The False Prophet
The Mark, The Idol, The Antichrist’s Right Hand Man

The Antichrist’s right hand man, or the third person in the unholy trinity as many scholars refer to him, is known in the Bible as the False Prophet. It is easy to look past this figure in the Scriptures or let the magnitude of the Antichrist over shadow this other beast, but we mustn’t gloss over this figure. Under and with the authority of the Antichrist, he will be the implementer and enforcer of much of the evil that will be brought about by Satan using these two men.

One commentator notes:

His arguments will be subtle, convincing, and appealing. His oratory will be hypnotic, for he will be able to move the masses to tears or whip them into a frenzy. He will control the communication media of the world and will skillfully organize mass publicity to promote his ends. He will be the master of every promotional device and public relations gimmick. He will manage the truth with guile beyond words, bending it, twisting it, and distorting it. Public opinion will be his command. He will mold world thought and shape human opinion like so much potter’s clay. His deadly appeal will lie in the fact that what he says will sound so right, so sensible, so exactly what unregenerate man has always wanted to hear.

Along with John’s vision of the beast that is the Antichrist, John saw another beast (Revelation 13:11) who is later identified as the False Prophet (Revelation 19:20). In the midst of the world wide chaos, the false prophet will use his authority and power to perform unusual signs, deceiving people into false hope and into worshiping an image of the Antichrist (Revelation 13:12-14). Those who refuse to worship the Antichrist will be killed (Revelation 13:15). After the rapture the world’s economy will crash. The False Prophet along with the Antichrist will stabilize it with strict control over who can buy and sell. Every man, woman, and child will receive a mark, without which one cannot participate. This will lead to great suffering for those who refuse it. The mark will either be “the name of the beast or the number of his name…666” (Revelation 13:17-18)

What we know about this man

From Revelation 13:11-12 and 19:20, we know a few things about the False Prophet:

1) Many scholars believe he will be Jewish because John says he comes up “out of the earth” rather than the sea. In the Bible, the sea is used to refer to the gentile people and nations while the earth (also figs, fig trees, and trees) is used to refer to the Jews and the nation of Israel.

2) “He had two horns like a lamb”. The Lord Jesus Christ is often referred to in the Gospels (Book of Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John) and in the book of Revelation as “The Lamb of God”. As such, he has taken away the sin of the world (for those who accept his free gift of salvation).

The False Prophet's arrival on the earth will look like a lamb with two horns. Lambs do not have horns, which are symbols of authority. Lambs are meek and mild animals. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to like lambs but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (Matthew 7:15). The False Prophet will come to Israel in sheep’s clothing, but God terms him a “Beast”.

3) “He spoke like a dragon” tells us he will derive power of speech from Satan who is the dragon. This False Prophet will then deceive people by acting like a lamb, but he will really speak the words of Satan. Satan is not against religion. He is however against a personal faith in and relationship with Jesus Christ. Therefore, the False Prophet will most likely be one of the chief spokesmen in the Holy Land for the ecumenical power described in Revelation 17.

4) “He exercised all the authority of the first best on his behalf” The False Prophet will be given power from the Antichrist.

5. 5)“He made the earth and all of its inhabitants worship the first beast” the False Prophet’s basic purpose and operation (with power from the antichrist and the power of speech from Satan) will be to drive people to worship the Antichrist.
   

No false teacher from past to present has possessed the supernatural powers that the False Prophet will have. During the Tribulation period the Antichrist and the False Prophet will have the power to perform “counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:9). It does not come as any surprise that the False Prophet will be able to reproduce every thing that the two witnesses sent by God (described in Revelation 11) will be able to do.

The Mark of the Beast

The apostle John foretold that the Antichrist (the Beast) will be assassinated with a wound to the head or neck and then satanically resurrected at the midpoint of the seven-year long Tribulation period (See our article on the Antichrist for more information). During the first three and a half years of the tribulation period, the Antichrist will present himself to the world as a messiah figure who is an economic, political, and military genius. However, after this resurrection, he will claim to be God. The False Prophet will then demand that everyone on earth worship the resurrected Antichrist as God by taking his mark.

Revelation 13:12
“And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed”

During the time of Great Tribulation, people will still need to buy and sell to earn a living for their families and themselves. The Antichrist and the False Prophet will strike their most severe and horrific blow at the level of basic necessities. The False Prophet will institute the Mark of the Beast which will be a system associated with the number 666. If you do not take the mark of the beast you will be killed.

The book of Revelation describes a cashless society in the last days. In order to buy or sell, it will be necessary to possess a certain number (666) which is the Mark and Number of the Beast (the Antichrist).

Revelation 13:16-18
He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666.

This was an astonishing and improbable prophecy when John proclaimed it in the first century. Think that’s still just not possible? The US government in World War II used a rationing system for food and other items. It was not enough to have money sufficient enough to pay for an item. It did not matter how much money you had, if you didn’t have the stamps you couldn’t purchase the item.

How could one number be the key to allow a person to transact business, to obtain commodities, or to complete any financial transactions? Today, not only is it possible, it’s easy to implement and the technology is already in use. Already North Americans live in a 97% cashless society. Less than 3 percent of the money in our economy exists as either paper currency or coin. John, in the book of Revelation, prophesies that the number 666 will be placed beneath the skin of people on the right hand or on the forehead as a way to enforce people’s allegiance to the Antichrist as their God and to control people throughout the Antichrist’s world empire.

The new VeriChip, a beneath-the-skin radio frequency chip, can be implanted beneath the skin and contain comprehensive information about an individual. This chip together with a GPS locator system will allow any interested party or institution not only to locate an individual but to identify a person with his financial, medical, and even criminal records.

If you find yourself at this time period, having missed the Rapture, you must not take this mark. All who take this mark will be lost to God forever. This point cannot be stressed enough!

Revelation 14:9-11

9 Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,

10 he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.

11 "And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who  worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."

Life to the Image

Part of the deception perpetrated by the False Prophet will be his power to give life to the “image of the beast” (Revelation 13:15). The Bible uses the word eikon (“icon”) for “image”. It means a representation derived from a prototype or a “perfect likeness”. It looks like the real thing but it isn’t.

Some time after the midway point of Tribulation, after the Antichrist has been slain and resurrected, the False Prophet will have an image of the Antichrist created and demand that it be worshiped (If you do not, you will be killed Revelation 20:4). By some mysterious means, unknown in the previous history of the world, he will give life to the image. What characteristics it will have we are not told. Possibly the characteristic it will manifest is the ability to speak and interact. With the technology of today, that is certainly possible, even easy to-do. Mix in with that, close circuit video monitoring and GPS tracking via the mark of the beast, authorities will certainly know if you are or aren’t worshiping these “images”.

We do not know exactly how the False Prophet will do this, but looking at the current technology in place right now, its not hard to see the possibilities. A company named LM3Labs has created an interactive hologram technology named Air Strike. In watching their demonstration of it, it is not hard at all to use your mind’s eye and see the false prophet standing in front of the screen and bringing the hologram of the Antichrist to life:

http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/22/lm3labs-airstrike-interactive-holograms-because-they-can/

See Also: Hologram to replace human receptionist at London council

The Antichrist and the False Prophet will be judged by God

Daniel tells us “ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set…. I beheld even till the beast [the antichrist] was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away; yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time." (7:10-12)

Some Bible commentators have suggested that Daniel's vision of judgment refers to the Great White Throne Judgment. However, the scripture evidence rules out this conclusion. (Revelation 20) confirms that the Great White Throne Judgment will involve the individual judgment of all unrepentant sinners and will occur in Heaven at the end of the thousand year Millennium Reign. In Daniel’s prophecy, he mentions judgments that will be pronounced by God. These judgments are the judgments of the Gentile nations for their treatment of the Jewish people throughout history, as well as the tribulation period. Jesus foretold that this judgment will occur on earth following the battle of Armageddon and Christ’s establishment of the kingdom of God on earth (Matthew 25:31-46).

The final judgment of the Antichrist and the False Prophet (which will occur after the battle of Armageddon) is to be the first ones thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:11-21). Keep in mind, that Satan and all those who have rejected Jesus throughout all time, will not enter the lake of fire until the Great White Thrown judgment which won’t occur until after the Millennial Reign of Christ (1,000 years) ends (Revelation 20) which will then be followed by a new Heaven and new Earth (Revelation 21).

Conclusion

There are more events surrounding and involving the False Prophet than what we’ve covered in this article (namely, the one world false religion). The scope of these and other events require their own article to fully cover them. What we’ve tried to do here, is to cover the main biblical aspects involving this person and give greater detail about events in other articles.

What is important to know here is that this person, the False Prophet, will be working under and in conjunction with the Antichrist to bring about the evil desires of Satan. Never forget though, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is, was, and forever will be in complete control. Nothing Satan does will happen without the permission of God.

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