READING THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES: CHRISTIAN APOCALYPTICISM AND THE CONSPIRACY OF THE COVIDIANS

Abstrack:

This study concerns the urban community’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which provoked conspiracy theories and, for some religionists, initiated the sequence of the end time (akhir zaman or hari kiamat). The present paper delves into the meaning of the pandemic for some Indonesian Christians, notably among those who understand the crisis as part of God’s eschatological scenario. Eschatology is the discourse of the end time (eschaton), prominent notably among the Abrahamic traditions. The eschatological aspiration often overlaps with the discourse of interpreting the secret of God’s mystery, which is within the purview of apocalypticism, creating the academic discourse of apocalyptic eschatology, in short, apocalypticism. The overlapping is mostly informed by the interpretations of some biblical passages, notably the Book of Daniel (Kitab Daniel) and Revelation (Kitab Wahyu) in the Christian Bible, which embrace both discourses.

There are several versions of Christian apocalyptic narratives, but in general, they incorporate the Second Coming of Christ and welcome the messianic age. Conflation with widespread conspiracy theories, such as displayed by the anti-vaxx discourse and the proponents of Trump, which the conversation echoed among Indonesian Christians as well, further gravitated the narrative of the emergence of Antichrist force as the main opposition to “true” Christianity in the end time.

The paper focuses on the dynamics of the discourse manifesting in four cases as representations, all to emphasize the significant contribution of digital culture in mobilizing such religious aspirations. The exploration is further clarified through interviews with the proponents of apocalyptic eschatology from two theological positions. The findings, among others, disclose the subtext of the apocalyptists, such as through the discourse some Christians comprehend the global effect of the pandemic, the appeal of the acceleration of evangelization, and the subversion toward secularism and anti-Christian forces.

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