The Little Book of the End of the World by Ken Mooney Read Free Book Online Page A

simply a misunderstood god of mischief, a monster or beast, or a force or energy that runs through all things. This form of the Antichrist is, instead, a physical entity that is as connected to humanity as the Messiah himself: he is a figure to be both feared and revered, whether his role is an active one or one of more subtle corruption.
    Most visions of the End of the World incorporate the Antichrist or a similar evil force: if the Messiah is to arrive in order to save humanity from evil, it makes some sense that this evil might be the Antichrist. As some Churches look for signs of the Second Coming as the trigger for the Endtimes, others suggest that the Antichrist will arrive first, becoming the reason for the Messiah’s necessary return.
    The Abrahamic religions have a host of enemy-like figures to stand alongside the Antichrist in opposition to God, with the Bible openly acknowledging demons as enemies of Heaven. Through miracles, Jesus and the saints have faced these demons, casting them out of human bodies.
    There are some encounters within the Bible which suggest that these demons exist in great numbers and cannot be simply overcome by prayer alone. During one such exorcism conducted by Jesus among the Gerasenes, a demon confronts Jesus directly, suggesting that its name is ‘Legion’, because it is one of many.
    Various writers have attempted to examine the Bible and other religious texts in order to discover more about these demons – the results have been terrifying.
    Johann Weyer, Alphonso de Spina and Gregory of Nyssa have all suggested that there are actually millions of demons, operating in a complex hierarchy that involves dukes and generals. These same writers suggest that some of these demons were once agents of God, fallen angels who were cast out after rebelling against Him.
    The leader of these fallen angels has given us a name that has become synonymous with the Antichrist, while suggesting some much darker evil: Satan.
    Satan and Lucifer
    Lucifer and Satan are words used throughout the Bible to refer to the same person, the most active of the fallen angels and the one who has since become associated with the figure of the Antichrist. The Devil is treated as the chief of the demons of Hell, and therefore a force of evil that will rival God. Typically, these are discussed in the same breath, with the fallen angel of Satan having taken on the identity of the Devil after falling from God’s favour.
    There are many different stories about the fall of these angels. Fictional accounts such as John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost paint Lucifer as a proud character who has much in common with the tragic heroes of Shakespearean and Greek tragedy. However, within the Bible, Satan’s villainy is a lot more obvious, and he is an active corrupting force of humanity in both the Old and New Testaments.
    In the Old Testament, Satan appears in the Garden of Eden, taking the form of a snake to urge Adam and Eve towards sin. The duo challenge God’s authority by eating the fruit of a forbidden tree and are cast out of Eden, condemning their descendants, humanity itself, to forever be haunted by Original Sin. Satan also appears to Jesus directly in the Gospel, tempting him during the forty days and nights of solitude that he spends in the desert. As Jesus prepares to accept his fate as the Son of God and preach, Satan’s manipulations are more subtle as he encourages Jesus to use his divine nature to escape his self-imposed fast.
    While Satan is often mentioned in the same breath as the Antichrist, there are many interpretations of the Bible that make sure to treat both of these individuals separately; in fact, the Book of Revelations, the main source for Christian thoughts on the End of the World, mentions multiple distinct beasts and enemies during the End of Days. There is little doubt that Satan and the Antichrist will be in league, but attributing their evil to one figure alone implies that they will be