Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”
[Genesis 11:4]
When it comes to constructing a Biblical profile of the coming Antichrist, Nimrod is a natural place to start. He is the first obvious prefigurement of antichrist after the flood. The Scriptures do not dedicate many details to the exploits of Nimrod, making only a few references, so he is an enigmatic figure to say the least. Where the Bible does speak, however, it provides some interesting descriptions about Nimrod’s nature and influence in the early post-flood world. Of all the descendants of Noah and his sons [Genesis 10], Nimrod clearly is intended to stand out, which means there was something unique about him among his generation.
Genesis 10 is often referred to as the table of nations. There we find the genealogies that lead to the establishment of the original 70 nations. Every human civilization can trace its beginning back to Noah’s three sons and their descendants. Nimrod was the son of Cush and the grandson of Ham — Noah’s second son. Ham will be forever remembered for uncovering Noah’s nakedness, bringing shame upon himself [Genesis 9:20-27]. Most of Ham’s descendants would later become the originators of the most profane pagan nations in the Old Testament and the arch enemies of God’s chosen people. It becomes apparent that Nimrod was not of God.
Consider how Nimrod is introduced in Genesis 10.
“Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD. Therefore it is said, ‘Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD.’ The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city.”
[Genesis 10:8-12]
A Mighty Man
The first thing we learn about Nimrod is that he began to be a mighty man [gibbor] on the earth. This most certainly implies that Nimrod somehow supernaturally transformed himself into a giant warrior, a mighty man of renown, like the Nephilim before the flood [Genesis 6:1-4]. One reason I conclude that Nimrod somehow became a giant like the Nephilim is by applying the rule of first reference. The term used here for mighty man is the Hebrew word, gibbor, which is first used to describe the giant offspring of the sons of God in Genesis 6:4. Even though this word can refer simply to a valiant warrior, it often refers to giants.
It is worth mentioning that the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament, also says that Nimrod began to be a “giant” upon the earth [Genesis 10:8-9]. We can’t say for sure how Nimrod became a giant. Whether genetically or supernaturally, he certainly seemed to do something that no one else could do, which set him apart as a mighty warrior and giant hunter on the earth. He subsequently became an intimidating leader and began to use his power and influence to build his own kingdom independently of God. The term gibbor also implies defiance in the face of God, which is certainly descriptive of Nimrod.
Now I do not necessarily believe that the coming antichrist must be a giant, but he at the very least will be a mighty military leader, commanding an army of demonic hordes which most likely will include giants. I also find it interesting that the antichrist is described as the “beast” in the book of Revelation. The whole earth will marvel at the antichrist. “They worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?’ [Revelation 13:4] Like Nimrod, I believe the antichrist will be supernaturally powerful and in some way he may be able to physically transform or modify himself. He will use his imposing force and intimidation as leverage to rule over the nations.
A Rebellious King
When Adam relinquished his God-given authority to rule the earth, Satan and the evil principalities and powers stepped in to rule the nations of the world. Nimrod becomes representative of this satanic kingship. He began to build a kingdom in the plains of Shinar (Babel), which is east of Israel. We can learn more about Nimrod’s kingdom by looking at Genesis 11, where mankind sought to build a kingdom independently of God and in the place of God. Nimrod was able to unify his kingdom and convince the people of Babel to cooperate in a defiant rebellion against the King of kings. They desired to make a name for themselves, not in building God’s kingdom, but rather their own. Babel became the Biblical image for the combined human and spiritual rebellion that has plagued the earth ever since. It is most likely that the tower of Babel was Nimrod’s attempt to summon Satan himself and open a gate to the spiritual realm, creating open access for the spiritual forces of evil.
The Scriptures are clear that the coming antichrist will be a rebellious, arrogant king, who is able to wield unprecedented influence over the earth, establishing his kingdom of darkness in the last days. Revelation 13:7-8 provides a vivid description of this evil empire of antichrist saying, “it [the beast]was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.”
And even when God’s wrath begins to fall on antichrist and his followers, they still refuse to repent. “The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.” [Revelation 16:10-11]
Babylon the Great
There always has been an ancient connection between the principalities and powers of evil and the kingdom of Babylon. Babylon historically is associated with dark occult arts and black magic, demonic worship and pagan idolatry, sexual immorality, the world money system, and the persecution of God’s people. Babylon was the great enemy of Israel, laying waste to Jerusalem and destroying the Temple under King Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. Revelation 18 devotes an entire chapter to the harlot of Babylon who has made herself drunk on the blood of the saints [Rev. 17:6], and who made the nations of the earth drunk on the passions of her sexual immorality [Rev. 18:3].
Nimrod’s original kingdom at Babel and his wicked spirit of rebellion have persisted throughout the centuries to this very day, and we can be certain that the same satanic spirit of Babylon will emanate from the kingdom of antichrist in the last days. At it’s height of power, the ancient Babylonian empire covered all of modern day Iraq and expanded into Turkey, Iran, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. As we will see in later posts, all of Biblical prophecy is geographically focused on Israel and the surrounding nations. If Nimrod and his kingdom gives us any indication, the coming antichrist will rule a coalition of middle-eastern territories and will himself come from one of these nations.
Ultimately, we must understand that the Antichrist will be the one who reunites all the nations and their demonic principalities that were scattered in judgment at Babel. He will attempt to reestablish Nimrod’s rebellious kingdom once and for all.
“How you are fallen from heaven,
Isaiah 14:12-14
O Day Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
you who laid the nations low!
You said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
in the far reaches of the north;c
1I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
Days of Noah 