December 14 2020
THE ANTICHRIST
There’s a new book out. It’s called THE ANTICHRIST, written by Philip Almond, an Australian professor, and published by Cambridge University Press, 354 pages. I saw a description of the book in the ECONOMIST issue of November 21 2020. In it the Economist reviewer writes, “It is all too plausibly the Antichrist’s moment now, with wildfires, plague and climate change all converging. It might be good to know one way or another”.
Well, I will probe that phenomenon, as I believe we are about to find out soon, because there is a general feeling that we are entering a new phase in the fate of humanity. How are we going to cope with the five (5) interlocking crises, each on its own enough the derail our world: the pandemic; the economic downturn; social upheaval; political friction; environmental decay?
Oh, yes, we live in interesting times! So, where does the Antichrist enter the picture, and how? The Antichrist? Christ’s opponent? Isn’t Christ dead, eliminating the Antichrist as well? No, for many the Antichrist is alive and well. In the “Left Behind” books he/she is the secretary-general of the UN. That’s too simple an answer, just as Rapture is a copout. Yes, both Christ and his opponent are still out there, so it is an opportune time to aim a renewed focus on Christ’s counterpart. The Bible is clear that, indeed, there is such a given or personality embodying evil, but what it is and how we will recognize it or him/her/it, remains a mystery, which I will try to solve, so read on.
One fact is that the Antichrist is a product of the last days, and it is my belief our time fits that description. In the book, THE YEAR 1000, the author Robert Lacey, writes; ‘With horrendous famines which formed men into cannibalism…………the order of the seasons and the elements…….had fallen into perpetual chaos, and with it had come the end of mankind,……it could portend nothing than the advent of the cursed Antichrist who, according to divine testimony is expected to appear at the end of the world.”
Well, the year 1000 came and went. The year 2000 came and went and nothing happened. Actually, that’s not quite true. A lot happened and is still happening, and the book of Revelation may serve as a guide here.
It so happens that I have translated a book on Revelation (86,000 words) written by Johan Herman Bavinck, the third book from this author I have transferred from the Dutch into English. Of course, in the course of this book the Antichrist pops up here and there.
Here’ what J.H. Bavinck, with a doctorate in theology and psychology, and professor at the Amsterdam Free University, writes:
“But what is sure beyond doubt is that humanity will be hit exactly there where it imagines itself to be the strongest, in its technical knowhow and in its mastery over nature. Nature will fall upon the human race as a provoked lion: nature will breach all the constrains humanity has laid upon it, and will explode into extraordinary catastrophes, earthquakes, floods, failed harvests, pandemics.”
Remember, this was written 60 years ago, and is now happening!
Back to the review article on THE ANTICHRIST. Here’s another line: “If the great eschatological conflict and the triumph of good are dispensed with, history and human existence may seem to have no purpose. “Cosmic nihilism” is all that’s left.”
This secular reviewer tells us that the existence of evil is necessary to seek the good.
Enough on Philip Almond’s book, back to Bavinck.
Another snapshot.
“Sin is shown there in the full sense of the word, in its breathtaking hubris, in its self-elevation to God’s throne, in its all-out discarding of everything that stands in the way… humanity in its totality, as collective species, rises up in its dream of the totalitarian world empire, lauding its greatness, its power. It now only has the one idol, but the idol carries the same bizarre and distorted feature that it itself has. This idol is its own image, magnified into infinity. That is the Antichrist, the culmination of the world’s history.”
I like to emphasize this last line: “The Antichrist is the culmination of the world’s history”. Think about that for a moment. Where are we? Coping with a pandemic, battling an economic downturn, facing social upheaval (Trump), political friction (Brexit) and environmental decay (Climate Change) all at the same time: this suggests to me that we have passed our peak, and that it is downhill from here. “For this world in its present form is passing away” (1 Cor. 7: 31).” That is a given, and that ‘passing away’, that ‘death’ will come about by the Antichrist, so, if all this is caused by the Antichrist, what, who, is this entity? If this is the doing of the Antichrist, who is the Christ? Answering that last question might give us a clearer idea of the first.
Colossians 1: 15-20 give a real picture of Christ:
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.”
The Ant1christ therefore is the opposite: instead of making peace, instead of reconciling all things, the Antichrist has done the opposite. By cutting down the Trees of Life, by destroying the Global forests, we opened them up to the potential of the Pandemic. By reckless borrowing we have ensured a disastrous economic downturn. By favoring the rich, we have alienated the masses, causing social upheaval and political friction. Environmental decay, Climate Change, Arctic melting has now proceeded beyond repair.
The underlying and all-penetrating factor in all this is our precious and so revered Carbon Fuel. Just as Christ has reconciled all things to Himself, so our Carbon god has penetrated everything, has spread plastic from the very top of the Himalayas to the deepest crevices in the oceans. This same Carbon god has powered our food, making it necessary to need TEN (10) Carbon calories to bring ONE (1) food calorie to our table. This same Carbon idol lies at the root of disastrous Climate Change, now beyond remedy.
The Book Review in the prestigious British weekly, The Economist, ends with the prophetic words, “The Antichrist today …in the words of the 17th – century radical ranter, Joseph Salmon, is “This great whore is in thee.”
Today we stand at the entrance of God’s ultimate act. Many generations before us have looked forward to what they knew would come. Wars, involving the entire world, were waged, empires rose and disappeared, cities were built and were ruined. New thoughts and new expectations were tried and found wanting. Science opened up new perspectives and new possibilities arose from everywhere. On and on the ages rolled.
Here we are: more tired, more desperate, duller and more depressed. In the maelstrom of the world-happenings, we all are carried along and sometimes, in the middle of a nightmarish dream we wake up and worriedly we wonder where we are and where we are going.
As always, we are placed for a choice: Christ or Antichrist, Life or Death.