Warriors at the Edge of Time: Theme Analysis – The Antichrist

A Short Introduction to The Antichrist

The Antichrist played quite a role in The Family International. Every time a new leader arose, especially presidents of the USA, there were jokes and suspicions about, “Oh, maybe this one is the Antichrist!” We grew up with comics that depicted him and novels wherein he appeared. Then, of course, we had to learn all the verses that carried signs of the Antichrist’s rise. In this segment about the Endtime, I describe the main teachings I received about the Antichrist, examine his role in the Endtime, and show how these ideas are portrayed in Warriors: At the Edge of Time.

A Handsome Devil

The Antichrist’s primary trait, which I’ve always remembered, was his attractiveness. Yes, the Antichrist was purportedly an all-powerful, sexy enemy who would design simple and ingenious solutions to the world’s problems. The idea was that the Antichrist’s attractiveness and intelligence would help him influence the world’s populace. Then they would not only freely choose to worship him, but also support their leaders’ signing of the covenant. However, since the Antichrist was also supposedly possessed by the Devil, some of TFI’s comics depict his seemingly handsome visage turn frightening when the Devil takes over his body.

I previously examined the Antichrist’s attractiveness in Warriors; it came up in my last article, in the Rise of the Antichrist section. There, the extract from the novel describes him as “undeniably quite handsome” (HL, 327). Prior to that moment, Warriors contains mainly snippets that describe the Antichrist’s appearance. For example, earlier in the novel the reader is introduced to the Antichrist for the first time. The first description of his body concerns his hands, which are “strong, decisive hands” (250). This short line, along with the Antichrist’s depictions in his two TV appearances, are all the novel writes about his good looks.

However, there remains the “fierce countenance” (328) which a TFI member mentions after they first see the Antichrist on TV. This reference to a fierce countenance comes from Daniel 8:23, “a king of fierce countenance […] shall stand up,” (MB2K, 46). Essentially, there is this idea that the Antichrist should look fierce or frightening. This belief, along with how the Devil should twist the Antichrist, is addressed in the same scene that describes the Antichrist’s hands. This scene comes from Part IV, “Sunday: Seven Days … and Counting”, and takes place in the week leading up to the Confirming of the Covenant. Here the Antichrist is primarily called the Chairman, but also the Darkness, and he is the Chairman of an important meeting about the covenant. At the end of the meeting, the Antichrist is described for the first time.

The respectful silence which had prevailed during the meeting was momentarily broken as an involuntary gasp escaped the lips of several in the room. For those who had not previously had the opportunity to see him, the Chairman’s presence was awe-inspiring; his authority unquestionable. And yet it was as if the revelation of his visage was almost too overwhelming. His face at that moment, shadowed by the dim lighting, somehow gave him the appearance of Evil incarnate, like an evil bird. (HL, 252)

This strange depiction of the Antichrist is at odds with other depictions of his attractiveness. While his presence and appearance clearly make an impact, the image of an evil bird isn’t exactly handsome. I believe there are two reasons for this choice. First of all, I believe that the author decided to depict how the Antichrist displays his evil visage to those who follow him. In this way, the reader may encounter the Antichrist when he looks evil on the outside, which matches his inner evil, before the Antichrist is presented as handsome later in the novel. Secondly, I believe there must have been conflicting interpretations of the “fierce countenance” of Daniel 8:23; likely some TFI members thought that “fierce countenance” meant handsome, and some thought it meant harsh or evil. Lucky for the author, TFI taught this idea of the Devil taking possession of the Antichrist, and I believe the author references this when they write “the appearance of Evil incarnate”. One thing I cannot explain, as hard as I try, is “like an evil bird”. I cannot fathom any reference to an evil bird in the Bible which would indicate that either the Devil or the Antichrist might look like an evil bird to display their villainy.

Aside from his appearance, we shockingly weren’t taught much about the Antichrist. There is little information about where he would come from and who he would be, aside from the previously mentioned charisma and attractiveness. This is differently shown in the novel: When the Antichrist is introduced in Part IV, “Zero Hour: The Covenant and The Beast”, an anchor-woman describes his Jewish origin, name and background, which apparently the TFI characters are all familiar with from the Bible (337). This is ridiculous because the verse the characters reference, 2 Thessalonians 2:3, does not mention any of these details. Furthermore, I’ve written this entire article about the Antichrist and there is not one single verse in the MB2K nor phrase in the Book of the Future that specifies the Antichrist’s name, origin or background. Instead of these details, we were taught what the Antichrist would do. I believe that’s because the “what he would do” information was taught as preparation for the Endtime. This information includes the same verses that I discussed in the previous segment, but I examine them with a focus on the Antichrist in the following sections.

The Rise

In the previous segment, I broadly analysed and explained many of these verses, so I shall pick out the most relevant pieces for this segment. For example, I return to the MB2K and the section on the Rise of the Antichrist. Daniel 8:23-25 was already discussed, but I reiterate that 1) Daniel 8 is understood to portray the author describing a vision, and 2) the person described in the verses 23 – 25 is generally understood as Antiochus IV (Wikipedia, a). The relevant verses for this specific analysis of the Antichrist are 23 and 24.

Dan.8:23-24

And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.

And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. (MB2K, 46)

The two key parts from these verses are the “fierce countenance” and how the Antichrist’s “power shall be mighty, but not by his own power”. The first, this “fierce countenance” was interpreted in two ways. This phrase concurrently meant that the Antichrist was attractive, but also that he was frightening. One could say frighteningly handsome. From the second part the key point is that the Antichrist’s power is not his own, or that his power is not “mighty” on its own. This verse is one source for the belief that the Antichrist is possessed by the Devil (Berg, 19), the other source is a verse in the book of Revelation (Berg, 62-63).

The second verse from this section in the MB2K is Daniel 11:21. To reiterate, this is known as Daniel’s final vision and again is generally accepted to refer to Antiochus IV (Wikipedia, b). The verse goes, “And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries,” (MB2K, 46). The important takeaway from this verse is that the Antichrist would be a persuasive liar. TFI focused in on the “flatteries”, which was interpreted as competently spoken, charming lies. This created a connection between this verse and the one above, as it’s a further verse that describes the Antichrist’s charisma. It also enhances the interplay between the Antichrist’s charm and attractiveness. We were taught to be careful and make sure we would not be duped by the Antichrist’s fake peace, allure and sexiness – in reality, it would all be lies and deceit.

This connection between the Antichrist’s charisma and sexiness is depicted in the Antichrist’s big reveal at the end of Warriors. In Part IV, “Zero Hour: The Covenant and The Beast”, the Antichrist finally appears to lead the special event he announced the day before. This event is televised, and the reader watches it with four TFI members. The TV first shows Jerusalem, then a reporter introduces the Antichrist, here called the Chairman. When the Antichrist comes forward, he appears to be the perfect world leader, certainly better than any that came before. The novel describes the Antichrist again once he appears on screen: it notes his presence, his appearance, and of course his persuasive charisma.

He then appeared, tall and stalwart, ruggedly handsome, with the carriage of a king and lofty ruler, yet with the simplicity of a man of the people. His words were smooth; they were forceful; they were persuasive. No one could remember hearing such a righteous, such an apparently sincere and charismatic speaker on the world stage in many a year. (HL, 338)

None of these ideas are new, per se. The Antichrist is handsome and tall, and apparently one can tell that he is loyal and hard-working from looking at him. Then his presence is described: He has a regal bearing, yet he seems down-to-earth. With this presence, the Antichrist is supposed to appeal to everyone equally, so that they will all support his covenant. Finally, there’s the persuasiveness and charisma, which are enhanced by his appearance and voice. The Antichrist is dangerous because he’s a triple threat. His duplicitousness is hidden behind his looks, voice and bearing, and of course his persuasive words.

The next set of verses from the MB2K is 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4. As I have discussed, 2 Thessalonians 2 is a letter, written by Paul, to the Christians in Thessalonica. Unlike in the previous segment, the weight lies here on the phrase “the man of sin” and all of verse 4.

2Thes.2:3-4

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

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, shewing himself that he is God. (MB2K, 46)

According to TFI, the Antichrist is this “man of sin”, although we were never taught precise sins that he commits before he becomes World Leader. However, some of the novels describe many acts performed by his minions – in Warriors, they hire hitmen, commit murders and call them suicides, and cause the Economic Crash, which harms anyone who relies on money. However, the sins the Antichrist performs while World Leader were clearer, and some are mentioned in the above verse 4. The worst of his sins would be when he pretends to be God. The Antichrist is not only against God and all things godly, he also claims to be better than God and demands to be worshipped. When the Antichrist sits in God’s temple and pretends to be God, that is supposed to tip Christians off that he’s the Antichrist and really anger them. Furthermore, let’s highlight “shewing himself that he is God”. Berg repeatedly describes the Antichrist as a superman (45, 47, 50, 65, 69, 96); part of this superman-quality is that the Antichrist would perform miracles as though he were Jesus returned or God himself. This would be incredibly blasphemous, since the Antichrist’s power would hail from Satan rather than God. This idea further exemplified the charismatic lies characteristic of the Antichrist – he would use these miracles as just one more way to trick the poor Christians, those who were not born and raised in TFI, into believing that he is a saviour.

In Warriors, the Antichrist discusses this greatest of sins. Earlier in the novel, Part IV: “Sunday: Seven Days … and Counting”, the Antichrist discusses his plan for the coming Covenant with his minions. He explicitly mentions this idea of playing God when he explains how they will all fix the problems they caused in the world.

[Antichrist speaking:] “We have replaced God by engineering disaster after disaster, and now we shall replace him yet again by saving the world in her despair.” (HL, 251)

This is exactly what TFI considered to be the worst of sins. The Antichrist pretends to be God and plays God by taking control of natural events that he should have no control over, as well as unnatural events, like the Economic Crash. The real danger of all this, however, is not that he plays God with the crises themselves, but rather that he plans to proclaim himself a saviour, a superman, to the world. The Antichrist plans to swoop in and solve the problems he created. Of course, this would trick most of the world’s populace, since they would not know that he orchestrated the crises in the first place. So he will play at saviour and fix problems only he can fix, since he is the one who caused the problems in the first place. This entire idea is blasphemous, because of the Antichrist’s plan to play God and convince others that he is God, or a saviour returned.

The final verse set from The Rise of the Antichrist in the MB2K is Revelation 13:3b-4. This chapter, like most of the book of Revelation, describes a vision about the Endtime (Wikipedia, c). These two verses describe the Beast, the Antichrist, and the dragon, the Devil, and how the world reacts to them.

*Rev.13:3b-4

And all the world wondered after the Beast.

And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the Beast: and they worshipped the Beast, saying, Who is like unto the Beast? who is able to make war with him? (MB2K, 47)

These verses reiterate the above points and further demonstrate the effect of the Antichrist’s lies and powers. The world’s populace worships the Antichrist and the Devil because they’ve been cruelly tricked by the Antichrist’s persuasive claims. When the Antichrist tricks them into worshipping him, he thereby tricks them into worshipping in the Devil. Then there is a further reference to the Antichrist’s all-powerful, superhuman qualities: Who can fight the Beast? No one, he is undefeatable with his satanic superpowers.

The Covenant

Since I went into much detail about the covenant in the last segment, here I just cover a few of the missing particulars. The main details are missing from a verse in the MB2K about the Breaking of the Covenant: Daniel 11:31. As a reminder, Daniel 11 is part of Daniel’s final vision already discussed above (Wikipedia, b).

Dan.11:31

And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. (MB2K, 47)

The key points from this verse that concern the Antichrist are “arms shall stand on his part” and the “abomination that maketh desolate”. Firstly, the Antichrist will have a massive army that he commands – this is interpreted from “arms” in the first phrase. The Antichrist will not only be the world’s political leader, but also a military leader. This is exemplified in the novel when the Antichrist appears in a military uniform (HL, 327).

Secondly, there is this “abomination of desolation” (Matthew 24:15; MB2K, 47), a phrase which was consistently used in TFI. As I previously described, this abomination is supposed to be a statue of the Antichrist. Now, depictions of this statue vary greatly, from man-sized to metres tall, with varying robotic elements to it. However, I believe the overwhelming idea was that this would be a gigantic statue, which was often depicted glowing in TFI art. Further details about this “abomination” appear below, since the main robotic interpretations were taken from Revelation 13:15, which was officially a verse about The Great Tribulation.

The Possessed Reign

The first 3 ½ years of the Antichrist’s rule were rarely discussed; there aren’t even any verses that describe those years in the MB2K. The Book of the Future skips over it entirely, going straight from the Confirming of the Covenant to the Breaking of the Covenant. Nevertheless, a few ideas can be postulated: The Antichrist keeps his promises and the first 3 ½ years of his reign are peaceful and prosperous. Simultaneously, we know that he must build up an army, since he infiltrates and takes over Jerusalem. Furthermore, he must also spend this time building his “abomination”, the cyber-statue of himself, so it can be erected once he breaks the covenant. Lastly, we can presume that he spends those first few years setting up the Mark of the Beast: the 666 chip that is placed beneath the skin.

However, before the Antichrist can carry out his reign of terror, he must be possessed. This idea does not appear in any of the verses from the MB2K, but it is a key component of TFI’s beliefs about the Antichrist. Berg teaches that right after the Antichrist breaks the covenant, he will be possessed by the Devil (58). Berg finds this event in Revelation 12:7-9, which describes how the Devil and his angels fight Archangel Michael and the other angels – the Devil’s side loses, and they are all thrown out of heaven and come down to Earth for the duration of the Great Tribulation (59). Since the Devil cannot fight in heaven, he instead possesses the Antichrist, and that is why the Great Tribulation is so terrible – the Devil wants to create “hell on earth” (60).[1]

Once the Antichrist breaks the covenant, he officially rules the world as a dictator and shows everyone his true self. This period, as discussed in the last segment, was known in TFI as the Great Tribulation. A slew of verses from Revelation 13 were collected in the MB2K about the Great Tribulation, and seven of them concern the Antichrist. Revelation 13 is introduced above and is a chapter that predominantly describes visions of two beasts (Wikipedia, c). Verse 5 is the first from the section in the MB2K that mentions the Antichrist.

*Rev.13:5

And there was given unto him [the Antichrist] a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. ([the Antichrist] in MB2K, 48)

The first phrase describes how the Antichrist can tell tall tales and speak “blasphemies”. While the tall tales correspond to the now oft repeated many lies the Antichrist will weave, this idea of blasphemies is a little newer. Such blasphemies are quoting the Bible, claiming to be God, and making false prophecies. The second half of the verse describes how, although the Antichrist will say and do these terrible things, God allows him to do so. Since God is all-powerful and in control, he allows the Antichrist to rule for this time, for these three and a half years after he’s broken the peace (Berg, 78).

The above examples already mentioned some of the Antichrist’s blasphemies, such as how he will pretend to be God. However, the Antichrist voices further blasphemies that have little to do with himself. In the last chapter of Warriors, Part IV, “Sunday: Seven Days … and Counting”, the Antichrist gives a speech about his New World Order and the purpose of the covenant. In the final segment of his speech, he tells everyday people that they should have hope and believe in themselves. The Antichrist speaks to the general population and gives them the credit for saving the world.

The Chairman stepped forward once more to say in closing, “You, my fellow citizens of the New World Order, are your own hope, your own destiny, your own saviors. You have always had within you the potential of your own and world salvation. I have only released it by giving you hope. This is the dawn of a new day for humankind. Go forth in courage. Go forth in friendship. Go forth in love for all men and greet and create the new world on this new day.” ([emphasis in original], HL, 339-340)

While this speech may seem empowering, TFI members would know better. First of all, aspects of the Antichrist’s speech are lies: He doesn’t care about courage, friendship, love or hope. However, most importantly, some of the statements are simply blasphemous! For example, the Antichrist says that people have the potential for their own salvation. – Blasphemous! As we were taught in TFI, only God can grant salvation, so this is a terrible idea to preach. This idea puts man above God, and that is one of the greatest evils! The Antichrist describes not only how the people are their own hope, destiny and saviors, but also how they can create their own hope and destinies. From a TFI perspective, this is another terrible idea to preach. The ideals of hope, destiny and a saviour are not of man, they are only of God; preaching the opposite is terrible and a lie.

The next verses from Revelation 13 in the MB2K are verses 7 and 8. TFI taught that these both also referenced the Antichrist. Furthermore, these two verses were learned directly after verse 5, and verse 6 was skipped over entirely.

Rev.13:7-8

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.

And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (MB2K, 48)

The “him” referenced here is the Antichrist. The basic idea of verse 7, according to Berg, is that God will “turn the world over to the Devil” (78). Berg doesn’t go into very much detail, so it’s unclear what exactly he interpreted into these specifics. However, as far as I remember, then God gives the Antichrist power to fight saints, who would be Christians. Furthermore, God also allows the Antichrist to have power over every non-Christian in the world. Verse 8 essentially meant that everyone except TFI Christians would worship the Antichrist. TFI Christians would not worship him, because our names were obviously written in the book of life, and we would know better than to worship the Antichrist.

The next group of verses, 15-18 from Revelation 13, were key verses for TFI. These start with a description of the cyber statue and move on to the prophecy about the Mark of the Beast: 666. The 666 mark was a dramatic aspect of the Endtime that was constantly cautioned against, and it featured in multiple stories, books, music and videos. TFI used the following verses to describe how the Antichrist would up the ante during the Great Tribulation.

*Rev.13:15-18

And he [the false prophet] had power to give life unto the image of the Beast, that the image of the Beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the Beast should be killed.

And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the Beast, or the number of his name.

Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the Beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. ([the false prophet] in MB2K, 48-49)

Verse 15 starts with a description of how the false prophet, whose personage is unclear in TFI’s teachings, awakens this “image of the Beast” and grants it a semblance of life. This description and its following phrases are Berg’s source for the Antichrist’s statue being a giant robot (67-68). First of all, Berg taught that this “image of the beast” is the same thing as the “abomination of desolation”, so this verse is referencing the “abomination” mentioned in Daniel 11:31 (66). Second of all, Revelation 13:15 says that this image, or statue, will not only talk, but also murder anyone who doesn’t worship it (Berg, 66-68). Berg argues that only a giant, robotic version of the Antichrist would be able to both talk and murder people (67-68). This particular belief is properly depicted in Warriors: In the Final Fray and the Blood and Freedom series.

The other three verses were generally viewed together, since they all reference the Mark of the Beast. Verse 16 says that a man will force everyone to receive the Mark of the Beast. It is not clear whether this man is the Antichrist, the False Prophet, or the cyber-statue. Verse 17 says that no form of trade or transaction will be possible without the mark – Berg interprets this as signifying a “one-world credit system” (20). Basically, it will be a chip that resembles a credit card, which will be placed under the skin on the back of the right hand or the forehead (Berg, 68). Everyone will require this Mark of the Beast, or chip, to buy or sell any goods or services, and there will only be one single currency (Berg, 68-69). Finally, verse 18 says that this number will be 666: six hundred, three score – so twenty times three – and six.

Clearly, much remains unclear. Is it the image of the beast that kills anyone who doesn’t worship it, or is it the Antichrist? Does any other Christian group believe that this image will be a cyber statue? If the number is 666, how is there any distinction between people? Wouldn’t the number have to be different for each person? Is everyone evil who gets the Mark of the Beast, and what about all the people who don’t know any better? How on Earth would the Antichrist get away with forcing everyone to either get this mark? There are many questions that are not answered in the Book of the Future and were not answered when I was a child.

[1] I find it extremely confusing that the Devil was supposedly in heaven this whole time, and also had a slew of angels who supported him (Berg, 58-61). What have they been doing up there this whole time? I thought Lucifer was cast out of Heaven in the Old Testament. I wonder if this matches the rest of TFI’s teachings at all.

The Death

First there are other stages of the Endtime that are either part of the Great Tribulation or take place after it ends, then there is finally the Battle of Armageddon. The relevant section of the MB2K puts Revelation 19:19-21 together, but only Revelation 19:20 is important for the Antichrist. This is the verse which contains the last mention of the Antichrist in the MB2K.

Rev.19:20

And the Beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the Beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. (51)

This verse describes how the Beast, who is the Antichrist,[1] and his false prophet are removed from the Battle of Armageddon and thrown into a lake of fire (Berg, 139). Berg writes that they are, in fact, not only thrown into a lake of fire, but into hell itself (139). The Antichrist and his false prophet must burn there forever, because they are not called forth again for the Battle of Gog and Magog, nor are they mentioned in reference to any of the later Endtime events.[2] Therefore, the Antichrist and his false prophet do not die, but they are unable to hurt God’s people and children any longer, presumably until the end of time.

[1] For this verse, the Beast was just a stand-in term for the Antichrist, despite other associations.

[2] If Satan is in charge of hell, I’ve always wondered why he wouldn’t he free the Antichrist and false prophet for the Battle of Gog and Magog.