The Antichrist & False Prophet

Revelation 13

This is an incredible chapter, giving insight into how the Devil launches his attack against God’s people and how he makes his appearance on the earth.

THE ANTICHRIST

In Revelation 12:3 the Devil is seen in his spiritual form as a “great red dragon.” Here he is seen in his earthly form as a beast rising up out of the sea. In Revelation 17:15 the sea translates to peoples, multitudes, nations, and diverse languages. The “rising up” indicates that his appearing on the earth is progressive, taking place throughout history as he puts the pieces in place to prepare for his entrance into and takes over of the earth. He will exert his will on the earth through nations, eventually exerting his will through one man who will be known as the Antichrist: a political leader who will have a plan for the world’s economic problems.

On the earth, the Devil’s seven heads represents his control over seven nations/empires. A study of Daniel chapters 2 and 7, along with a study of history, identify these nations to be Babylon, Persia (Iran), Grecian Empire, Roman Empire, Great Britain/United States, Russia, and an unidentified nation with a leopard as its national symbol. There is a strong possibility that this will be the Islamic nations or a coalition of Arab nations or even a combination of both. The ten horns represent ten kings that will rise up in the last of the last days out of these seven nations to rule over ten regions or as we see developing today, ten political unions. (For more information on these seven nations, see Appendix C.)

The Devil will enter the earth through governments and politics—nations. On the earth, these belong to him and he is their ruler directing them to his ultimate goal—the removal of Israel from the face of the earth, along with all those who put their trust in God (Luke 4:5-6). The Devil’s presence upon the earth will be through the above seven nations. From these seven he will create a new nation that will be the eighth and last nation known on the earth. When he arrives, he will come through the leopard nation and use it as his home base. Russia will be his feet to carry out his plans against Israel. Great Britain and the United States will be his voice articulating his agenda to all the earth to prepare his entrance. The Devil in his earthly form will be the eighth empire with the Antichrist as its ruler.

One of the seven heads on the beast is wounded. This has a two-fold meaning since “head” represents nations and the passage also refers to the beast in a personal way as a “him.” First, one of the nations will suffer a mortal wound and then come back into power. There is no doubt that this nation is the Roman Empire that is being revived today through the European Union. Second, it also refers to an actual man, the Antichrist, who will no doubt receive a wound that makes him appear as if he is dead and then healed. This wound takes place just prior to his coming to power, and is most likely the event that causes the majority of people to give their allegiance to him.

This Antichrist and his new nation have one purpose: to blaspheme God and to destroy God’s people—all of God’s people. The Antichrist’s authority to come against God’s people is given by God. Some of us will be thrown into prison and others will be killed. This will be a time of great tribulation for God’s people and will require much faith and patience. It is wise to learn these fruits of the Spirit now. It is best to learn how to swim before the boat tips over. It is important to realize that Christians are not raptured out before this great tribulation takes place. Most of us will be killed during this time. The rapture is still future, taking place in Revelation 14. 

THE FALSE PROPHET

Through the above nations, the Devil will establish the infrastructure needed to rule the entire world; however, to rule over the hearts of people requires more than politics. The Devil understands that mortal people have within them an undeveloped knowledge of the spiritual nature of life. He also understands that people, left to their own devices, will reach out to and find the Creator God. His goal is to divert all people away from the true God. His agenda is to make as many people children of hell as he and his angels are. His strategy is to distort the one true God and His plan for a new creation. People are more easily deceived for the long term when the deception is merged with truth. In order to launch his great deception, a second beast rises up out of the earth.

This beast also receives his power directly from the Devil. It has two horns like a lamb. As with previous interpretations of the “horns,” the horns represent kings. There are no crowns upon their heads because their authority and kingdom does not come through the governmental powers of politics, law, and legislation. It is indicated here that these kings are kings in the same way that Christ, the Lamb of God, is king—through religion. The religious authority of these two kings places them above the kings of nations so that the kings of the earth listen to and give allegiance to them.

The big question is “Who are these kings?” The clues given in this chapter are 1) There are two kings and 2) they are like a lamb, similar to Christ.

With these clues in mind we must ask which two religions are most similar to Judaism and Christianity, the religion of the Lamb? The answer would be, without question, Islam and Catholicism. There is no doubt that these two religions are the two kings of this second beast. The Devil raised up Islam to oppose Judaism and Catholicism to distort Christianity. In the course of history, both of these religions were established at approximately the same time: Catholicism in the fourth century and Islam in the seventh century.

The great danger of deception is that it can appear to be the real thing, like a counterfeit dollar. It can also be a thing of benefit and good for you, like the fruit in the garden when Eve looked upon it and saw that it was pleasant to look upon, good for food, and would make her wise (Genesis 3:6). The Devil will appear as an angel of light, offering to us religions similar in appearance to Christianity in order to lead our soul away from God. This is the great danger of Catholicism and Islam: they both have an image of being according to God’s design when they actually lead us further from God.

Catholicism is presently the largest religion in the world with more members than all non-Catholic denominations combined. Its present structure took form when Constantine and the Popes merged Christian terms with pagan customs and days in order to bring peace to the two conflicting groups. Through mutual compromise, peace came to the Roman Empire. However, the cost of compromise set in motion the great forces of deception and corruption, which now have peaked in our twenty-first century. This apostasy is the welcome mat giving the Antichrist permission to rise up on the earth.

Islam is the second largest religion next to Christianity and continues to grow. It claims to be the restoration of monotheism and truth, superseding both Judaism and Christianity. It distorts the story of Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac by putting Ishmael in Isaac’s place. It also claims that Ishmael is the rightful heir to the promises given to Isaac. Islam does not believe that Jesus is divine; neither do they believe in the triune nature of the Godhead. Islam is the world’s youngest world religion, being established by Muhammad in 622 AD.

The Devil created both of these religions for the purpose of killing Christians and Jews, to displace the Jews, and to misrepresent the true God and His Son, Jesus. Throughout their history, both of these false religions have been notorious for these acts.

Islam and Catholicism are two sides of the same coin, or, in this case, two horns from the same head. They will cause every person (give every person a reason) to receive the newly established government of the first beast and his cashless economic system. At the encouragement of Catholicism and Islam, all must accept the cashless economic system or die—there will be no other option.

Even as the first beast rising out of the sea had a specific ruler over its seven heads, this second beast is ruled by one of its horns—the pope—who will be the front man doing miracles at will and causing fire to come down from heaven. He will make an image to the seven-headed beast causing it to speak and causing everyone to worship it. Those who do not worship the Antichrist and accept his image are killed. It is possible that this image is the image of the Antichrist, or possibly that of the great whore in Revelation 17, whose influence has all the earth worshipping her through her riches, sinful acts, and blasphemes against God. It is also possible that this image is the image of the Babylonian goddess, now represented as the Mary of Catholicism. It is also probable that this image is nothing more than the cashless economic system that the entire world will be forced to accept. This beast and the Antichrist may be identified through his number: 666.

Presently all the religions and nations of the world are being gathered under the influence of Islam and Catholicism. Through these the Antichrist is setting the final stage for all out war against God, the Jews, and Christians. If we are to endure the coming hard times, we must be students of God’s Word and be in relationship with God like never before.

Until next time…