Mass Worldwide Deception
Back to 1The Bible’s Greatest Prophecies Unlocked!
Remember that the Revelation 17:1-18 woman is a false church that rides the Beast with seven heads and 10 horns. We have established that the Beast she is riding is a powerful world empire that exists until Christ returns. Like one who rides a horse, camel or elephant, the woman directs, controls and guides the animal to go where she wants it to go and to do what she wants it to do.
Two individuals, “the Beast and the False Prophet,” will lead this religious-governmental system. Revelation 16:13-14 describes demons as having the power to “work miracles” through their system.
The embodiment of the final Beast will be a charismatic figure who arrives on the world scene shortly before Christ’s Return.
Also, the final, world-charming False Prophet will lead the world to worship the Beast (Rev. 16:2;19:20)! This deception will be so profound (Rev 18:3)—and so widespread—that we saw these men will actually deceive all mankind into fighting Christ at His Second Coming (Rev 16:9, 13-16; 17:13-14). Ponder the power of deception!
Now notice II Thessalonians 2:3-4, 8. II Thes 2:3 refers to one called “the man of sin” and “the son of perdition; who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” Recognize that the False Prophet professes that he is God.
Compare this with Ezekiel 28:2 and the reference to the “prince of Tyrus”—a man. Ezekiel wrote that this “prince” says, “I am a God, I sit in the seat of God.” II Thessalonians 2:8 describes this “man of sin” as the “wicked [one]” who would “be revealed” for what he is when Christ returns and destroys him with the Beast in a lake of fire (Rev. 19:20). Isaiah 14:4 refers to the False Prophet as the “kingof Babylon.” This is the same man as the “prince of Tyrus.”
Continuing in II Thessalonians 2:9 makes a startling statement about the False Prophet. It says that his “coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.” II Thes 2:10 shows that he is able to deceive everyone who does not “love the truth.” II Thes 2:11 reveals that God shall send “strong delusion” to all who willingly believe his lies.
We saw that the leaders of this dominating false system will be possessed by a demon, or the devil himself! This will give the False Prophet tremendous power to deceive and perform miracles. Satan, having always wanted to replace God with himself, will be able to speak through this human religious leader and declare to the whole world that he is, in fact, GOD!
This Bible warning is unmistakable. Also unmistakable, the miracles he performs will deceive the vast majority!
The work of the False Prophet will continue all the way to Armageddon. Now read Revelation 16:13: “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon [Satan], and out of the mouth of the beast [civil end-time ruler], and out of the mouth of the false prophet [religious leader guiding the Beast].”
Rev 16:14 states, “For they are the spirits of devils [demons], working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” These “spirits of devils” are the fallen angels who followed Lucifer (now Satan) in his insurrection against the Creator (Rev. 12:4).
Here is how the Bible describes the Beast (the civil Roman ruler) and False Prophet working together: “And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him [Christ] that sat on the horse, and against His army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Rev. 19:19-20).
Now let’s read the full description of how the False Prophet works. Let’s see the reach of his power, influence and ability, through miracles and lying wonders, to bring the whole world to worship the Beast—the final civil Roman ruler.
This following passage, some repeated from before, removes all doubt that the two-horned beast is the woman of Revelation 17:1-18, and that the final False Prophet represents it, working in concert with the Beast:
“And I beheld another beast [second beast] coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon. And he exercises all the power of the first beast before him, and causes the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he does great wonders, so that he makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceives 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 [the first Beast], which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast [first 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 causes 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” (Rev. 13:11-17).
These verses speak four times of the image of the Beast, which requires explanation, and of the all-important mark of the Beast, which does as well.
The Beast’s Image Revealed
The Bible is a book about government—how God governs His Church and His Work—the gospel of the kingdom of God—and how He will govern the entire world upon Christ’s Return—among other points. The world also has its own many forms of government. This includes churches, which are governed in various ways, none of them after the fashion of God’s government. The counterfeit universal false church system—which counterfeits everything of God—has also fashioned its government after a certain model. This knowledge has everything to do with the image of the Beast. Let’s understand by looking at the two-horned beast.
This second beast of Revelation 13:1-18, besides causing people to receive the Beast’s mark, was also responsible for creating an “image” that led to the martyrdom of true saints. Yet it was not this church that killed them for not worshipping the image—but rather it caused them to be put to death. History reveals the saints were killed and persecuted by civil government, under direction of the false church who had labelled them “heretics” and “anathema from Christ.”
Now let’s compare the woman of Revelation 17:1-18 with the two-horned beast of Revelation 13:1-18 who causes the Beast to kill those who refuse the mark: “And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus” (Rev. 17:6). There can be no doubt that these two are the same.
Now how were the people deceived into worshipping the image of the Beast? Let’s see: “And [the False Prophet] deceives them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast [the civil leader]; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast…” (Rev 13:14).
What is the Beast’s image? First, what is the dictionary definition of “image”? The Second Edition of the Webster’s New International Dictionary defines it as a “representation...modelled figure...likeness; semblance...a copy or counterpart.”
Now notice this statement from the Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature: “The first pope, in the real sense of the word, was Leo I ([AD] 440-461). Being endowed by nature with the old Roman spirit of dominion, and being looked upon [by] his contemporaries, in consequence both of his character and his position, as the most eminent man of the age, he developed in his mind the ideal of an ecclesiastical monarchy, with the pope at the head…”
Pope Leo admired the Roman Empire for the government structure it had, and copied its principles in creating the papacy of the Roman Catholic Church. It is this form of church government that is the image (representation or semblance) of the Beast!
This false church models its ecclesiastical church government after—in structure and organization—the ancient Roman civil government. God’s government is not a humanly devised structure based on pagan ideas or manmade laws. It is based solely on God’s Law and will be led by Jesus Christ and the resurrected, spirit-born saints. It is this divine form of government that exists in the true Church today.
Further, Philip Van Ness Myers, in his work Ancient History, confirms this: “[During the reign of Leo I, the Church set] up within the Roman Empire an ecclesiastical state [government], which in its constitution and its administrative system was shaping itself upon the imperial model.” This author could plainly see that church government was indeed modelled after the Roman Empire’s system of governance. He even called it an ecclesiastical world empire!
So then, people were deceived into worshipping the church, which was organized in the likeness of a manmade form of government—the ancient Roman imperial model! Therefore, all such worshippers commit idolatry!
Also notice this verse in Revelation 17:1-18 “Upon her forehead was a name written, mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots” (Rev 17:5). This false church is called a mother of harlots. Her daughters protested against her. Collectively, the mother church and her harlot daughters are called “Babylon.” These churches all have a form of worldly government, and are based on pagan customs and false doctrines, yet claim to be Christian.
Do you now see how Satan has so cleverly counterfeited God’s government?—and why God tells His people to “Come out of her, My people, that you be not partakers of her sins” (Rev 18:4)?
Related to the Beast and its image is the intriguing, mysterious, much talked about mark of the Beast…