傳統新教徒——包括路德宗、改革宗、英國新教徒——相信，有兩大關鍵理由，足以證明教皇制度即是《聖經》中的敵基督。首先，這些教會認為教皇制僭越上帝主權，繞過《聖經》制定教會律法，將沒有聖經根據的規條強加於信徒身上，取代上帝的命令。其次，這些教會認為教皇在脫利騰會議中咒詛任何相信《聖經》最核心教義——「本乎恩典、藉著信心」(sola gratia sola fide)得拯救的信徒，是公然否定上帝的兒子基督在十字架上完成的代贖。[6]傳統新教認為兩項天主教教條，不但是異端思想，更是褻瀆。因此認為這是敵基督的象徵：即《聖經》所預言中的敵基督。[7][8][9]
^Gerardi, John,Catholics shouldn't fear Michele Bachmann, The Daily Caller, "WELS's teaching sounds a bit more alarming than it truly is. As was described in this article in The Atlantic, the denomination takes a fairly moderate interpretation of what it means for the Pope to be the Antichrist. WELS simply holds that the Catholic Church's teaching of Papal infallibility is opposed to the Lutheran teaching of the primacy of the Bible; WELS members argue that by putting himself in the place of God's written word (the lone source of authority on matters of faith for traditional Lutherans), the Pope opposes himself to Christ. He is thus anti-Christ — an Antichrist."
^WELS Topical Q&A:Religion - Roman Catholic (05), "The Lutheran Confessions cite two main reasons for labeling the pope as the Antichrist. 1). He takes to himself a right that belongs only to God, the right to make laws for the church. If he says it is a sin to eat meat on Friday, it is. If he says it is okay, then it is not a sin anymore. He forbids priests to marry, contrary to the will of God. He refuses innocent victims of divorce the right to remarry, a right Scripture grants them. In these and many other instances he acts as a usurper of a right that belongs only to Christ. 2) He curses the most basic doctrine of the Bible, justification by faith alone. In the decrees of the Council of Trent he curses anyone who holds this doctrine and teaches salvation by faith and works. What could be more anti-Christian than that? The fact that the pope is religious and in the church does not disqualify him from being the Antichrist. It is, in fact, one of the prerequisites since the Antichrist is a religious deceiver in the church. He is not only an opponent of Christ, but a usurper of Christ's position"
^Westminster Confessional of Faith, Section 6, Chapter 25, "There is no other head of the Church but the Lord Jesus Christ. Nor can the Pope of Rome, in any sense, be head thereof; but is that Antichrist, that man of sin, and son of perdition, that exalts himself, in the Church, against Christ and all that is called God."
