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Some
Types of Antichrists in Biblical Times:
The Pharaoh of Exodus (chapters 5 to 12):
The defier of God; the one who cruelly treated His people; the one who
by ordering the destruction of all the male children, sought to cut off Israel from being
a nation; the one who met with such a drastic end at the hands of the Lord (Psa. 136:15)
God's two witnesses performed miracles before Pharaoh (Ex. 7:10); so,
too, will God's two witnesses in the Tribulation period work miracles before the Beast
(Rev. 11:6,7).
Pharaoh had magical resources at his disposal (Ex. 7:11), as the
Antichrist will have at his (2 Thess. 2:9).
Pharaoh made fair promises to the Hebrews, only to break them (Ex.
8:8,15). In this, too, he foreshadowed the Antichrist in his perfidy and treachery toward
Israel.
He was overthrown at the time that Israel started out for the promised
land: so Antichrist will be cast into the Lake of Fire just before Israel enters into
everlasting possession of their promised inheritance... Pharaoh was a striking and
accurate type of the Antichrist.
Antiochus Epiphanes, King Antiochus IV of Assyria:
Antiochus Epiphanes, King Antiochus IV of Assyria, the Assyrian of Isaiah
10:5,12, the one referred by in Daniel 11:21-45, and by Paul in 2Thes2, and his life and
works may be studied in both Books of the Maccabees:
Antiochus Epiphanes fulfills some prophecies respecting the Antichrist.
As far back as the days of Josephus (see his "Antiquities") this view found
ardent advocates. The title he assumed (Epiphanes signifying "Illustrious");
his opposition against the worship of Jehovah; his remarkable military achievements; his
diplomatic intrigues; his defiling of the Temple; his sacrificing of a pig in the holy of
holies; his setting up of an image; and to his cruel treatment of the Jews.
Nero:
Here again there are many striking resemblances to the
Antiuchrist. In his office of emperor of the Romans; in his awful impiety; in his
consuming egotism, in his bloodthirsty nature; and in his ferocious and fiendish
persecution of the people of God, we discover some of the very lineaments which will be
characteristic of the Wicked One. But again it will be found that this man of infamous
memory, Nero, did nothing more than foreshadow that one who shall far exceed him in
satanic malignity. Positive proof that Nero was not the Antichrist is to be found in the
fact that he was in his grave before John wrote the thirteenth chapter of the Revelation.
The Book of Judith:
It is is typical of the work of the Two Beasts of Revelation 13:
1- King Nebuchadnezzar of the Assyrians declares himself God, to whom
all the people of the world have to adore and serve. He would be the First Beast, or the
Antichrist.
2- Holofermes, his general, went about the whole world, making people
to adore the King, or he will kill them.
3- Every nation adored the King, except a little one: Israel… and
a strong woman of Israel, Judith, cut the head of Holofermes and ended with the Kingdom…
Judith is a type of Virgin Mary.
Cain:
The very first man born into this world prefigured the Man of Sin. He
did so in a least seven respects.
1- We may observe that in 1 John 3:12 we are told "Cain was of
that Wicked One, i.e. the Devil. Of none other is this particular expression used. The
Antichrist will also, in a special sense, be "of that Wicked one", for the Devil
is said to be his father (John 8:44).
2- Cain was a religious hypocrite. This is seen in the fact that at
first he posed as a worshipper of God, but the emptiness of his pretensions were quickly
evidenced; for, when the Lord refused his offering, Cain was "very wroth" (Gen.
4:5). As such he clearly prefigured that one who will first claim to be the Christ, only
to stand forth later as His denier (1 John 2:22). 3- By his
primogeniture Cain occupied the position of ruler. Said the Lord to him, "Unto to
thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him", that is, over Abel (Gen.
4:7). Such, too, will be the position filled by the Antichrist - he shall be a Ruler over
men.
4- In murdering his brother Abel, Cain foreshadowed the wicked
martyrdom of the Tribulation saints by the Son of Perdition.
5- Cain was a liar. After the murder of Abel, when the Lord asked Cain,
"Where is Abel thy brother?", he answered, "I know not" (Gen. 4:9). In
like manner deceit and falsehood will characterize him who is appropriately named
"the Lie" (2 Thess. 2:11).
6- God's judgment descended upon Cain. So far as we know from the Scripture record, no
human eye witnessed the dastardly murder of Abel, and doubtless Cain deemed himself secure
from any penal consequences. But if so, he reckoned without God. The Lord announced to
him, "Thy brother's blood crieth unto Me from the ground", and then He declared,
"And now art thou cursed from the earth" (Gen. 4:10). So, too, in his reckless
conceit , the Antichrist will imagine that he can defy God and slay His people with
impugnity. But his blasphemous delusions will be quickly dispelled.
7- Cain was made to exclaim, "My punishment is greater than I can
bear" (Gen. 4:13). Such indeed will be the awful portion meted out to the Antichrist
- he shall be "cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone" (Rev.
19:20).
Nimrod, the King of Babylon, builder of the tower of Babel (Gen.
10 and 11):
1- The meaning of his name is most suggestive. Nimrod
signifies "The Rebel". A fit designation was this for a man that foreshadowed
the Lawless One, who shall oppose and exalt himself above all that is called God (2 Thess.
2:4), and who shall "stand up against the Prince of princes" (Dan. 8:25).
2- We are told that Nimrod "began to be a mighty one in the
earth" (Gen. 10:8). Four times over is this term "mighty" connected with
this one who prefigured him "whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all
power and signs and lying wonders" (2 Thess. 2:9). But observe that it is first said,
"He began to be mighty", which seems to suggest the idea that he struggled for
the pre-eminence and obtained it by mere force of will. How this corresponds with the fact
that the Man of Sin first appears as "the little horn" and by force of conquest
attains to the position of King of kings needs only to be pointed out.
3- Fourth, it is also added, "Nimrod the mighty hunter before the
Lord" which means that he pushed his designs in brazen defiance of his Maker. The
words "mighty hunter before the Lord" are found twice in Gen. 10:9. This
repetition in so short a narrative is highly significant. If we compare the expression
with a similar one in Gen. 6:11, - "The earth also (in the days of Noah) was corrupt
before God" - the impression conveyed is that this "Rebel" pursued his
impious designs in open defiance of the Almighty. The contents of Gen. 11 abundantly
confirm this interpretation. In like manner, of the Antichrist it is written, "And
the King shall do according to his will, and he shall exalt himself and magnify himself
above every god (ruler), and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods"
(Dan. 11:36).
4- Nimrod was a "Man of Blood". In 1 Chron. 1:10 - "And
Cush begat Nimrod; he began to be mighty upon the earth". The Chaldea paraphrase of
this verse says, "Cush begat Nimrod who began to prevail in wickedness for he slew
innocent blood and rebelled against Jehovah". This, coupled with the expression
"a mighty Hunter before the Lord", suggests that he relentlessly sought out and
slew God's people. As such, he accurately portrayed the bloody and deceitful Man (Psa.
5:6), the violent Man (Psa. 140:1).
5- Nimrod was a King - "the beginning of his kingdom was
Babel" (Gen. 10:10. Thus he was King of Babylon, which is also one
of the many titles of the Antichrist (Isa. 14:4). In the verses which follow in Gen. 10 we
read, "He went out into Assyria and builded Ninevah, and the city Rehoboth, and
Calah", etc. (Gen. 10:11). From these statements it is evident that Nimrod's ambition
was to establish a world empire.
6- His inordinate desire for fame. His consuming desire was to make for
himself a name. Here again the antitype marvellously corresponds with the type, for the
Man of Sin is expressly denominated "King over all the children of pride" (John
41:34).
7- What is recorded in Gen. 10 about Nimrod supplies the key
to the first half of Gen. 11 which tells of the building of the Tower of Babel.
Gen. 10:10 informs us that the beginning of Nimrod's kingdom was Babel. In the language of
that day Babel meant "the gate of God", but afterwards, because of the judgment
which the Lord there inflicted, it came to mean "Confusion". That at the time
Nimrod founded Babel this word signified "the gate (the figure of official position)
of God", intimates that he not only organized an imperial government over which he
presided as king, but that he also instituted a new and idolatrous system of worship. If
the type be perfect, and we are fully assured it is so, then, as the Lawless One will yet
do, Nimrod demanded and received Divine honors. In all probability, it was at this point
that idolatry was introduced.
Nimrod is not directly mentioned in Gen. 11, but from the
statements made about him in chap. 10 there cannot be any doubt that he was the
"Chief" and "King" who organized and headed the movement and rebellion
there described: "And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top
may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the
face of the whole earth" (11:4). Here we behold a most blatant defiance of God, a
deliberate refusal to obey His commands given through Noah - "Be fruitful, and
multiply, and replenish the earth" (9:1). But they said, "Let us make us a name
lest we be scattered upon the face of the whole earth". As we have seen, Nimrod's
ambition was to establish a world-empire. To accomplish this two things, at least, were
necessary. First, a center, a great headquarters; and second, a motive for the inspiration
and encouragement of his followers. The former was furnished in the city of Babylon: the
latter was to be supplied in the "let us make us a name". It was inordinate
desire for fame. The idea of the Tower (considered in the light of its setting) seems that
of strength, a stronghold, rather than eminence.
In Nimrod and his schemes we behold Satan's initial attempt
to raise up an universal ruler of men. In his inordinate desire for fame, in the mighty
power that he wielded, in his ruthless and brutal methods, in his blatant defiance of the
Creator, in his founding of the kingdom of Babel, in his assuming to himself Divine
honors, in the Divine destruction of his kingdom - described in the words, "Let Us go
down and there confound their language" (Gen. 11:7), which so marvellously pictures
the descent of Christ from heaven to vanquish His impious rival - we cannot fail to see
that we have a wonderfully complete typical picture of the person and the work of the
Antichrist of the end of the world.
Saul:
In at least ten respects Saul foreshadowed the Antichrist.
1- Almost the first thing told us about Saul is that he was "from
his shoulders and upward higher than any of the people" (1 Sam. 9:2, which is
repeated in 10:23). As such he fitly prefigured the coming Super-man, who in intelligence,
governmental power, and satanic might, will so tower above all his contemporaries that men
shall exclaim, "Who is like unto the Beast?" (Rev. 13:4).
2- Saul was king of Israel (1 Sam. 10:24), so also will the Antichrist
be.
3- Saul was a priest-king, blatantly performing the office of the
Levite (see 1 Sam. 13:9, and cf Ezek. 21:25,26 R. V.).
4- he time of his reign was immediately before that of David, as that
of the Antichrist will immediately precede that of David's Son and Lord.
5- he was a mighty warrior (see 1 Sam. 11:11; 13:1-4; 15:4; 7:8).
6- He was a rebel against God (1 Sam. 15:11).
7- He hated David (1 Sam. 18:7,8,11; 26:2, etc.).
8- He slew the servants of God (1 Sam. 22:17,18).
9- He had intercourse with the powers of evil (1 Sam. 29).
10- He died by the sword (1 Sam. 31:4).
Goliath (1Sam.17):
1- His name means "Soothsayer" which at once connects him
with the powers of evil.
2- He was a giant, and thus, like Saul, prefigured the Super-man.
3- He was the enemy of Israel.
4- His consuming egotism was displayed in his blatant challenge,
"I defy the armies of Israel" (1 Sam. 17:10).
The mysterious number 666 (the number of the Antichrist) is connected
with Goliath. Note the three sixes. (a) He was six cubits high (1 Sam. 17:4). (b) Six
pieces of armour are enumerated - helmet, coat of mail, greaves, target, staff, and shield
(1 Sam. 17:5-7). (c) His spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron (1 Sam. 17:7).
6- He was slain by the sword (see 1 Sam. 17:51).
7- He was slain by David - type of Christ... In each of these respects
he foreshadowed the Antichrist.
Herod (Matt. 2):
1- Three times over he is denominated "the king" (vv. 1,3,9),
as such he prefigured the last great king, before the appearing of the King of kings.
2- Observe his hypocrisy. When the "wise men", who had
followed the star which heralded the Saviour's birth, were summoned into Herod's presence,
we are told that he said unto them, "Go and search diligently for the young child;
and when ye have found Him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship Him
also" (v. 8). That nothing could have been further from his mind is plain from his
subsequent acts. But, nevertheless, he first posed as a devout worshipper. Such is the
role that the Antichrist will first fill in Palestine.
3- Next he threw off his religious mask and displayed his wicked heart:
"Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and
sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem", etc. (v. 16).
Similarly will the Antichrist act in Jerusalem.l Three and one half years before his end
comes he will discard his religious pretensions and stand forth in his true character.
4- In this edict of slaying the young children in Bethlehem and the
coasts thereof, he was aiming, of course, at Christ Himself. Thus did he accurately
foreshadow that one who will yet fulfill the terms of Gen. 3:15, where we read of a double
"enmity" - between Satan and the woman (Israel), and between her Seed (Christ)
and the Serpent's "seed" (the Antichrist".
5- We may also discover in Herod's destruction of the children, a
forecast of the fiendish assaults which the Antichrist will make upon the Jews, when he
seeks to cut them off from being a nation... also a type of the Abortions of the end of
time.... in the year 1999, 53 million abortions were made worldwide, one million abortions
per week!.
6- The consequence of Herod's cruelty will reappear in the future -
"In Ramah was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not"
(Matt. 2:18). This is a quotation from Jer. 31:15. But like most, if not all, prophecies,
this will receive another and final fulfillment at the close of the Tribulation period.
7- The accuracy of the typical picture supplied by Matt. 2 may be
discovered in the failure of Herod to destroy the Christ-child. Just as God foiled Herod,
so will He yet bring to nought the wicked designs of the Antichrist; and just as we read
of Christ coming and dwelling at Nazareth after the death of Herod, so Christ shall again
dwell in that land after the death of the false King... Surely, this remarkable typical
picture of the Antichrist should cause us to search more diligently for other esoteric
allusions to him in the New Testament.
Most of them taken from Arthur W. Pink
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