Nimrod
& Babel
A
Type of the Antichrist
by
Sandy Simpson, Apologetics Coordination Team,
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 Epiphanesand
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 |
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”.2This,
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 buildedNinevah,
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 NemrutDagi),
sunset light falls on a 40-ton head of Greek god “Zeus” (Nimrod according
to Turkish people) capped with a Persian tiara.
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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 bavelor
Babel is closely allied and probably derived from the Akkadianbabiluor
“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).
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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).
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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.
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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‘owzmeaning
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”.
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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