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Ever since the Old Testament first spoke of him, Christians and Jews have been looking for the advent of the Antichrist. Daniel described him as the most evil man who ever will live. He will charm the Jews into submission then turn against them. This "man of sin" will briefly become the most powerful man on earth.
Many Christians have tried to select out the Antichrist from among the men of their day. Some made good assumptions, while others were very much off base in their observations. Of course, as today stands, none have been able to name the true Antichrist. Listed below are several world figures that have been tagged as being the Antichrist. Most of these men are dead and presumably off the hook, but a number of them are still active on the world stage.
Antiochus Epiphanes He was one of only a few pre-Christ
Antichrists and is described by scholars as being a type of Antichrist. Epiphanes was predicted by Daniel the prophet, and he fulfilled many of the prophecies that the real Antichrist will repeat.
Roman Emperor Nero One of the first and one of the greatest
persons to fit the role of Antichrist was Emperor Nero. He put many Christians to death, and even killed members of his own family. Nero's actions actually helped the Church to multiply faster. When he learned the Roman Senate was plotting against him, he died by poisoning himself.
The Pope Just about every Pope has been given the title of
Antichrist. The Pontiff is a favorite among Evangelicals. During the Middle
Ages, when the power of the Pope was more pronounced, the title was more
plausible. Today the political power of the Pope has long since passed. It's more likely the Pope would play the role of the "False Prophet."
Charlemagne He lived from 742-814 AD and controlled much
of central Europe. Charlemagne put himself into the shoes of the Antichrist by trying to rebuild the Roman Empire. This is a task that only the real Antichrist will accomplish. He died before achieving his goal.
Napoleon The self-crowned French Emperor was not particularly
a depraved man: he did not persecute the church, and he lacked a number
of the qualities needed for the role. His downfall was that he loved war
too much. Napoleon, like Charlemagne, worked at reviving the Roman Empire.
Aleister Crowley He was so evil his nickname was the Beast and
666. Aleister Crowley was a male witch that lived in England from 1875
to 1947. A number of rock and roll groups, like the Beatles, The Doors and
Ozzy Osbourne featured references to him in or on their albums.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt The numerical value of FDR's name
was reported to add up to 666. Because of the Great Depression, FDR was the most autocratic US President of the 20th century. Roosevelt was in office for 12 years.
Benito Mussolini Because Mussolini became the dictator of
Italy, the original capital of the Roman Empire, he was the recipient
of a great deal of commentary during his rule from 1922 to 1943. His extreme arrogance fit the role of antichrist, but his military capabilities were laughable. Italy needed help from Germany all throughout WW II.
Adolf Hitler Most people would describe Hitler as the most
villainous man who ever lived. He remains a demonic forewarning of what
the real Antichrist will be like.
Joseph Stalin Russian dictator Joseph Stalin is believed
to be the greatest mass murderer of all time, killing 30 million people. Most of history's tyrants killed foreigners; Stalin specialized in killing his own citizens.
Francisco Franco He was the dictator of Spain from 1936 until
his death in 1975. Franco was called the Antichrist, not because of his
actions, but more because of a genealogical connection. Upon his death
the dubious honor of being called the Antichrist passed to Prince Juan Carlos.
John F. Kennedy As the nation's first Roman Catholic President, it was believed John F. Kennedy would do the Pope's bidding. At the 1956 Democratic convention, he received 666 votes. When Kennedy was shot dead in Dallas, several people waited for this deadly wound to heal. It never happened.
Henry Kissinger Because of Mr. Kissinger's activity in the
Middle East, he was labeled the Antichrist. I've always thought
his raspy voice would be the first thing to disqualify him.
King Juan Carlos of Spain The late Prophecy teacher Charles Taylor was a big proponent of the idea that Juan Carlos is the Antichrist. The title of Antichrist was given to him because of his bloodline and also because he's the king of the tenth nation to join the EU.
Ayatollah Khomeini He was one of the grumpiest men to ever live.
He bedeviled the US for a number of years.
Ronald Wilson Reagan Say it isn't so, Ron. During the 80s
when he was President, there was talk going around about the fact that
he had 6 letters in all 3 of his names.
Mikhail Gorbachev Gorbachev, the first Russian leader to
support the rights of the people, has been and still remains a candidate
for the job of Antichrist. Until Gorby dies, prophecy watchers will have
an eye on him. I guess being born with that mark on his head was too
obvious for some.
Saddam Hussein Even before the Gulf War, Saddam was looked on
as the "Beast" of Daniel and Revelations. During and after the
conflict, he gained a dominant footing as a leading candidate for the
job.
Maitreya A camera shy New Age personage, who is said to be on this earth somewhere, is waiting for his opportunity to save the world.
Sun Myung Moon Moon is the leader of the Unification Church,
and he openly claims to be the Messiah. Moon recently was sent to jail
for tax evasion. Jesus, by having a tax collector on his staff, didn't
suffer from tax problems. You pick which one was the smarter Messiah.
PLO leader Yassir Arafat When Arafat signed the peace treaty
with Israel in 1993, some thought that he was bringing to pass the
prophecy
regarding the Antichrist signing a peace treaty for 7 years with Israel.
In order for this to be the case, we would be well into the tribulation period.
Louis Farrakhan Farrakhan has worked hard to earn
the title of Antichrist: he has met with every Islamic dictator there is,
and he's called the Jewish faith "A gutter religion." Farrakhan
has said that Jesus was "Just a prophet" and he, Louis Farrakhan, is the true Jesus.
Karl Hapsburg Just like Juan Carlos, Karl Hapsburg has a
good shot at becoming the Antichrist, simply because of who he is. His
family holds the title of ruler over Jerusalem. The Hapsburg family also
reigned over the Holy Roman Empire at one time. The European union will
be a revival of the Roman Empire.
William Jefferson Clinton A number of folks have e-mailed
me saying "Clinton is Satan's pet." I came across information posted in newsgroups and web sites that add up William Jefferson Clinton numerologically to get 666.
Sam Donaldson of ABC News I've have had so many people
submit Donaldson's name that I finally decided to add him to the
list. By including Sam, I hope I don't cause any jealousy at ABC News.
I have some observations of my own to make about the Antichrist. First of all, I have no idea who he is. When you examine history, people who become well-known on the world stage were often largely unknowns before they became famous. Hitler was a good example. Before he ruled much of Europe, at one low point, he was living in a flophouse. If you had walked by and saw him, you would have never guessed he would someday threaten to take over the world. When the time for the Antichrist comes, he will achieve great power, but right now he could be out pumping gas at some service station.
In recent years, the word Antichrist has lost much of its meaning. To call someone Antichrist, in the past, was on the same level as cursing. Now attaching the name Antichrist to someone or something brings up mythological connections. The same thing applies to calling someone a devil. Examples like Barney the Dinosaur or Bill Gates only help blur the real meaning of the name Antichrist. Someday he will rise to power and cause the destruction of more human beings than anyone who has ever lived.
We should take care not to over-focus on the Antichrist. Our hope lies in the true Christ. Any news about the "man of sin" should only act as a warning to prepare us for the Man of Salvation. As a pretribulationist, I personally have no plans for meeting this "son of perdition." Only those who have not repented of their sins and are not walking a pure life should expect to meet him personally or more likely, see him on Larry King.
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