Kingdom of Pope/Papacy

Around 1520, Luther had discovered the 'true' identity of the 'Antichrist and his damnation', namely, Papal Rome as the end-time fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. On February 24, 1520, Luther wrote a letter to a friend Spalatin stating (Luther, Schriften, vol. 21a, col. 234; translated in Waddington's 'History of the Reformation', vol. 1)

"I am practically cornered, and can hardly doubt any more, that the POPE IS REALLY THE ANTICHRIST, whom the world expects according to a general belief, because everything so excactly corresponds to the way of life, action, words, and commandments."

"The question now is not, whether there is any Pope: if that be the question, that first part of subject inquiry is already answered and done with. We have, moreover, answered this question, 'What is the Pope?' We have concluded that 'The Pope is ANTICHRIST.' Out of this, therefore, flows a remaining and last subject of enquiry…….. For the flame of my spirit having entered upon this third part, under (I believe) divine direction, has set fire to all the ordinances of the Pope, that very holy Father in Christ, that vice-god upon earth, and burnt them up as being the dogmas of ANTICHRIST……

"……………..[Matthew 16 turned] against you has vanquished you utterly and triumphed over you! In so doing the whole fabric of your Papacy falls to the ground, and is shown to be nothing but a lie, and a deception imposed upon the world; you the mockers of the people of God, the perverters of the word of God, stand openly exposed in the sight of all men; and the decrees of the Papists are proved by the evidence to be the impious dogmas of ANTICHRIST! ….For now the curtain that hid your impieties is thus drawn aside, there is discovered errors, frauds, crimes of every iniquity, a very hell! – Which till now you had concealed behind this thin, futile fig-leaf – PAPACY! So that, in truth, the Papacy is, and can be, nothing else than that very kingdom of the notorious ANTICHRIST. For this is the reason why many who had worshipped this abomination standing in the holy place wondered how such monstrous iniquities could proceed from that seat which boasted of an administration so perfectly holy…….”

“In the first place, no regard is to be paid to those who would understand this and similar places in the prophets as having reference to one person only; for such know not, that the manner of the prophets is to signify or represent, under one person, any whole kingdom in a body. Hence, they would mistakenly make ANTICHRIST whom Paul calls the man of sin, and the son of perdition, to be one person; whereas the apostle would have the whole body and chaos of those impious men, and -the whole succession of those that reign, to be understood as ANTICHRIST. Thus, in Daniel viii. The ‘ram’ signifies the kingdom of the Persians, the 'goat’ the kingdom of the Grecians.”

“And when the prophet says that this KING should stand up at the end of the four kingdoms, of which the last is the Roman, the Iron Kingdom, he plainly intimates this, -- that the tyranny of the Pope began in the decline of the Roman empire. And it actually arose out of the Roman empire and grew up in its place; as is evident from all history, as present experience demonstrates, and as Paul also predicted, 2 Thess. ii: that he that then held power would hold it, until he should be taken out of the way; and that then that wicked one should be revealed, &c. But the name of the Roman empire was translated to the Germans, when no part of the Roman; empire any longer remained. And this was the opportune moment that was seized by that man of sin for raising himself above all kings, above all bishops, yea, above the heaven and the earth: and thus was his kingdom strengthened in his hand, and a diploma was also drawn out to confirm this lie:”

http://www.iconbusters.com/iconbusters/witn/html/luth1.htm

http://www.michiganatheists.org/events/caro/caro.html
http://www./library/history/inquisition
http://www.cuttingedge.org/news/n1676.cfm
http://www.torturamuseum.com/instruments.html