Update: Is Barack Obama the Antichrist?

Only days after ObamaCare became law, almost a quarter of Republicans believe Democrat President Barack Hussein Obama "may be the Antichrist," according to a Harris Poll. More than that compared him to Hitler. As you might know—or can imagine—there are a multitude of web sites that deal with the speculation, and bloggers are in a frenzy.

Much of that sentiment is no doubt fueled by Bible prophecies about the coming Antichrist and Babylon, the Bible's symbolic name of the nation over which he will rule, among them:

He will rise to power over Babylon through a conspiracy.

He and his group of conspirators will exploit the wealth and treasures of national Babylon, with the intent of eventually controlling the wealth of the world

He will greatly alter the political, economic, social, and religious customs and laws of the nation of Babylon, as a stepping-stone to ruling an aspiring global empire the Bible calls Mystery Babylon the Great.

The Harris Poll also revealed that 67 percent of those interviewed believed Obama is a socialist. The Rev. Al Sharpton told Geraldo Rivera on Fox News, on March 22: "the American public overwhelmingly voted for socialism when they elected President Obama."

Some 57 percent in the Harris Poll believed Obama is a closet Muslim, though he maintains he is a "Christian." But compelling evidence suggests he may be a CINO (Christian In Name Only) who embraces a gospel that is not biblical:

Obama says he converted from Islam to "Christianity" almost two decades ago at Trinity United Church of Christ, in Chicago, through the ministry of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Jr. Though Obama attended that church for nearly 20 years, he denies being a disciple of what some call Wright's Black Liberation Theology.

Obama told an audience that although he believes Christ died for his sins, those who reject that teaching can also be children of God. During a campaign stop March 27, 2008, in Greensboro, North Carolina, Obama told the audience that he believes he "can have everlasting life" because Jesus Christ died for his sins. But he then told a questioner that he believes Jews and Muslims who live moral lives are just as much "children of God" as he is.

Is Barack Obama the Antichrist? Those who ask the question have their suspicions—just as there have been those who asked the same question about Hitler, Kissinger, and others. I asked the question in my book, Kissinger: Man of Destiny? As with all persons of interest, the person and works of Barack Obama must be weighed against Bible prophecies of the Antichrist.

Some Christians, myself included, believe the Antichrist will be an American leader of European Jewish ancestry. There is no published evidence to indicate that about Obama, and much of his early life remains mysteriously hidden is sealed documents. The Bible also indicates that the numerical value of the Antichrist's name will total 666; I've yet to see a gematria calculation that does so with the name Barack Hussein Obama, or variations of it.

Other writers, such as Hal Lindsay, author of the 1970 mega best-seller, The Late Great Planet Earth, contend that the Antichrist will rise to power through a confederacy of ten European nations. More recently, in The Islamic Antichrist, author Joel Richardson perceives the Antichrist to be the same person as Islam’s Mahdi.

Should Christians be Antichrist-watchers?

I will cite two main reasons why Christians should be on the look-out for the Antichrist: 1. The Bible contains numerous prophecies to assist Christians in identifying the Antichrist; and 2. The Apostle Paul wrote: “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day [of the Lord, including tribulation under Antichrist] should overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober” (1 Thessalonians 5:4-6).

A word of caution: Do not jump to unfounded conclusions. My own criteria as an Antichrist watcher is to approach evaluation and conclusion of the evidence in three steps:

1.  Is there sufficient evidence to consider the person to be a person of interest?

2.  Is there additional sufficient evidence to classify the person as a suspect?

3.  Is there indisputable and sufficient evidence to make a positive identification?

When it comes to "categorizing" Barack Obama, I would place him in the same category as Henry Kissinger: a person of interest.

Anyone who seeks to identify the Antichrist must broaden their perspective beyond initial suspicions to consider an abundance of vital biblical criteria. What are those criteria? I list them further on. But, before we get into that, it will be helpful to consider the biblical meanings of the term “antichrist.”

Why be an Antichrist watcher?

Those who do not believe in looking for the Antichrist are, for the most part, pre-tribulationalists who believe Christians on earth will be “raptured” or removed from earth and taken to heaven before the appearance of the Antichrist. Those who watch for the Antichrist, myself included, tend to believe the Church on earth will experience the reign of the Antichrist for seven years preceding the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Regardless of your theological leanings on the issue, I urge you to read on because the Bible indicates that many antichrists—predecessors of the final Antichrist—are in the world today.

What’s in a name?

The name Antichrist is really two words—anti, which means “against,” and Christ—combined into one word. The term refers to anyone who is against Jesus Christ.

The word “Christ” is a technical Bible term translated from New Testament Greek into English. It literally means “anointed one” (of God). In the Old Testament the English translation of the Hebrew word for “anointed one” is Messiah. So, both Christ and Messiah have the same meaning; both refer to Jesus as the anointed one of God.

Jesus prophesied that there would appear many “false Christs” and “false prophets.” They will appear to show “great signs and wonders,” He said, “so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect [Christians]” (see Matthew 24:24). Today, we see many so-called Christian sects that erroneously teach that Jesus is not God and that He did not come to earth in the form of a man. The leaders of those sects fit the definition of “false prophets.” There are some people going around saying that they are Christ. Jesus hasn’t returned, yet, and those self-proclaimed “Christs” are frauds—the false Christs that Jesus said would come.

The Spirit of Antichrist

The word Antichrist is found in the Bible only in 1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; and 2 John 7· It refers to the spirit of antichrist which is in the world right now, to a class of people who are against Jesus Christ, and to the end-time person of the Antichrist. (Note that I capitalize Antichrist when the term refers to a specific person and that I leave the word in lower case when it refers to the spirit of antichrist and that class of people who are against Christ.)

The Apostle John wrote: “Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that [Antichrist] is coming, even now many antichrists [class] have arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour” (1 John 2:18).

Elsewhere, John wrote: “...This is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world” (1 John 4:3).

The spirit of antichrist is in everyone who speaks against the Lord Jesus Christ. People who lie about Jesus have the spirit of antichrist. “Who is the liar,” asks John, “but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son” (1 John 2:22). Are there antichrists in the world today? How can we identify them? By the single criterium that they deny that Jesus is the Christ!

Many times we hear people speak about Jesus as being only a prophet or a teacher. Such people have the spirit of antichrist because they deny the incarnation of Jesus Christ: “And every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist...” (1 John 4:3). Such people are dangerous deceivers: “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist” (2 John 7).

While there are many antichrists in the world today, the Bible is clear that there will be one man in the end-times who will be the worst of all—the Antichrist.

The Antichrist is called by many names in Scripture. The Old Testament prophet Daniel saw him symbolically as a “little horn” in Daniel 7:8. In Daniel 8:23, he is described as an “insolent king.” He is seen as the “prince who is to come” in Daniel 9:26, 27. In verse 27, he also is described as the “one who makes desolate.” Jesus referred to the “abomination that causes desolation” in Matthew 24:15 in listing the major signs that will appear to alert believers that His Second Coming is near.

In Daniel 11:21, the Antichrist is called a “despicable person.” The prophet Zechariah had the Antichrist in view when he wrote about the “worthless shepherd”—a counterfeit of the Good Shepherd who is Jesus Christ (see Zechariah 11:16).

The New Testament prophets also refer to the Antichrist in symbolic and descriptive terms. Paul calls him the “man of lawlessness” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12). John pictured him as a “beast” in Revelation 13:1; 17:3; and 19:20.

The Person and Origin of Antichrist

Is Barack Obama the Antichrist? I urge you to read on and form your own conclusions.

The following “check-list” is a collection of statements that can be made about the Antichrist, based on the Bible verses indicated. (For expanded commentary on the Antichrist and end-time Bible prophecies, see my books, Kissinger: Man of Destiny? (which some people site as igniting a 666 craze) and After The Omen, both of which are sources for this article.) I suggest that you read through the following checklist of statements, then return and read the referenced verses in their biblical context.

___ 1. The Antichrist’s appearance will be the first major sign to Christians that God has started the seven-year countdown which will culminate at the end of the age in the personal return to earth of Jesus Christ (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15).

___ 2. He will descend from the people of the ancient Roman Empire, which included much of what is modern Europe (Daniel 9:27).

___ 3. He will have Jewish ancestry (though not necessarily a "full-blooded" Jew). "He will show no regard for the gods of his father or for the desire of women" (Daniel 11:37). "Gods" in this passage is the plural Hebrew term elohim, which refers to the God of the Bible who is triune (God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit). By context, "women" refers to Jewish women whose most noble desire is to be the mother of the Messiah.

___ 4. He will rise to world political prominence in an unconventional way through the government of the mightiest, most blessed Gentile nation in history (Revelation 13:1; 17:3; 9-13).

___ 5. His name, in the language of his name, will be calculated as a result of supernatural insight to total 666 (Revelation 13:18). His name may have changed from his birth name to a new name or unique title.

___ 6. He will be proud and arrogant (Daniel 8:11, 23; 11:36; Revelation 13:5).

___ 7. He will deal in secrecy whenever possible (Daniel 8:23).

___ 8. He will be skilled in ambiguous speech (Daniel 8:23).

___ 9. He will be a brilliant intellectual (Daniel 8:25).

___ 10. He will possess supernatural power (Daniel 8:24; Revelation 13:2; 17:8).

___ 11. He will be politically powerful (Daniel 8:24, 11:36; Revelation 6:2, 4; 13:2; 17:I3).

___ 12. He will rule the last in a succession of seven spiritually corrupt empires, each of which is identified with the immoral character of ancient Babylon (Daniel 8:8, 11; 1 Peter 5:13; Revelation 13:1-3; 17; 18).

___ 13. He will be the second manifestation of the spirit of Antichrist­—the first manifestation being in the person of Antiochus Epiphanes (Revelation 13:3; 17:8).

___ 14. He is typified by Antiochus Epiphanes (Daniel 8; 11).

___ 15. He will deceive many people with his empty words of peace (Daniel 9:27; 11:21; Matthew 24:4, 11; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12; Revelation 6:2).

___ 16. He will be destroyed by Christ at His Second Coming (Daniel 7:11; 8:25; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Revelation 17:14; 19:20).

The Authority of Antichrist

___ 1. He will be empowered by Satan (Daniel 8:24; 11:38; Revelation 13:3).

___ 2. He will reign with Satanic power over the supernatural realm of the entire world (Revelation 13:7; 17:8).

___ 3. He will be allowed by God, as part of God’s plan for the world, to become a mighty political ruler (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8; Revelation 17:11, 13, 17).

___ 4. He will become dictator over Babylon the Great as the result of a conspiracy by a group of ten “kings” of commerce (Revelation 17:12, 13). Babylon the Great will be comprised of national Babylon, the seventh kingdom, and global Babylon, the eighth kingdom (Revelation 17:11).

___ 5. He will force three of the ten kings into supporting him in the conspiracy (Daniel 7:24).

Antichrist’s Reign Over Babylon

___ 1. He will seize total control over the nation of Babylon which, in its past, selected its leaders by conferring upon them the title of leader (Daniel 11:21).

___ 2. He will greatly alter the political, economic, social, and religious customs and laws of the nation of Babylon, as a stepping-stone to intended world ("sea") domination (Daniel 7:2. 4; 11:21-45; Revelation 13:17).

___ 3. He and his group of conspirators will exploit the wealth and treasures of national Babylon, with the intent of eventually controlling the wealth of the world (Daniel 11:24, 30-43: Revelation 13:16, 17).

___ 4. He and his group of conspirators, in their greed, will bring about the economic ruin of national Babylon (Revelation 17:16).

___ 5. He will rule as dictator over Babylon only during the second half of the last seven years of the age—Daniel’s Seventieth Week (Daniel 12:10-12; Revelation 13:5).

___ 6. His reign will end when Jesus Christ returns at the end of Daniel’s 70th Week (Daniel 2:44: 7:9-14; Revelation 16:19; 17:14; 18).

Antichrist’s Quest for World Domination

___ 1. He will establish, in addition to his capital in Babylon, a headquarters in Jerusalem in a future rebuilt Jewish Temple (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

___ 2. He will lead his Middle Eastern forces in a triumph over a Russian invasion attempt (Daniel 11:40).

___ 3. He will repel an Egyptian invasion; then, with his own forces, invade and overthrow Egypt (Daniel 11:40, 43).

___ 4. He will besiege all of Palestine, overthrowing many countries, but excluding Jordan (Daniel 11:41).

___ 5. He will attract as allies the nations whose biblical names are Libya and Ethiopia (Daniel 11:43).

___ 6. He will gather the armies of Russia and the Orient at Armageddon to wage war against Jesus Christ at His Second Coming (Revelation 16:16).

Antichrist’s Antichristian Crusade

___ 1. He will be against Jesus Christ (Daniel 8:25; Revelation. 17:14).

___ 2. He will persecute and murder many Christians (Revelation 11:7; 13:7, 10, 15).

___ 3. He will blaspheme God (Daniel 7:25; Revelation 13:1-7).

___ 4. He will worship Satan and call himself God, and will require everyone to worship himself and bear his mark (Daniel 11:36-38; Revelation 13:3-8, 13-16).

___ 5. He will be supported in his political and religious exploits by the False Prophet (Revelation 13:11-17).

___ 6. He will make an agreement with the nation of Israel to guarantee its protection against enemies (Daniel 9:27). This agreement will perhaps make possible the access of Jews to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem where their Temple will be rebuilt, thus permitting the resumption after 1900 years of sacrifices and offerings. But the provision to permit sacrifices and offerings will be violated approximately 3½ years after the alliance when Antichrist places his throne in that Temple. The signing of this alliance will mark the start of God’s seven-year countdown to the return of Jesus Christ. It will be the first action on the part of Antichrist by which Christians can identify him.

___ 7. He will have his statue set up in the rebuilt Jewish Temple, where he will proclaim himself as being God, and will require everyone to worship his statue (Daniel 9:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:14, 15).

___ 8. He will attempt to kill everyone who does not worship his statue (Revelation 13:15).

___ 9. He will muster together the armies of the world to Armageddon to battle against the returning Jesus Christ and His saints (Revelation 19).

___ 10. He will kill the last Christian destined by God to be martyred, thus consummating the end of the age and ushering in the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the Kingdom of God (Revelation 6:9-11).

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©Copyright AD2010 Frank Allnutt. All rights reserved. Content herein may be quoted, subject to the "fair use" doctrine of U.S. Copyright Law.

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