Gnostic Eschatology: The Destruction of the Archons at the Second Coming

 **Gnostic Eschatology: The Destruction of the Archons at the Second Coming**  

Throughout the Nag Hammadi texts and the biblical prophetic tradition, the end of the age is marked by the destruction of the Archons—those who rule the world unjustly—along with their false systems of power. In the Gnostic worldview, Yaldabaoth, the prime ruler, represents the Papacy, while Sophia, who originally created Yaldabaoth, symbolizes the apostate Catholic Church. The Archons include earthly rulers—kings, presidents, clergy, and prime ministers—who uphold the dominion of Yaldabaoth. Church idols, in this interpretation, are the demons who deceive the people into worshiping false authorities.  

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ will usher in the final destruction of these corrupt powers and the restoration of divine order. The biblical book of Revelation and Gnostic scriptures provide a vision of this dramatic upheaval.  

### The Fall of Yaldabaoth and the Archons  

The *On the Origin of the World* lays out the destruction of Yaldabaoth and his Archons:  

> “And a great clap of thunder will come out of a great force that is above all the forces of chaos, where the firmament of the woman is situated (i.e. the Middle, the aeon of Sophia). Having created the first product (i.e. Yaldabaoth), she (Sophia) will put away the wise fire of intelligence and clothe herself with witless wrath. Then she will pursue the gods of chaos (i.e. the Archons), whom she created along with the prime parent (Yaldabaoth). She will cast them down into the abyss.” (*On the Origin of the World*)  

This aligns with the biblical prophecy that the false religious system (the apostate Catholic Church, represented by Sophia) will turn against its own creation—the Papacy: 

Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.” (Revelation 18:4)

“Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works.” (Revelation 18:6) 

She will cast them down into the abyss." This aligns with the final judgment in Revelation 19:20:

> “Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.” (Revelation 19:20)  

Thus, the corrupt religious and political systems of the world—symbolized by the Beast—will meet their end at the hands of Christ.  

### The Archons Will Devour Each Other  

As the end approaches, the rulers of the world will turn against one another in violent destruction. The *On the Origin of the World* states:  

> “They (the Archons) will be obliterated because of their wickedness. For they will come to be like volcanoes and consume one another until they perish at the hand of the prime parent (Yaldabaoth). When he has destroyed them, he will turn against himself and destroy himself until he ceases to exist.”  

This corresponds to the prophecy in Revelation:  

> “And the ten horns which you saw upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.” (Revelation 17:16)  

The whore represents the apostate Church (Sophia), and the Beast’s ten horns—the worldly rulers—will ultimately destroy her, fulfilling divine judgment.  

### The Collapse of the Lower Aeons  

As the Second Coming approaches, the lower realms—the false heavens ruled by Yaldabaoth and his Archons—will collapse. The *On the Origin of the World* describes this cataclysm:  

> “And their heavens will fall one upon the next and their forces will be consumed by fire. Their eternal realms, too, will be overturned. And his heaven will fall and break in two. His [...] will fall down upon the [...] support them; they will fall into the abyss, and the abyss will be overturned. The light will [...] the darkness and obliterate it: it will be like something that has never been. And the product to which the darkness had been posterior will dissolve. And the deficiency will be plucked out by the root (and thrown) down into the darkness.”  

This corresponds to biblical prophecy:  

> “Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth will move out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts and in the day of His fierce anger.” (Isaiah 13:13)  

> “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.” (2 Peter 3:10)  

The destruction of the Archons and their realms will be a cleansing fire, paving the way for the new heavens and the new earth.  

### The End of the Worldly Church  

The false religious systems will also meet their destruction, as foretold in the *Paraphrase of Shem*:  

> “And in the last day the forms of nature will be destroyed with the winds and all their demons; they will become a dark lump, just as they were from the beginning.”  

Revelation affirms this:  

> “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird.” (Revelation 18:2)  

Babylon represents the corrupt religious establishment, which will fall into desolation.  

### The House of the Archons Will Be Destroyed  

Jesus Himself declared the destruction of the existing world order:  

> “I shall destroy this house, and no one will be able to build it again.” (*Gospel of Thomas*, Saying 71)  

Likewise, James speaks of the same doom:  

> “This (house) I shall doom to destruction and derision of those who are in ignorance.” (*Second Apocryphon of James* 60:20)  

This echoes Christ’s words in Matthew:  

> “See! Your house is left to you desolate.” (Matthew 23:38)  

### Conclusion  

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ will bring the final destruction of the Archons—the kings, presidents, clergy, and rulers who have upheld the false order of Yaldabaoth. Their system, built on deceit and corruption, will collapse under divine judgment. The apostate Church (Sophia), which once empowered Yaldabaoth, will be destroyed by the very rulers she supported. The lower heavens will be shaken, the false idols will be overthrown, and the kingdom of Christ and His saints will reign.  

The coming of the Lord is not merely a spiritual event but a transformation of history. The political and religious powers of this world will crumble, replaced by the righteous rule of God. As the *Concept of Our Great Power* states:  

> “And the sign of the aeon that is to come will appear. And the aeons will dissolve.”  

As prophesied in Revelation:  

> “That there should be time no longer.” (Revelation 10:6)  

With the fall of the Archons, the restoration of the divine order will be complete, and the saints will inherit the renewed earth, where righteousness dwells.

**Gnostic Eschatology: The Destruction of the Archons at the Second Coming**  

### The Fate of the Archons and the Lower Aeons  

The eschatology of the Nag Hammadi texts reveals a dramatic end-time scenario where the oppressive rulers of the world, known as the Archons, along with Yaldabaoth (identified as the Papacy), will face ultimate destruction at the return of Christ. This aligns with the Biblical prophecies of the Second Coming, where corrupt worldly powers will collapse, and the Kingdom of God will be established.  

### The Fall of Yaldabaoth (The Papacy)  

In *On the Origin of the World*, Sophia, who originally brought Yaldabaoth into existence, will ultimately cast him into destruction:  

*"And a great clap of thunder will come out of a great force that is above all the forces of chaos, where the firmament of the woman is situated. Having created the first product, she (Sophia) will put away the wise fire of intelligence and clothe herself with witless wrath. Then she will pursue the gods of chaos, whom she created along with the prime parent (Yaldabaoth). She will cast them down into the abyss."* (*On the Origin of the World 127:10-20*)  

This aligns with the biblical prophecy that the false religious system (the apostate Catholic Church, represented by Sophia) will turn against its own creation—the Papacy: 

Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.” (Revelation 18:4)

“Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works.” (Revelation 18:6) 

She will cast them down into the abyss." This aligns with the final judgment in Revelation 19:20:  

**Revelation 19:20** – *“Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.”*  

The destruction of Yaldabaoth symbolizes the fall of the Papacy, which has held dominion over the nations through deception and false religion.  

### The Archons Will Turn Against Each Other  

The rulers of the world, who once followed Yaldabaoth, will begin to self-destruct in a series of catastrophic conflicts:  

*"They (the Archons) will be obliterated because of their wickedness. For they will come to be like volcanoes and consume one another until they perish at the hand of the prime parent (Yaldabaoth). When he has destroyed them, he will turn against himself and destroy himself until he ceases to exist."* (*On the Origin of the World 130:1-10*)  

The Bible confirms this destruction of rulers in Revelation:  

**Revelation 17:16** – *“And the ten horns which you saw upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.”*  

This points to the destruction of the Catholic Church by the very political rulers (the ten horns) who once supported it. When they realize its deception, they will turn against it and bring about its downfall.  

### The Collapse of the Lower Aeons (The Political World)  

The Lower Aeons, symbolic of the corrupt world systems, will collapse under divine judgment:  

*"And their heavens will fall one upon the next and their forces will be consumed by fire. Their eternal realms, too, will be overturned. And his heaven will fall and break in two... The deficiency will be plucked out by the root and thrown down into the darkness."* (*On the Origin of the World 129:20-30*)  

The Bible describes this cataclysm in similar terms:  

**Isaiah 13:13** – *“Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth will move out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts and in the day of His fierce anger.”*  

**2 Peter 3:10-13** – *“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.”*  

The heavens in this context symbolize political rule, as seen in *Lamentations 2:1*, where the fall of Israel is described as falling from heaven. The destruction of the Lower Aeons represents the end of the world’s corrupt political systems.  

### The Final Judgment and the Abyss  

As the end approaches, all demonic forces (church idols) and worldly structures will be thrown into destruction:  

*"And in the last day the forms of nature will be destroyed with the winds and all their demons; they will become a dark lump, just as they were from the beginning."* (*Paraphrase of Shem 45:15*)  

The Book of Revelation echoes this:  

**Revelation 18:2** – *“Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird.”*  

This signals the complete desolation of the religious and political systems that opposed God’s kingdom.  

### The Destruction of the Old World Order  

In the *Gospel of Thomas*, Jesus foretells the destruction of the corrupt world:  

*"I shall destroy this house, and no one will be able to build it again."* (*Gospel of Thomas saying 71*)  

Similarly, James speaks of the downfall of worldly power:  

*"This (house) I shall doom to destruction and derision of those who are in ignorance."* (*Second Apocryphon of James 60:20*)  

Jesus pronounces judgment on the false religious system:  

**Matthew 23:38** – *“See! Your house is left to you desolate.”*  

### Conclusion: The Triumph of the Kingdom of God  

At the Second Coming, Christ and His saints will establish the true Kingdom of God, overthrowing the Archons and their false systems of power. The destruction of Yaldabaoth, the Archons, and the Lower Aeons will pave the way for a renewed world ruled by righteousness.  

**Revelation 21:1** – *“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.”*  

Thus, the Gnostic eschatology aligns with Biblical prophecy, showing the inevitable destruction of oppressive rulers and the victory of Christ’s kingdom over all the forces of darkness.