Benjamin Corey has a graduate degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and a doctorate from Fuller Theological Seminary, a multidenominational Christian evangelical seminary in Pasadena,. He's the author of Undiluted: Rediscovering The Radical Message Of Jesus and Unafraid: Moving Beyond Fear-Based Faith. Last week Corey penned an essay, Could American Evangelicals Spot the Antichrist? Here Are the Biblical Predictions for his blog, American & Christian Culture, End Times. He wrote that he's reviewed every prophecy on the Antichrist (in the Bible) and what he read blew his mind. Sit back-- whether you consider Señor Trumpanzee a friend or foe-- and let him blow yours.Ben grew up in what he calls the "rapture-me-outta-here end times movement" and when he asks "Does the Bible predict the future with stunning accuracy as so many in the end-times camp have claimed?" he is asking seriously and sincerely. He wrote that as a theologian he falls into "a category of belief that sees biblical prophesies about 'the end' as being events that have mostly been fulfilled in the past," but he tries to hold that belief gently and recognize he could be wrong.
Many of my fellow Christians in America have warned me over the years of exactly that, often telling me, “I feel sorry for you, because when the Antichrist comes you’re not even going to recognize him!”To honor those who have given me such warning, I decided to spend the past week studying the most significant prophesies and descriptions of the Antichrist I could find in the Bible. If my evangelical friends are correct, and if it’s entirely possible that the Antichrist is on the global scene today, I certainly wouldn’t want to be the only person in the room who didn’t recognize the Antichrist when I saw him.In case you too are a bit rusty in the area of biblical predictions about the coming Antichrist and don’t want to be oblivious if such a person were to arise, consider me your chief antichristologist who is more than happy to help you out.Here are the no-kidding-prophesies and signs of the antichrist the Bible tells us to watch out for… and that blew my mind by the time I was done:This verse helps us start by narrowing down the nations and times the Antichrist could come from. The passage directly states he is from a nation that was different from times before in that it was powerful enough to crush and destroy the entire earth-- likely a nuclear superpower. Revelation also speaks of the Antichrist and his prophet having the power to “call down fire from the sky,” which further supports this notion.Thus, when considering the prophesy in light of the modern world, it most likely leaves Russia or the United States, as both have over 6,000 warheads with remaining nuclear nations having under a few hundred. Furthermore, Revelation 17:15 describes the Antichrist coming from a place where there are “multitudes of peoples, nations, and languages” which would most accurately depict a “melting pot” nation like the United States.So as you keep your eyes peeled for the Antichrist, be sure to keep in mind that it won’t be a quiet leader who is deceitfully humble and flies under the radar-- The Bible says it will be someone who loves to give speeches where he boasts about himself.As we begin to assemble the biblical prophesies, Christians on guard should be looking for a king-like figure who loves to boast about himself, but who also loves to go around roaring like a lion-- things like threats to his enemies and a constant verbal flexing of muscle.John described the Antichrist (beast) “rising up from the sea” as he looked out from the Island of Patmos in a supernatural vision. The Bible describes the beast as having 7 heads, which symbolized 7 “hills” that stood up high. Hills also are metaphorical for places of power in the Bible.So, if the Antichrist were to come in the present age, we’d be most likely looking for an American president known for being exceptionally arrogant, boastful, and threatening others, but who also came from 7 tall “hills” or places of power… one of which would need to be somewhere in the vicinity of where John was looking out into the ocean.Huh… well this is a super weird coincidence:And this is a little bizarre, but in John’s vision he said that the 7 heads had horns on them-- some had just one, some had two… kinda like those antennas on top.Wow, and you know what? John’s vision also said that the seven heads all had someone’s name written across them. Interesting!And let’s not even open the can of worms over the building on 5th ave… Yeah, the same deal that was bailed out by Justice Kennedy’s son before Kennedy surprised everyone and retired– giving Trump what had been a swing vote on the Supreme Court.Bummer of an address Jared!This verse also speaks to the likelihood that the coming of the Antichrist is more likely to be in the modern world instead of the ancient one. 2,000 years ago it would not have been possible for people all over the globe to become fascinated by a political leader, let alone “follow” them.Okay, I get it…Some predictions and prophesies can be like horoscopes: they can appear to apply to anyone.And I’m with you… when you get into stuff like numerology and interpreting seven-headed beasts, it’s hard to know if something is an eerie coincidence, or just plain silly.I’d honestly started this post intending to be silly, and during my research began to find the coincidences and certain numbers happening to match, a bit amusing. But at a certain point, the coincidences added up and it wasn’t funny anymore-- it was deeply unsettling. And by the end? Well, stick with me as the prophesies grow more specific, and you’ll see why my mind was a bit blown-- and why as a Christian my spirit was deeply unsettled by the the end of it:When looking to identify the Antichrist, the Bible starts to help us with some really specific prophesies. Based on what the Bible predicts, a most likely scenario for the arrival of the Antichrist would be a candidate for president who came from the private sector (not of ‘royal’ background) being found with despicable morality along with a contemptuous personality, who campaigned on flattery and lies– but somehow went on to win an election no one expected him to win… leaving the country stunned.Starting to get weird now, isn’t it? Yes, in warning us of the Antichrist the Bible predicts in both Daniel and Revelation that when the antichrist comes, he’ll not only be the contemptuous and arrogant political outsider who pulls an upset in the election-- but warns us that he’ll specifically be speaking of “great” and “greater” things along the way. ...Evil is evil, but evil is not stupid… or at least, Satan isn’t.In this verse the Bible continues down the path of helping us get more specific about the rise of the Antichrist so we won’t miss it when we see it: He says that the Antichrist will be unique from all other presidents before him in the way he will be able to use the presidency to instantly get richer and toss lots of money over to his friends.While all modern presidents are wealthy, and politicians give kick-backs, Daniel indicates something will be different about this president and that he will uniquely profit off the presidency in a way that previous presidents never imagined.This prophesy could likely only be fulfilled if a rich business person were to win a deceptively influenced election, and then serve as president with some sort of business structure that got he and his friends richer and richer just from being president.If such a thing were to ever occur, you might likely hear a government oversight body state something to the effect of: “The president has turned the government of the United States into a money-making operation for his family, his friends and himself.” ...
Daniel 8 and 2nd Thessalonians 2 are incredibly descriptive warnings to help us recognize the Antichrist. Predicting that under his rule “deceit will prosper” warns us to look for someone who calls the truth “fake news” and who is known for constantly lying.In fact, the Antichrist lies so much that the Bible stops calling him the antichrist and starts calling him The Liar-- using the definite article for effect-- as if he begins to personify fake news and lies.No kidding: the Bible predicts the Antichrist will be someone who negotiates powerful real estate deals with his friends.The Antichrist is someone in need of constant affirmation, so the Bible predicts he will use his position to surround himself with blind loyalists who honor and submit to him.To spot the Antichrist as the Bible predicts, look for a president who gives high level positions away on the basis of personal loyalty. While all politics involve a level of this, the Bible calls the Antichrist a ‘worthless shepherd’; so he will likely have a cabinet of leaders in disarray and incompetence, with many being blatantly unqualified or even a bunch of them going to jail. If that’s not enough to help us identify the Antichrist, the Bible throws us a major bone: He’ll be a president experienced at negotiating land and property deals, and he’ll have access to plenty to buy and sell.While some prophesies are general enough to fit certain leaders here and there, thankfully the Bible give us some rather specific clues to also look for-- like a rich and arrogant political outsider who happens to be in the business of negotiating land and property deals.I mean, if this were to happen all my end-times friends would spot it, wouldn’t they? Revelation 13 very specifically tells us that somewhere in the middle of his first three and a half years in office, the Antichrist will give a very specific and telling speech: he will arrogantly brag of his accomplishments and ‘great’ things, and will also use God’s name in a way considered to be blasphemy.This would be exceedingly eye-brow-raising for any serious Antichrist hunter, were this to ever happen in a presidential speech… right?...
Creepy coincidence? The entire Antichrist narrative of Daniel 11 is situated around a conflict along the southern border where the Antichrist is wanting something that the king to his south wont give him. Based on the whole of Antichrist prophesies and the common thread of money and greed, it certainly appears to be money that he wants from the nation to his south…...Yes, you’re tracking with me correctly: the Bible predicts the Antichrist will be an arrogant political outsider who talks about “great” and “greater” things, who wins an election where he has less supporters due to the election being tampered with, who then instantly gets rich off the presidency and spends his time in a feud with the president across from his southern border.And yes, the Bible actually says that after negotiations fail at the souther border he decides to get even by intentionally inflicting harm and distress on that ethnic group.Get ready to have your mind blown with what Zechariah’s prophesy about the coming Antichrist says on this matter, especially in light of what Daniel tells us regarding the Antichrist’s retaliation along the border:Children being ripped from their parents as a deterrent from crossing into the “northern kingdom,” refugees being locked in cages without adequate care, some dying in our custody, children still missing or given for adoption even though they weren’t orphans?Yeah, the Bible references the “worthless shepherd” who will do that-- AKA: the Antichrist... And of course, when Trump squeaked by in the Russia investigation due to internal DOJ policy which doesn’t allow the indictment of a sitting president, everyone-- most especially those who are too young to remember the OJ Simpson murder trial-- was completely amazed he survived what very clearly seemed to be a fatal wound to his presidency.The Bible predicts the Antichrist will survive the near-fatal wound to his rule, but then goes on to tell us he will need the most powerful religious leader in the country to help him solidify support among the religious in order to stay in power-- specifically around the 3 1/2 year mark.3 1/2 year mark? That’s re-election season. Interesting!The prophesy describes a political/religious alliance where the most influential religious leader in the country goes around speaking to large crowds, displaying any and all religious credentials he can muster, in order to generate support for the Antichrist rule to last more than just 3/12 years.However… it’s hard to imagine this actually happening. I don’t know if I’ve ever met a professing Christian who saw themselves as being so flawless or had zero reverence for God. Well, take that back– never mind the admission that he’s “never seen a need” to ask God forgiveness for anything, or saying, “Why should I repent if I haven’t done anything wrong?” just TODAY he did something that seemed unthinkable…Here’s Donald Trump, just as the Bible predicts, setting himself up like he’s the God and King of Israel:Beyond words. This is what Antichrist looks like.But you know what? He is not the God of Israel. He doesn’t worship or even know the God of Israel.But are you ready for some Antichrist trolling about 2,600 years in the waiting?Well, we know the Antichrist hates God and doesn’t worship him-- but the Bible *does* actually let us in on a secret and tells us who the Antichrist does worship… and spoiler: it’s not actually Satan.Drum roll please…You can’t even make this stuff up– yes, the Bible *actually* says that instead of worshipping the true God, the Antichrist will worship an unknown god of “fortresses.”What does this word “fortress” literally translate to?Border walls that secure a city or country, that’s what.Yes, the Bible says the Antichrist will worship the god of border walls.Some commentary’s argue it’s not even referencing a real deity (though some think it was the ‘god of towers’ like a gate tower), but instead note that it is likely the Antichrist will be so obsessed with a border wall, worshipping it with a lot of money, that it functionally becomes his god.Yup- trolling from long-since-dead-guys. Priceless!And we all thought it was going to be a barcode or chip…And the final biblical prophesy on the Antichrist:Yup-- even the name of our movement is mentioned in the Antichrist narrative..................................................................So in the end, what do I believe theologically on the subject of eschatology after this research project?I don’t know yet.But what I do know is this: If the Antichrist comes, I’m not going to be the one guy in the room who doesn’t recognize him.
