Half of American pastors believe there will be a future Antichrist

Almost half of American pastors believe that the Antichrist is a real person who is already fast approaching. Studies have shown that most of these pastors are Baptists and Pentecostals, as well as those who are considered less educated.

This was the result of a survey conducted by the Southern Baptist Convention's Lifeway Research sponsored by Charisma House Book Group. They interviewed 1,000 Protestant senior pastors and asked them about their beliefs about the return of Christ, the details of rapture, and the Antichrist — basically focusing on end-times theology.

LifeWay Research Vice President Scott McConnell believes that end-times theology is still an interesting yet challenging topic. "Most people want their pastor to preach about the Book of Revelation and the end of the world," McConnell said. "But that's a complicated task. Pastors and the scholars they cite often disagree about how the end times will unfold," he added.

That's pretty much what the survey has shown. There has been much disagreement when it came to the biblical rapture where it is believed that dead Christians will be raised from the dead and join with the living Christians in meeting the Lord up in the clouds. There has also been divisions when it came to the ideas of premillennialism, where it is believed that Christ would rule over the Earth on his second coming.

The only times the pastors shared a remarkable degree of agreement was with the expectation of an Antichrist. Nearly half of the pastors — Baptists and Pentecostals — believe that there will be a future Antichrist. Others who didn't share the same views believe that the Antichrist is only a personification of evil or that the Antichrist has already been here.

Education also played a factor in shaping the pastors' ideas about the Antichrist. Those who have achieved lesser education are more likely to believe in the coming of the Antichrist while those with a master's or doctorate are less likely to share the same view.

"The big picture of Revelation is clear — Jesus returns, people must be ready, evil is defeated," McConnell said about the results. "With the rest of the details, there is room for disagreement," he added.