Nimrod & Babel
A Type of the
Antichrist
by Sandy Simpson,
Apologetics Coordination Team,
May 2006
This article is written
to clarify the issue of Babel that is taught unbiblically by the First Nations
Movement leadership.
Nimrod and his
kingdom of Babel, rather than hosting the genesis of cultures that took the
worship of the true God to the ends of the earth, is one of the clearest Old
Testament Biblical types for the Antichrist and the coming world government and
apostate world church. The parallels are quite amazing. There are a
number of other types of the Antichrist and his kingdom in the Bible which
would include people like Cain, The Pharaoh of Exodus (Ex. Ch. 5-12), Saul,
Goliath (1 Sam.17), Sennacherib (2 Kings 18:13-19:36. 2 Chr.
32:1-22) and Herod (Matt. 2). During Biblical times we also had Nero,
Antiochus Epiphanes and King Antiochus IV of Assyria. To study these
other types of Antichrist, I refer you to an article dealing with that subject
called “The Antichrist”.1
In
this article we will look exclusively at Nimrod and his kingdom, Babel. We
will compare what the Bible teaches about him and what it teaches about the
coming Antichrist.
NIMROD
|
ANTICHRIST
|
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Nimrod was son of Cush, son of Ham (Gen. 10:6-7) who was son of
Noah, son of Adam, son of God. |
Lucifer and all angels were created by God (Heb. 1:1-13, Col.
1:17). They are called “sons of God” (Gen. 6:2, Job 1:6), though
not The SON of God (1 John 5:20). |
|
Ham and his descendants were cursed by God (Gen. 9:25) for
Ham having looked at the nakedness of Noah (Gen. 9:22). |
Satan, the “father” of the Antichrist (Rev. 13:2, 4) was cursed
by God (Is 14:15) for having compared himself to God saying “I will ascend”,
etc. (Is. 14:12-15). |
|
Ham was one third of the sons of Noah (Gen. 5:32). |
Because of Lucifer’s rebellion, God threw one third of the
angels down to the earth in judgment (Rev. 12:4, 9) and some were put in
chains until the Great White Throne judgment (Jude 1:6). |
|
Nimrod “began to be a mighty one in the earth” (Gen.
10:8) |
Nimrod prefigured him “whose coming is after the working of
Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders” (2 Thess. 2:9).
It is interesting to note that Nimrod “began to be mighty”, which
suggests that he struggled for the pre-eminence among those after the Flood
and obtained his kingdom of Babel by force of will. This seems to correspond
with the Man of Sin first appearing as “the little horn” (Dan.
8:9) and by force of conquest he gains the position of ruler of the global
government (Rev. 13:8, 17:7-13). |
|
Nimrod is also called “mighty hunter” (Gen 10:9; 1 Chr.
1:10). Hunter is tsayid in Hebrew, meaning venison, hunter,
victuals, provision, hunting, catch, food (Strongs). This means Nimrod pursued,
hunted and pushed his designs in brazen defiance of his Maker. The words “mighty
hunter before the Lord” are found twice in Gen. 10:9. Repetition in any
short narrative of Scripture is always 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”
Nimrod pursued his impious designs in open defiance of the Almighty, hunting
what he wanted and catching men in the process. 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). The devil, who possesses the
Antichrist, “walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may
devour.” (1 Pet. 5:8) |
|
Nimrod was called 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”.2 This,
coupled with the expression “a mighty Hunter before the Lord”, suggests
that he relentlessly sought out and slew God's people. |
Nimrod
accurately portrayed the bloody and deceitful Man (Psa. 5:6), the
violent Man (Psa. 140:1) the Antichrist to come. |
|
Nimrod was a King - “the beginning of his kingdom was Babel”
(Gen. 10:10. 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. |
Nimrod was King of Babylon, which is also one of the
many titles of the Antichrist (Isa. 14:4). The ambition of the
Antichrist is also to establish a world empire (1 John 5:19, Rev. 13:8,
16:14). |
|
Nimrod obviously had an inordinate desire for fame, which is also
consistent with archeological finds bearing his image. His consuming desire
was to make for himself a name.
On the West Terrace of Mount Nimrod (or Nemrut Dagi), sunset light
falls on a 40-ton head of Greek god “Zeus” (Nimrod according to Turkish
people) capped with a Persian tiara. |
Nimrod corresponds with the type of the Man of Sin who will
expressly dominate as “King over all the children of pride” (John
41:34). More of the Nemrut (Turkey) stone heads of Nimrod. |
|
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.
The Greek form of the Hebrew word bavel or Babel is closely allied and
probably derived from the Akkadian babilu or “gate of God.”
Afterwards, because of the judgment which the Lord there inflicted, Babel
came to mean “confusion (by mixing)”. 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. Nimrod demanded and received Divine
honors. In all probability, it was at this point that idolatry was
introduced.3 |
The Lawless One will yet establish a government of idolatrous
worship of himself (Rev. 13:15). |
|
The tower of Babel was a high place of worship. There
is a definite connection between the worship of Nimrod and the later worship
of the “supreme being” of Babylon, Marduk. “After their deaths, Nimrod and
his wife Semiramis (the ancient “queen of heaven”) were confirmed by their
priests as gods and given homage as Marduk and Astarte.”4 |
The Lord forbade the Jews to build high watchtowers for the
purposes of worship (2 Kings 17:9). The Antichrist will force people to
worship his image in the rebuilt temple situated on the high place of
the temple mount in Jerusalem, likely next to the abomination of the Dome of
the Rock mosque (Rev. 13:15, 2 Thes. 2:4). This third rebuilt temple is
contrary to the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ (though there will be a
fourth temple built in the Millennium) because in this era He has said He
does not dwell in temples made by human hands, but dwells in the spirit of
men who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and are baptized in the Holy
Spirit, and in their midst when they meet as the Church. (Acts 7:48, 1 Cor.
6:19). The Antichrist will “magnify himself above every god”
(Dan. 11:36). |
|
Nimrod’s ambition was to establish a world empire. To
accomplish this, two things were necessary. First, a center of unity, a city
headquarters; and second, a motive for the encouragement and
inspiration of his followers. This latter was supplied in the “let us make
us a name.” (Gen. 11:4) It was an inordinate desire for fame. Nimrod’s
aim was to keep mankind all together under his own leadership “lest we be
scattered.” (Gen. 11:4) The idea of the “tower” (considered
in the light of its setting) seems to be that of strength—a
stronghold—rather than eminence. |
The Antichrist is described as giving his worship to a “god
of forces” (Dan. 11:38 KJV) or “god of fortresses” (Dan
11:38 NKJV). The word for forces or fortresses in Hebrew is ma‘owz meaning
strength, strong, fortress, hold, forces,
fort, rock, strengthen. (Strongs) It is possible that this god of
the Antichrist (though actually Satan) will be Nimrod/Marduk that Babylon
worshipped as a god of fortresses. This would mean that the Antichrist is
worshipping himself in a preexistent type. This would be consistent with the
character of Satan. No one yet knows these things but the Nimrod typology
seems consistent with this “god of fortresses”. |
Stone found near Iraq depicting Nimrod and the Tower of Babel.
Endnotes
1—THE
ANTICHRIST, Arthur W. Pink (1886-1952), http://www.biblebelievers.com/Pink/antichrist01.htm
2—E.W.
Bullinger, The Companion Bible, Appendix 28, pg. 29
3—http://www.religion-cults.com/antichrist/types.htm
4—http://www.ldolphin.org/Nimrod.html
