So the Anti-Christ will stand in the temple of Jerusalem and proclaim that he is God. Right. He will then lead an army of gentiles and destroy Israel. The whole world will burn in the crucible of this epic battle before Jesus himself pops down from his lofty perch and smites Lucifer, or his son, whichever it is that bothered to show up.
Personally I'd say that it'd be a stand in. I mean who would wait eons just to be beaten? Would you? All that planning and preparation. Sowing all of those seeds of temptation and damnation. Rallying all of the worlds gentiles, atheists, agnostics, catholics (if your protestant), protestants (if your catholic) and basically everyone else who doesn't believe in your particular sects interpretation of a massively edited and re-edited compilation called the bible. Only to ultimately lose.
Another thing, wasn't it supposed to happen nearly two thousand years ago? Sorry I mean last year? No, no, I mean 2.30pm a week next Thursday?
On the other hand, could you possibly look at it as propaganda propagated by a dispossessed Israelite trying comfort his countrymen and women who had recently suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Romans. Perhaps it was referring to the fact that they were punished for not paying tribute and sacrificing offerings to the Roman Gods, whose followers almost certainly stood in the holiest of sites in Jerusalem and proclaimed their way to be the only true path.
Would that fit the particular criteria.
So, is the Battle of Armageddon imminent? Yes, but only if your an evangelical preacher looking to bolster your own coffers with the offerings of the gullible, sorry (there I go again) of course I mean donations from the faithful who will be those lifted unto Heaven.
Personally I think that if God existed he wouldn't be charging an entrance fee.
