‘Rosemary’s Baby’ Spread Unbiblical Beliefs About the Antichrist
The horror classic Rosemary’s Baby tells a crackerjack story about a woman who gives birth to the Antichrist. Its mix of subtlety and surrealism makes it one of the rare 1960s horror films that are still frightening today. The movie was so effective that it spread many unbiblical beliefs about the Antichrist. Here’s a look at how the apocalypse is portrayed in the Bible compared to Rosemary’s Baby.
‘Rosemary’s Baby’ has a much more literal Antichrist than the Bible does
In Rosemary’s Baby, the Antichrist is portrayed as the literal son of the devil, an inversion of the Christian belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. While Jesus was the product of a virgin birth, Rosemary’s child is conceived when Satan himself rapes her.
This is all terrifying, but it’s not firmly rooted in any religious tradition. Two apocalyptic texts from the Bible discuss the Antichrist: the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians and the Book of Revelation. In the former, he is called “the man of lawlessness,” while in the latter, he is called “the beast.” Neither of these books says that the Antichrist will be the son of the devil. Rosemary’s Baby took a common belief about Jesus and flipped it on its head with little concern for biblical accuracy.
‘Rosemary’s Baby’ doesn’t reflect Saint Paul’s writings
Saint Paul wrote about the end of the world in 2 Thessalonians 2: 3-4. “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction,” he wrote. “He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” In other words, the Antichrist will proclaim himself to be divine, just as Christ did in the Bible.
In Thessalonians 2: 9-12, Saint Paul connected the Antichrist to Satan. “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works,” he wrote. “He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” So Saint Paul connects the Antichrist to Satan, but he never says that the Antichrist will be Satan’s son.
The Book of Revelation says similar things about the Antichrist
As far as Christian apocalyptic texts go, the Book of Revelation is far more famous than the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians. Revelation 13 describes a beast (the Antichrist) who gains power from a dragon (Satan). Like in Saint Paul’s writings, the beast gains great power. He is worshipped, Similar to Saint Paul’s prediction that the Antichrist would proclaim himself God. Despite this, Revelation never says the beast is the devil’s son.
Movies like Rosemary’s Baby, The Omen, and The Lords of Salem revolve around the devil having a child. That’s a fine idea for entertainment, but it should not be confused with actual religious beliefs.
