THE FALSE PROPHET

By Sally Law -   Things that go together: a bride all dressed in white, coming down the aisle to wed her groom; a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, wrapped up and waiting for you at lunchtime; salt and pepper shakers on the table, sitting side by side every time you reach for them; sipping a mug of hot cocoa while you sit by a crackling fire on a cold night, watching the heat rise to make steam as you savor this divine elixir. These may be opposites by design, but they complement each other in such a wonderful way.   But today's topic is about two opposites that have attracted in the worst possible sense-for the deception and destruction of mankind. There is not one drop of good in this end-time combo of personalities known as the Antichrist and the False Prophet.   I just finished an extensive article on the Antichrist. Please read that if you have not had a chance. This will help you understand more fully the person and the role of the Antichrist in these end times, and how the False Prophet will work together, along with Satan, to bring about something that has been prophesied since long ago in the Bible, specifically in the books of Daniel, Matthew, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, and Revelation. This will help you get the bigger picture of what is coming upon the earth in the days ahead, I believe, after the Rapture.   In the Old Testament there were prophets, and then there were false prophets. Prophets spoke what God told them to speak, to Kings and to the people of Israel and other nations.   I cannot think of a harder career on this earth than to be a prophet. But real prophets do not speak their mind at all; they speak on behalf of Almighty God. This is all they are required to do. It is not easy, as many prophets of the Old Testament had issues here.   Take the prophet Jonah for instance, my personal favorite. He was to travel to Nineveh, capital city of the Assyrian Empire - a scary, wicked place with "a word of repentance or you will be destroyed message." Big job! He took a scenic boat tour instead and wound up in a giant fish belly for three days, until he was excused.   He did go to Nineveh, however, on the second try. He spoke God's word of judgment; and the King, along with the entire city, repented of their sin. God relented of his judgment, and Nineveh was spared. This is a very good example of the office of prophet and how it is intended to work, at least on the second try. God speaks, and the prophet is His mouthpiece.   "And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them" (Jonah 3:1-5).   Now, that's a pretty clear picture of how it is supposed to work.   If you were a false prophet, then you had a very short career because you were found out to be false - not the real deal - since you spoke something that did not come to pass. If it did not come to pass, you were stoned to death. Why you would choose this option is beyond me. False prophets did not last long.   Nowadays, we have grown up in a culture where we go to church or attend Christian events or conferences where false Christians have crept into the fold of the true flock of Christ. This has been the case since I can remember. I have been a Christian since 1971, but it has become worse and worse in these last days! Jesus cautions us not to be deceived or fooled. He would not have said that if we were not capable of being deceived and fooled. It is a human weakness we all suffer from. The cure is being filled with the Holy Spirit of God. He will lead us into all truth!   "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come" (John 16:13).   This is a great comfort as we see deception already at work in these end times we are living in, and I know you agree with me when I say it is getting worse.   But in this article today, I want to discuss falseness that will be like no other. We have never seen his likeness on the earth before, nor will the inhabitants of the earth ever see it again - the person known as the False Prophet of the end times.   As we survey the world stage right now, we observe personalities that are taking on characteristics of the Antichrist and the False Prophet spoken of in the Bible. There are more clues to the Antichrist than there are to the False Prophet. That does not deter me, your faithful researcher and contributor, from relaying as much as I can to you from the scriptures on the person known as the False Prophet of the last days. So, here we go....   His characteristics are:   -The False Prophet is the second of the two beasts, the one that rises from the earth.   "Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.   "He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.   "He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name" (Revelation 13:11-17).   -He is the second beast, but his fulltime job is to give glory and ascribe worship to the first beast that arises from the sea.   (See Revelation 13:1 if you need the earlier context applied to the first beast, known as the Antichrist from my previous article).   Okay, this is a big clue here as to where the False Prophet comes from. The search is narrowed down in "he rises from the earth."   But, where on the earth? Great question!   God's promises and covenants with man have always had a land or earth component, a good illustration being the promise made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob regarding the Promised Land (See Exodus 23:31).   -He rises from the nation of Israel, the land of promise.   I feel that this is a clue to his Jewish heritage and bloodline. I don't think he will be a devout Jew at all, with sincerity of heart towards God, but he appears to be.   -He has "two horns like a lamb," the sacrificial animal of the Jewish faith. He will be a wolf in sheep's clothing. He speaks like a dragon, otherwise known as Satan. Every time this man opens his mouth, blasphemy comes forth.   Jesus calls false Jews as hailing from the synagogue of Satan. The False Prophet will most definitely qualify to be from the synagogue of Satan.   "I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan" (Revelation 2:9).   -He helps the Antichrist with everything on his agenda. He won't care if Israel's land is divided or not. He will ultimately be world ruler number two, second only to the Antichrist. He will most likely help broker the peace treaty with Israel and give away land as a part of that. That remains to be seen; but the enemies of Israel have begun to surround her, and she will be persuaded to accept this peace treaty at just the right time. The False Prophet will be very persuasive with powers of deception in all things that pertain to his boss - the Antichrist.   This land dispute has been in the news non-stop in the last few years-Israel's enemies decrying at their borders, demanding land that is not rightfully theirs.   The people that dispute these claims have been the ancient enemies of Israel, from the Amalekites to the giants occupying the promised land of Canaan, to the modern-day enemies of Israel: Iran, Turkey, Syria, Russia, Palestinians, Hezbollah and Hamas, just to name a few.   -X still marks the spot. The end-times events described in the book of Revelation are central to the new Jewish temple and Jerusalem. The False Prophet and Antichrist will be central to all the daily activities, signs and wonders, and judgment poured out upon the earth from God, as well as everything that will be squeezed into this seven-year timeslot.   The eyes and cameras of the world will be on these two daily! It will be a continual circus of events of the most profane nature. The last three and one half years will be when the Antichrist and False Prophet will be in full-blown authority and control of the temple. I am truly glad I will be Raptured and will not have to witness this firsthand.   -Exercises full authority given him by the Antichrist. He has free reign to do the bidding of the Antichrist and perform his will 24/7. They have exactly seven years to get everything accomplished, no more, and no less. God is still in control of this time of the end, and we know God will run a tight schedule. He counted it out by the day and wrote it down in the Bible - 7 years or 84 months.   "He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time" (Daniel 7:25).   "And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven" (Revelation 13:5-6).   He shortens the days to bring relief to those who have not taken the mark, otherwise known as the elect, who are living during this time.   "And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened" (Matthew 24:22).   -Performs false signs and lying wonders. He is able to bring fire down from heaven. We have seen this before with the prophets of Baal and Elijah; but God answered Elijah's prayer, and fire came down and consumed the wet sacrifice. The prophets of Baal had no success at that point in history. Most of the time when we read of fire coming down from heaven, it is from God as a manifestation of His might and power, or in the form of judgment.   In Job chapter one, during his time of suffering and testing, Satan brought fire down from heaven and destroyed Job's flocks. So, Satan has this sign and wonder rehearsed and will help the False Prophet at that point in the future.   -His goal here is to deceive the world and make them worship the Antichrist. The mainstream media will make sure you get it "live" from Jerusalem, as the False Prophet demands the glory and worship of the Antichrist and performs a series of signs and wonders-lying wonders.   "The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (2 Thessalonians 2:9-13).   -Job description: He works as his promotional agent, minister of propaganda, personal assistant, press secretary, miracle worker, pyrotechnics coordinator with complete smoke and mirrors technology, as well as rounding up every known tattoo artist ( just kidding, it will most likely be a scannable implant) for the mark of the beast. He will have to get everything interfaced, regarding the buying and selling, with the mark of the beast worked out throughout the entire earth. I hope he dies of exhaustion, but he won't. He does have a horrible end though....   -He makes the people worship the beast, otherwise known as the Antichrist. He draws the attention to the fact that his deadly head wound was healed. He wants this guy to look like he rose from the dead like Jesus Christ. He will not rise from the dead. Only God and Jesus have power to raise the dead. He will, however, make it look believable, and the world follows after the Antichrist in worship. Smoke and mirrors apply here.   Notice the part where the scripture says "he gives breath to the image of the beast so that the image is able to speak." I am not sure how long this show will go on, or just how incapacitated the Antichrist will be after his fatal wound during this time. But the False Prophet will do a stellar job in convincing the already deceived world that the Antichrist is God and that he must be worshipped.   -Image of the Antichrist and the worship thereof. I can just see this in my imagination already. There will probably be a video of the Antichrist rising from the dead with the False Prophet right there, supposedly raising him up with the power of Satan. Daily, worshippers use their cell phones and electronic devices to pay homage and view this as a part of required worship.   -The desecration of the third Jewish Temple, or Holy Place. He helps to get the Antichrist into the temple where the desecration takes place. Remember, his job is to give glory to the Antichrist.   Some have suggested that he erects a statue or image of the Antichrist there in the temple. That is quite possible. This desecration is at the same three-and-a-half-year mark of the seven-year tribulation as the broken peace treaty.   However, the Antichrist ceases the sacrifice by command, and proceeds inside the temple to go forth in his abomination plan. Once he is at the Altar, he profanes the sanctuary of God in some way. The Jews are appalled by it and take flight. The mask comes off and the Antichrist pursues the Jews into a preordained hiding place for them. I am quite certain the False Prophet is riding shotgun with him. They chase them down, literally, to kill as many as they can get their hands on.   "Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak.   "But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short" (Matthew 24:15-22).   Jesus warns the Jewish nation that when they see the Antichrist standing in the temple in this scenario, to get the heck out of town as fast as they can!   -Roundup time! The Antichrist and False Prophet are in it together until the end. They are empowered by Satan, and he leads them to Armageddon by the spirit of the demons that control them.   "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty" (Revelation 16:13-14).   -The False Prophet and Antichrist are destroyed and judged immediately by Jesus Christ as soon as He returns with the blood-washed, Raptured saints by His side, after the seven-year tribulation.   "And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming" (2Thessalonians 2:8).   And:   "And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:   "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS" (Revelation 19:14-16).   -The Antichrist and False Prophet are judged one by one and thrown into the lake of fire.   "Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone" (Revelation 19:20).   This scripture is clear as a bell that these two are separate individuals, not one person.   This is where it ends for those two and everyone who follows them. Satan is dealt with later in this story, but his fate is the same!   -Don't go with them! If you are reading this post-Rapture, do not receive the mark on your hand or forehead! It will seal your eternal destiny in the lake of fire. Please do not do it! Believe and confess Jesus as Lord right now:   "...that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10: 9-10).   I am printing this letter out, and it is attached to my "To those who have been left behind" letter at my home. I hope you do the same, dear reader, with any articles of importance that will help those who will need guidance after the Rapture has taken place.   Our Lord Comes!