Is president-elect of the United States Donald Trump the Anti-Christ? Or is the soon to be most powerful political figure on the planet just one of many anti-Christs? Or is it simply his actions, mannerisms, and verbiage antichrist, providing the perception of being anti-Christian? The debate is going on online as Christians and conspiracy theorists and skeptics argue their points of whether or not the forthcoming U.S. president is just a real estate billionaire or something far, far worse.
Media outlets like Metro are reporting on a website, The HyperTexts, that has gone into great detail to present President-elect Donald Trump as — if not the Anti-Christ — one of the prophesied antichrists foretold about in the Christian bible. And is always the case among Christian conspiracy theorists (and debunkers), there are numerous connections to the number 666, the so-called “number of the beast” to present as evidence.
The HyperTexts post begins with questioning rhetorically if Donald Trump is the Anti-Christ and the “long-prophesied Beast of Revelation?”
“According to the Bible,” the post continues, “‘the Antichrist will be a charismatic celebrity,’ a ‘big talker,’ and a ‘smooth talker.’ He will convince people that he alone has the solution to every problem. He will claim to be a dealmaker and a master negotiator. He will claim to know how to defend Israel and to create lasting peace in the Middle East, while plotting to betray and destroy Israel. He will be an intimidator and a militant lover of power. He will exalt and magnify himself and claim to be the ‘only Savior.’ He will deceive the masses, even the very elect. Sound like anyone you know?”
The post goes on to point out that Trump has numerous associations with the “number of the beast,” which is 666. And even if the billionaire-turned-president is actually the Anti-Christ, the post notes that he could very well be one of the many antichrists that will plague humanity during the End Times.
The post indicates that the Anti-Christ would be a great deceiver and asks if evangelical Christians were deceived by Trump, pointing out that, according to presidential election exit polls , per Christianity Today , four out of five evangelicals had voted for the real estate mogul and former reality show star.
Writing for Charisma News , which is a Pentecostal/evangelical Christian website, author and revivalist Bert M. Farias wrote that he was taken aback that “professing Christians” were “ angry with other Christians who voted for Trump and using contentious language to cause strife and division in the body of Christ.” He made a case that he believes shows the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton are antichrist in their policies and, yet, Christians voted for them. He insisted, though, that he was not saying they are the Anti-Christ “but they are of that spirit.”
He defended Trump as being opposite to that of Clinton, that criticism of Trump is misplaced.
“He is a very flawed man,” Farias wrote, “but he ran on diametrically different policies than Hillary did. Most of his policies were aligned with Scripture. Yes, I know he is a carnal man, and we can only hope that he follows through on his promises, but let’s believe that some of the conservative Christians he’s surrounded himself with will help him in his decision-making. That is another huge difference between him and Hillary. I do not witness a spirit of antichrist on Donald Trump.”
But there are other Christians that do find Trump antichrist in his actions and policies, even if he might not be the actual “false prophet” from the biblical Book of Revelation.
Writing for the conservative blog Red State , clconnett, a contributor with a Masters in Divinity from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, had no problem placing the label “Antichrist” on Donald Trump . Noting that Trump might not be “the” Anti-Christ, “in the Christian tradition there isn’t even an agreement that there is necessarily one antichrist who is the anti-type of the antichrists.” This would be the deceptive leader of prophecy that espouses harmony and peace.
“However, looking at Scripture, Donald Trump fits the description of an antichrist, all the way down to the fact that Christians are supporting him.”
But that is not all. Referring to several biblical scriptures, clconnett indicated that Donald Trump saying that he is a Christian does not mean that he does not fit the description of being antichrist. He noted that when Trump made the comment that he does not ask God for forgiveness, which he did during the presidential campaign, he “completely undermines the concept of Jesus as Christ,” that he does not need Jesus, the Christian messiah, “saying that he [Trump], in doing his own good works, can merit a relationship with God.” This, of course, flies in the face of Christian dogma that sees the only way to heaven and eternal life is through Jesus as a mediator.
“He isn’t antichrist because he is intentionally waging war against the saints, but because he doesn’t regard God as important at all,” clconnett wrote.
“Ultimately,” he concluded, “Trump is not dangerous because he is immoral, but because he is amoral. Trump has already bought into the system entirely. He is as vacuous a candidate as there can be, giving no thought to the moral questions and the theological issues that underpin those questions. He doesn’t care about who he hurts or what philosophy he takes, as long as it gains him power. He is an antichrist not because he is explicitly evil, shouting and screaming against God, but because he disregards God and morality all together. It’s easy to fight against someone who says, ‘Reject Christ or die’ but it is far more difficult when the person never brings up God at all and only makes promises of prosperity and happiness.”
It should be noted that placing the label of “Anti-Christ” on a president is nothing new. Barack Obama was saddled with it throughout his presidency. So was his predecessor, George W. Bush. And his predecessors, Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush. Ronald Wilson Reagan, who preceded George H. W. Bush, made it ridiculously easy for the 666 attachment, given that all three of his given names had six letters. The list goes on and is not, nor has it ever been, exclusive to American leaders.
So, is The HyperTexts on to something by calling out a possible connection between Donald Trump and the Anti-Christ? Or is it just a post designed as click-bait for those who indulge in conspiracy theories or End Times drama? Regardless, the question will still remain for Christians to answer: Even if the president-elect is not the biblical beast, are his words and actions antichrist-like? And if so, how does one reconcile those words and actions with supporting Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States?
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