List of people accused of being the Antichrist

In most Christian circles, the Antichrist is described as the future leader of a supranational state, and is seen as a messianic figure, opposing all things about God, all while declaring himself as God (). Throughout the nearly 2000 years that Christianity existed, many political and social figures of their time have been accused of being such. This list chronicles those who have either failed to make the cut, or are pending to be, depending on the level of shoehorning one relies on. Many non-specific people are called "Antichrists" in the New Testament (, ), so this will list specifically refer to those who are, or were, said to fulfill the events of Daniel or Revelation, signaling the End Times.
==Dead==
* Jesus (c. 4 BCE – 30 or 33 CE): According to Paul Sides (a former computer programmer who runs an obscure webshite using the pen name Rav Sha'ul that contains plenty of other incomprehensible green ink "religious" babble), Jesus Christ himself is the Antichrist."Jesus Christ is the Anti-Christ", sabbathcovenant.com, archived on 2015 November 17 This stance seems to have replaced a previous numerology-oriented "theory" from Sides that speculated the Antichrist to be Charles III when he was still Prince of Wales."The Anti-Christ: Prince Charles of Wales", sabbathcovenant.com, archived on 2004 November 3 Jesus was also previously accused of performing demonic acts in the name of Beelzebub by the Pharisees, at least according to the Bible.
* Nero : The OG. Scholars claim that in Gematria, 666 was to refer to Nero during his reign and persecution of Christians at that time."Nero Versus the Christians" by Shushma Malik, History Today, 2020 September 9 also believe Nero already fulfilled the events of Revelation.
* and all subsequent popes, according to John Wesley, one of the founders of Methodism.Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament: Notes on the Revelation of Jesus Christ, Chapter XVII, Verse 11 by John Wesley (1755) via Christian Classics Ethereal Library.
* Holy Roman Emperor 
*During the Middle Ages, the idea that the Pope was the Antichrist was widespread."'Anatomia Antichristi': Form and Content of the Papal Antichrist" by Lawrence P. Buck (2011) The Sixteenth Century Journal 42(2):349-368."Angel Pope and Papal Antichrist" by Bernard McGinn (1978) Church History 47(2):155-173. doi:10.2307/3164731.The Roman Monster: An Icon of the Papal Antichrist In Reformation Polemics by Lawrence P. Buck (2014) Truman State University Press. ISBN 161248106X.
* Napoleon Bonaparte : His rampant conquests made many preachers in Europe fear the idea that he would take over the world. For those who believe that Nostradamus predicted the rise of three Antichrists, Napoleon is often considered the definitive candidate for the first slot."The 7 Most Popular Contenders for the Title ‘Antichrist’" by Joe Carter, The Gospel Coalition, 2012 November 16 
* Franklin D. Roosevelt : Probably the first American president to be widely called the Antichrist, a trend that has extended to almost every American president since."How Many Presidents Have Been Accused of Being the Antichrist?" by Forrest Wickman, Slate, 2011 November 17Yes, that does exclude James Buchanan. Go figure. In fairness, it also excludes Abraham Lincoln. Roosevelt's rapid expansion of government and consolidation of power, combined with his utopian visions and his influence in developing international bodies like the United Nations, seemed to "check the boxes" of many 1930s American fundamentalists, who believed that the Antichrist prophecy would be fulfilled by the consolidation of independent nations into one superstate, led by a seemingly benevolent leader that promised world peace."Why the Antichrist Matters in Politics" by Matthew Avery Sutton, New York Times, 2011 September 25 Historian Matthew Avery Sutton has argued that these anti-New Deal evangelicals foreshadowed the modern evangelical-Republican alignment, along with its anti-liberalism / anti-globalism paradigm.Matthew Avery Sutton, Was FDR the Antichrist? The Birth of Fundamentalist Antiliberalism in a Global Age, Journal of American History, Volume 98, Issue 4, March 2012, Pages 1052–1074, https://doi.org/10.1093/jahist/jar565
* Benito Mussolini : Being Italy's dictator and his takeover of Rome made preachers concerned he would revive the Roman Empire.
* Adolf Hitler : Kinda like Napoleon, but also planned to wipe out all Jews. Nostradamus fans often consider Hitler to be the second candidate of the predicted three.
* Aleister Crowley : "The Great Beast 666"The Great Beast 666: who was Aleister Crowley? The National Trust.
* John F. Kennedy : Being the first Catholic President in America surely gets you quite a scare."The Nation: The 'Hypermodern' Foe; How the Evangelicals and Catholics Joined Forces" by Laurie Goodstein, New York Times, 2004 May 30 Extra points for getting shot in the head, though no resurrection as of now.
* Ronald Reagan : A mentally troubled man named Gregory Gordon had an obsession with Reagan being the Antichrist, to the point of getting arrested and convicted for threatening the life of a former President in 1990."CONVICTION UPHELD IN REAGAN INCIDENT" by the Associated Press, 1992 September 6, digitized in the New York Times archive There was also the once widely-circulated factoid that each of his three names, Ronald Wilson Reagan, consisted of 6 letters: 666.A Superstitious View Of Reagan's Victory by Dorothy Gilliam (November 15, 1980) The Washington Post.
*Pope John Paul II , according to Ian PaisleyOutburst Disrupts Pope’s Speech at European Parliament by Sydney Rubin (October 11, 1988) AP.
* : A French newspaper editor and politician with a Pan-European streak, he was suggested by Hal Lindsey in his 1970 book The Late Great Planet Earth.In 1970 Lindsey saw a possible candidate for the role of Roman Antichrist in the Frenchman Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, “newspaper editor and author of The American Challenge.” The reason for this choice was that Servan-Schreiber at that time was “furiously trying to push a U.S. of Europe” and because he wanted “to become its first president.” Samuele Bacchiocchi: [Hal Lindsey's Prophetic Jigsaw Puzzle]
* Saddam Hussein : Claimed by some to be the third in the unholy trinity of the Antichrists according to Nostradamus fanboys, as they believe that the name "Saddam" is a mirror spelling of the antichrist figure "Mabus" Nostradamus mentioned in one of his quatrians.
* Jose Luis de Jesús : Claimed to be both Jesus and the Antichrist at the same time."Followers await self-styled ‘Antichrist’", Associated Press (hosted on NBC News), 2007 April 20
* Mikhail Gorbachev : It all had to do with the birthmark.Gorbachev! Has the Real Antichrist Come?"The Devil in Gorbachev" by Art Levine, Washington Post, 1988 June 5
* Henry Kissinger : A favorite Antichrist candidate for American fundamentalists in the 1970s and 1980s."The Devil in Gorbachev" by Art Levine, Washington Post, 1988 June 5"The 7 Most Popular Contenders for the Title 'Antichrist'" by Joe Carter, The Gospel Coalition, 2012 November 16
==Alive==
* George Soros : At least, Rudy Giuliani seems to think Soros is the Antichrist for some reason."Rudy Giuliani shares tweet calling George Soros ‘anti-Christ’" by Gabe Friedman, Times of Israel, 2018 October 8
* Pope Francis : Protestants have long had a tradition of accusing the Catholic papacy (as well as individual popes) of being the Antichrist, a tradition that dates all the way back to one of the movement's major founders, Martin Luther."Five things to know about the Antichrist" by Philip C. Almond, Conversation, 2020 October 19 So it's no surprise that in the modern age, crazy "birther" Republican politicians ranting on Facebook will do so likewise."New Hampshire state rep: ‘The Pope is the anti-Christ. Do your research.’" by Eric 
Levenson, Boston.com, 2016 February 23
* Joe Biden : Former President of the United States. He's a Catholic, but that didn't stop a Kansas man from travelling to D.C to attempt to kill "Antichrist Biden".Kansas man traveled to D.C. to kill ‘Antichrist’ Biden: report
* Donald Trump : The current President of the United States. rallying point, if not outright leader, of a dizzying array of cult-like political movements, such as QAnon and MAGA. He also has a large chunk of the Religious Right in his corner, despite (or maybe because of) being a charlatan with a streak and habit of running con games rivaling L. Ron Freaking Hubbard. Oh, yeah, and he's also a hard-boiled authoritarian whose Hitler-esque approach to politics has won him the adoration of America's Neo-Nazis. Notably the tabloid reporting on a spat between Trump and Francis over Trump's border wall, called Trump "ANTICHRIST!" on the front cover of their February 19 2016 edition."Pope Francis says Trump ‘not Christian’ because of Mexican border wall plan, candidate calls pontiff's remarks 'disgraceful'" by Larry McShane and Ginger Adams Otis, New York Daily Newsm 2016 February 19"Donald Trump Is ‘Anti Christ’ on Latest NY Daily News Cover (Photo)" by Brian Flood, The Wrap, 2016 February 19 Author and internet personality Benjamin L. Corey also jocularly noted that as of 2020, Trump would have fulfilled a large number of biblical predictions about the Antichrist.Benjamin L. Corey: Could American Evangelicals Really Spot the Antichrist? Updated 6 October 2020
* Hillary Clinton : Accused of being the Antichrist by the GOP representative of Montana, as part of his 2014 campaign."Meet the GOP Congressional Candidate Who Called Hillary Clinton the “Antichrist”" by Molly Redden, Mother Jones, 2014 February 4
* Vladimir Putin : After Putin began his widely condemned invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, several bishops in the called Putin a "modern-day anti-Christ", or at the least operating in "the spirit of the anti-Christ"."Ukraine archbishop slams Russian invasion, calls Putin the anti-Christ" by Jerusalem Post Staff, 2022 March 2
* : Some forums have actually said this.Jerry Seinfeld is EVIL, he's the ANTICHRIST ! ! ! by Karl-Hugo Weesberg Narkive Jerry Seinfeld is the antichrist. by Nadbash, Torn
* Oprah Winfrey : Declared as one of the principal "pastors" of a "Harlot Babylon" by Rick Perry's NAR dominionist pal in an undated video revealed in 2011. Bickle said that this "Harlot Babylon" was a precursor to the coming of the Antichrist."Rick Perry Partners With Pastor Who Thinks Oprah Is The Precursor To The Antichrist" by Brian Tashman, Right Wing Watch, 2011 July 8 Some obscure webshites have gone even further and declared that she was the Antichrist, largely due to her massive popularity and accusations of supposed "New Age" influences."Could Oprah be the Antichrist?", Unam Sanctam Catholicism blog, 2008 March 4, archived 2011 January 8"Oprah Winfrey Boldly Leading Humanity To The New Age Antichrist" by Byxstory, Scribd.com, archived 2024 January 14
* Bill Gates : Foreshadowing the shitshow of the modern QAnon web, a 1994 chain letter email used numerology and an in called the "Hall of Tortured Souls""Excel Easter Egg - Excel 95 Hall of Tortured Souls", Easter Egg Archive to proclaim Gates as the Antichrist."Bill Gates/Microsoft Chain-letter E-mails", KnowYourMeme.com Gates' later transformation into a health philanthropist added a new wrinkle to these claims during the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to fundamentalism's wholehearted embrace of the anti-vaccination movement, and the widespread belief within the movement that COVID-19 vaccines Gates was promoting would contain mass-trackable microchips."Why won’t Americans get vaccinated?" by Kathy Frankovic, YouGovAmerica, 2021 July 15 This led to a few preachers to once again accuse Gates of being the Antichrist."Why Bill Gates is the focus of the latest coronavirus conspiracy theories" by Ruth Reader, FastCompany, 2020 April 21
* John Lydon : self-accused, "I am an antichrist / I am an anarchist."Sex Pistols: John Lydon Said ‘Anarchy in the U.K.’ Isn’t About ‘Spitefully Wanting to Wreck Everything for No Reason’ by Hannah Wigandt (May 27, 2022) Showbiz CheatSheet.
* : American pop singer and actress whose use of religious symbolism led to some accusing her of being either the AntichristLafayette De Mente, Boyé (2005). How to Measure the Sexuality of Men & Women by Their Facial Features. Phoenix Books. ISBN 0-914778-78-1. or the Whore of Babylon.
* Barack Obama : The most obvious example in recent memory. Ultimately, this was inevitable given that he was the first black President of the United States. Not helping is that he was accused of being a Muslim, as well as being born in Kenya. In a 2013 poll of Americans' beliefs in conspiracy theories, 13% of respondents believed that Obama was the Antichrist."One in four Americans think Obama may be the antichrist, survey says" by Paul Harris, Guardian, 2013 April 2 Accusing Obama of being the Antichrist was a common hysterical rant in the FW:FW:FW: chain emails of the aughts."According to The Book of Revelations the anti-christ ... will be a man, in his 40s, of MUSLIM descent ... is it OBAMA??" by Amy Hollyfield, Politifact, oynter Institute, 2008 April 2 Notably, witnesses said that the motivation of the suspect of the Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, was that he thought that Obama was the Antichrist."In video, White House shooting suspect calls himself ‘modern-day Jesus’" by Mariano Castillo and Greg Botelho, CNN, 2011 November 18
* Tim Walz : Shortly after Walz was selected as Kamala Harris's vice presidential running mate in 2024, an obscure "prophet" named "Joseph Z" (aka Joseph Zupetz) appeared on a program run by Kenneth Copeland's ministries called Flashpoint. There, "Z" accused Walz of being picked by the "spirit of the Antichrist", as he "fit in with the wicked overlord lizard mafia that is really driven by their masters.""FlashPoint ‘Prophet’ Joseph Z Says Antichrist Spirit Chose Tim Walz to Fit In With ‘Overlord Lizard Mafia’ and its ‘Goblin Masters’" by Peter Montgomery, Right Wing Watch, 2024 August 8
* Elon Musk : Accused of being the Antichrist on a number of occasions, including after he wore a "Devil's Champion" outfit for Halloween 2022.Ali Condon (November 3, 2022). "Elon Musk's Christian fans worried after he wears 'satanic' Halloween costume". Unilad.(March 6, 2024). "Ryan Garcia calls Elon Musk "the anti-Christ" and continues with cryptic messages". Marca. His leadership role for is of particular interest to some people who accuse Musk of being the Antichrist because they believe the company's brain chip implants may be the mark of the beast.
* : Accused of being the Antichrist by ReAwaken America tour co-founder Clay Clark as part of an over-arching conspiracy theory involving the Great Reset. The reasons Clark thinks Harari is the Antichrist seems to be because Harari is gay, vegan, has the same first name as a mentioned once in the Bible, and made a grand total of two speeches at the World Economic Forum in 2018 and 2020 (which, translated into Clark's conspiracy-speak, meant that for some reason Harari was the "lead advisor" of WEF head )."ReAwaken America Tour Fuses Trumpism and Christian Nationalism" by Noah Phillips, Moment, 12 May 2023"Fact Check-World Economic Forum did not declare ‘God is dead’ or that humans would become gods" by Reuters Fact Check, 2022 December 23"Who Is the Man Leading the COVID-19 / Great Reset Agenda?", ReAwaken America tour website (TimetoFreeAmerica.com), archived on 2023 April 11 Helpfully to the conspiracists, ironically, a lot of Harari's actual works are dystopian futurism what-ifs (particularly when he discusses technology, especially AI);"Tech C.E.O.s Are in Love With Their Principal Doomsayer" by Nellie Bowles, New York Times, 2018 November 9 such provides a lot of material for Clark and other conspiracists to misuse in order to justify their "End Times" spin.
* Emmanuel Macron : Current French President. Another favorite Antichrist candidate of Internet conspiracy theorists."Can YouTube Quiet Its Conspiracy Theorists?" by Jack Nicas, New York Times, 2020 March 2 Macron did himself no favors in a long interview on April 17 2020 with the by referring to "bête de l'événement" (the beast of the event) as an allusion to the challenges of the times, such as terrorism and the COVID-19 pandemic. This, of course, allowed conspiracy theorists to quote mine the phrase into implying that Macron was the "beast" himself."Macron et «l’arrivée de la Bête» (de l’Apocalypse) : comment remonter le fil de cette petite phrase" by William Audureau, Le Monde, 2020 May 22
* : Trump’s son in law, and senior adviser when he was in the White House. President of who for a long time owned a building in New York City with an address of (gasp!) 666 Fifth Avenue."666 FIFTH AVENUE", project overviews, Kushner.com, archived on 2016 November 25 Also got a line of credit from (gasp!) George Soros to help fund a company called "Is Jared Kushner a Paid Protester? Because It Turns Out He’s Gotten a Bunch of Money From George Soros." by Ben Mathis-Lilley, Slate, 2017 May 2 These facts, and an allusion to Kushner somehow looking like the fictional Nicolae Carpathia from the Left Behind series, are all certain End Times webshites need to proclaim that "we are not saying that Jared Kushner is the Antichrist, but..." "Why Does Jared Kushner Look Like He Is Getting Ready To Play The Role of the Biblical Antichrist?" by Geoffrey Grider, Nowtheendbegins.com, 2017 April 28, archived on 2022 September 16
* Prince Harry : So much Gematria…How to Calculate the Number of the Beast [and the Odds - UPDATE: See Pinned Comment] by chisza7, March 18, 2015, YouTube
* : In January 2023, Jimmy Donaldson aka MrBeast, a YouTube personality known for elaborate stunts and large giveaways, paid for 1000 cataract removal operations, and then posted a video about this giveaway to YouTube (under the somewhat clickbait-ish title "1,000 Blind People See for the First Time"). While MrBeast Antichrist accusations had occasionally emerged previously in noxious corners of the Internet like 4chan, in a sad reflection of the post-Musk devolution of Twitter, this video triggered some shitpost tweets on that platform that accused MrBeast of being the Antichrist for "subverting christs teachings" through "excessive acts of faux generosity"."he is literally the antichrist. he's performing our society's equivalent of miracles through these excessive acts of faux generosity and is garnering everyone's undivided love and admiration in doing so. he will start subverting christs teachings next and preaching selfish action", @mkuItra2trappy, Twitter, 2023 January 29, archived on 2023 January 29 As with many shitpost memes, the level of sincerity and sarcasm varied depending on the poster."KnowYourMeme: MrBeast Antichrist Comparisons""MrBeast Is Being Called "Antichrist" on Twitter for Helping Blind People Regain Vision" by Kelly Corbett, Distractify, 2023 January 30
==See also==
* List of predictions of the end of the world
==Notes==
==References==
Category:Conspiracy theorist scapegoats
Category:End of the world
Category:Lists