Who is the Antichrist at the End Times?

Many people down through the centuries have wondered, "Who is the Antichrist?" and invariably some leading public figure has been named. The Protestant Reformers believed that the Pope was the Antichrist. During the time of the American Revolution, many Americans were convinced that King George of England was Satan in the flesh, persecuting and making war on God's chosen people. It is hardly surprising then that the question continually being asked these days is, "Is Obama the Antichrist?"

The answer to that question was practically stated outright in an e-mail that was forwarded to millions of computers in 2008. The writer claimed that book of Revelation says that the Antichrist will be a man in his 40s, when in fact, it does not state his age; that he'd be of Muslim descent when the Bible nowhere specifies this; that he will deceive the nations with persuasive language which is written in scriptures; that he will tremendous appeal as a Savior which is true; that he will promise false hope like most politicians; that he'll promise world peace; and that once he's in leadership, he will destroy everything. Confident that he "proved" his case, the writer then ended his e-mail with question: "Is it OBAMA?"

Again and again, the incumbent American president has been pegged as the Antichrist. It seems to be a logical conclusion: after all, the Bible tells us that the Antichrist will rule the world, and with America being the world's greatest super-power-and the dominant financial and cultural leader of the planet-it's almost a default assumption that the President of this great nation must be the final world dictator. If even tongue-tied George W. Bush was accused of being the smooth-talking Antichrist-and he was-what chance did an able and persuasive speaker like Barak Obama have of escaping suspicion?

The case against W. Bush seems to have been largely dismissed by now, even though, like Obama, he pushed for a peace treaty between Israel and the Arabs-something that Daniel 9:27 tells us that the Antichrist will do.

Instead, with the focus on proving that Obama is the Man of Sin, new "evidence" is emerging for odd places. For example, a purported prophecy by a purported prophet, Johanwa Owalo, hints darkly at how evil Obama is. Owalo is a Kenyan who began the Nomiya Luo Church 100 years ago. The "prophecy" in question first scolds the United States for her iniquities then says, "I have been allowed to see that their destruction will come about through the vengeful hands of one of our very own sons." Obama's dad was not only from Kenya but was from the Luo tribe. So is Barak Obama the devil-man, the Antichrist?

For the record, a detailed prophecy in the book of Daniel automatically eliminates every single American president from being a contender for the post of Antichrist-including George W. Bush and Barak H. Obama. (See Daniel 8:8-12). People who fail to understand or to grasp the implications of this prophecy, however, will continue to accuse Obama of being the ultimate devil-man.

But of course, that accusation has been made of almost every American President.