In the last blog, I asked “Could Donald Trump be the Antichrist?” I answered that he could be because he has a Messianic identity and Messianic ambitions, he speaks proud words and blasphemies, and his character is the opposite to that of Christ. This doesn’t mean Mr. Trump necessarily is the Antichrist, but only that he could be, if additional events unfold according to the pattern set out in the prophetic scriptures. What are these additional events that we should be watching for to determine whether he is the Antichrist?
Before beginning to enumerate these, it should be pointed out that these items are based on a futuristic interpretation of end-time prophecies. This approach is used mostly by premillennialists, especially dispensationalists. Some other interpretive approaches, such as amillennial (typical of Reformed theology) do not necessarily look for a literal future Great Tribulation period or for a future literal Antichrist figure. If these events do start to take place, whether involving Donald Trump or someone else, it will show that this futuristic interpretation should be taken seriously. If they take place soon and involve Mr. Trump, then the probability increases with each successive event that he is the Antichrist.
The first item is not derived from biblical prophecy but is purely a matter of practical consideration, and that is that Donald Trump would need to stay in power beyond the end of his second term. If seems highly unlikely that he could assume dominant power on the world stage if he lost his position of power as President of the United States. His position as president gives him a platform of power from which to exert his power on the rest of the world. Without that, it is hard to conceive of how he could become a ruler over the world, as will be true of the Antichrist (Rev. 13:7). As the Antichrist is said to rule over every people and nation for 42 months and the time remaining in President Trump’s second term is less than 42 months, it would not be possible for him to be the Antichrist unless he remains in power beyond his second term. Another practical consideration is that he would need to live long enough for the Great Tribulation period to be completed.
According to the U.S. Constitution, President Trump is not allowed to run for a third term, but he has mused from time to time that he would find a way to get around this. While at present, it seems that he is prepared to concede the two-term limitation, it would not be out of character for him to change his mind. Hopefully, our democratic institutions and processes would be strong enough to prevent this from happening. But again, it would not be out of character for him to find false pretense for canceling elections and declaring martial law to stay in power. Or, if he does run again and doesn’t win, it is highly predictable that he would say the election was stolen and declare himself the winner anyway. And since he is Commander in Chief and has largely installed loyalists within the military, who would be able to stop him? This scenario may seem like a longshot, and it may indeed be, but if it happens, then beware! And be ready to watch for the next things on the list.
The next item to watch for then, would be whether Mr. Trump continues to threaten and take over more countries. Daniel prophesies about the fourth beast with ten horns in Daniel chapter 7, commonly understood to be the Antichrist. This beast has a little horn which comes up among the 10 horns, and three of the (10) first horns are uprooted before it (Dan 7:8, 20). The 10 horns presumably represent an alliance of 10 nations or rulers which make up the power base of the Antichrist. We do not yet know what this 10-nation alliance will be, so if that comes into shape, that is another indicator that things are moving along. Three of those nations will be overthrown by the Antichrist as he continues to consolidate his power. President Trump has taken the role of a bully in threatening other nations, such as Greenland and Canada. He has essentially taken over Venezuela and is threatening to take over Cuba through economic pressure. If this pattern continues, and he overthrows three nations that were part of an alliance with him previously, then this would be another sign that Mr. Trump was on track to be the Antichrist.
A third item to watch for would be the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. Several prophecies indicate that during the Great Tribulation there will exist such a temple, which until now has not existed since the destruction of the previous temple in 70 A.D. In Revelation 11, John says, “I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, ‘Go and measure the temple of God and the altar … But exclude the outer court … because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months’” (Rev. 11:1-2). This period of 42 months is the Great Tribulation, and it will begin with the desecration of the temple by the man of lawlessness (the Antichrist) (2 Thess 2:3-4). This will be the fifth sign that we will return to in part 3 of this series. But the point for now is that to set the stage for this to happen, the temple must be rebuilt. There is a temple movement among Orthodox Jews with that desire. See, for example Israel’s priests prepare third temple Possibly permission for this to happen could come from a peace treaty that President Trump puts in place or as a provision of the Board of Peace, of which he has appointed himself the chair. This, of course, would be a major development, but in our world today previously unthinkable things seem to be happening regularly. If this one happens, and Donald Trump is at the center of it, although it could be an event celebrated by pro-Israel Christians, it would, in my mind, tip the scales from possible to probable in terms of Mr. Trump being the Antichrist.
The fourth sign to watch for which would “seal the deal” in my mind is if Mr. Trump recovers from a fatal (or apparently fatal) wound. Prophesying about the beast (Antichrist), John says, “One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound was healed” (Rev. 13:3). This is referenced again later in the chapter when it refers to the first beast as the one “whose fatal wound had been healed” (13:12). As a result of this remarkable recovery, we are told that “the whole world was astonished and followed the beast … and they also worshipped the beast” (13:3-4). President Trump has already survived several assassination attempts, one in particular which was a “close call.” Around this has grown up a narrative that he is somehow invincible and that God has protected him because he is anointed for a special role. If he could be resurrected from a fatal wound, this would take that narrative to a whole new level and would elicit awe, not just from his core followers, but from the whole world. But note that Revelation 13:3 says, “seemed to have had a fatal wound.” No mere human has the power to raise himself from the dead, and although the Antichrist will be empowered by Satan, it is doubtful that Satan has the power to raise from the dead, as God alone is the source of life. More likely is that the Antichrist suffers and recovers from a near fatal wound but then spins a narrative (with the collusion of loyalist doctors and staff) that he died and rose again, thus appearing to duplicate what Christ did in rising from the dead. If something like this happens to Mr. Trump, it is not inconsistent with his character or his supersized ego to think that he would claim such a thing.
This would set the stage for the final sign, which if fulfilled by Mr. Trump would unequivocally identify him as the Antichrist, which will be taken up in part 3 of this series.
As you can see, there are still several significant items that would need to line up to conclude that Donald Trump is the Antichrist. At this point, it is still more probable that he is not the Antichrist than that he is. However, given his Messianic identity and Messianic ambitions, his proud words and blasphemies, and his character qualities that are the opposite to that of Christ, and the repeated admonitions in Scripture to watch, lest we be taken by surprise (such as Matt. 24:42 and Luke 21:34-36) it would be unwise not to take the possibility seriously and to be watching to see whether Mr. Trump’s “Antichrist portfolio” continues to accumulate supporting evidence or not.
American Christians for Truth and Justice 