Fright is the fruit of distance from God, and it is a time of fear. Many are those who have been complacent for years and now are suddenly reacting like deer in the headlights. Something very fundamental is ringing alarms with people in America. Is it the idea of "change" -- real change, perhaps even a fundamental change in the U.S.? Is it misgivings over Islam, or other connections? Is it simply race? Whispers of socialism?

Whatever the reason, never has an election stirred up such strong emotions. "Are you sensing that there is something different about this presidential election?" wrote a man named Scott Whitley in a typical e-mail (one of countless strident ones). "I was telling someone just recently that it seems like this election is far more serious than those in the recent past. Something in my spirit is very uneasy. In the past I have felt the need to pray for different elections but I have never felt so strongly the urge to pray, and pray fervently, for an election as I do for this one. I truly believe that if the wrong person is elected this nation will be changed forever." 

Liberals have fretted over the fervid evangelical perspective of the vice-presidential candidate, Sarah Palin (some portraying her as devilish) while conservatives have gone so far as to voice concern that the Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama, is a stealth candidate, even an "anti-christ." That was also a fear expressed about Bill Clinton, and has been given further momentum by the candidate's association with a new globalism and his popularity in the United Nations and in other nations (from Europe to the Middle East and Africa). One African Methodist Episcopal bishop has compared the Democrat to Moses. We are always watchful of charisma.

When an anti-christ arrives, of course, it is not likely to be someone who is widely recognized as such. Many think that a spirit-man named Maitreya spoken about by a man named Benjamin Creme is the anti-christ but it seems extremely improbable that so many will spot the man of perdition before he does what he is going to do. To say that we have to be careful pointing fingers -- especially at political figures -- is an understatement. Many believed Bill Clinton was an anti-christ because when his photo was on the cover of Time, the two pointed peaks of the "M" looked like horns on the back of his head.

In San Francisco, there was a stir when a votive candle was spotted with what was identified as Barack Obama portrayed as a saint. His face was apparently superimposed over a dark-skinned saint, perhaps St. Martin de Porres (whose feast is ironically celebrated today, 11/3).

Nonetheless, we are on dangerous ground when morality -- as seen most vividly in abortion -- is in such jeopardy. What have visionaries said?

In South America, a reputed seer named Patricia Talbot claimed that the Blessed Mother spoke to her about the anti-christ. "He's already in the world," said the seer in 1991. "He's acting all over the world through various fields -- not directly, but through such things as science. People don't know him. He is going to act directly and we are going to know him. He's very, very intelligent, and will look like a humble good man and he's going to be very attractive, even beautiful, and have a very attractive personality, and he will get to people through television and all the ways of the world. But especially to youth through music and drugs. It is the work of the devil. He is very young yet. He's going to act directly in a terrible way after the punishment. I wouldn't want to live for the days when he acts stronger. A way to recognize him at the beginning will be that he will speak of humility, but people will recognize that he is not such. He will bring people to egoism."

Of course, the part of "youth and drugs" does not seem tied to a candidate, nor does "science." Can we put stock in any such depictions? Do we take only portions? An alleged seer in northern Europe "saw" the image of an anti-christ as a man 45 to fifty years old, with very piercing eyes but nothing horrific about his actual physical visage. "He's not Irish or English," she claimed. "He struck me as foreign. His skin was darker but he didn't have squinty eyes. There are many anti-christs and through them an army will unite and resurrect a leader."

"I fear that our nation is electing a man who is a precursor to the man of perdition who is to come," says another e-mail, from Joyce Morgan, indicative of many, who are especially galvanized, of course, over the issue of abortion, which is a defining line in morality. "My sense from God is this: Our nation will get what it wants, a tyrant to sin, who will lead this nation away from being a Christian nation, to a new age nation. With people who believe in new age ideas and thoughts. We see the stock market crash and in a prophecy given to me in 1993, God said he would strike this nation in its pockets, financially because his people are apathetic to sin,  even those who are called by His Name will suffer because we failed to speak up against sin in our nation."

Prophecy, prophecy: strong stuff!

For our discernment: is it fair or unfair? Is it relevant or dangerous? Can it really be tagged to a particular election -- or do we all set the stage with what we do or don't do, when we have been complacent? Let us try to see the good in everyone while we also remain vigilant.

"As for the anti-christ, remember Europe, and especially Central Europe," asserted the 1990 prophecy which we have frequently mentioned. "Many inventions of mankind will be broken down and there will be more of a peasant attitude and way of life everywhere. After this breakdown of false society will come persecution of Christians and also a new world order. The anti-christ will be on earth trying to affect the new world order. Hardly anyone will notice the extent of his influence until afterwards. He will not be of tremendous visibility until he is accomplished. That is to say, he will not rule, control, and be at all obvious to the world at the peak of his influence. He will not be unlike a figure such as Marx, except his ideas will be more immediate."

[resources: The Final Hour, Tower of Light, and Onward Catholic Soldier]

[Michael Brown prophecy retreat, 11/8, Nevada]

[see also: Blog: messiah or anti-christ, 'It will usher in a new world order', Does 'ritual' of abortion doom U.S.?, A civilian security force?, Catholic novelist: is Obama anti-christ? and Does name really mean 'lightning'?]