What a profound relief to be able to put paid to one of the most troubling questions hanging over the candidacy of Barack Obama -- namely, whether or not he is the devil-spawned Antichrist, come to earth to usher in the endtimes in which unbelievers will roast in the fiery flames of Hell. The rumour gained traction earlier this month when the McCain campaign released an ad entitled The One, which used language similar to that in the bestselling Left Behind series of evangelical Christian novels, set in the aftermath of the Rapture. Inconceivably, the normally measured and balanced right-wing talk-radio host Glenn Beck (not really!) even raised the question on the air. But now the authors of Left Behind, Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, have weighed in with an authoritative statement, concluding that, while it would be reasonable to suspect Obama of being a bit Antichristy, it would, in fact, be wrong:
I can see by the language he uses why people think he could be the Antichrist," adds LaHaye, "but from my reading of scripture, he doesn't meet the criteria. There is no indication in the Bible that the Antichrist will be an American.
For further useful clarifications like this, why not sign up here for the Left Behind Prophecy Club? You'll receive a weekly email explaining how various events in the headlines are indicative of the impending Rapture. Still, LaHaye and Jenkins's statement raises more questions than it answers. If not Obama, who is the Antichrist? The criteria, apparently, include a) going around acting like you're the saviour of the world, b) being "self-exalting", and now c) not being American.
I've been racking my brains. So far I can only think of Bono.
