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Philip C. Almond

Philip C. Almond

The Conversation

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A senior Iranian cleric thinks Trump is the Muslim Antichrist. Who is this figure, al‑Dajjāl?

The Dajjāl is, according to Islam, a false messiah who will emerge in the End Times. An Iranian senior cleric believes Donald Trump is this figure.

25.03.2026 10

The Conversation

Philip C. Almond

Terror, androgyny and benevolence: a brief history of angels in Christianity

A surprising number of people say they are open to the existence of angels. Their Old Testament identities are very different, however, to how they...

22.12.2025 10

The Conversation

Philip C. Almond

Peter Thiel thinks Greta Thunberg could be the Antichrist. Here’s how three religions actually describe him

By the ninth century, influenced by the Christian idea, Islam and Judaism each had their own Antichrist figures who would come at the end of history.

16.10.2025 30

The Conversation

Philip C. Almond

What is the rapture, and why does TikTok believe the end is coming?

In the history of Christian thought, the idea of the rapture before the Tribulation is a relatively recent innovation.

24.09.2025 20

The Conversation

Philip C. Almond

Not quite angels: why we should stop calling these small winged children ‘cherubs’

The image you hold in your head of a cherub is completely unlike the cherubs of the biblical and medieval traditions.

15.08.2025 10

The Conversation

Philip C. Almond

What will the Antichrist look like? According to Western thought, an authoritarian king – or the pope

In casting himself as supreme leader and pope, Donald Trump inadvertently invoked the Christian understanding of the Antichrist.

09.05.2025 10

The Conversation

Philip C. Almond