Bible Word of the Day

Archetype (Example or Picture of Something to Come)

Meaning
The Merriam-Webster dictionary tells us that Archetype means, “The original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations or copies.” And in the Bible archetype as seen through scripture, they usually represent a person or an event involved a future fulfillment of Bible prophecy. And leading up that fulfillment we see individuals or events which are representations or pictures the archetype to come. For example the Anti-Christ is someone who will rule the world in the last days, this person will pretend to be God. The Anti-Christ is the archetype, however leading up his appearance we see images or representations in rulers who appear like the Anti-Christ.

However they are only representatives of the archetype to come. For example we have Antiochus IV Epiphanes who as Greek king in the Seleucid Empire from 175 B.C. till 164 B.C. Another example would be Hitler in our modern times. These men as well as many others were representatives of the archetype. A writer by the name of Leland Ryken in his book “Words of Delight” says that an archetype as “an image, plot, motif, or character type that recurs throughout literature and is part of a reader’s total literary experience.” Archetypes help us to understand God’s plan of redemption and the unfolding of human history as we read and study the Bible.