“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. 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. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 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. 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. 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: 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.” (Revelation 13:11-18).
Just as the identity of the Antichrist is unknown today, so it is impossible to identify the False Prophet. We are informed only of his character and his deeds.
The beast (Antichrist), we are told, comes from a sea of people. As we have said, we believe the Antichrist comes for Syria, and Babylon. It seems evident that the “sea” consists of the kingdoms within the Old Roman Empire. However, the False Prophet is said to come “…up out of the earth.” Most agree that this is the land of Palestine.
Dr. Walvoord says the earth means he comes “out of the world, not simply out of Palestine.” Tim LaHaye says, “He will not be of mixed nationality; that he comes out of the earth (around Palestine) may indicate that he will be a Jew.” Cohen and Kirban say, “This would seem to mean that he raises out of the ‘land,’ that is, the land of Palestine.”
It is possible that the False Prophet comes from the land of Palestine, but it is not imperative. Some argue that the False Prophet and the Antichrist must be a Jew or at least a half-breed. Again, we see no proof why that must be so, and we have read most of the arguments.
This beast (false prophet) has two horns like a lamb. He appears, to the masses, as a sheep; however, he speaks the words of the dragon. When he opens his mouth, he speaks a lie.
Since religion is the opiate of the people, the False Prophet capitalizes on this to weld the people to the Antichrist and his kingdom. He accomplishes this through miracles, images and executions.
It is not uncommon for false prophets to have miracle working power. This is seen in both testaments. Two examples are in Egypt, and in the book of Job. Paul warned of this man and his deception. (See 2 Thessalonians 2:3-11.) Jesus warned of this person when He said, “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not” (Matthew 24:23-26).
We cannot be sure what this live image is. This may be a huge television screen like that on Times Square in New York. This live image could be a means through which the Antichrist communicates with those within his kingdom. He would also be able to see them through modern technology that exists today. We are not saying that this will be the case, but it is possible, and most likely. The internet with its web cams and virtual reality make this easy for us to understand the possibility.
Those who do not comply will be killed or brought under subjection through hunger and privation. None can buy or sell without proper identification provided by the Beast kingdom. Each person must have a number, a name, or a mark. The constant threat of terrorist attacks will force the nations to institute a tracking system which cannot be foiled. No one today knows exactly what that system or mark is, but it will be clear in that day. We hear much today about the ability to control nations through embargoes, and “freezing” bank accounts. The Christian can see that everything is quickly falling in place for all these events to transpire.
Regardless, the false prophet is controlled by Satan, and will assist is the deception of the masses. We should note the he is also called a beast.
Pastor Ken Blue was born in Boswell, Ark. In 1955 he accepted Christ as his Savior. He and his wife Joyce were married in 1955. They have 5 children. He graduated from Midwestern Baptist Bible College in 1969 and started the Open Door Baptist Church in Lynnwood, Wa. where he pastored for 39 years. Because of health issues (ALS) he was forced to resign as pastor. It is his desire to continue to be used of God to help pastors and believers through this ministry.