WHO IS ANTICHRIST?

WHO IS ANTICHRIST?

Is the Antichrist in the world today?  In the wake of the global economic crash a renewed interest has been kindled in all things related to last days prophecy.  One topic in particular creating a lot of buzz is speculation on the identity of the end time protagonist, the Antichrist. 
The name I hear mentioned most often is the recently elected U.S. President, Barack Obama.  Years ago Saddam Hussein and Prince Charles were bantered around a lot.  It appears there is an endless supply of theories as to why this person or that might be the Antichrist.
People are right to be concerned about the coming of the Antichrist.   He could appear on the world scene anytime now.  According to scripture, this will initiate seven years of trials and tribulation that will overshadow the plagues of Egypt. 
But I think it appropriate to show some restraint and caution when it comes to pinning that horrible title "Antichrist" upon anyone.  It would be a great injustice to falsely label an innocent person as being the most evil man to walk the face of the earth.    
When the time comes the world will recognize their own, and the identity of this man of Satan, and his sidekick, the False Prophet, will no longer be a mystery.  But for now, we simply do not have enough information to uncover the true identity of Mr. 666.
But this much I can say, with certainty, President Obama is not the Antichrist.  Barack does not fit the profile given to us in scripture of the man of sin.
Granted, there are some concerns and issues surrounding the election of the new President.  But they deal more with political and non-prophetic issues.  Nevertheless, they are valid concerns that should not be minimized.
I understand that Barack's rise to power has been historic, from community activism to the White House in just a few years.  
And yes, it is true that there are many unanswered questions regarding Barack's eligible to hold the office of President.  
The founders of our nations wanted to make sure the loyalties of the President where never brought into question.  For this reason, they made "natural born Citizen" one of the requirements for holding the highest office in the land:
Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution:
"No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States."
If you are born in the U.S., and your parents are both U.S. Citizens, then you are clearly a natural born Citizen.  If you are born outside the U.S., or only one or none are U.S. Citizens, then there are additional requirements that must be met to be a natural born Citizen. 
In this case, the laws in place in 1961, the year Barack was born, are the laws that apply.   And those laws state, if only one parent was a U.S. Citizen at the time of one's birth, that parent must have resided in the United States for a minimum of ten years, five of which must be after the age of 16.
Barack's father was not a U.S. Citizen, his mother was, but she was only 18 when Barack he was born.  That is well below the age of 21, the minimum required to meet the residency requirements of 1961.
Ok, what if all this is true?  I don't think it means anything today.  No one made an issue out of this when Barack first entered political office.  And it was never brought up when he ran for the Senate.  So it is a moot point now. 
There are more issues, one in particular, the allegation that Barack was actually born in Kenya or on a ship in international waters.  Barack's paternal grandmother back in Kenya is actually the one that put the fuel to this fire.  She reportedly claims to have been present in the hospital room, in Kenya, when Barack was born.
When Obama's place of birth was first questioned during the Presidential elections, his camp responded by posting a photo of a Birth Certificate on his Home Page.  It was quickly taken down after bloggers noted several anomalies, such as it was missing the Hawaiian seal found on official certificates issued in 1961. 
This issue could easily be put to bed if Obama just produced a valid Birth Certificate.  But that is not going to happen.  Barack is President, and that is that.
And there may be many reasons why Barack does not want to discuss these issues, especially in the public eye.  If you have ever attempted to put together a family tree you might have learned that polygamy, incest, and births out of wedlock are a lot more common than we care to know about. 
It is not secret that Barack Sr. came from a Muslim family.  Barack's grandfather had three wives.  And Barack Sr. had a wife and kids back in Kenya, when he came to Hawaii and met 17 year old Ann Dunham.  According to biographies, when Ann got pregnant and married Barack Sr., she and her parents were still unaware of his wife Kezia and their four children back in Africa.   
Once again, who cares?  You can't pick your parents.  If you look at what Barack has done with what he has been given, and where he started, he represents the American Dream, and is a great success story. 
As far Barack's international popularity, no worries, this is easy to explain, and it has nothing to do with prophecy or the Antichrist.
First, the world is extremely elated to see the end of the previous administration, so much so that they were ready to welcome any change with open arms.  It has been estimated that billions watched as Marine One lifted off the Capital grounds with the former U.S. President, arguably the worst in history, signifying the end of his Administration.  If you listened carefully, you could hear a resounding cheer erupting around the globe. 

Second, Barack comes from humble beginnings, and not a rich and famous dynasty with a political or oil family history.  The majority of people can relate to Obama as one of us ordinary people.   Consequently, his impact on Presidential politics is very similar to what Tiger Woods has done for golf.  People are ecstatic to see the good-ole-boys club at the White House has finally been opened up to everyone. 
And finally, Obama delivers a speech as well as anyone, and that instills confidence.   Ronald Regan also had that gift.  So Barack is well-spoken, intelligent, and an exceptional academic.  Once again, attributes we have come to expect from the leader of the free world, which have been lacking over the past eight years.  (I must admit, I am going to miss the former President's foibles and mispronunciations, "strategery.")  
Obama's meteoritic rise in popularity and power is perfectly understandable.  The fact is people like him, and they are happy to see the end of the old administration.  That doesn't make Obama the Antichrist. 
We don't know what an Obama Presidency will bring.  But his first few Executive Orders give us some indication.  Putting an end to torture is a good thing.  And making morality the primary guideline for U.S. foreign policy is also on the right track.
So, who is Antichrist?  What does scripture tell us?  And what should we look for to make a positive identification rather than a false accusation?  Perhaps some would find a short Antichrist primer to be of some help:
Antichrist will come out of the kingdoms that once made up the old Roman Empire (which excludes the United States, but includes the EU).  The numeric value of his name will total 666.
He will rise to power by defeating several nations.  A ten-nation federation will throw their power behind him.  His reign will be short.  He will have a sidekick called the False Prophet, who will be able to work wonders with the power of Satan. 
He will bring about a 7 year covenant, a treaty in the Middle East.  This will divide the Temple Mount between the Jews and Arabs, and allow the construction of a new Temple, and the reinstitution of animal sacrifices on the Mount.
Antichrist will suffer a mortal wound to the head, and survive.  He and the False Prophet will deceive many. 
During the reign of Antichrist, Satan and his angels will be kicked out of heaven and banished to earth.  Satan will control the Antichrist and empower him to do his evil work, like he did Judas 2,000 years ago. 
Three and a half years into his covenant the Antichrist will break the treaty and stop the animal sacrifices.  The False Prophet will set up an image of the Beast in the temple and force people to worship him as God.  The Antichrist will sit in the Temple as if he were God.  And people will worship the Antichrist, and Satan, as God. 
During his reign, two prophets will come back to Jerusalem and prophesy and work wonders for 3.5 years, eventually to be killed by the beast out of the pit.  People around the world will exchange gifts in celebration of their deaths.  After 3.5 days the prophets will be resurrected with the whole world watching. 
Also during the reign of the Antichrist, the nation of Israel will turn to Christ for help, with one third accepting Jesus as their Messiah.  A special group of Jewish witnesses, 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes, 144,000 in all, will help spread the gospel, and will be supernaturally protected by God from the Antichrist. 
Antichrist's federation of nations will destroy the Vatican in Rome, the last days incarnation of Mystery Babylon, and all traces of Christianity and other religions from his kingdom.  He will persecute all that do not worship him and the devil, especially Christians and Jews. 
He will demand that everyone take a mark, (most likely some form of Radio Frequency Identification RFID), symbolizing their loyalty to him, in order to buy or sell or function within his kingdom. 
As stated in Daniel 11:37, Antichrist will be a homosexual, (like many of his forerunners such as Alexander the Great), and he will not regard the God of his fathers.   This indicates that he will most likely be of a Jewish linage.  And he will attempt to change times and seasons, or otherwise disrespect all that has gone on before him. 
During the reign of Antichrist, the world will experience tremendous trials and tribulations.  What will start with the hope for peace will quickly turn into another world-wide war.  And over 3 billion people will die from the war and the plagues which God will pour down on the kingdom of Antichrist. 
For the first time in history, modern telecommunications will broadcast supernatural events around the globe allowing billions to simultaneously witness the power of God and the fulfillment of prophecy.  Yet, most will still not repent and believe. 
After seven years of tribulation, the unholy trinity will gather the nations of earth, 200 million from the East alone, in an effort to upset God's plans and keep Him from fulfilling His promises.  They will attack Jerusalem and try to eliminate the Jews. 
Christ will come with the Saints and armies of heaven just in time to save Israel and the Jews.  Jesus will destroy the attacking armies, throw the Antichrist and False Prophet alive into the lake of fire, chain Satan for a thousand years, destroy the unbelievers from off the Earth, and set up His promised Millennial Kingdom.
And now for more good news for those believers watching and ready for the Coming of the Lord, you will never see the coming kingdom of Antichrist.  You will never suffer his persecution, or the collateral damage from the wrath of God which is intended for the kingdom of Antichrist and those with his mark. 
God has promised to translate the living in Christ before Antichrist is revealed, an event known as the Rapture.  2 Thessalonians, 2:6-7 tells us that the Holy Spirit is restraining the Antichrist from coming.  But after the Church has been taken out of the way, the Holy Spirit will move aside and let Satan bring the Antichrist to power. 
There are several prerequisites that must be complete before the end can come.  First, the nation of Israel must exist.  This was fulfilled in 1948.  Second, the gospel must be preached throughout the whole world.  By most accounts, the advent of radio, TV, and the internet has facilitated the fulfillment of spreading the gospel.  Then we are told that before the end knowledge will increase and so will travel.  These have clearly been fulfilled.
In addition, the Bible speaks of a "falling away."  This entails a general backsliding of local churches and society in general; false Messiahs, false prophets, false doctrine, churches that deny Christ, and a society that revels in perverted behavior such as homosexuality and fornication.  All this exists today.  People don't want to just engage in such activity, they want to do it without any guilt, or anyone telling them it is wrong. 
In order for the stage to be completely set there must also be wars, rumors of wars, violence, rioting in the daytime, and a whole host of other activity going on.  Five minutes of any news station should convince anyone that all of this is happing today.
The conclusion that can be drawn from all this is that we are clearly now living in the last days.  There is nothing preventing the Rapture and rise of the Antichrist.  It could happen any day now. 
But keep in mind, the primary purpose of the Seventieth Week of Daniel, and the rise of the kingdom of Antichrist, is to bring the nation of Israel to Christ, and to bring to fulfillment the promises God has made to Abraham and the Jews.    
The last days are not about the Church, or bringing salvation to Gentile nations.  We have been allowed 2,000 years for that task.  The last days are all about grafting the nation of Israel back into Christ.  For this, God has determined a seven year time period, in which Jews will shift their hope, faith, and trust from the might of the Israeli army, to Christ where it belongs.
So the point of all this is that it is an exercise in futility to speculate on the identity of the Antichrist.  If you are saved and looking for the Rapture, then you will be taken before the Antichrist rises to power.  If you are not, then you will be left to go though the tribulation and the identity of the Antichrist will become obvious. 
I understand that this take of the Antichrist, Pre-Tribulation Rapture, and last days prophecy does not sit well with everyone in this Laodicean church age; sermons on proper doctrine have been replaced with a Seeker Driven, feel good, musical happy time for all. 
The important thing is to get ready for the Rapture.  It's an opportunity to be translated like Enoch and Elijah, and avoid the coming flood by entering the Ark.