THE CONCEPT OF ANTICHRIST

Discussing the subject of “Digitalization” and how a young minister should be prepared in this new era, I decided to examine the topic with such a mindset. The antichrist is a concept that has been rooted throughout the human history of civilization, starting from the bronze and iron ages. The new era of digitalization is another milestone in the process of civilization and to pass my out of view on the “Concept of Antichrist”, I will like to go down history to the early days of civilization.

Civilization, which is defined as an organized culture encompassing many communities, often on the scale of a nation or a people; a stage or system of social, political, or technical development, can be seen to be spelled out throughout history. In Genesis 10 & 11, where we saw one of the early civilizations in man’s history, we saw that a discovery was made, which was the OVEN-FIRED BRICKS (Genesis 11:3). Archeological findings have confirmed that ancient inhabitants of the Ancient Middle East used asphalt for mortar.

This discovery soon led the people to decide to build a city for themselves. They said, “…come; let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky. Let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:4). This desire was in sharp contrast to what the divine will was, which was that man would fill the earth and cover it (Gen. 1:26–28). The building that these people decided to build was called “Babel” or “Babylon”. (Some versions of the bible used Babylon instead of Babel such as HCSB). Most Old Babylonian cuneiform sources indicate that “Babylon” or “Babel”, as the case may be, means “gate of god(s)”. So we see the early forms of civilization tainted with self-preservation and self-glorification as opposed to fulfilling divine will and mandate.

To further buttress this point, we see in Genesis 10, the story of Nimrod who became a powerful man on the earth. Below is what Flavius Josephus (Jewish historian) had to say about him.

“Now, it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront and contempt of God. He was… a bold man, and of great strength of hand. He persuaded them not to ascribe it [happiness and prosperity of the land] to God, as if it was through his means that they are happy; but to believe that it was their courage which procured that happiness. He changed the government to tyranny; seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God but to bring them to a constant dependence on his power. He also claimed he would fight God if he should have a mind to drown the world again; hence he will build a tower too high for the waters to reach and would avenge God for destroying their fore-fathers.”

If anything, there are similarities between Nimrod and what the New Testament says about the antichrist (or beast). Revelation 13 is filled with the acts of the beast (a symbol of the antichrist) including blasphemes God, God’s name, His tabernacle, and all those who dwell in heaven, verse 8. We see tyranny as an important attitude of the antichrist which leads to people abandoning the fear of God for his.

In demystifying these symbols and using correlations with the early civilizations in man’s history, it implies that the antichrist is a concept that tries to elevate self-preservation, self-glorification, and self-pleasure much more than the glorification of the Divine. The apostle Paul also reiterated this in his second epistle to Timothy, chapter 3:1–4. He particularly said, “…lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” It also appears that for this to be achieved, fear will be spread across the hearts of men.

However, believers should find solace in Zion amid all these Babylonian acts. We saw that right after Genesis 11 was Genesis 12; the story of a man who sought solace in God amidst the pervasion that filled the earth. A man who stood with the lamb and followed the lamb to an extent that he lived above the influence of the antichrist, his name was Abraham. And as we see in Revelations 18, the finality of Babylon’s fall and the casting of the antichrist in the lake of fire (Revelations 19:20), it will play out as God has revealed.

Just as oven-fired brick was discovered then, digitalization is now upon us, from AI, Super robotics, and so on. However as Abraham was called and he represented God’s interest in that day, we also should follow in the footsteps of the “father of faith”, to which we’ve been called, and represent God’s interest in the context of our day.

Adesoji Fasanya

Lead, Eden House.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Holman Christian Standard Study Bible (2014) by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee.

New King James Holy Bible (1982) by Thomas Nelson Inc.

Flavius Josephus of the Antiquities of the Jews — Book I. Containing the interval of 3833 years. From Creation to the death of Isaac.

Paul Kuk Won Chang (2005). Metatheology, a comparative approach of Synthetic Theology to the Ancient Near East, the Old Testament and the Language of the New Testament. Author House Publisher.