“And I beheld another beast (the false prophet) coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the powers of the first beast (the anti-christ) before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast (the anti-christ), whose deadly wound was healed.”

Revelation 13:11-12

In the beginning of the thirteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation John introduces us to an individual “…coming up out of the earth.” What makes this observation so interesting is it occurs shortly AFTER John also witnessed the first “…beast”, (the anti-christ) also rising up, not out of the earth, but out of the sea. Many Biblical scholars differentiate these two “risings” by saying the one coming out of the sea (the anti-christ) infers he is going to come out of the countries of the Mediterranean (Europe). The other (the False Prophet) “…coming up out of the earth” means he will come from the “earth” (probably Israel). As we will see later, this makes perfect sense as the leader (anti-christ) of the EU or its successor (after the Rapture of the Church and/or devastation caused by the the War of Gog and Magog) will be very powerful while the only way a coming Peace Treaty between the Jews and the Palestinians could ever be signed is with the full cooperation AND leadership of a “Jew” from Israel. I doubt the Jews in Israel would ever trust a Muslim! This introduction of the False Prophet also tells us much about his role as the very important side kick to the anti-christ of the Last Days.

1. “…and he had two horns like a lamb”
2. “…he spake as a dragon”
3. “…he exerciseth all the powers on the first beast (anti-christ)“
4. “…causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast (anti-christ)“

This very brief Scripture tells us so much about this relatively lesser known key figure in End Times prophecies. It is clear the anti-christ comes “…before him” (false prophet). By having horns like a lamb the False Prophet looks like a religious man, like an individual with a soft, almost passive demeanor. When the Bible says he spoke like a dragon it does not mean with fire and brimstone coming out of his mouth. Rather, here the dragon refers to Satan, the Great Deceiver. Out of the mouth of the False Prophet will come lies and deceit! He will look religious but he walks and talks like the devil! Out of his mouth will come lies that will falsify the true Christian religion and hide who he really is, that is an instrument of Satan. And, as it is so well said in 2 Corinthians 11:13 -15, “For such are false prophets, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” Because of Hollywood movies we often think of the devil and demons as being horrible, scary beings. They are! Yet we all know if they presented themselves to us in that way, we would run for our lives! No, these beings are instead deceitful liars and will present themselves as having been sent to us by God. Like the anti-christ, the False Prophet will possess the powers to perform many miraculous, seemingly God-inspired things.

“And he (the False Prophet) doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them which dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast (anti-christ), which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”

Revelation 13:13-15

Can you imagine a charismatic “person” doing tremendous, supernatural miracles in your personal presence, things you have never before seen but assumed they could only come directly from God? Especially, if the Believers have been previously Raptured and you later came to know Jesus  and are only left with people who do not know what had been previously prophesied in the Holy Bible? What if that same “person” gave “…life unto the image of the beast (anti-christ), that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed”? If you are alive and have recently discovered the Truth of the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ for your sins, would you worship the anti-christ? What if you knew you were told to NOT worship him but that would cause the False Prophet to order all who would not worship the anti-christ or his image to be killed? If that happened, would you decide to believe in him and the beast? Not if you have read the Bible! Unfortunately, many will believe in him and his miracles and will therefore be doomed to hell for eternity.

Those of us who have studied Bible prophecy for some time do believe the Last Days are very near and it is only a matter of time until the anti-christ, and then the False Prophet are exposed for who they really are, the minions of Satan. But what this also tells us is these two individuals could very well be alive today on the earth waiting for their imminent introduction. We could be that close!!! We know the anti-christ could easily be identified by Christian Believers when he signs the peace covenant between the Israeli Jews and the Palestinian Arabs. From that signing until Jesus Christ Returns, the anti-christ will finally be formally “identified” as the anti-christ for exactly 7 years (the Tribulation) and he will demand to be worshipped as God for the last 3 1/2 years, after his desecration of the then rebuilt Holy Jewish Temple, an event called the Abomination of Desolation. This period of time is also referred to as the Great Tribulation.

Now, not to minimize the coming to power of the anti-christ and False Prophet, but it could be somewhat easier to create a one world government today than at any time in the past due to the already strong influence of the United Nations and the global elitists goal of globalization. A charming leader, promising peace and safety for the entire world, perhaps after a massive war (Gog and Magog?) or a crash of governments and the economy due to some other major event (the Rapture?), will come forward peacefully. In fact, as quoted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-5 we know he will come to power AFTER the Rapture of the Believers:

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man (the anti-christ) 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. Remember ye not, that when I was yet with you, I told you these things?”

Remember, we have been told by Jesus Himself! In Revelation 6:2 we are introduced to the anti-christ as the rider of the first horse of the End Times, the White Horse:

“And I saw, and beheld a white horse: and he (the anti-christ) that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.”

Now, a first glimpse of this might make you assume he will go forth militarily to conquer the world but did you notice while he had a bow, he was not given arrows? He will have military strength but will not need it to conquer a vanquished world looking for a problem solving leader. While he will be given power and authority over the world governments, he will still have two other major global problems.

The world economy and the long standing, historical tensions between various religions!

For Satan to gain control over the entire world, he must address these two issues. Enter the False Prophet! One of the things he will fix, according to the Bible, is the economy. While today there are over 170 countries in the world with many various currencies coupled with all the problems I previously outlined in The Mark of the Beast,  they could easily be corrected by implementing a one world currency dependent on being cashless. A simple chip embedded in the right hand or in the forehead ( or maybe, Could the iPhone be the Mark of the Beast?) could help people all over the world in so many ways. Unfortunately, in order to get the chip (or iPhone – OK, I am being somewhat facetious!), you will have to swear allegiance to the anti-christ. BUT DON’T DO IT! If you do, you will spend eternity in hell.

“And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image , AND RECEIVE (capitals mine) his mark in his forehead or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation: and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”

Revelation 14:9-11

The technology exists today for the very first time ever in world history to literally manage the finances of every living human being in the world. This did not exist even just 15 or 20 years ago! Only recently has the technology been developed to enable someone to come along and force all to receive a “mark” in their right hand or forehead without which they would not “…be able to buy or sell.” In order to get this however, they will have to swear allegiance to and worship the anti-christ. If they don’t, they will be killed! The False Prophet is charged to accomplish this:

“And he (the False Prophet) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six (666).”

Revelation 13:16-18

So, today we have the ability to have a one-world government run by the anti-christ. We have the technology to have a one-world economy with everyone forced to have a “mark” without which they will not be able to buy or sell. This will be enforced by the False Prophet. What else do we need? Oh yeah! There are so many religions with so many wars having been fought between them over history. In order to have a peaceful world, the False Prophet must come up with a one-world religion, one that worships the anti-christ, the FALSE messiah!

According to Wikipedia the population of the world (8.0 billion) in 2019 is divided primarily amongst these religions:

•    Christianity – 2.4 billion
•    Islam – 1.9 billion
•    Agnostic/Atheist – 1.2 billion
•    Hinduism – 1.15 billion
•    Buddhism – 521 million
•    Judaism – 14.05 million
•    All others – 1.5 billion

Approximately one half of all Christians are Catholics. Now, I am DEFINITELY NOT saying Pope Francis or any other future Pope is the False Prophet (obviously they are not Jewish), but the current Pope is definitely pushing his comrades in other religions towards the formation of a one-world religion much like which the False Prophet will implement in the Last Days. His plan is called the Declaration on Human Brotherhood. You probably have not heard about it because the news media hasn’t done much reporting on it. The December 6, 2019 Breaking Israel News DID report the following:

“The Pope also met with Thailand’s supreme Buddhist patriarch Somdej Phra Maha Muneewong at Bangkok’s Ratchabophit Temple. The meeting took place in front of a 150-year-old gold statue of Buddha. The Pope followed Buddhist custom by removing his shoes. During the meeting, the Pope gave the Buddhist Patriarch the Declaration on Human Brotherhood. The Declaration is a joint statement signed by Pope Francis of the Catholic Church and Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, last February in Abu Dhabi. The Pope met with the Muslim Imam last month to reinforce the Declaration which declares that all religions should unify.”

Perhaps just as telling, the Prophecy News Watch on December 7, 2019 reported that on November 18th, 2019 Pope Francis said at the World Conference of Human Fraternity: “There is no alternative: we will either build the future together or there will not be a future. Religions, in particular, cannot renounce the urgent task of building bridges between peoples and cultures.The time has come when religions should more actively exert themselves, with courage and audacity, and without pretense, to help the human family deepen the capacity for reconciliation, the vision of hope and the concrete paths of peace” (4 February 2019). “Our religious traditions are a necessary source of inspiration to foster a culture of encounter. It is fundamental for there to be interreligious cooperation, based on the promotion of sincere and respectful dialogue that goes towards unity without confusion, maintaining identities. But a unity that transcends the mere political pact.”

Can you imagine a Pope telling high school students to never proselytize others to Jesus Christ? He did!

Of greatest concern to me however, is when he called Christian fundamentalists a “scourge”:

“Beware of the fundamentalist groups: everyone has his own. In Argentina (a Christian country) too there is a little fundamentalist corner. And let us try, with fraternity, to go forward. Fundamentalism is a scourge and all religions have some kind of fundamentalist first cousin there, which forms a group.”

A scourge??!!! The Pope of the Catholic Church is proclaiming any Christian who is a Biblical fundamentalist, meaning they follow the literal teachings of the Holy Bible, is a scourge! Another word for scourge is plague! This is a direct assault on Christianity, the ONLY religion that teaches that the ONLY way to eternal salvation is through belief in and acceptance of Jesus Christ. Also, with the Pope’s approval a statue of Moloch was placed at the Vatican. The god of Moloch is an ancient Canaanite god who demanded the sacrifice of children to him. Of course, these are just a few of the ways the coming False Prophet will demonize all who fail to worship the anti-christ. Again, while I am NOT saying this Pope, or any other future Pope is the False Prophet, the direction he is taking is the same direction as that of the False Prophet! Those who come to Faith in Jesus after the Rapture will be vilified for their newfound belief and they may ultimately pay the price of martyrdom while awaiting their joyous Blessing of Jesus Christ. The stage is set!

“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgement was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image , neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”

Revelation 20:4

If we fail to accept His Gift to us and are not Raptured out of the coming 7 year Tribulation of God’s Wrath, we can still take comfort in knowing in His Mercy and Grace, it still won’t be too late! As long as we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and repent of our sins and DO NOT worship the beast or take his Mark, we can still be saved, even though we may have to die for our belief in Him. Do this and you will live and reign with Jesus during His 1,000 year reign on earth. No matter how lazy we have been, it is not too late! This is so comforting to know we have a Loving God that is giving us every chance to repent and accept His pardon of our sins. If you agree with this, please do as we are all told to do and that is to “…therefore comfort one another with these words.” The more His Word is passed on, the more people will come to the same conclusion we have. We have been saved!!!

May God Bless you!!