Obama is the Antichrist? Is That So Awful?

I’m no biblical scholar. I’m a semi-practicing Catholic who attends Episcopalian services due to spousal preferences. So maybe I am all wet on this, but I keep seeing all of these emails and websites that ask if Barack Obama is the Antichrist (the clear implication being that we must absolutely stop this man before he attains power, blah blah blah) and I keep wanting to know why.

Now, again, I don’t know much about the bible, but my understanding has always been that, according to most Christian theology, the “Antichrist” would rise to power and that the actual Christ (Jesus) would also return to Earth in Glory. At some point there would be a Rapture (not as defined by Debbie Harry and Blondie, but something more sacred and less guitar-driven) where all the souls of the truly righteous would miraculously disappear from their cars and go immediately to heaven. Those remaining would be locked in a long, dark and gloomy period far worse than your average Scandinavian winter while a battle between good and evil would be waged the world over. The forces of evil would be led and championed by said Antichrist and the forces of Good would be led by Jesus himself. All the remaining mortals would be forced to choose sides and the ones on the side of evil would be sent to Gehenna or some other place involving wailing and gnashing of teeth. Meanwhile, those who weren’t swept to heaven during the Rapture but chose to align with Good would have their souls redeemed and eventually go to heaven after a very long struggle.

This is my (rudimentary) understanding of how the Rapture and Antichrist works. I invite anyone to disabuse me of any wrongly-held notions I have. But I think the upshot is that the Antichrist forces the arrival of Jesus, enabling Jesus to rule to world and redeem us from Satan, who is, if I understand correctly, sort of the godfather to the Antichrist.

Now, everyone who is going on about whether Obama is a Muslim (which, apparently is a prerequisite for being able to snag the gig as the Antichrist) or is from some Muslim heritage. My only quibble with this is that some years ago Jerry Falwell went to great lengths to say that the Antichrist was probably alive at that moment and was JEWISH. Is it possible that all of these people have Islam and Judaism mixed up? I guess it’s possible that everyone is forgetting that Falwell said that the Antichrist is going to be Jewish because it is far more politically expedient to go after the Muslims and to attack Obama on this basis, but whatever.

My biggest point with all of this (and thank you for staying with me all this time while I got to it) is why on Earth do we want to stop the rise of the Antichrist?!!! Seriously! Isn’t it God’s own will that the Antichrist rise up, so that the reign of Jesus may commence? If Obama actually IS the Antichrist, who the hell are we to pick McCain? Wouldn’t it seem that Obama is God’s own anointed leader of the world? How is it that true evangelical leaders are not trying to get this guy elected? That brings on the Rapture people!! That gets Mr. Jesus Christ down here on Earth that much sooner and enables him to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to the heathens who do not know Him and enables those who do know Him to get to Heaven on an express train!

If you are a Christian, what is so wrong with voting for the Antichrist?! Yes, I suppose the Antichrist will cause suffering the world over and millions of people will die ugly and painful deaths, but isn’t that what God wants? Why do you try and thwart Him and His will? Who are you to substitute your judgment for that of God?

I know this will piss off a lot of people (assuming anyone is reading in the first place) and I also know that it appears that I am making light of Christians and people of faith. I assure you, I am not. But if my understanding of Christian theology is correct, if God really wants this and we really want what God wants, then how can we vote against him?