Of Antichrist and His Ruin

by John Bunyan

This is an electronic edition of the complete book complemented by author biography. This book features a table of contents linked to every chapter. The book was designed for optimal navigation on the eReaders, PDA, Smartphone, and other electronic readers. It is formatted to display on all electronic devices including the eReaders, Smartphones and other Mobile Devices with a small display.

Genres: Theology

Paperback

First published May 11, 2014

About the author

John Bunyan, a Christian writer and preacher, was born at Harrowden (one mile south-east of Bedford), in the Parish of Elstow, England. He wrote The Pilgrim's Progress, arguably the most famous published Christian allegory. In the Church of England he is remembered with a Lesser Festival on 30 August.

Reviews

[Nathan Albright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read at least some of the large body of work by John Bunyan, best remembered for his allegory Pilgrim's Progress [1], and I am struck by how excellent a writer he was and how broad his writing interests.  This happens to be the third genre of his writing I have read, and like the rest of his reading it is certainly of deep interest and insight.  Bunyan was not a well-educated man, at least by contemporary (or present) standards of learning, and was a skilled worker in the bronze trade, but in this particular posthumously published treatise he manages to demonstrate a great deal of biblical knowledge as well as sound historical judgement and a high degree of fierceness regarding the behavior of the Catholic Church during the late Middle Ages in England as well as the intolerant laws of the Anglicans that led him to be in jail for twelve years as a preacher without a license.  As far as dissenting Protestant writings from the 17th century in England go, this one is an excellent one that is well worth reading if that is an area of interest.

The book itself is about fifty pages long, not an overwhelmingly long treatise by any means, and is organized rather straightforwardly.  With a large number of seven point statements, the author discusses such matters as the nature of Antichrist in a false Christian religious system that is clearly identified with Roman Catholicism, some discussions of prophecy that manage to discuss patterns over history without undue speculation about dates and times, and a considerable attention to both biblical history as well as prophecy in the search for patterns about how Babylon behaves through history when it comes to God's peoples.  There are comments about the fall of Babylon as well as the death of the witnesses and the nature of spiritual warfare for believers that is contrasted with the physical warfare of this present age.  Overall, this is a powerful work of writing that is probably obscure for very good writings, and that is written with a high degree of spirit and also a great degree of historical interest.  Even if you may not agree with everything that he says, Bunyan avoids the pitfalls that many writers on prophecy make, which alone makes this worth the time to read it.

What makes this book particularly intriguing are the little touches.  It is easy to see that the anti-Catholic and anti-authoritarian tone of this treatise make it a somewhat hard sell for contemporary readers, especially those interested in ecumenical movements.  Likewise, the author's uncompromising position on moral reformation makes this book likely enjoyed by only a small audience of English or American dissenting Protestants who still find much to agree with concerning the author's historicist approach to Revelation as well as his on-point fiery attacks on authoritarian state religions.  For me, though, the fierceness of this book is definitely matched by the sense of humanity that it shows and also for the touches of wit and praise from the editor of this book, which really help elevate the material even further.  Given that the editor explains ways in which the author's judgment came to pass concerning religious toleration as well as his historical criticisms of Catholicism and explain his use of unfamiliar technical terms, the work benefits from a skilled but light editorial touch that leaves this work able to inform and encourage far after it was written.  It is only a shame that the author did not live to see this excellent work published, or that it is so little remembered today.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...

[Emma Grace Blumer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bunyan “bleeds Bibline” and that makes this work so edifying and deeply helpful in understanding the biblical reality of antichrist and how God will fully destroy his enemies and reign forever. The foreword and footnotes are also very helpful additions to the original manuscript.

[Rick Shrader]

We may not think anything of John Bunyan other than his wonderful Pilgrim’s Progress and even with that we would be miles ahead of those who don’t know him. Yet I have found that his other books open a door to Bunyan that I did not know even from reading his great allegory. Bunyan was a respected speaker and writer of his time. His books show a depth of thinking and a careful use of Scripture very typical of dissenting believers in those days. His book Advice to Sufferers is the best I’ve ever read on the subject of Christian trials. However, when it comes to prophetic things Bunyan was not necessarily in our pretribulational, premillennial camp, those categories not being too familiar in his day. In speaking of the antichrist Bunyan typically makes the Roman Church the embodiment of him. Bunyan speaks of the antichrist as having body, soul, and spirit. His spirit and soul always dwell in the world of lost men, the devil himself empowering the spirit. But the body of antichrist is seen primarily in the Catholic Church, the great evil of his day. “Take things therefore more distinctly, thus: The antichristians’ spirit, is the heaven of antichristians; their sun, moon and stars, are their superstitious ordinances; their earth is the body of flesh of Antichrist, otherwise called the church and synagogue of Satan.” Further on he writes, “For as concerning his masses, prayers for the dead, images, pilgrimages, monkish vows, sinful priests, though when the spirit of Antichrist was in them, they did bear some sway in the world; yet now, of what esteem are they? Or who has reverence for them? . . . . As therefore the burning fiery furnace, and the den of lions, were the support of the horrible religion of the Babylonians of old; so popish edicts are the support of the religion of Antichrist now.” Interestingly, Bunyan saw God destroying antichrist by providences throughout history, even in the way the English Church displaced the Catholic Church. He writes, “As the noble king, king Henry VIII did cast down the antichristian worship; so he cast down the laws that held it up: so also did the good king Edward his son. The brave queen, queen Elizabeth also, the sister to king Edward, hath left of things of this nature, to her lasting fame behind her. And if one such law of Antichrist hath escaped the hand of one, another hath taken it, and done that execution on it that their zeal and piety prompted them.” And interesting but surely lacking view of the destruction of antichrist.

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