This is not a new phenomenon, by any means. I remember when I was a kid back in the 70s hearing various relatives of mine discussing Hal Lindsey's "The Late Great Planet Earth". They were convinced, along with Hal, that the Book of Revelation said that the world would end in a military confrontation with the atheistic and communistic USSR. This sort of thinking has merely been updated with the times, replacing the USSR with some Islamic or United Nations bogeyman. (See the phenomenal publishing figures for the "Left Behind" series, if anyone doubts how widespread it is.)
I had a co-worker tell me a couple of years ago that Saddam Hussein, himself, could be the antichrist. After he was hanged, he decided the Antichrist must be the head of the EU, the UN or even the Pope, himself. He also doesn't believe that members of the Roman Catholic church are actually Christians, at all.
This may be shocking stuff to any of you small war thinkers outside of Dixie, but I can assure you that it is pretty typical stuff in your typical evangelical Southern protestant church. Around here, that pretty much means ANY church that is not Roman Catholic, Episcopalian, or Unitarian.
I think alot of people are vaguely aware that there is this group of people who have these beliefs. But they mistakenly feel it is just a handful of folks, perhaps because they don't personally know them. I got news for them, this is mainstream, man-on-the-street stuff down here. It will be interesting to see who can attract this vote in the coming GOP primaries down South, since they have basically taken over the GOP at the local level. At least around here they have, maybe not where you are.
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