain message brings protection to an individual known as the Pope, the bearers of that message become protectors of that same individual.

Does that not make them LITTLE POPES?