Copyright
© 2024 Michael A. Brown
‘Then I
saw another beast, coming out of the earth.
He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon.’ (Rev. 13:11)
In Revelation 13:11-18 we are also
introduced to a second beast. The human
figurehead of this beast is known as the False Prophet (Rev. 19:20), and this
man will co-work closely with the first Beast that I described above,
Antichrist.
This evil man, the False Prophet, does not
suddenly ‘jump onto the scene’ at the point when Antichrist takes up his reign
in Jerusalem and then extends his authority and power worldwide through the
willing cooperation of the ten kings.
The False Prophet will evidently already have been Antichrist’s close
associate, his diabolical ‘partner in crime,’ as it were, for some time
previously. His role in setting up the
abomination so readily in Jerusalem, and the apparent speed with which he rolls
out the mark of the Beast on a worldwide scale with all the logistical
challenges that that will involve, both indicate this. Even though the technology needed for these
two projects will already have been established before the False Prophet
arises, yet their implementation will obviously still require several years of
meticulous planning and preparation.
Many scientists and other people worldwide will necessarily have to be
networked and involved before these two projects can be successfully
implemented. So, regardless of whatever
else he may be, the False Prophet would certainly appear to be skilled in the
areas of science, technology and logistics.
Furthermore, this second beast is
described as having two horns like a lamb (v.11), and this leads many
commentators to believe that the False Prophet’s main role in the overall
Antichrist system will be more of a spiritual or religious nature. This is confirmed from what follows about him
in the narrative. However, he is also
described as speaking like a dragon, so he is evidently a true wolf in sheep’s
clothing (v.11).
Some commentators think that the end-times
role of this False Prophet will be fulfilled by the Pope of the Roman Catholic
Church. Regardless of what we may or may
not think of that, the inclusivism of Roman Catholic soteriology certainly
lends itself easily to creating a one-world religious system with the Pope as
its titular head. Moves in this
direction have been characteristic of the Roman Catholic hierarchy since
Vatican II (1962 – 1965).
Alternatively, others think that, because
the False Prophet is described as coming up out of the earth/land (v.11), then
perhaps he will be a Jewish religious leader who will help to establish the
rule of Antichrist over the Jewish people.
However, what matters in the end is not
our attempts to discern the False Prophet’s identity, so much as understanding
what his position and role will be in the end-times Antichrist system.
This end-times Antichrist system will have
a dual nature: it will be both a politico-economic system and a
spiritual/religious system. The False
Prophet will head up the spiritual/religious aspect of this one-world
system. Some commentators make the point
that the ‘trinity’ of ‘the Dragon – Antichrist the Beast – the False Prophet’
which we see in Revelation chs.12-13 will be a diabolical perversion of the
true and holy trinitarian nature of God as ‘Father – Son – Holy Spirit’ (cf.
Rev. 16:13).[1]
Movies that attempt to portray life in the
post-rapture period tend to focus on themes such as the person of Antichrist,
the totalitarian control of his one-world system, the mark of the Beast, and
the persecution and martyrdom of believers.
However, I don’t think that I have ever seen one that attempts to
portray the depth of spiritual deception that will be released in the Great
Tribulation. This aspect of life in the
overall Antichrist system is generally left unaddressed.
However, because Satan, his fallen angels
and countless demonic hordes will be active on earth without restraint during
the Great Tribulation, this period of time will be characterised by great and
powerful spiritual deception and delusion.
Integrated with the totalitarian control of the political aspect of
Antichrist’s rule, there will be a very active spiritual dimension. False prophets and deluded people claiming to
be the Messiah will rise up, whose activities and preaching will be accompanied
by counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders.
And, as is so often the case, many people will be deceived by these
things into believing that the false prophets who perform them really are from
God. Instead, of course, they will be
led even further into deception, spiritual bondage and downright delusion:
‘The
coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan
displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every
sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing… God sends them powerful delusion so that they
will believe the lie…’
(2 Thess. 2:9-11)
‘For
false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and
miracles to deceive even the elect – if that were possible.’ (Matt. 24:24)
Chief among these false prophets during
the Great Tribulation will be this second beast, and indeed the word of God
calls him the False Prophet (Rev. 19:20).
As the figurehead of the global religious/spiritual aspect of
Antichrist’s one-world order, possessed and empowered by the forces of
darkness, he too will use powerful signs and wonders to deceive many people:
‘And he
performed many great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from
heaven to earth in full view of men.
Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first
beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth.’ (Rev. 13:13-14)
That which is genuinely from God will
always point and lead people towards repentance from sin, and faith in Jesus as
the giver of eternal salvation. However,
this man’s evil spiritual power will lead people away from God and into worship
of the first Beast, Antichrist. This
exposes the fact that what he performs is not of God. It will be demonic through and through.
The False Prophet will exercise all of the
first Beast’s authority on his behalf, and he will use this position of
delegated authority to coerce the earth’s inhabitants into worshipping an image
of Antichrist which he will set up in the temple in Jerusalem (as part of the abomination
that causes desolation). He will demand
that everyone worships this image of Antichrist as a false Messiah.
Perhaps this image will be set up in the
temple to be worshipped whenever Antichrist himself is busy elsewhere. Scripture says that the False Prophet will
‘give breath’ to this image, i.e. it will appear to be a living object. Some commentators believe that this may well
be done by linking up the (perhaps robotic) image to Antichrist’s own brain and
mind using some form of artificial superintelligence, so that, wherever
Antichrist happens to be, his own mind and thoughts can still be spoken in the
temple in Jerusalem through this image.[2] Even now, many people think that this kind of
technology will very soon be within the reaches of science.
‘He
exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the
earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast… He ordered them to set up an image in honour
of the first beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He was given power to give breath to the
image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to
worship the image to be killed.’
(Rev. 13:12,14-15)
Those who refuse to worship the image will
be put to death by beheading, and this will be a time when many believers lay
down their lives and are martyred, because they refuse to worship this image:
‘He who
has an ear let him hear. If anyone is to
go into captivity, into captivity he will go.
If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be
killed. This calls for patient endurance
and faithfulness on the part of the saints.’ (Rev. 13:9-10)
‘This
calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s
commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.
Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed are the dead who
die in the Lord from now on.”’
(Rev. 14:12-13)
‘And I
saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for
Jesus and because of the word of God.
They had not worshipped the beast or his image and had not received his
mark on their foreheads or their hands.’ (Rev. 20:4)
This one-world religion, this
one-world spirituality, will therefore be essentially Luciferian in nature,
with the worship of Satan and the worship of the Beast or his image as its
central, focal points. The whole world
will be enslaved to this idolatry, except for those who truly believe in Jesus
and are willing to pay the ultimate price for their faith. It will be the most widespread idolatry
the world has ever known:
‘Men
worshipped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they
also worshipped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?”’ (Rev. 13:4)
‘All the
inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast – all whose names have not been
written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the
creation of the world.’
(Rev. 13:8)
This will be man’s final attempt to exalt
himself and enthrone himself in the place of God, and it will therefore be the
ultimate self-idolatry:
‘The
king will do as he pleases. He will
exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things
against the God of gods.’
(Dan. 11:36)
‘The
beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies… He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to
slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven.’ (Rev. 13:5-6)
Similarly, this worship of the Beast and
his image will reflect Satan’s own obsession with trying to set himself above
and against God, and being worshipped himself:
‘You
said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above
the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost
heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend
above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”’ (Isa 14:13-14)
‘In the
pride of your heart you say, “I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god…”’ (Ezek. 28:2)
Copyright Notice
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
[1] The fact that the
False Prophet is the human figurehead of this second beast, indicates that he
becomes the spiritual/religious leader of the global end-times ‘one-world
religion,’ as this develops. Its focus
will be the worship of the first Beast, Antichrist. Being in a position of worldwide influence
will enable the False Prophet to efficiently enforce the adoption of the mark
of the Beast by everyone. The worldwide
integration of the political and military dominance of the first Beast, with
the spiritual/religious dominance of the second beast, will give rise to the
totalitarian nature of the end-time Antichrist system. This kind of integration was employed in the
Constantinian synthesis of state and Church, leading to the totalitarian nature
of medieval Christendom in Europe. It is
also found within Islam in which the religious, political, economic, and
military aspects of life are integrated together into an all-encompassing total
way of life.
[2] Whatever we may
think about this, one thing that concerns me personally at the time of writing
is the prospect for human beings, who may be under the influence of a demonic
spirit as the case may be, to be linked up to some form of super-smart
artificial intelligence. The potential
for evil in such a scenario is fearsome indeed!
No comments:
Post a Comment