“Short Story of the Antichrist” of Soloviev
Today we take a look at how the Antichrist is portrayed in the literature I know.
He is described primarily as a political figure gifted with an extraordinary charisma, offering solutions to the pressing political and social problems!
From the Antichrist as I have found him in literature a great fascination should emanate, which people are hardly able to escape! Outwardly, the Antichrist appears to be a spiritual person who seems to be endowed with virtues, has a great vision and is also open to religious questions!
Here, at first, a different picture emerges than that of those Antichrists whom we get to know on the political level in the course of history as violent tyrants.
Today, we look on perhaps the most important book on this subject.
Vladimir Soloviev : Short Story of the Antichrist
This great Russian thinker felt induced as he said in the preface to the work “Three Conversations”, to insert the short story of the Antichrist into this writing in 1900 and to have it printed! It was indeed his last work, because he died on August 12, 1900, leaving this short story as a special legacy!
In this narrative, the Antichrist is portrayed as a figure who is increasingly gaining influence in politics! His origins are in the dark, his mother is said to have been a morally questionable person, but this has not received much public attention! The Antichrist in this narrative possesses great intellectual abilities and is endowed with high intelligence and a strong fascination.
He regards his great gifts as an extraordinary privilege that elevates him above other people! So he feels entrusted to do something special and waits for his calling to be able to carry out his extraordinary mission! As he approaches the age of Jesus, he begins to feel uneasy because nothing special is happening, and doubts arise as to whether Jesus is the greater Chosen One and not he who feels called to complete the work of Jesus! He becomes desperate and wants to throw himself down a slope! But he is caught, but not by the Son of God, but by an apparition that can easily be identified as the devil! Through this apparition, the figure of the Antichrist of Soloviev receives a kind of satanic initiation, and this apparition presents itself to him as his father!
After this extraordinary experience, the Antichrist seems particularly inspired and his unstoppable ascent begins! In a great rush he writes a book, which offers concrete proposals for the solution of the political and social problems! This book is received with great enthusiasm everywhere and the fame of the Antichrist grows! He became so famous that he was unanimously elected President of Europe!
Thus he rises to become the world ruler and, since he also asserts himself with a select army against all the remaining enemies, he becomes the absolute ruler of the whole world, who lets himself be proclaimed emperor!
After the political power is in his hands, the Antichrist, who wants to win the hearts of the people, turns to the religious question! There are still different denominations in his empire. He convenes a council and makes offers to the different denominations to show them his love and goodwill! From them he asks for recognition of his person as the sole leader and protector! In the meantime, the Antichrist is accompanied by a false prophet who confuses people by means of miraculous signs!
But not everyone follows the invitation of the Antichrist! Resistance rises in all three denominations. An orthodox Starez demands the Antichrist to confess publicly to Christ as the Lord and Saviour, whereupon the Antichrist has the Starez killed by his false prophet! The Pope now clearly recognises that the Emperor is the Antichrist and publicly condemns him! He too will be killed!
As a result, the Antichrist has the false prophet elected pope by the Christians attached to him, while the other Christians have to flee!
We can consider Soloviev’s little scripture as a prophetic work, especially since he himself testified that he felt compelled to lay it down, i.e. to leave it to posterity. Prophetic work does not mean, however, that everything will happen exactly as the poet described it, but that he identifies the basic features of such an antichristian form of rule, which must be observed very carefully.
Let’s hold on for now:
- The Antichrist presents himself as someone who solves earthly problems and thus seems to bring peace to the world. (peace bringer)
- He is installed as ruler in agreement of the peoples (emperor – world domination)
- He is considered a virtuous, even spiritual person. (example)
- He gets his intuitions from Lucifer, who presents himself as his father (demonic inspiration – false light)
- He wants to unite Christianity under his leadership (ecumenism)
- The majority of Christians are deceived by him (deception of the Antichrist)
It will be continued!