I was minding my own business, comparing study Bibles. In the back of my mind, I was going over the AWANA lesson I would be teaching in a few hours. All was quiet in the store that time of day.
"Hi there," a man's voice at the end of the aisle only slightly startled me. I thought he might be an employee, about to ask me if I was finding everything all right. A sideways glance disproved that.
The man was of average height, with brown hair and a most interesting suit. It was old and worn, but it wasn't a cheap suit. It was high quality material.
"Hello," I answered politely and went back to looking at the Bibles. The man stood awkwardly watching. I decided to wait for him to say something.
It didn't take long.
"I notice you're looking at Bibles. Are you a Christian?" He asked.
At this, I got excited. Maybe this was someone searching for the Truth, and I could witness to him!
"Yes, I'm a Christian," I told him happily.
"Well, I got saved at Harvest on Sunday. I prayed with Greg Laurie," he told me.
"Welcome to the family of God." I said.
"Well, I have some questions about the Bible. Can you answer them?"
"I'll do my best," I answered, still feeling positive about this.
"Okay," he launched in. "So, do you believe the whole Bible?"
"Yes."
"Even the book of Revelation?"
"Yes."
Here, he looked to be growing more concerned. After a brief pause, he slowly began his next question. "Do you believe the Antichrist will be a literal person?"
"Yes, I do."
His voice dropped to a near whisper. "Do you believe he could be alive today?"
"He might not be, but he very well could be alive now."
At this, his eyes filled with fear. "No!" He exclaimed. "Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!"
I was alarmed. Was this guy all right?
Tears came into his eyes, but he pulled himself together. "You see," he whispered dramatically, as if he were letting me in on a great secret. "I think I'm the Antichrist!"
I was speechless for a second, not sure if I had heard him correctly. "You think you're the Antichrist?" I finally asked. "Well, what led you to this conclusion?"
"I have secret powers," he was still whispering. "And I have information that's vital to this nation's security!"
I froze. This was not what I bargained for. What could I say? Was I legally obligated to report this? Before I could answer, he continued. "I'm from the tribe of David!" This, he said proudly. My mind spun.
"You could be Jewish," I finally stammered. "But nobody knows what tribe they're from. Those records were lost. And there is no tribe of David. David was from the tribe of Judah."
I wasn't sure if he was tracking with me or not. I went on to address more of the bizarreness.
"You can't possibly be the Antichrist. You said yourself that you became a Christian on Sunday. A Christian can't be the Antichrist. Besides, from my understanding of scripture, the Antichrist won't even come on the scene until all the Christians have been Raptured. We'll be in Heaven. He may not even be born yet."
My friend's countenance took a sort of confused turn. "But I'm the most intelligent person in the United States! I know how to get into Air Force One!"
I felt a chill. Did this guy want me to deny or confirm that he was the Man of Sin the Bible warns about? Was this a way he was trying to seem important?
"Well," I tried to continue with the momentum I already had. "there are other reasons you're not the Antichrist. The Antichrist isn't going to worry or wonder about who he is, the way you are. He's going to know, and be very deliberate about it."
My friend who was not really the Antichrist seemed to be listening. I launched forward.
"The Antichrist isn't going to call himself the Antichrist to people. He's going to be a world leader who performs signs and wonders and deceives people."
Tears came back to to his eyes. "That's me to a T!"
What could I say?
"Look," I told him. "You'll have to trust me on this. You're not the Antichrist."
I'm not sure if I resolved any of his confusion. I felt creepy inside as I went on with my day. As I drove to AWANA that night, I couldn't shake the experience. He obviously wasn't well. Mostly, he'd been very upset with the idea, but it had seemed he was disappointed when I shot down the possibility, as if a part of him really did want to be the Antichrist. The concept of someone wanting that sent shivers through me.
Well, I pulled into the parking lot at church and...it was deserted! Not a soul. Could it be that--
No, I sighed in relief as Pastor Mike drove into the parking lot. I ran to tell him about my adventures with the Antichrist at Borders Bookstore. His response?
"You should have gotten his autograph!"
Alas, a lost opportunity to have the Antichrist's autograph.
Yeah, they all come here. Who knows how they find us, but they all come here. Sigh.
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