CHAPTER
XXV.
TYPES
AND FORERUNNERS OF ANTICHRIST.
“Even
now are there many antichrists,” I
John 2: 18.
ALREADY
we have had much to say concerning the identity of Antichrist.
We have endeavored to show you who he is and just from whence he will
come. I am sure that a great
number who have been taken for Antichrist are only types or forerunners of the
final Antichrist. In this chapter
we wish to mention some of those types and forerunners.
Cain, the son of Adam, is a type of Antichrist, because his religion
had no blood in it. The religion
of Jesus is always connected with blood; the religion of Antichrist is a
bloodless religion. Cain is only
the first of a great school of religionists that have been in the world ever
since his day. He is a forerunner
of those who, like him, are trusting other things besides the blood to save
them. There are multitudes of
this class in the world today. Many
of them think they have the religion of Christ, when they have no other than
the religion of Antichrist.
Balaam is a type of Antichrist. At
first he seems to have been a good man, but he went astray and did wrong.
He led Israel to sin, and brought them into wrong, and thus brought the
judgment of God upon them. He
committed this awful crime on the account of his great greed for gain.
Balak, king of the Moabites, sent messengers to Balaam, asking him to
come and curse the children of Israel for him.
God told Balaam not to go; but Balak promised him great reward if he
would go and curse Israel for him. So
in order to get the reward. Balaam
taught Balak how to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel.
In other words, Balaam prophesied for hope of reward.
Inasmuch as he did this, he is a type of
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the
Antichrist. However, he is only
the forerunner of many of his kind. There
have been thousands like him since his day.
There are multitudes in the world now that are preaching for the hope
of reward. All such preachers are
forerunners of the Antichrist. Our
text says that even now there are many antichrists, and how true that is
today. God says: “Woe unto
them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error
of Balaam for reward.”—‑Jude 11.
At the judgment it will be “woe” unto all who have preached for a
reward.
Ahab,
king of Israel, is in many respects a type of the final Antichrist.
His reign is a foreshadow of the reign of Antichrist at the end of
this age. His marriage relations
with Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal is a prophecy of the relations between
Antichrist and the false prophet. So
then Jezebel herself is a type of the false prophet at the end of the
age. While many acts of Ahab are
prophetical of the acts of Antichrist the acts of Jezebel are no less
prophetical of the acts of the false prophet.
The following words concerning Ahab are so prophetical of the time of
Antichrist: “And Ahab, the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord
above all that were before him . . . .He took to wife Jezebel the daughter
of Ethbaal, king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped
him. And he reared up an altar
for Baal, in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria (the sacred
capital). And Ahab made a grove;
and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the
other kings of Israel that were before him.”—1 Kings 16: 30‑33.
As Ahab did so will Antichrist do, on a larger scale, of course.
Another
point of similarity between the reign of Ahab and the reign of Antichrist, is
his connection with Elijah. Ahab’s
dealings with Elijah is prophetic of the dealings of Antichrist with Elijah
during The Great Tribulation. Elijah’s
prayer about the shutting of heaven that it might not rain is prophetic of
Elijah’s power to shut heaven for the same purpose during The Great
Tribulation. (See Rev. 11: 6.)
The drought in one
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case
is prophetic of the drought in the other case.
The length of each drought is the same, viz., three years and six
months. (See James 5: 17 and Rev. 11: 3, 6.)
Ahab’s search for Elijah (1 Kings 18: 10) is prophetic of the war
which Antichrist will make against the two witnesses during The Great
Tribulation (Rev. 11: 7). The
great test as to who is the true God, which took place on Mount Carmel, is
likely a prophecy of a similar test during the days of Antichrist.
If such a test does take place during The Great Tribulation, no doubt
Elijah will again call the fire out of heaven.
Elijah’s calling the fire down from heaven upon his enemies (2 Kings
1: l0) is a prophecy of the fire proceeding out of his mouth during The Great
Tribulation and devouring his enemies (Rev. 11: 5).
Ahab’s covetousness over Naboth’s vineyard is a prophecy of the
covetousness of Antichrist. He
will covet and take possession of the whole world.
Ahab and Jezebel acted very cruelly in their greed for the goods of
this world in regard to Naboth’s vineyard; even so we may expect
Antichrist to do likewise. Of him
it is written: “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and
to overcome them; and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and
nations.”—Rev. 13: 7. Thus
we see that the cruelty practiced by Ahab and Jezebel is prophetic of that
cruelty which Antichrist will exercise over the saints during The Great
Tribulation.
Moreover,
Ahab is only a forerunner of a host of others, who, since his day, have done
as he did. All the traits of
character found in Ahab and Jezebel may be found in hundreds of others that
have lived since their day. Even
today there are characters in the world very much like those of Ahab and
Jezebel. All such characters and
persons are types and forerunners of the final Antichrist.
Nebuchadnezzar
is a type of the final Antichrist. The
points of similarity here are many. Nebuchadnezzar was a proud, haughty
monarch. He lifted himself up
above others. He boasted
of himself and of his own achievements. We
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read
of him: “At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom
of Babylon. The king spake, and
said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the
kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty?”—Dan.
4: 29, 30. Notice how
self‑exalting Nebuchadnezzar was.
His acts are prophetical of the self‑exaltation of Antichrist.
Paul, in speaking of Antichrist, says, “Who opposeth and exalteth
himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God
sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”—1 Thes. 2:
4. However, in that
Nebuchadnezzar was a type of Antichrist, he was only a forerunner of thousands
of others like him. Every person
that lifts himself up in self‑exaltation is a forerunner of Antichrist.
Spiritual pride is an antichristian spirit.
If we would belong to Christ, we must keep humble.
Nebuchadnezzar was abased for his pride; and his abasement is prophetical
of the eternal overthrow of the final Antichrist.
Besides these that we have mentioned as types of Antichrist, there
are hosts of others, such as the Pharaohs, the Herods, the Caesars, Alexander,
Nero, etc. If we should take up
all these old rulers one at a time and study their lives and works in detail,
we would find many things about them prophetical of the life and work of the
final Antichrist.
There are so many points of similarity between many of these old rulers
and the Bible account of Antichrist, that many Bible teachers have made the
mistake of taking the type for the anti‑type, and of taking a forerunner
of Antichrist for Antichrist himself. This
is especially true in regard to the Pope of Rome.
He is such a clear type and forerunner of Antichrist that many take him
to be the final Antichrist. However,
a close study of Bible prophecy will reveal that the Pope does not fill the
Bible picture. All the Bible
representations of Antichrist plainly describe him as a person, an
individual. The teaching that we
are to find the final Antichrist in the Roman Papacy fixes upon no individual
person whatever, but strives
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TYPES
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to
point out the Antichrist in a long line of popes.
The duration of the reign of Antichrist is given as exactly three and
one-half years; but to look for Antichrist in the line of popes, extending
their rule through more than a thousand years of the Christian Era, and thus
mystifying a duration of time so clearly and definitely given, is to pervert
the Scriptures.
Again, we know that the Papacy is waning, and the power of Romanism is
gradually weakening; but, according to the Bible account, the Antichrist will
fall, or be taken suddenly. Farther,
it is clear that the Antichrist will not appear till after the Bride has been
taken (2 Thes. 2: 7, 8); and it is a fact that the Pope has already been here
for more than a thousand years. The
Pope has never accomplished all that is prophesied of Antichrist and the false
prophet, neither will he ever accomplish it.
(See Rev. 13: 3, 13‑17.) While
there are many points of similarity between the record of the Papacy and the
account of the final Antichrist, yet there are so many ways in which the
Papacy fails to fill the Bible picture, that I am persuaded that the Pope is
only a forerunner of Antichrist and not the final Antichrist himself.
In addition to all these things, there are hundreds of others in the
world today who are forerunners of the Antichrist, and who are paving the way
for the revelation of the “man of sin.”
A mighty stream of antichristian influence and conduct pervades the
whole history of the world, and flows on today with ever increasing rapidity
and power. From this stream, at
the last day, will proceed Antichrist, as the consummation of all evil.
John said, “Even now are there many antichrists;” and all of these
antichrists of the ages are typical and forerunners of the final Antichrist.
As an example of modern forerunners of Antichrist, we can point to many
prominent Bible teachers of today. The
spread of atheism and pantheism over the world today is alarming.
Our great theological schools are doing much to destroy faith in God,
and to fill the hearts of the people with
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unbelief.
The spread of the theory of evolution is paving the way for the final
Antichrist. A sad thing is, that
many take the workings of the anti‑christian spirit for the workings of
the Holy Spirit, and think they see Christ in the very thing that is bringing
the Antichrist. Modern Societies
and Unions are developing into something; many believe the Millennium will be
thus ushered in, but they are paving the way and preparing men to receive the
mark of the beast. We could
recite numbers of teachings and doctrines that are leading into the reign of
the final Antichrist, but space forbids.
These few may show us how modern theologians are shaping the teaching
of the ministry, and are knocking down the pillars of the Christian faith.
These
are just a few of the types and forerunners of the final Antichrist.