The Next Pope

It’s been a couple of weeks since I last made a video, but one thing hasn’t changed: Donald Trump keeps finding ways to glorify Donald Trump, with everything from posting an image of himself as pope on Truth social, to claiming that he now runs the world.

In case you didn’t know, the picture of Trump dressed as the pope was not a real picture, and even Trump said this about it:

“I had nothing to do with it. Somebody made up a picture of me dressed like the Pope, and they put it out on the internet. That’s not me that did it. I have no idea where it came from. Maybe it was AI, but I know nothing about it. I just saw it last evening.”

The fact that Trump didn’t know or even particularly care where the image came from demonstrates that what he’s most concerned with are the things that glorify him. Where they originate simply doesn’t matter.

In this video, however, I want to talk about the next pope – the actual pope, that is – who most definitely will NOT be Donald J. Trump, despite how Trump World thinks that his selection would be a great idea.

In the aftermath of Pope Francis passing away, we can now find tons of articles and videos online speculating who the next pope might be. Many of these articles will name a half-dozen of the leading contenders, and some put together a list of 10 possible names or more.

Originally I was going to cover what I felt were four or possibly even five of the stronger possibilities to be the new pope, however after further consideration I’ve decided to cut that down and talk about just three men whom I believe are the most interesting possibilities.

One of those men is on a lot of lists as a contender to be the next pope, while the other also has many supporters on his behalf – and the third is considered a fast rising star in the church. But before I get into those three names, let’s take a quick look at where we stand right now.

This week the members of the College of Cardinals will enter the Sistine Chapel to elect the successor to Pope Francis. Because of the makeup of the conclave, there might not be a quick decision and here’s why.

The College of Cardinals currently has 252 members, however since cardinals must be under 80 years of age to be eligible to cast a ballot for the next pontiff, only 135 of the 252 cardinals will be voting. Some reports have the number as 133 cardinals, not 135.

Either way, out of the 133 or 135 cardinals eligible to vote, 108 of them were elevated by Pope Francis. This means that 80% of the votes cast will be by cardinals who owe their current position to Francis.

On the surface, that would seem to indicate that these cardinals will most likely cast their votes for a pope who is ideologically similar to Francis. However, it’s not that cut and dry, because the conclave is also much more geographically diverse than in the past.

When Francis was picked in 2013, a majority of the voting cardinals were European. This time around, however, Europe represents just 39% of the voting cardinals – while 17% come from Asia, 15% from North America, and 13% each from South America and Africa.

Thus, while many of the cardinals that Pope Francis elevated were seen as fellow progressives, others were likely chosen by him for reasons other than ideology, such as their geographic diversity.

In addition, many of the cardinals Francis elevated are based in locations far from Rome and don’t interact regularly with the Vatican, potentially making it harder to form voting blocs to easily choose the next pope.

All of that means that it’s far from certain that the next pope will have a similar ideology to Francis simply because he elevated 80% of the cardinals. There are other factors at play, especially the geographical location of those who will be voting.

In addition, because of the global backlash against so-called “woke” policies, there is also the realization among many of the cardinals that the church needs to move away from the progressive policies of Pope Francis.

Now, if you are looking for a more complete list of all the possible choices for the next pope, there are numerous articles and videos online that talk about a dozen or more men. In this video, though, I want to focus in on three of the more fascinating possibilities. So, let’s get into that.

First on the list of interesting possibilities is a man with a rather memorable name: Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who is currently the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. He has lived in Israel for over three decades, and also speaks Hebrew fluently.

Pizzaballa is considered a fast rising star in the Catholic Church, and at only 60 years of age, is one of the younger names being discussed. Ironically, the day that Pope Francis died, April 21^st, was also the birthday of Pizzaballa, way back in 1965.

As unique as his last name might be, his first name is also fascinating. “Pierbattista” is a combination of “Piero” – a diminutive of “Peter”, and “Battista”, meaning “Baptist”. So, “Pierbattista” essentially translates to “Peter the Baptist.”

Pizzaballa did support many of Pope Francis’s objectives, such as the synodal path, which seeks to find a balance between different perspectives within the Church. He also strongly emphasizes the need for interfaith dialogue and the importance of social justice. 

Despite those things, he is generally considered to be what’s called a “soft conservative” within the Catholic Church. While not as overtly traditional as some of the other cardinals, he is seen as part of the conservative wing. 

Speaking of being overtly conservative, the second interesting possibility is Cardinal Raymond Burke, who, if selected to be the next pope, would mark the first time an American has held the papacy in the Catholic Church’s 2,000 year history. Burke is a traditionalist, and is also unabashedly pro-Donald Trump.

Burke often spoke out to contradict the more progressive actions of Pope Francis to the point that Francis even stripped Burke of his role as head of the Catholic courts, the panel that chooses judges. Burke even lost his free Rome apartment.

The case against Burke being the next pope is, as I mentioned a moment ago, the fact that 80% of the cardinals who will be voting owe their position to Pope Francis. While many of them DO want to move away from the liberalness of Francis, they have no desire to choose an ultra conservative like Burke.

But again, this particular conclave is much more geographically diverse than in the past, so Burke just might find the necessary votes – especially if enough cardinals are convinced that it would be beneficial for the church to get along with the American president.

And there is also, unquestionably, a very strong MAGA element within conservative Catholicism, which would love nothing more than to see the next pope walk lockstep alongside Donald Trump.

The third possibility is Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who is on most Vatican watchers list of names to watch. Parolin is 70 years old, and has been the Vatican’s secretary of state since 2013. He is generally considered one of the main contenders to be pope, given his prominence in the Catholic hierarchy.

Interestingly, Parolin specializes in geopolitics, and under both Pope Francis and Pope Benedict, he was long involved in political affairs around the world, including the Vatican’s efforts to unite all religions under the authority of the pope.

Parolin also oversaw a controversial deal with China over bishop nominations and was involved in the Vatican’s botched investment in a London real estate venture that led to a 2021 trial of another cardinal and nine other people.

Perhaps Parolin’s biggest drawing card is that he would be more of a steadying force inside the Vatican, whereas Pope Francis was often viewed as being divisive. Although not as conservative as many cardinals would prefer, he is not perceived as being as progressive as Francis was.

Because of all of that, Parolin is viewed as the compromise candidate. The one who just enough cardinals might settle on in order to prevent the next pope from being someone they do no prefer, which is either too conservative or too much like Pope Francis.

Those are the three names that fascinate me the most. One is a young Cardinal who lives in Israel and is seen as moderately conservative. The second is more of a conservative firebrand and a very strong supporter of Donald Trump. The third is that steadying force that some believe the church needs.

But before I go any further, let’s take a moment to discuss what’s known as the Prophecy of the Popes, or the Saint Malachy Prophecy, which was first published in 1595. In the prophecy, Saint Malachy is said to have predicted the final 112 popes beginning with Pope Celestine II in 1143.

According to some, the 112^th pope would have been Pope Francis, however others say that Francis was actually an illegitimate pope, and it’s the next pope who will be the 112^th. That pope would be the final pope, and he would be called Peter the Roman.

Numerous historians have concluded that this so-called prophecy was almost certainly a forgery from the late 1500’s. They based that on the stunningly accurate description of popes up to around 1590, while subsequent popes only rarely resembled the descriptions given in the prophecy.

The working theory is that around 1590, a monk was looking to promote a certain person for pope. So he put together this “prophecy” with pinpoint descriptions of all the popes that preceded them, plus a specific description of the one he wanted to be pope.

The idea was to make this other person the obvious choice to be the next pontiff, since prophecy said it had to be so. Apparently, though, not enough cardinals bought into the prophecy, because the guy actually lost. I’ll put a link in the description below to an article with more details on this story.

But while the Prophecy of the Popes is almost certainly a forged document, it is interesting that it will likely come very close to getting the final number of popes correct. It may also turn out to be correct in that the last pope could be named Peter.

However, that doesn’t mean the prophecy itself came from God, as dark spirits can occasionally give true prophecy. For example, in the Old Testament, King Saul visited the Witch of Endor in order to find out what was to happen in battle the next day.

This despite the fact that Saul had banished all sorcerers and conjurers from his kingdom. The woman initially refused to offer a prophesy because of King Saul’s own royal edict against sorcery, but Saul assured her that she would not be punished.

The sorceress conjured up a spirit which informed Saul that he and his three sons would die in battle the next day, and that the Israelites would fall to the Philistines. Now, there’s much more to that story, but the bottom line is that the witch’s prophecy turned out to be true.

In the case of the monk who forged the Saint Malachy prophecy, considering that he was intending to DECEIVE others with it, perhaps that put him in touch with demonic spirits that gave him insight into an approximate number of popes left before the second coming of Jesus.

In any event, we shouldn’t rely on the Saint Malachy prophecy any more than we should rely on the prophecies of Nostradamus. These prophecies, and many others, are NOT based on the Bible.

Let’s now talk specifically about the False Prophet as he relates to the next pope. Now, I’m aware that many of those watching think that Elon Musk is that False Prophet, but I would urge caution before assuming that’s what he is, and here’s why.

The Bible does clearly teach us that immediately surrounding the Antichrist and the False Prophet will be OTHER very powerful figures who aid and abet them. For example, the Ten Horns who give their power to the Beast for one hour.

Rather than being the False Prophet, Musk could very easily be one of those Ten Horns, or simply another powerful end-times figure that isn’t specifically described in the Bible, such as someone who helps to design the worldwide beast system.

It’s also important to remember how the Bible describes the False Prophet. Because, if we do that, we will understand that Musk actually differs from the biblical False Prophet in two important ways.

First, in Rev 13:11 we read that the False Prophet will have two horns like a lamb, meaning that he will appear on the surface as a gentle and peaceful man. Musk has been called among others things: a troll, a disruptor, a megalomaniac, even a Nazi. No one has ever described him as a gentle and peaceful man.

Second, despite what many believe, the reference to the False Prophet making fire come down from heaven does NOT refer to Musk and his rockets. We know that because the False Prophet of the Bible uses his miracles to deceive the people of the earth into making an image to the Beast.

Absolutely no one is associating Musk’s rockets coming back down to earth as being a REAL miracle from heaven above. These rockets are NOT deceiving the inhabitants of the earth to the point where anyone is making an image to the beast.

Because that’s the whole purpose of the False Prophet’s miracles: they are meant to deceive the world into making an image. That is NOT the case with Elon Musk and his reusable rockets, which are not miracles and are not deceiving the world.

Based on what the Bible actually says, there are six reasons I am convinced that the False Prophet is almost certainly a coming pope – very possibly the next pope. Here are those six reasons.

#1) The False Prophet Appears as a Lamb with Two Horns

The appearance of the False Prophet is described as a lamb with two horns, which means that outwardly he will present himself as a gentle and peaceful man. This suggests that people will view him as a kind and peace-loving individual, who is working for a higher purpose.

In fact, the final False Prophet appearing gentle as a lamb perfectly echoes a verse in which Jesus said to beware of all false prophets, for they come in sheep’s clothing but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” – Matt 7:15

Thus, the final False Prophet will appear to be a kind, gentle and peaceful man. That is how the world will see him.

#2) The False Prophet Wants the World to Worship the Antichrist

In addition to appearing as a gentle and peaceful man, we’re also told that the False Prophet’s purpose is to get the world to worship the Antichrist. The connection to worship has the clear implication of him presenting himself as a man of God: a religious leader for the world.

This means that the False Prophet will have sway over all the world’s religions. Coincidentally, the Catholic Church has been working for many years at getting other religions to acknowledge the supremacy of the pope.

At first it might be hard for us to imagine other religions acknowledging the supremacy of the pope, but remember that the Catholic Church is extraordinarily wealthy, and money can buy many things – even subservience. But in addition to money, there’s something else that will convince them.

#3) The Miracles of the False Prophet Deceive the World

The miracles of the False Prophet are so convincing that they cause the entire world to build an image to the beast, and subsequently worship that image. But all the world’s religions worshiping this image, instead of their own gods, means that their own religious leaders must also be on board with this.

That implies that the False Prophet’s miracles are primarily aimed at the world’s religious leaders. He wants to convince THEM that the Antichrist is divine, or at least chosen by God. Because that would, in turn, cause those religious leaders to urge their own followers to build this image.

So the False Prophet is someone who all the religious leaders of the world will look to as their spokesperson, especially after witnessing the so-called miracles. The type of person who most logically fits as a spokesperson for all the religious leaders is another religious leader, such as a pope.

#4) The Antichrist Comes From the Sea and the False Prophet Comes From the Earth

In Revelation 13 we read about the two different origins for the Antichrist and the False Prophet. These two different origins mean that the power that each of these two individuals hold is a completely different, but complimentary, type of power.

The Antichrist coming from the sea is widely understood by Bible scholars to mean gentile nations, or worldly power. Or, in the eyes of some, politics. This is contrasted with the False Prophet coming out of the earth, which is understood to be connected to Israel, or religion in general.

Thus we have this yin/yang dynamic with the Antichrist and the False Prophet. One rules the world of geopolitics while the other rules the world of faith and religion.

They are equally powerful, but in different ways. This tells us that the False Prophet will be a leader of, or spokesperson for, a worldwide religion.

#5) Both End-Times Beasts are Connected to Rome

The book of Daniel tells us that the fourth and final beast is the Roman Empire. As an extension of that, we should expect that both the Antichrist and the False Prophet will be connected to Rome in some way.

In the case of the Antichrist, the final incarnation of the Roman Empire is America. From the Roman Republic’s astounding influence on America’s founders, to the Roman Eagle, the Roman God of Liberty – to even the Holy Roman Empire influence, through Nazi Germany and Operation Paperclip.

In the case of the False Prophet, the Catholic Church has a direct connection to Rome in that Roman Catholics recognize the Pope’s role as the Bishop of Rome and the head of the global Catholic Church. Rome is also considered the spiritual center of the Catholic Church.

Put together, we have the Antichrist ruling a worldly, political kingdom that is the reemergence of the Roman Empire – and we have the False Prophet ruling the religious kingdom that is connected directly to Rome.

#6) The Heresy of the Catholic Church

There are millions and millions of good people who happen to be Catholic, but the Catholic Church itself is filled with all kinds of heresy if not outright evil. From the veneration of Mary, to praying to saints, to erecting statues, to the infallibility of the pope, and so much more.

And then we have the evil of pedophilia in the Catholic Church, where priests are shuffled about to different locations to protect them, while the children must live with the trauma for the rest of their lives.

It almost seems like this Bible verse was specifically talking about – or even prophesying – the pedophilia within the Catholic Church:

“But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” – Matthew 18:6

So when we put all of these things together about the False Prophet, we see that he is:

• A man who will appear gentle and peaceful
• A man who seeks to unite the world’s religions
• A man who seeks to have the world worship the beast
• A man who is connected to Rome
• A man who teaches false doctrine
• A man whose own church harms children

These descriptions point us directly at one figure more than any other: a coming pope.

Getting back to the three men that I talked about, here’s what I think will happen. And, I want to first reiterate that I am not a prophet and also I do not have inside contacts at the Vatican, in case you weren’t sure, so this is just my semi-educated guess on what we’re going to see.

A well known Italian adage goes “fat pope, thin pope”, which means that conclaves most often tend to counterbalance the preceding pope with an ideological shift in the new pope. Pope Francis was, of course, very progressive. But I’m not sure that the next pope will be the anti-Pope Francis.

The most likely scenario in my view is that the cardinals will settle on someone like Pietro Parolin as the next pope. But this is no longer the slam dunk I once thought it was, as numerous reports indicate that Parolin has not impressed other cardinals over the past two weeks.

But if it is Parolin, I do not think he will be the last pope. While he would definitely be seen as offering stability, and someone who is neither too far left or too far right, he might only be a bridge to the final pope – possibly just for a year or two, before the final pontiff is chosen.

If Parolin doesn’t become the next pope, the other two men I talked about – Raymond Burke and Pierbattista Pizzaballa – are both VERY intriguing possibilities, as either one just might be the last pope.

In the case of Pizzaballa, he has the interesting connection to Israel, which many Bible scholars believe is the “earth” in Rev 13. Pizzaballa is that rising star in the church, although at this time it is not clear what he thinks about the man who lines up with the biblical Antichrist: Donald J. Trump.

The other man, Raymond Burke, makes it quite clear that he IS a big fan of Donald J. Trump, although it remains to be seen how he could be connected to Israel. Perhaps, down the road, there is an attack on the Vatican, and the pontiff at that time decides to temporarily make his home in Jerusalem.

No matter what happens, it might not be that long until we find out. While I initially thought this might drag out for a couple of weeks, I have read recent reports that this could be a quick decision – and that quick decision might just reveal the False Prophet.

Thank you for taking the time to watch this video and I will talk to you guys soon. ♦