anti-Christ Today: Beyond Speculation

                                                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                              

Speculation about some world-figure being the anti-Christ is usually misguided: and indeed, intentionally misleading.  It's point is usually to "prove" that some world-figure, whose politics are contrary to those of the self-appointed "prophet'," is the person scripture calls "anti-Christ."  Satan loves nothing better than that we vigilantly watch for his approach, in a direction he's not coming.

I heard enough of such speculation from my "conservative" family to have become skeptical of it, long ago.  The first world-figure I heard them claiming was anti-Christ was John F. Kennedy.  But a few years later, they were convinced that Richard Nixon was a man who'd done nothing wrong, brought down by his enemies' lies.  That level of misdirecting political "discernment" remains characteristic of "conservatives" and their Christian "prophets."

I'm myself convinced that anti-Christ is pre-eminently a spiritual figure, and will only be recognized by spiritual discernment...and only at the time God is pleased to reveal him to the faithfully spiritually-discerning.  "Discerning" him by one's politics has to be the greatest self-delusion there could be: and inevitably misleading to all who accept it..

But there's substance and reason for talking about the Anti-Christ: the Bible clearly tells us definite facts about him.  That much is beyond speculation.  Revelation13 and 17, for example, say satan will give him "authority," and that he will direct the "kings of the earth" in battle.  It's therefore clear that the Anti-Christ will be a person of world-stature and fame, with worldly political power and influence.

It's misguided to interpret him, and end-time events, by politics, as most speculation about the Anti-Christ does.  It's entirely wise, however, and obedience to Jesus' command to "the crowds" in Luke 12:54-56, to analyze "the times"...including political events and figures...by the discernment the Spirit gives us.

In that discernment we probably should understand that the definitive spiritual fact about the Anti-Christ is that he will be the embodiment of satan's spirit, as Jesus was of His Father's Spirit.  And God has attested to us some truths about the spirit of satan.

Pride may be satan's greatest characteristic.  The "taunt against the King of Babylon" in Isaiah 14 is generally understood to be addressed to satan.  It quotes him as saying "‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God...I will make myself like the Most High" (vv. 13-14).  If this scripture attests that willful self-pride was satan's own "original sin:" we should probably expect it will be a prominent characteristic of his "son," the Anti-Christ.

Similarly, the two characteristics Jesus singles out as showing that spiritual paternity in those He's confronting in John 8:31-47 are "lies" and "murder."  As I've mentioned before, I think we have to understand Jesus' mention of "murder" here by His definition of murder in Matthew 5:21-22: hateful contempt for others.  (It's worth noting that He finds these spiritual characteristics of satan in people "who had believed him," v. 31.  We should therefore probably consider it possible the same could happen in our time.)

Does honest spiritual discernment call to mind any current world-figures whose manifest character is pre-eminently what scripture says is satan's character: willful pride, lies, and angry contempt for others ?  I'm sure there's always been some degree of pride, lies and violent hatred in the character of most world-leaders...and probably in almost all human beings.  But those are manifestly the character of the current American president to a degree never seen before

The politically-minded can take the above comments as scripture-twisting for political purposes.  The politically-minded, of course, inevitably perceive all things as political.  But if what I've said above is straightforward affirmation of what scripture says, as is my intention, I'd hope readers will meditate on what scripture says.  The spirit of satan is the spirit of anti-Christ.

Scripture says more.

John wrote that "...just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour" (I John 2:18).  If it was "the last hour" in John's time, our time, 2000 years later, is all the more "the last hour."  If the appearance of "many antichrists" was the notable spiritual event of John's time, we should expect there will be all the more "antichrists" in our time.  As Jesus is the Elder Brother among God's many children, so is Anti-Christ among satan's many children.

So I am not here identifying the current president as the Anti-Christ.  Clearly he manifests satan's spirit, and satan's spirit is the spirit of the Anti-Christ.  But satan's spirit is manifestly the spirit of all the "many antichrists" active in the world.  And there are scriptural reasons to believe the current president is not THE Anti-Christ.

If Jesus' words about "false Christs" and "false prophets" apply to the Anti-Christ...and surely they do, since he is THE epitome of both...it would seem the Anti-Christ will be a world-leader "slick" enough "...to mislead, if possible, even the elect" (Matthew 24:24).  It's doubtful anyone who looks at the current president without political blinders can find him credible (plausibly "slick") in the least.  He has thus far been notably unsuccessful in misleading many Americans, and even less so world-citizens.

The caveat is that spiritual deception can trump natural commonsense.  We've seen that happen with the current president's followers, including many Christians.  With satan's maximum power of deception behind him, perhaps the Anti-Christ will not need even a fig-leaf of credibility to cover his naked lies.

But the greatest scriptural objection to identifying the current president as the Anti-Christ is that, to this point in time, he has not made war on the saints, as scripture tells us the Anti-Christ will (Daniel 7:21 and Revelation 13:7).  In part that's been a political calculation: many Christians are part of the current president's political "base;" hardcore followers whom he doesn't want to alienate.  It makes sense that neither he, nor the Anti-Christ, would attack those who willingly idolize, agree with, and follow him.

But this is a time which consequently demands our maximum Spiritual discernment, day by day, as events rapidly unfold.  I'm particularly watching the current president's response now that some Christians are speaking out against his policies (or rather whims) which contradict Jesus' teachings.  This week some Christian leaders have made fairly strong statements on that basis against his policy of separating the children of asylum-seekers and illegal immigrants from their families.  I don't find it at all hard to believe that if his wishes were thwarted a time or two by people speaking up for Jesus' teachings, the current president could easily become a violently implacable enemy of anyone who spoke up for Jesus' teachings.

We've all seen that's how the current president "wars" on anyone he considers an "enemy:" Democrats, James Comey, Hilary, John McCain and other members of his own party who disagree with him, "the lying media," Rosie O'Donnell, Obama...the list is endless.  If he came to regard those who spoke up for Jesus' teachings as "enemies," it's not at all hard to believe he would use every means at his disposal to destroy those saints: though undoubtedly Christians who remained part of his political "base" would be safe from his wrath.

I titled this post as being "beyond speculation," but obviously the last paragraphs are speculative; near-future events in the realm of possibility, but not yet reality.  That said, I'd urge readers to be rigorously spiritually-discerning of the current president in all his future pronouncements and deeds, especially toward those who publicly advocate Jesus' teachings.