“THE FALSE PROPHET and The Rise of the Global False Religion” Revelation 13 continued.From The Series: When The Lamb Stands

Note: many scriptural passages are hyper-linked to Bible Gateway KJV of the Bible.. You can "right click them and open in a new tab"

As I have dedicated time to The Revelation, I have tried not to editorialize beyond the exposition of the Word. However, comment is appropriate before we continue chapter 13 and take a look at The False Prophet.

It may be evident to you as it is to me that we are living in the transitional age between the Church Age and the Tribulation. Therefore, we are seeing an exponential increase in religious deception within the Christian church. In fact, we were warned in Matthew 24:4-5, 2 Thessalonians 2:3 and Revelation 3:14-22 that Christianity itself would be marked by deception, apostacy and compromise as a sign of the times.

Those with spiritual discernment cannot escape the fact that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is being compromised for the sake of global unity and religious tolerance. In the grandiose plans of man, unity and global dominion are more important than truth. A rapidly growing movement toward religious syncretism--the blending of all religions--is gaining such force, terms and definitions for Biblical Christianity no longer have meaning because doctrine and theology have been re-defined to suit the purpose of false teachers and not offend other "faiths."

In order to unite religions that sharply disagree on doctrine, compromise must take place in order for the humanly-contrived movements to succeed. This is especially obvious when observing the post-modern trends in "how to do church." The Bible is no longer the first source; human management technics and self-help humanistic psychology have replaced historical Christianity. Terms such as evangelical, fundamental, dispensational, even "Christian," cannot be taken at face value. They must be defined to determine if someone is "in Christ."

When asked what I "believe," I now define my theology in detail rather than in formerly-useful labels so as not to be misunderstood. For salvation, I very nearly recite the Apostles Creed making it clear I believe salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone. For New Agers, Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, and Gospel Light pew sitters--this is even not enough. It would require a detailed explanation of terms such as "faith," "works," even "Christ" because the Christ worshipped by New Agers, Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses even Gospel Light evangelicals is not the Christ and Lord of the Bible.

Many post-modern [liberal] evangelicals worship a God of their own imagination. They don't really know Him because they don't read His book; they do not follow His teaching; they do not obey His commandments. In fact, they do not repent of much of anything at all... Yet, they call themselves Christians. The question is, does Christ recognize them as such?

When asked what I believe regarding Bible exposition, I now state the following:

• I take the Bible literally as the complete and inspired Word of God. The Word is sufficient and cannot be added to or taken from [Revelation 22:18-19]. There is no "new" revelation and the Bible is to be taken literally from Genesis to Revelation.
• Unfulfilled prophecy is future. Fulfilled prophecy has been historically fulfilled. The Second Coming of Christ is yet future including the Rapture and the Tribulation and the Millennial Kingdom following His return.
• I believe in the pre-millennial [before the Millennium] return of Christ Jesus physically to the earth to establish His own Kingdom. His earthly Kingdom will not be established by the Church. The only sense in which the kingdom exists before the return of Christ is in the invisible, spiritual union among true believers, which is automatic at the point of conversion and the filling of the Holy Spirit [John 17:6-26; John 14:20]. The invisible kingdom is the work of the Holy Spirit and should not be confused with human efforts to unite Christians.
• I believe in the pre-tribulation Rapture of the Church [those "in Christ"] from the earth BEFORE the Tribulation begins because the Church is not appointed to wrath [1 Thess. 1:10; 5:9].
• The Church and corporate Israel are distinct entities and the Church has not replaced Israel in God's plan of the ages. The prophecy of Daniel's Seventy Weeks [Daniel 9] will be fulfilled through Israel, and there are seven years left in that historic prophecy yet to be fulfilled. This seven years is called The Tribulation.
• Following the Tribulation, the Old Testament prophets [Is. 61-66; Zech. 14; Joel 3] and The Revelation [19; 20:1-10] are clear that Christ Jesus will return to rule on the earth for a period of one thousand years before the re-creation of the New Heavens and New Earth [Revelation 21-22].

THIS EXPLANATION OF TERMS MAY SEEM TEDIOUS, BUT IT IS TO MAKE A POINT: CHRISTIANITY IS IN DANGER OF LOSING ITS CLEAR DOCTRINAL DISTINCTIVES. WE ARE EXPERIENCING FIRST-HAND THE APOSTACY AND COMPROMISE OUR LORD WARNED WOULD PRECEDE THE TRIBULATION.

FRIENDS, WE ARE IN THE AGE OF LAODICEA. NOT ONLY IS ANTICHRIST WAITING IN THE WINGS, HIS FALSE PROPHET MAY EVEN NOW BE ORGANIZING THE FALSE ONE-WORLD RELIGION.

How many Christians are even aware.

~

We continue The Revelation chapter 13 with the second beast, The Beast From The Earth, or The False Prophet. He is perhaps more insidious than the political Antichrist because he uses faith in a false one-world religion to seduce the population of the earth to worship the first beast. For this reason, he is a false prophet. Because he is the last of the false prophets, he is THE False Prophet. The political Antichrist and The False Prophet work together to accomplish the evil intent of Satan, who empowers them. Together, these three comprise the complete Satanic trinity: The Dragon or Satan is the counterfeit Father. The political Antichrist is the counterfeit Christ. The False Prophet is the counterfeit Holy Spirit. The Satanic trinity is Satan’s attempt to counterfeit God because he desires to be “like the Most High,” Isaiah 14:14.

The False Prophet plays a central role in Antichrist’s rise to power. In a sense, The Antichrist is fulfilled in two human men: one a political leader and one a religious leader. The political leader of the global revived Roman empire is usually referred to as The Antichrist. However, as world dictators of history know, combining military power with religious superstition is an effective way to control populations. Therefore, the religious Antichrist plays a significant role. Note 1 John 2:18, 22 – “…as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.” Many false prophets and politicians with delusions of grandeur are even now contributing to the rise of the ultimate Antichrists of the Tribulation.

Wiersbe notes that the Beast rises to power by means of the apostate world church, described in Revelation 17 as The Babylonian Harlot. This global church is a combination of all faiths that reject God’s Son and God’s truth. The False Prophet directs worship of this one-world church toward the Antichrist in order to consolidate and strengthen Antichrist’s power base. In this way, The False Prophet will point to the worship of Antichrist and his image and compel people to worship Satan through the Beast. He does this to counterfeit the true Holy Spirit who ministers to glorify Christ by leading people to trust and worship Him [John 16:7-15]. Wiersbe: “However, when ‘the beast’ rises to universal power, he will no longer need ‘the harlot’ and shall subsequently destroy her and establish his own satanic religion.”

Revelation 13:11-18 – The False Prophet

• The Beast From the Earth is the last of the 7 Performers of the Tribulation from chapters 12 and 13. He is also called The Religious Antichrist.
• “out of the earth”--He is called The False Prophet in Revelation 16:13, 19:20 and 20:10. But here, he is introduced as “another beast” one that is “coming up out of the earth.” This is to impress on the reader that the second man is another beast, like the first—just as evil and also empowered by Satan. The fact that he is shown emerging from the earth also makes him distinct from The Antichrist in that he comes from a different background. Many speculate that “earth” represents “land,” specifically theland of Israel. He may very well be a Jew, whereas The Antichrist is thought to be a Gentile.
• “two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.” – Literally, he looks like a lamb, but speaks like the Devil. He will seem religious and “holy,” but he will speak subtle and even outrageous blasphemy, perhaps in the guise of new revelation or newly revealed truth. The two horns indicate authority but the  absence of a crown indicates that his authority is not political, as is Antichrist’s. Also, he has only two horns whereas Antichrist has 10.

Our Lord warned that there would be false prophets [Matt. 24:11,24], and this one will be the greatest—and the last. He will have the “character” of a lamb on the outside but the forked tongue of the Dragon and Serpent, the Devil, having the ability to influence the masses. The False Prophet will be the ultimate deceiver, and all the world will listen to him. At a time when the world will need hope and a savior, Satan will offer two men who seem to answer all their needs.

· “he causes” –This phrase is used 8 times of him. He will entice people to accept the system. Finally he will force all to take the Mark of the Beast, 666, as the most logical, loyal and patriotic/religious way to show allegiance to their world leader and also to effectively implement the Beast system. By this time, there will be food shortages, mass health issues and catastrophes from natural disasters. Mankind will demand a system of equal food distribution and disaster relief making them ripe for deception and manipulation. In order to prevent supplies from falling into the hands of religious terrorists [true Christians], The False Prophet will institute a mark of allegiance.

· “great signs” – To authenticate his spiritual power, The False Prophet is able to do great signs, wonders and miracles, even duplicating fire coming down from heaven on the earth, similar to miracles performed by the Two Witnesses [11:4-6]. However, The False Prophet is able to do wonders through the power of Satan and through counterfeit miracles, also called lying wonders [2 Thess. 2:9]. Just because something “works” does not mean it is of God. Works can authenticate evil rather than truth. Satan is able to exhibit a certain amount of power. In order to deceive those who are lost, God allows “strong delusion” so that the lost “should believe the lie.” [2 Thess. 2:11]

The post-modern church is filled with false prophets who claim to be apostles and prophets. They perform so-called miracles and healings in order to seduce congregations to follow them and financially support their movements. Multitudes are deceived because of what they think are signs from God, although sexual immorality, Biblical error and false prophecies are rampant in such ministries. When prophets exhibited the same tendencies in the Old Testament, they were labeled false prophets and were stoned.

Unlike these human and flawed false teachers, Jesus Christ refused to do signs and miracles to prove  who He was at the whim of the people. He did not come to fulfill their perceived needs and desires. The miracles He did perform in the presence of His disciples were not to provide health, wealth and prosperity. They were to authenticate that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing we may have life in His name [John 20:31]. The modern-day apostles that seek their own authority are not of God. They are fore-runners of The False Prophet and are contributing to the error and apostacy of the coming false one-world religion that The False Prophet will direct.

• The greatest sign of The False Prophet will be “the abomination of desolation” prophesied by Daniel and illuminated by Christ [Daniel 9:27; 11:36; Matt. 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:4]. The Beast and The False Prophet will contrive to erect an image or idol to Antichrist in a re-built Jewish Temple on theTemple Mount in Jerusalem. This image may be to commemorate Antichrist supposedly “rising from the dead” after he recovers from his wound. Although it may be seen as a statue of great Antichrist, the global leader, it is an idol. No graven image of any kind was to be fashioned by Israel for worship, and the Temple is the very heart of worship of Jehovah God. The False Prophet will cause the image to have “breath…so that it could speak.” Wiersbe speculates that after the Lord raises the two witnesses from the dead and takes them into heaven, the False Prophet will counter the miracle by causing the statue of Antichrist to “speak.” Making it “alive.” Antichrist will go into the Temple and pronounce himself God [2 Thess. 2:3ff], and his False Prophet then commands the followers of the one-world religion to worship the idol and therefore, the Beast and Satan who empowers him. All who do not are threatened with death.
• The great lie of The False Prophet: In 2 Thess. 2:1-12, we read “…God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie…” Ed Hindson believes the Greek indicates this is a particular lie, not just deception in general. It could possibly refer to the false explanation given for the disappearance of thousands of believers in the Rapture of the Church. It may be that Antichrist actually died and that he was miraculously raised from the dead. But more likely “the lie” is the summation of all the deception--that Antichrist is the Christ rather than Jesus of Nazareth. Our Lord said in Matthew 24:5 that many would come in His name claiming to be the Christ. In the New Age false religion, it is taught that all men can become god by reaching a higher level of consciousness through practicing mystical forms of meditation and achieving the “Christ consciousness.” All who reach this level are “christs.” This is the Satanic teaching that man can become god, which is the basic lie of all false religions. The lie takes similar forms, either that man can become god or that man can reach heaven by his own efforts or works, thereby acting as his own god. Hinson believes, therefore, that “the lie” involves the particular choice man must make between Satan and God.

GLOBAL APOSTACY BEFORE CHRIST’S RETURN:

A sign of the times is that truth is being replaced with lies and deception. By the end of the Church Age, represented by the letter to Laodicea [Revelation 3:14-22], doctrine will be compromised to the point where there is no defined right and wrong, only lukewarm middle-of-the-road “Gospel light.” Truth as a concept of absolute right and wrong is being replaced with relativism and pragmatism, even in Christianity! These are the concepts of fallen humanism. Truth, therefore, is no longer considered absolute but can be interpreted relative to one’s situation. For example, it is becoming popular to "question" the Bible instead of receiving it as truth. Decisions are made pragmatically according to what works, whether it is right or not. As long as it works, it is “right” in our fallen human society. Because of this evil intent of the heart of man, our Lord said He would return to destroy man’s rebellion, in wrath poured out! “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” [Matt. 24:37; Gen. 6:5]

The prophet Isaiah foresaw these days, when truth would be “fallen in the streets,” Isaiah 59:14. He said, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness…” [Isaiah 5:20] When Christ returns, He who is the way, the truth, and the life will destroy those who compromise His truth [John 14:6].

• The Mark of the Beast, 666 – Vs. 17-18 – In order to enforce the worship of Antichrist and to maintain absolute control, The False Prophet establishes a system so that no one can buy or sell unless he has a particular Mark. It will be introduced as a pragmatic method of economic control.
• The Mark of the Beast also forces mankind to choose between God and Satan. Without the Mark, commerce will be prevented. In a time when necessities will be scarce, the ability to buy and sell will determine life and death.
• TO REJECT THE MARK IS A DEATH SENTENCE BY ANTICHRIST. Revelation 20:4—“Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands.” There is no compromise in this decision. Either maintain a witness for Jesus and die, or receive the mark.
• TO ACCEPT THE MARK IS A DEATH SENTENCE BY GOD. Revelation 14:9—“If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb…There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.” Those who take the Mark are more than dead; they are sentenced to the Second Death, eternal damnation.

The Mark Must Be Received:

The sentence of eternal judgment is for those who “receive” the Mark, Rev. 14:9. This indicates it is a free-will choice to take the Mark and does not apply if the Mark is forced upon a person. In other words, if new-born babies are branded with the Mark, they did not “receive” it willingly.

• It is a classless system. Osborne is quoted by LaHaye: “According to Revelation 13:16, the mark, a sign of allegiance, touches every part of society. John uses three couplets to emphasize this: the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves. Every cultural category and subgroup of humanity will be affected. There are no favorites before God or the satanic realm, and no distinction is made between the haves and the have-nots.”
• It is a Satanic counterfeit. The 144,000 Jewish believers are sealed in chapter 7, which Hinson believes will be a kind of invisible protection from Antichrist. However, Satan marks his followers with a visible brand. The word for “seal” in chapter 7 is not the same Greek word for “mark” in chapter 13. The Mark of the Beast is a kind of tattoo or brand on the right hand or forehead--places easily visible on the body in order that those having the Mark can be identified as Beast followers. Religious tattooing was widespread in the Roman Empire and the ancient world to show devotion to a particular god or goddess. The False Prophet will re-institute this pagan form in the guise of modern technology for economic access to the global system.

Note that the mark is on them, not in them. This would rule out the Mark consisting of a computer chip inserted under the skin. This does not mean that computer chip implantation may not be used as part of the system or to lead up to the Mark implementation. Society is fast becoming used to the idea of permanent markings in order to have tighter security controls. The Mark will be the next logical step by the time it becomes enforced.

FASCINATION WITH 666

• 666 – The fascination attached to the “name of the Beast or the number of his name” stems from a desire to identify the infamous character, perhaps before he makes himself openly known by committing the Abomination of Desolation at the mid-point of the Tribulation. Believers of all ages have tried to interpret the meaning of the 666, especially if they believed the Antichrist to be alive in their time. However, the mystery may have more to do with the CONCEPT of the Satanic villain than with the man who is finally chosen for the job. There have been many Antichrists throughout time, also called “types” of Antichrist. Antiochus Epiphanes was a type of the Antichrist during the Greek Empire’s domination of Israel [Daniel 8:11, 23-25; 11:29-31]. Antiochus pre-viewed the Antichrist's abomination of desolation in the Tribulation by also desecrating the Jewish Temple in his day. Hitler is also recognized as a type of Antichrist because of his participation in Demonic occultism, his desire to revive the Roman Empire through the Rhine River valley, and his persecution of the Jewish people. However, it is God who will determine the time of the final Antichrist’s appearance.
• THE NUMBER OF A MAN: The significance of the “666” is that it is “the number of a man.” The inspired Word of God says the wisdom and understanding is to recognize first of all that Antichrist is just a man! Granted, he will be a man with superior capabilities. He will also be a man empowered by Satan. But he is still a man…not God.

Larkin notes that the number 666 is the Biblical number of man and stops short of the perfect or complete number seven. Man was created by God on the sixth day. Goliath, who opposed God’s people, was a type of Antichrist. He was six cubits in height, he had six pieces of armor, and his spearhead weighed six hundred shekels [1 Samuel 17:4-7]. Nebuchadnezzar’s image, a type of the Image of the Beast, was sixty cubits in height, six cubits wide, and six instruments of music summoned the worshippers [Daniel 3:1-7].  The number six has been used in scripture to preview this final failed human experiment to take dominion of the earth from God.

Ice adds that seven, the number of perfection, is represented many times in the Revelation in association with God: seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls of wrath, seven thunders, etc. God’s purpose is complete and perfect. But this Beast who claims to be God, is not perfect or complete. If that were the case, he should be 777. In effect, the Word says no, you are only 666, which means you are NOT, NOT, NOT GOD!.

MacArthur notes that the 666 of Antichrist is ironically a representation of the villain’s human imperfection, not his grandeur. Antichrist, the most powerful human the world will ever know, will still fall short of Satan’s attempts to be God. The three-fold repetition of the number is intended to underscore his flawed humanity. Antichrist is a trinity of human imperfection and will fail to rule the world in the place of Creator God, the holy Trinity—Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

· Calculation of the number of the beast: In some languages, including Hebrew, letters have a numerical equivalent. In verse 13:17, we are told the 666 will also represent “the number of his name.” Although the Bible reveals other attributes and actions of Antichrist to help Bible-believers identify him, his name will no doubt add up to 666 in alphabetical equivalence. John warns that the interpretation of his name may not be obvious as it will take someone with understanding to crack the code. Because the tribulation is a condensed AGE OF DECEPTION AND DELUSION, Satan may have many deceivers at large to confuse the issue…it may even be difficult to identify which of the world leaders involved in the treaty of Daniel 9:27 is “the” Antichrist of scripture. However, the absolute defining identification even for those who are slow to understand will be the Abomination of Desolation, the idol or image which The False Prophet will empower with some form of speech.

Discernment to understand who the Antichrist is during the Tribulation may be given to remnants of believers such as the 144,000 Jews. Even though Antichrist will appear to be a benevolent ruler during the first years of the Tribulation—even a savior of human civilization—those who read their Bible will know it is not to last.

Ultimately, Antichrist will demand complete control of humanity and the earth. Power corrupts powerfully. Antichrist, like Nebuchadnezzar, succumbs to impotent rage [12:12; 12:17], possibly insanity, before he is finally and utterly destroyed by Christ at His return.

To balance the visions of the Tribulation, both His wrath and His grace, the next chapter proclaims and previews the VICTORIES OF CHRIST JESUS. It is a glorious chapter, celebrating the divine purpose of Christ in the Tribulation.

Next: Revelation 14

In Him We Wait, Work, and Watch,

[Luke 12:35-59]

Sharon L. Clemens