Rev 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. Rev 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. Rev 13:13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, Rev 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. Rev 13:15 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. Rev 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: Rev 13:17 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. Rev 13:18 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.
Three other times in the book of Revelation he is called “THE False Prophet” (16:13; 19:20; and 20:10). What is a false prophet exactly? A prophet is more than just one who predicts the future. A prophet is one who articulates the words of God to the people, which can sometimes include foretelling of future events. But when prophets foretold the future, that was always prefaced with “Thus saith the Lord God” or “The Word of the Lord came unto me.”
Why?
Because only God knows the future. When writing about future events, the prophets only dictated precisely, word-for-word, what God had said. Explaining the future was God’s domain, not man’s. There would never be any doubt about anything that’ll come to pass in the future because God Himself spoke those words.
The Hebrew word for prophet is nabi, derived from a verb signifying, “to bubble forth”, like a fountain. So a prophet is one who announces, or pours forth, the declarations of God to the people. This is why prophets existed in grace churches in the early part of Paul’s ministry. Those churches had people who, through a spiritual gift, could share the words of God until they had a complete, written revelation.
So a false prophet is more than just one who predicts the future and gets it wrong, like all the self-proclaimed prophets in America who predicted that a certain presidential candidate was going to win that last election. A false prophet falsely claims they’ve received revelation from God, and they are now supposedly articulating the words of God on His behalf to you. It’s anyone who proclaims to speak the words of God (that’s not in Scripture) on behalf of God.
Why does the false prophet exist?
Apart from just being a cheerleader of the antichrist to get people to worship him, the existence of the false prophet is crucial to deceiving the world. We know from Rom. 1 that people instinctively know that God exists, because Rom 1:20 …the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead… People instinctively know from the witness of creation that God exists. They instinctively know He has eternal power, and they instinctively know that God is a triune being.
Thus, in order for Satan to effectively deceive an unbelieving world, he needs to present his own false trinity, his own trinity of deceit: the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet.
The dragon, Satan himself, who is anti-God. He’s the unseen executive branch of the Satanic trinity just as the Father is the unseen executive branch of the Heavenly trinity. Then the beast, who is the anti-Christ, the express image of Satan just as Christ is the express image of God. And the false prophet, who is the anti-Holy-Spirit, the spiritual component of the false trinity, one who through miracles, signs, and wonders points the way to the Beast just as the Holy Spirit, the spiritual component of the Heavenly trinity, has and will through miracles, signs, and wonders point the way to Christ.
The antichrist’s one world Babylonian system is made up of two primary components: political and religious. The antichrist is usually viewed as the political leader and the false prophet as the religious leader. And that one religious system in the antichrist kingdom is an collection of every false god that gives way to the worship of the beast. And the antichrist will dismiss all those little gods, and he shall magnify himself above all.
Another point I think might be worth sharing about Rev. 13 is that the first half of this chapter is about the antichrist. The second half is about the false prophet. Yet, the structure of both halves is nearly identical. In the first half John says, And I saw… What did he see? The beast. Then we’re given his origins. He came up out of the sea. Then we’re given his description. He was an amalgamation of all the beasts in Dan. 7. Then we’re given the description of his power, which was derived from the dragon. Then, his deeds. He heals one of his wounded heads. He speaks blasphemies. And he makes war with the saints. Then we’re given the call. If any man have an ear, let him hear. Then we’re given the lesson. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
The structure is nearly identical in the second half about the false prophet. John opens this section by saying, And I beheld… What did he behold? Another beast. Then we’re given his origins. He came up out of the earth. Then we’re given his description. He had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. Then we’re given the description of his authority, which was derived from the first beast. Then, his deeds. He causes people to worship the first beast. He’s makes everyone create idols of the beast, and he’s put in charge of the Mark of the Beast. Then we’re given the lesson. Here is wisdom. Then we’re given the call. The numerical value of the beast’s name is 666. So count it out to identify him.
I suspect the structure is similar because the two beasts are so similar.
Exegesis
Look at Rev 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. First, notice how the false prophet is called another beast. He’s never referred to as THE beast. THE beast always means the first Beast, the antichrist, because THE beast is the pre-eminent and predominant figure of the Satanic system.
Bullinger, in his commentary on Revelation, wrote: “He is also the great coadjutor of the first Beast, and his mission is to aid the first Beast by deceiving mankind.”
Coadjutor is my $5 word today – assistant bishop.
Next, we would read that he rose up out of the Earth. Some say that because he rises out of the Earth, it must be the promised land, Israel. If you look closely at Dan. 7, the antichrist along with the other three beasts all rise up out of the sea. Then, later, Daniel turns to some guy standing next to him and asks for an interpretation. The man tells him in Dan 7:17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. If the four kings rising out of the Earth meant that they all came out of Israel, then when does the times of the Gentiles ever begin? God didn’t make a distinction in Dan. 7 between rising up out of the earth vs. rising up out of the sea, so why should we? Rising out of the sea or out of the Earth are two expressions that convey the same meaning, that is, these individuals will rise up out of the mass of humanity on Earth to become global figureheads. Rising up out of the sea or out of the Earth are interchangeable expressions with the same meaning.
I also have my doubts about the antichrist and the false prophet having different origins, although the symbolism of rising out of the sea or out the Earth means they could come from anywhere. BUT my guess is that they’ll both be born in Israel, not because Rev. 13 tells me the false prophet rises out of the Earth, but because their Jewish heritage is crucial to convincing Israel he’s the Messiah. If the false prophet is a mixed race, that would undermine the antichrist’s credibility of being the Messiah in the eyes of Israel. Plus, I think the false prophet is going to pretend he’s Elijah. We’ll get to that.
Notice also the description of the false prophet in vs. 11: he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. He has two horns like a lamb. He has no other heads. He has no crowns. He only has two horns like a lamb. This suggests that he’s not political but religious. Horns like a lamb gives the sense that he looks harmless but he’s deceptive. He’s the beast that looks like a lamb, the wolf in sheep’s clothing. Bullinger would point out that “He has two horns, and not ten, as the first Beast. The ten denote dominion; the two speak of testimony; in this case a false testimony.” End quote. Since the false prophet is the anti-Holy Spirit, it would make sense that he would be the one to bear witness of the antichrist just as Christ spoke of the Holy Spirit bearing witness of Him in places like John 16:13-14.
We also learn here that he spake as a dragon. The false prophet will speak the words of the dragon in the same manner as the dragon speaks. Whereas the antichrist will speak blasphemy boldly and loudly, the false prophet will speak with subtlety, craftily, and deceitfully. One cannot help but think of the manner in which the devil dealt with Eve in the Garden and Paul saying in 2 Cor. 11:3 how the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty. So too, the minds of believers and unbelievers will be beguiled, deceived, through the subtilty of the false prophet. It may also be possible that the false prophet will speak with that same tone of haughty, proud arrogance, as we’ve seen in Satan himself in Eze. 28 and Isa. 14.
We also find a number of times in this section that the false prophet causeth or maketh, which speaks to how effective he is at deception.
Look atRev 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.
First, we learn that he exercises all the power of the first beast before him. He and the antichrist have been equally empowered by the devil to perform, miracles, signs, and wonders.
Even more than that, the false prophet has the authority to act in the name of the antichrist, to condemn whomever he wishes to condemn, and to kill whomever he wishes. And as a result of his subtilty of speech, his ability to do miracles, and his authority alongside the antichrist, he will influence the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast. Again, this might at first glance seem to imply that believers and unbelievers alike will worship the beast, but that’s not the case. There’s another similar verse like this one in vs. 8 but that verse came with a qualifier. Look at Rev 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. So when John writes of everyone on the Earth worshipping Satan, he means the entire unbelieving world. I think that same qualifier could be given to vs. 12. All the unbelievers of the world.
Look at Rev 13:13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. Of course, you can’t help but think of Elijah and his battle with the worshippers of Baal atop Mt. Carmel in 1 Kings 18. And now, the false prophet is going to mimic that same miracle and often. Why? I’d suggest he’s pretending he’s Elijah in order to make it appear he’s a fulfillment of prophecy. Mal. 4:5 tells us, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD…” He has to pretend to be Elijah in order to help convince Israel that the antichrist is the Messiah. Plus, I suspect that while the two witnesses, Moses and Elijah, are on this earth, the false prophet is going to say, “That’s not the true Elijah. I’m the true Elijah. Look. I can call fire down from Heaven like I did on Mt. Carmel!” So how will saints figure out who is the true Elijah? 666. The numerical value of the antichrist’s name will add up to 666, and once you’ve figured out who the antichrist is, you can easily deduce who the false prophet is, as well.
Rev 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. Rev 13:15 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.
What’s going on in these passages?
For me, these passages about the image of the beast is more terrifying than the Mark of the Beast. This is the ultimate dystopian nightmare. In vs. 14, he tells every person on the Earth make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. An image is merely a representation. A little statue. A picture. A painting. An idol of some kind.
Some commentaries suggested that the false prophet here is telling all the world to make one great big statue of the beast. How would that work exactly? How would every person on Earth be able to participate and contribute to the creation of one statue? How would all the people of Africa coordinate with all the people of Europe to build one statue? That makes no sense. How would all the people of the world organize something like that? That’s impossible.
What John is saying is that the false prophet will make every person on the planet EACH make an image. A little wooden statue. Or print up a picture, frame it, and hang it in your house. Some kind of representation of the beast that is in your possession.
Then what does vs. 15 tell us? Rev 13:15 And he (the false prophet) 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. The uncomfortable truth is that a lot of the commentators are too embarrassed to admit is that the false prophet forces everyone to create idols of the antichrist and then… the idols will come to life.
It is basically a demonically powered version of Alexa in your home. (Except an Alexa is only slightly less evil.) Through that idol, now miraculously brought to life through the powers of the false prophet, you now have the eyes, ears, and mouth of Satan in your home. You have the entire demonic realm observing everything you do. Everything you say.
And that idol will speak to you if you’re not living the way he wants you to.
And if you suddenly have a change of heart. If you’re sick of that dystopian nightmare, and you stop worshipping the beast, you will be killed. And it’s not that the false prophet will send men to your home to kill you, the idol itself will kill you. That’s what the verse says. Look at Rev 13:15 again. 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. If you aren’t faithful to the beast. If you don’t worship that image every time you walk into your home, if you don’t sing the praises of the antichrist every time you speak, the idol itself will kill you. Imagine an Alexa strapped with guns ready to kill you the moment you misspeak.
Think of it. The idea of an idol that comes to life is a 6,000-year dream come true for Satan. He has always wanted that. He knew that idols coming to life would be the ultimate deception.
Satan isn’t omnipresent. He can’t be everywhere all at once. But he can if he has his own demonic type of Alexa in everyone’s home.
Bullinger, looking at these verses and what’s obviously the idea of idols coming to life, would write, “Why not?” Exactly. Why not? If the antichrist and the false prophet are empowered to carry out miracles, then who’s to say that they aren’t also likewise empowered to make idols come to life? (I gotta say, one of the more hilarious paragraphs in Bullinger’s commentary on Revelation is the one in which he tried to explain how it would be possible for an idol to come to life in the tribulation. And he would cite an interview with a famous inventor of his time – Nikola Tesla. The guy that worked at Edison’s company. The guy that invented the magnifying transmitter, the great big ball on top of a tower that could generate millions of volts of electricity. Bullinger cites an interview in a June 1900 issue of Century magazine in which Tesla said he was planning to create an automaton that will have its “own mind.” Then Bullinger would write, “But again we say we care not how it is going to be done. God’s word declares that it will be done, and we believe it. ‘Human energy’ is getting on, and it will, ere long, be superhuman when developed by the Satanic agency of the second Beast, exercised through the human False Prophet. We already hear of talking machines; with ‘a little’ Satanic power thrown in, it will be a miracle very easily worked.”)
But I don’t think this idol is something that will be mass produced like an Alexa. People will be instructed to create their own image, and the False Prophet will supernaturally empower it. And that image will kill you the very moment you screw up. Honestly, there is no dystopian nightmare more terrifying than the antichrist kingdom.
Why would God allow something like that to happen? If you reject Him, He will allow you to be deceived by the demonic realm, but during the Tribulation, that will be a strong delusion, a great deception, a powerfully effective misleading of the mind. Why? 2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. That verse is not a condemnation of everyone in the Tribulation. That verse is a condemnation of only those who believed not the truth. So if you reject God and you willfully worship the beast, then you are going to fall down this incredibly deceptive rabbit hole and you will ultimately be damned for rejecting the truth.
Look atRev 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: Notice here that it’s the false prophet who’s in charge of implementing the Mark of the Beast. The false prophet is the one who influences many to receive that Mark. Why would the false prophet be in charge of that? Because he’s the religious leader of the antichrist kingdom. Taking the mark is a religious commitment above everything else.
It’s not like Satan just wants to create a new economic system like the way many are trying to develop digital currencies. The Mark of the Beast is a religious commitment designed to weed out everyone who refuses to worship him. It’s a way for Satan to rid the entire planet of anyone who believes in God or refuses to believe in the antichrist.
By accepting that mark, you’ve entered into a religious commitment to worship the beast. Oh, and you’ll also be able to buy and sell. But that’s secondary. What’s primary is your commitment to the beast. Satan wants the whole planet filled with humans who only worship him and nothing else. It’s also funny to me that Satan has to use force to get people to worship him. God would earn your love and reverence because of His love and His grace and His sacrifice for you and all your sins. Satan can only get people to worship him through deception and the use of force.
And this Mark of the Beast, headed up by the false prophet, is a global initiative. This effects every single person on the planet. You either take the mark or die.
Notice also that the verse says that the false prophet causeth all… to receive a mark. My question has been: “How is it that the people of the Earth will get that mark put on them? And how does the false prophet get this initiative done in a speedy fashion before the final seven judgments of God begin?” I used to think that it had to be a do-it-yourself-at-home kind of deal, but now I think that the Mark will be supernaturally given to you.
If the antichrist has the ability to supernaturally heal bodies, and the false prophet has the same power as the antichrist, then would it be such a stretch to think that the mark would be implanted supernaturally as well? If the false prophet has the ability to bring idols to life, then would it be such a stretch to think that the mark would be implanted supernaturally as well?
Look at Rev 13:17 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. In our article last week on 666, we joked about how wonderful it is that Satan gives everyone options. Ignore how evil all this is. Isn’t it great we have options? You can get a mark either on your right hand or your forehead, and you have three different kinds of marks to choose from. You can get a generic mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. It’s interesting that Satan doesn’t hide the fact that the number to the name of the antichrist is 666. He’s proud of it. He relishes that number. He loves what that number represents. And he has no problem letting you be marked by that number.
As we mentioned in the article last week, 666 is the greatest of the imperfect, the highest man can achieve apart from God. Man apart from God cannot achieve greater statis than what we’ll see in the person of the antichrist. And by taking the mark, you are identifying with not just the man but everything he represents in his rebellion against God, including his allegiance to Satan.
It’s just fascinating to me that neither the antichrist nor the false prophet ever try to hide the number 666. This is a number the false prophet will allow to be one of the marks you can choose to have put on you. The point isn’t figuring out how to figure it out. The point is that it will be known what the value of his name is, but only believers who are familiar with God’s Word and the book of Revelation will know that that number actually gives away the identity of the antichrist. Some in Israel know of the antichrist, but they won’t be able to identify him because they never believed in the true Christ. And they won’t have a clue about the false prophet, either, because have not one clue about the book of Revelation.
Rev 13:18 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. John first says, “Here is wisdom.” What is wisdom? Wisdom is the application of the truth God has given you. Knowing God’s truth is one thing. How to apply God’s truth to your life is wisdom. So God is saying, basically, apply these truths I’m giving you to figure out the identity of the antichrist. Now unbelievers will be at a total loss to identifying the true antichrist unless they believe that Christ is the Son of God and they’ve studied the Word of Christ in order to become familiar with the method to identifying the antichrist. And the Lord offers all believers four keys to identifying the antichrist.
- The number of his name (vs 17).
- This is the number of the beast (vs. 18).
- It is the number of A man (vs. 18).
- And his number is 666 (vs. 18).
I suspect Gematria is how the believers will figure out the numerical value of his name. That’s the practice of assigning a numerical value to a name, word or phrase according to an alphanumerical cipher. I believe God will provide the cipher through the Spirit during the Tribulation.
The last big point about the Mark of the Beast. If you take the mark, this again means that 666 is a number of identification. By taking that mark of 666, you are identifying yourself with the antichrist, which means you have made your allegiance with Satan, and your soul’s doomed forever.
SUPPLY OF GRACE 