Since at least 1980, Christian end of the world experts have claimed on mainstream Christian conservative outlets that each United States president was the antichrist, the demonic power with some connection with the number 666 who will unite then trash the world until Jesus Christ’s glorious return. Jimmy Carter, because he helped negotiate a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. Ronald Wilson Reagan, because each of his names contains six letters. George H. W. Bush, because of his one-world-order pronouncements. Bill Clinton, because of his commitment to the one world order and his sexual exploits in the Oval Office. George W. Bush, because, well, he’s a Bush. Barack Hussein Obama, because he isn’t a US citizen but is a Muslim committed to the one world order and might become the next head of the United Nations, the epitome of corrupt evildoing one-world-orderdom.

About a month before Donald Trump was promoted from bully businessman/entertainer to President-Elect, I suggested, tongue firmly in cheek, in an e-mail to a Christian conservative discussion group that he might be the antichrist because of his charisma and close alliance with Russia’s strong man Vladimir Putin.

“Nonsense,” I was told. “President Obama has more charisma than Donald Trump, and in any case, the Bible indicates that the antichrist is either homosexual or not interested in sex.”

Why prior end time experts didn’t include this nugget is beyond me, but I see clearly now that Donald Trump can’t be the antichrist due to his welcomed and unwelcomed sexual conquests. Might he be the new Messiah, however?

Yes. According to Brian Tashman’s December 18 article on Right Wing Watch, end times pastor Tom Horn stated that Donald Trump might be the messiah or his forerunner, and that the antichrist will become visible soon.

Praise the Lord!

But I have a different theory. Perhaps, strong man Putin is the antichrist with Donald Trump serving as his willing or unwilling assistant.

According to end time experts, the antichrist is supposed to be a power-hungry deceiver from Europe. Mr. Putin, formerly of the KGB, became Russia’s Mr. Christian Revivalist until recently, when he has forbidden evangelical Christians from spreading the good news. Yet he still is anti-gay rights, anti-abortion rights, and in favor of killing as many Muslims as possible, beliefs that most United States conservative Christians share. He seems to have played a small but significant role in President-Elect Trump’s promotion.

And there’s more. According to those Christian radio end time experts, conditions have never been aligned so closely with end time conditions. Russia and Iran on the same side for the first time ever. Global warming and earthquakes in strange places. Israel increasingly threatened. Ever-more-powerful computers.

How does the United States fit into this? The Bible doesn’t say, but suppose President-Elect Trump abandons Israel in favor of a strong alliance with President Putin’s Russia. Then, according to Bible prophecies, both the United States and Russia would be destroyed when God saves Israel from its enemies, thus removing both nations as players in future end time events.

Do I really believe this? No. The Bible counsels us not to try to predict what will happen when, and end time experts disagree about what Bible prophecies foretell. It seems unlikely that the Trump administration would abandon Israel. But I think my end time theory is more likely than the “all United States presidents are “antichrists” or the “Donald Trump is the Messiah” pronouncements. And it would be ironic if those who are so certain about the holiness of their beliefs would be the first to be deceived.

I do believe, though, that it’s the end of the world as we know it.

And I don’t feel fine.

By the way, this blog consists of 666 words. Does this make me the Antichrist?

Perhaps one of those end time experts might want to shine some light into this dark, cold corner of the world.