How the Bible Describes the False Prophet

Revelation 13:11

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.

 

Once John finishes portraying the beast of the sea in Revelation 13, he introduces a second beast that comes “out of the earth.” Importantly, this earth beast has the appearance of a lamb but speaks like a dragon, which in the prior chapter was a metaphor for Satan. Colloquially known as the “False Prophet,” this earth beast uses his lamb-like disguise to trick Christians into seeing him as a friend, while his motivation is Satanic.

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While water usually represents people in Bible prophecy, in this vision, the sea appears to draw a contrast between the beginnings of the beasts. The Antichrist beast originated early in the history of the church. The bishop of Rome became the head of Catholicism in 533, a tumultuous time in history.[i] Europe remained unsettled from the collapse of the Western Roman Empire six decades earlier, the Catholic Church was experiencing major changes of its own, and life, like the sea, was dangerous and turbulent.

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In contrast, the False Prophet beast comes from the earth—a far more stable beginning. A standard Biblical word for earth is “firmament,” which indicates a solid foundation. The Catholic Church of the second beast would have a well-defined hierarchical structure in a far more stabilized society.

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Interestingly, this beast has two horns. As we have established, a horn in Biblical prophecy represents a position of power. The ten horns on the head of the Roman beast in Daniel 7 each represent one of ten distinct kingdoms. Similarly, the False Prophet’s two horns represent a dual power structure.

 

Revelation 13:12-14

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.

13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

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.

 

The first beast would empower the second, and the second beast would reciprocate by making people worship the first. The Greek word chosen for worship, προσκυνέω, or proskynéo, means “to kiss the hand to (toward) one, in token of reverence.”[ii] With over 1.3 billion Catholics globally, many people “worship” the pope as a revered religious leader.

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The False Prophet is a swindler and a con man with incredible power to dupe many into believing that the pope is a servant of God. The only example scripture provides is that “he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.” The description of this astonishing supernatural power is reminiscent of the alleged “Miracle of the Sun,” the last in a series of purported apparitions of Mary, the mother of Jesus, near Fátima, Portugal.

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Three shepherd children, Lúcia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto, announced that Mary had appeared to them several times. In the penultimate apparition on September 13, 1917, Mary told the children that she would perform a miracle in October so that “everyone may believe.” The apparition claims were reported in local newspapers, which caused an incredible amount of excitement in the populace. On October 13, between thirty and one hundred thousand people gathered in Cova da Iria, Portugal, to see what Mary would do.[iii]

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According to the accounts of many who were present, after a rainstorm ended and the dark clouds lifted, the sun began to behave uncharacteristically. At first, it appeared as a dull, spinning disc high in the sky. It then began to shine rainbow-colored light rays like a prism onto the spectators. Suddenly, the sun appeared to speed toward Earth before zig-zagging back into place.[iv] Many observers said their rain-soaked clothes quickly became “suddenly and completely dry, as well as the wet and muddy ground that had been previously soaked because of the rain that had been falling.”[v]

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Of the three children, only Lúcia dos Santos survived to adulthood. In 1941, then-Sister Lúcia recounted the second apparition, which had occurred on June 13, 1917. According to her, she asked the woman she identified as Mary if the children would go to Heaven when they died. Mary said, “Yes, I shall take Francisco and Jacinta soon, but you will remain a little longer, since Jesus wishes you to make me known and loved on earth. He wishes also for you to establish devotion in the world to my Immaculate Heart.”

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By February 1920, both Francisco and Jacinta had died in the Spanish flu pandemic. Francisco and Jacinta’s mother, Olímpia Marto, even said the two children repeatedly predicted their deaths in the short time after the second Marian apparition.[vi]

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There is not enough evidence in Revelation 13:13 to infer that the power of the False Prophet beast to “maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men” could be directly attributed to the 1917 Miracle of the Sun. However, the spectators’ accounts of the sun’s behavior could easily be described in that way.

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Whether or not the alleged Miracle of the Sun was the future event that Revelation 13:13 prophesied, the Bible clearly states that the False Prophet would have tremendous supernatural power. Many of the astonishing signs and wonders recognized by the Vatican bring new converts into the Catholic faith, just as the events in Fátima certainly did.

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It would be impossible to find any conclusive evidence that these kinds of miracles are works of Satan, but can you think of a reason God might push people closer to a false church? We have established that the veneration of Mary is a Catholic ruse. If this were a sign from God, why would Mary be the one whom he wanted the three young Portuguese shepherd children to make “known and loved on earth?”

 

Revelation 13:15

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.

 

The False Prophet would “give life unto the image of the beast.” This suggests that, before the arrival of the False Prophet, the Antichrist will have begun losing his vigor. He would not have become entirely lifeless, but his power would be diminished. In this verse, we learn that the False Prophet, whom the Antichrist originally empowered, would reinvigorate its creator.

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But the second beast would go further than simply breathing life back into the Antichrist. Verse fifteen concludes with a warning that the second beast would “cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” The prophecy implies there would be a separation from Catholicism—an intolerable development for Satan and the Antichrist. The False Prophet would then be authorized to use torture, violence, and murder to subdue those who would not worship or revere the Antichrist.

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666 and the Mark of the Beast

Revelation 13:16-18

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:

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.

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.

 

There is some debate over the number 666 itself. Papyrus 115, a third-century copy of Revelation, and the fifth-century Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus each render the number as χις, or 616. However, nearly all other manuscripts and translations of Revelation use χξς, which translates to 666. Papyrus 115, which is just a tiny fragment missing much of the passage, has a hole in the page followed by η χις, which translates to “or 616.” This leaves room for a hypothesis that the scribe who copied the verse, who may have been unsure of the correct number himself, could have written “666 or 616.”[vii]

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Second-century Christian writer Irenaeus believed 666 was the correct number, attributing 616 to a transcriber’s error. As a disciple of one of John’s disciples, his opinion carries extra significance. “This number being set down in all the good and old copies,” he wrote, “and testimony being given by the persons themselves who had seen John with their eyes, and reason teaching us that the number of the name of the Beast, according to the Greeks’ reckoning by the letters therein will have 600 and 60 and 6.”[viii]

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The phrase that precedes 666 was translated in the King James Bible as “for it is the number of a man.” However, the original Koine Greek requires contextual interpretation, as it could also be translated as “for the number is that of man” or “for that is man’s number.” These alternate translations mean 666 would signify mankind’s number in contrast to God’s. In the Bible, seven is the heavenly number of completion and perfection, and six is the number of incompletion and imperfection—the highest number attainable by man before Heaven’s perfect number.[ix]

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In Revelation 7, God sealed his true believers with a figurative mark. The mark of the beast would seem to contrast with God’s seal, suggesting it also is a symbolic, spiritual mark rather than a physical one. The obvious question is, if the mark is not physical, how can it be on the right hand or forehead of the Antichrist’s followers?

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In his commentary on Revelation, Reverend William Boyd Carpenter wrote, “It is utterly unnecessary to take this brand of evil literally, any more than we took the seal of Christ literally. That seal we understood as spiritual, in the faith and in the character; this evil brand we must interpret in like manner. It surely means the acquiescence in character and action to the principles of this tyrannical world-power: the right hand is the symbol of toil and social intercourse: the forehead is the symbol of character, as time is ever writing its awful tale upon men’s brows.”[x]

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The number 666 has been applied to a practically endless list of people, groups, and entities over the last two millennia, making it possibly the most misinterpreted prophecy in the entire Bible. The Preterists misconstrue the number by applying it to the Roman emperor Nero. Futurists misinterpret it by suggesting it is a physical mark that will be applied to the followers of an individual Antichrist in the last seven years before Jesus’ second coming. While there is no definitive interpretation of this prophecy like the ones that we have found for Daniel’s Seventy Weeks Prophecy, Mystery Babylon, the Antichrist, and the Tribulation, one interpretation is the most plausible.

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Because the mark could be either the name or its equivalent number, the numerical value of the beast’s name would need to equal 666 in either Greek or Hebrew. Both languages assign numerical values to their letters, a system called “isopsephy” in Greek and “gematria” in Hebrew.

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One possible solution was first recognized in the late second century by Irenaeus. The Greek word for the ancient Romans was “Lateinos,” spelled Λateinoσ in the original language. “The name Lateinos contains the number of six hundred and sixty-six;” he wrote, “and it is very likely, because the last kingdom is so called, for they are Latins who now reign.” The “last kingdom” Irenaeus cited was the fourth kingdom of Daniel 7—the Roman Empire—which held power during his entire lifetime. Interestingly, the Hebrew word for the Romans was “Romiinth,” or רומיית. In a linguistic and numerological synchronism possibly too improbable to label a coincidence, the words for the Romans in both languages add up to 666.[xi]

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Throughout history, the Catholic Church has embraced and emphasized its connection to the Roman Empire. Participants in papal councils spoke to each other in Latin, and the Council of Trent ordered the Latin Vulgate to be the only version of scripture used. Canons and papal bulls are issued in Latin. Masses, hymns, homilies, and even prayers were said in Latin centuries after the fall of Rome. In short, everything in Catholicism is Latinized.

 

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Comparison of the Greek and Hebrew names for the Romans.

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Irenaeus’ interpretation is fascinating, but its accuracy is immaterial. The mark is a figurative seal—an invisible identifier of the Catholics’ unwitting allegiance to the Antichrist and his false church. If you are waiting for an Antichrist to force people to brand themselves to be allowed to buy and sell as a sign that Jesus’ second coming is near, you will be disappointed. God has no interest in telling us exactly when Jesus’ return will occur by providing a warning three and a half years in advance.

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But what about the prohibition on buying and selling for the unmarked? Has history recorded any examples of the Catholic Church restricting the commerce of Christians? Enter Pope Alexander III.

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In 1163, the Albigensians—a group now classified as pre-Reformation Protestants—were spreading rapidly through France. The Council of Tours ordered that “no man should presume to receive or assist them, no, not so much as to hold any communion with them in selling or buying, that, being deprived of the comfort of humanity, they may be compelled to repent of the error of their way.”[xii]

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Alexander III held another council in the year 1179. The Third Council of the Lateran also took aim at the pre-Reformation Protestants. By this time, the Waldensians had begun to spread their ideas, adding a new level of danger for Catholicism. The canon of the council chronicled the Catholic Church’s fear of both the Albigensians and Waldensians, stating, “We declare that they and their defenders and those who receive them are under anathema, and we forbid under pain of anathema that anyone should keep or support them in their houses or lands or should trade with them.”[xiii]

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In the fifteenth century, a similar sentiment returned in the form of Pope Martin V. On March 1, 1420, he issued the Omnium Plasmatoris Domini. This papal bull called all Catholics to unite against pre-Reformation Protestants for the purpose of “the destruction of the Wycliffites, Hussites, and all other heretics in Bohemia.” The bull not only called for this new type of crusade, it also demanded that Catholics not trade with these perceived heretics.[xiv] By this time, the papacy’s severe persecutions of Christians—ostracization, exile, the Inquisitions, executions, and now commercial restrictions—had replaced and far exceeded those of the pagan Roman emperors.

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Summary​

Description of the Second Beast (Revelation 13:11-18)

• Comes from the earth—a solid foundation and stable church

• The second beast has two horns—a dual power structure

• He has a lamb-like appearance but speaks blasphemously like Satan

  • Lamb-like disguise deceives Christians into viewing him as a friend

  • Speaks like a dragon—his doctrine is Satanic

• The second beast is empowered by the first—the Antichrist pope

• He will “give life unto the image of the beast”

• The second beast then makes everyone on earth respect the pope

• He has tremendous spiritual power to work miracles

• Uses his power to bring new converts to Catholicism

• He will “cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed”—the False Prophet would martyr true Christians

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[i] Justinian I. 1932. “The Code of Justinian - Book I - Title I.” In The Civil Law, Vol. XII, by Samuel Parsons Scott, 9-15. Cincinnati: The Central Trust Company.

[ii] Thayer, Joseph Henry. 1889. “προσκυνέω.” In A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, by Joseph Henry Thayer, 548. New York, Cincinnati, Chicago: American Book Company.

[iii] Marchi, John de. 1952. The True Story of Fatima. St. Paul, Minnesota: Catechetical Guild Educational Society.

[iv] Bennett, Jeffrey S. 2012. When the Sun Danced: Myth, Miracles, and Modernity in Early Twentieth-Century Portugal. Charlottesville, Virginia: University of Virginia Press.

[v] Marchi, John de. 1952. The True Story of Fatima. St. Paul, Minnesota: Catechetical Guild Educational Society.

[vi] Marchi, John de. 1952. The True Story of Fatima. St. Paul, Minnesota: Catechetical Guild Educational Society.

[vii] Andrews, Edward D. 2020. Papyrus 115 (P. Oxy. 4499, P115) Is a Fragmented Manuscript of the New Testament Containing Parts of the Book of Revelation. September 24. Accessed October 8, 2023. https://christianpublishinghouse.co/2020/09/24/papyrus-115-p-oxy-4499-p115-is-a-fragmented-manuscript-of-the-new-testament-containing-parts-of-the-book-of-revelation/.

[viii] Irenaeus. 1872. “Book V, Chapter XXX, Section 1.” In Five Books of S. Irenaeus Bishop of Lyons Against Heresies, translated by John Keble, 519. Oxford: James Parker and Co.

[ix] Carpenter, W. Boyd. n.d. “Revelation XIII.” In A Bible Commentary for English Readers, Vol. VIII, by Ellicott, Charles John (ed.), 596-600. London: Cassell and Company.

[x] Carpenter, W. Boyd. 1910. The Revelation of St. John the Divine. London, New York, Toronto, and Melbourne: Cassell and Company.

[xi] Benson, Joseph. 1847. “Revelation Chapter XIII.” In The New Testament of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: With Critical, Explanatory, and Practical Notes, 757-762. New York: Lane & Tippett.

[xii] Benson, Joseph. 1847. “Revelation Chapter XIII.” In The New Testament of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: With Critical, Explanatory, and Practical Notes, 757-762. New York: Lane & Tippett.

[xiii] The Roman Catholic Church. 2020. Third Lateran Council - 1179 A.D. February 20. Accessed October 10, 2023. https://www.papalencyclicals.net/councils/ecum11.htm.

[xiv] Fudge, Thomas A. 2022. The Crusade Against Heretics in Bohemia, 1418-1437: Sources and Documents for the Hussite Crusades, 49-52. Aldershot: Routledge.