*Sources of screenshots are listed in their respective file-names.

Spoiler alert: due to the nature of this examination, spoilers of both Far Cry 3 and 4 are included.

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The release of Far Cry 4 has been met with both critical and commercial success. Having played the game, I was genuinely surprised to find that it did not contain much the depravity of its predecessor, Far Cry 3.

However, both entries’ attitudes towards Christianity and Christ himself are…Sketchy, at best. This is best seen in their main antagonists, Vaas Montenegro and Pagan Min:

In Far Cry 3, you stab Vaas to death with a ritual knife shortly after he says:

“Take me into your heart. Accept me as your savior. Nail me to the f*ing cross and let me be reborn!“

Vaas (with outstretched arms) asks the player character to “Accept me as your savior.“

You, the player, are forced to stab this savior figure (or “another Jesus“) to death with a ritual knife.

“And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you: For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” (Mark 13:5-6)

“I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour.” (Isaiah 43:11)

Far Cry 4 features overtly Biblical imagery/terms by having you work with a Bible-quoting gun dealer named Longinus. In your first meeting he says:

“So, I started thinking to myself. When the Son of God is reborn, what gun would he choose?“

Later in his initial conversation with Ajay Ghale, Longinus reiterates: “What gun would Jesus choose?“

“And out of his [Jesus’] mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”
(Revelation 19:15-16)

However, the most interesting aspect of Far Cry 4 from a Biblical perspective is the depiction of antagonist (dictator of Kyrat) Pagan Min.

I’d like to take note of a couple things found on the cover of the game:

•  Pagan Min is using the lap of a decapitated statue of Kyra (the fictional deity of Kyrat) as a throne and resting one of his feet on its head.

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)

“And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.“ (Daniel 11:36-37)

• Hanging on Pagan Min’s right forefinger is the pin of a live grenade. The soldier kneeling before Pagan Min is forced to hold this grenade.

“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns [Pagan is also known as King Min], and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.” (Revelation 13:2-3)

Thus far, every one of the verses shown in connection to this one scene speaks of the Antichrist. Continuing to follow this association brings some very interesting results, especially towards the end of the game.

In one of the last missions of Far Cry 4, you storm Pagan Min’s stronghold and discover that he has a golden statue built in his image.

You destroy this statue with high explosives.

This event is directly connected with the mission “Truth and Justice.”
In Truth and Justice, you appear to kill Pagan Min, until your character receives a phone call…

[while surveying Pagan’s dead body]
Pagan Min: “Hello, Ajay. Did you miss me? Oh wait, yes you did.“

Ajay: “Pagan? I just killed you!“

You later see Pagan Min make a speech on national television:

Pagan Min: “Good people of Kyrat, I’m sure you will be delighted to know that the reports of my death are completely and utterly inaccurate…”

Continued: “I am alive, and all is right in the world…”

At the end of the speech:
“To summarize. Change is good. Embrace it. Your King is alive. Rejoice.“

What does this sequence have to do with the giant golden statue in Pagan’s stronghold? Head over to Revelation 13 again:

“And I saw one of his [the Antichrists’] heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation 13:3-4)

[Speaking of the False Prophet of Revelation]
“And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.” (Revelation 13:14)

Pagan Min both received a “deadly wound” and survived and forced his people to “make an image” in his honor.

Article Summary:

• The most recent installments of the Far Cry series reference the Bible and Christian faith prominently. Namely, the Bible-quoting gun dealer Longinus in Far Cry 4 and the “Take me into your heart. Accept me as your savior. Nail me to the f*ing cross and let me be reborn!” line said by Vaas Montengro before his death in Far Cry 3. (Mark 13:5-6)/(Isaiah 43:11)
  • References to the Bible can also be found in the depiction of the main antagonist of Far Cry 4, dictator of Kyrat, Pagan Min. On the cover of Far Cry 4 alone we see two elements corresponding to three separate verses speaking of the Antichrist.
    • The first has Pagan Min using the lap of a decapitated deity as a throne. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)/(Daniel 11:36-37)
    • The second has Pagan Min forcing the soldier kneeling before his throne to hold a live grenade. (Revelation 13:2-3)
  • The association of Pagan Min to an Antichrist-like figure is confirmed by a sequence where Pagan is believed to be dead by the populace but later reappears having “survived” the incident. (Revelation 13:3-4) He also happens to have a humongous golden statue built in his image. (Revelation 13:14)
    • These actions in conjunction are reminiscent of an event in Revelation where the Beast (Antichrist) survived a “deadly wound” and had “an image” built in his likeness and honor as well.

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