The Antichrist is, imo, the most important figure in the Christian cosmology— & it is more important than Jesus himself when it comes to understanding Christianity. Jesus is often more the “anti-antichrist” than he is “christ.”

The Antichrist represents terrestrial political power & the Church’s relation with terrestrial political power is always the question of the Antichrist. Every historical “antichrist” is a political figure— from Nero & Julian to Peter the Great & Napoleon.

Trump is an Antichrist also— & the main Evangelical innovation in Qanon &c is to consider him a Katehon, or an “anti-anti-christ” instead.

Whenever the Antichrist becomes a major question it is a time of Political change. Cromwell considered King Charles an Antichrist— & he was also considered an Antichrist.

I note that Paul invented the concept of the Antichrist.

I guess people are mad about this? Why? Isn’t the Antichrist an extremely important element of the Christian cosmology? Does not the the question of Evil ultimately determine the question of the Good as well? Isn’t “state v church” one of the main conflicts of the gospels?

Pre-nicene christianity is full of conflict over its relation to the terrestrial Empire— & this anxiety is often the cause of the political schisms the Church experiences from Constantinople v Rome? All the way to Calvin v Severetus (both calling eachother antichrist)?

I guess I should have added understanding Christianity *as a terrestrial & politically motivated set of institutions to the first post.

You can divide most christians this way today:
Trump is Antichrist
Trump is Katechon
Trump is neither Antichrist nor Katechon

I’ve just been reading about all the schisms in american evangelical churches over Qanon today. It’s becomes a doctrinal issue & people are being excommunicated from their churches for their stance on this question.

I’m sorry but politics is still the primary determinant of people’s religious views— & this has been the case for the christian church since the beginning when Paul showed up talking about the Antichrist.

This should be obvious considering how many people on here became Christians after a change in their political perspective. I see more converts coming from “seeing the Antichrist at work” than anything else.

Oh is it just a coincidence that the schisms in the church all correspond to political schisms?

The Johanine epistles about the antichrist are a response to Pauline epistles, especially 2 Thessalonians. Most philologists agree with this chronology.

Ironically, the doctrine is created by Paul as a carryover from his Phillistine/Herodian Hellenized Judaism & then argued over within the Church to be eventually defined in opposition to Paul... but this is perhaps too much philology...

The synoptic gospels refer to a “psuedo-christ” but the “anti-christ” develops dialectically from the political issues of the Church— Paul considers Rome to be the Katechon.