Donald Trump isn’t the fictional Antichrist as depicted in apocalyptic literature. But I am convinced that he is soundly anti-Christ.
When I say that Donald Trump is an antichrist, I don’t mean that he is the Antichrist. There’s an enormous difference between the two. In my last article, “No, Trump Is Not the Antichrist (Neither Is Anyone Else)” I discussed the myths about a future Antichrist character that emerged among American Evangelicals in the nineteenth century. I invite you to check out that article. Then, continue here to see why, even though Trump isn’t the Hollywood Antichrist, he is definitely anti-Christ.
Everything Jesus Opposed
In terms of his personality, Trump represents everything that Jesus opposed. He may hold Bibles for photo ops and sell them to pay his legal expenses, but that changes nothing. He’s still the man who grabs women by the pu$$y and pays hush money to porn stars to keep quiet about their affairs.
White Evangelicals call Trump the “Chosen One.” Yet, they ignore his hateful comments about immigrants, LGBTQIA+ people, people with disabilities, and anyone unlike himself. This is the man who describes White supremacists as “very fine people.” The one who emulates the leadership style of tyrants and dictators who assassinate political enemies. Famously, he said his favorite verse of the Bible was “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” They don’t come much more ruthless than Donald Trump.
Donald Trump Contrasted with Christ
By contrast, Jesus was about welcoming the stranger, loving your enemy, and forgiving those who hurt you. Jesus healed people with disabilities, instead of mocking them. He chose peace instead of the sword. He promoted the truth, contrasted with Trump’s 30,573 lies over the course of four years. If Christians believe Jesus was Christ, then they must admit the Republican candidate is anti-Christ.
Anti-Christ Policies
So many Evangelicals have told me, “I don’t like his personality, but I like his policies.” Conservatives usually say this because they actually know how anti-Christ Trump’s personality is. Yet, they welcome Trump’s pandering to their special interests.
Trump tells them what they want to hear, disguising homophobia as family values. He promotes tax cuts for the wealthy out of his self-interest, promising trickle-down economics that has proven unsuccessful at trickling down since the Reagan era. Donald Trump makes friends with America’s enemies, while he makes enemies out of those who want to help the poor. It’s not just Trump’s personality that is so antithetical to the person of Jesus. His policies are anti-Christ as well.
Test the Spirits
The New Testament’s book of 1 John gives many warnings that Evangelicals should heed. They think Donald Trump is the “Chosen One.” Yet, 1 John 4:1 says:
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Not everyone who says they’ll support the special interests of Evangelical Christianity is actually to be trusted. You must test the spirits.
Not Everyone Who Says, “Lord, Lord”…
Pretending to be a Christian isn’t enough. Jesus says in Matthew 7:21-23:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you who behave lawlessly.’”
Trump may claim to be a Christian, but his actions show differently. Unless his near-miss with death is a Damascus Road experience, the fruits of which are as yet unseen, Trump’s behavior demonstrates that he is actually anti-Christ.
Still in the Darkness
It doesn’t matter how much Trump pretends to represent the interests of Christians. 1 John 2:9-11 says:
Whoever says, “I am in the light,” while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves a brother or sister abides in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates a brother or sister is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know the way to go, because the darkness has brought on blindness.
Trump’s hateful attitude, his prejudice, and his lies prove he is still in darkness. Further, those who share in his attitude, prejudice, and lies likewise walk in the darkness with him. This is the special talent of antichrists. They lead others into the dark.
Many Antichrists
When you hear the word “antichrist,” no doubt you think about Nicolae Carpathia from the Left Behind novels, or some other fictitious representation. But 1 John 2:18 says:
Children, it is the last hour! As you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come.
The Antichrist isn’t one person. Just as there have been many antichrists in the world, there will be many more. An antichrist is anybody who plays to religious sentiments, all the while subverting the love of Christ by promoting hate. Trump is an antichrist who has fooled millions of Jesus’s followers into thinking that he can help them bring the Kingdom of God to America.
More Dangerous Than the Antichrist
This makes Trump more dangerous than he would be if he were the Antichrist. The Antichrist (if you believe in a literal interpretation of Revelation, which I don’t) only gets seven years in power. Trump, if elected again, gets eight. That is unless he successfully overturns American democracy altogether and his followers crown him king. I’m praying that he doesn’t get that chance—that American Evangelicals wake up to the fact that they’ve been duped and see their candidate as the antichrist-style leader he really is. Hopefully, they’ll see it before it’s too late.
For related reading, check out my other articles:
- Should US Presidents Believe in a Higher Power?
- “Apocalypse” Part 4: “Antichrist”
- The Chosen People and Guns: Our History of Supremacy, Violence, and Genocide