WHO IS THE
FALSE PROPHET?
PART 2
by Steve
Ashburn
In Part 1 of this
series, we saw that the false prophet was a religious
leader who arose from Israel, was deeply trained in the
occult, and who was able to force people worldwide to
receive the mark of the beast and to worship the
Antichrist as God. This mark—required by everyone in
order to buy and sell and to demonstrate loyalty to the
beast—was probably both an electronically readable (RFID?)
implant underneath the skin of the right hand, and a
visible tattoo (swastika?) on the forehead. This scheme
facilitated both ecommerce and also easy identification
of those loyal to the beast.
The effect of all
this is that everyone on earth—whose names have not been
written in the book of life—will take the mark, knowing
full well what they are doing and thereafter suffering
the judgments of the second half of the tribulation,
which Jesus called “great tribulation” (Matthew 24:21).
Once a person has taken the mark, they are eternally
lost and cannot ever be saved, as Revelation 14
indicates.
And the third
angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any
man worship the beast and his image, and receive his
mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall
drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured
out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and
he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the
presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the
Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for
ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who
worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth
the mark of his name. (Revelation 14:9–11)
Not everyone will
take the mark. Revelation 7 specifically mentions
144,000 Jewish witnesses who will be sealed with “the
seal of the living God . . . in their foreheads”
(Revelation 7:2–3). These saints—who are divinely
protected during the tribulation—function as evangelists
during this terrible time, warning people to repent of
their sins and not to take the mark of the beast. As a
result of their witness, many people will refuse to take
the mark. Revelation
7:9, 14 mention “a great multitude,
which no man could number” which “came out of great
tribulation.” Revelation 9:4 indicates that each person
who repents of their sins and receives Jesus as their
Savior during the tribulation also will have “the seal
of God in their foreheads.”
And I saw thrones,
and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto
them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for
the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which
had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither
had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their
hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand
years. (Revelation 20:4)
Apparently, the
penalty for not taking the mark of the beast will be
death by beheading. However, those who refuse to worship
the beast or to take his mark will be resurrected at the
end of the tribulation, and will thereafter be given
thrones (authority) and will live and reign with Christ
during the millennium.
The false prophet
also will be a religious leader, and perhaps the head of
the world’s religious system in the years before the
Antichrist sits in the temple and demands to be
worshipped as God. Many evangelicals have identified
this religious system as “Mystery,
Babylon the Great, The Mother of Harlots and
Abominations of the Earth” in Revelation 17:5,
which is seen as riding on the world’s political empires
from the time of ancient Babylon until the tribulation.
The traditional
interpretation has been to assume that the entire world
will have one religious system, which will be destroyed
at the midpoint of the tribulation in favor of worship
of the beast himself. This false religious system is
assumed to be headquartered in Babylon, the capital city
of the beast. Many Bible prophecy scholars have assumed
this woman to represent false religion because
Revelation 17 identifies her as a “whore”—a common
epithet for false religion. This great system,
representing worship of a false god instead of the true
God, is responsible for “the blood of the saints, and .
. . the blood of the martyrs of Jesus” and “of all that
were slain upon the earth” (Revelation 17:6; 18:24).
While the false
prophet indeed may be a prominent religious leader, the
term “Mystery Babylon” in our text passage implies more
than just false religion. This term clearly is defined
in Revelation 17:18 as, “that great city, which reigneth
over the kings of the earth.” This city is the
Antichrist’s capital, the head of world commerce and
trading. The very same woman in Revelation 17:5 which
symbolizes this global financial system also is
presented in Zechariah 5:5-11 as “wickedness” and is
pictured being carried to “the land of Shinar: and it
shall be established, and set there upon her own base.”
In proper context
then, the woman seems to represent central banking, i.e.
the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in Basel,
Switzerland and its subsidiary central banks, who, in
fact, dictate national policy to their respective
sovereign governments through the mechanism of debt.
Operational control of worldwide markets then is
executed through the proprietary trading desks of
secondary banks, hedge funds, and high-frequency trading
(HFT) firms, which are closely linked to these central
banks.
Apparently, BIS
(or its future form) will be moved to Babylon sometime
shortly before or during the tribulation. Revelation
17:3 pictures it being established in the “wilderness,”
which in context seems to be the same “wilderness” as
Isaiah 23:13 where the Antichrist (“the Assyrian”) will
build his capital city, Babylon. We saw in the previous
series on “Who
is the Antichrist” that this would be located in the
vicinity of present-day Mosul, Iraq (ancient Nineveh).
While there is
nothing inherently wrong with commerce and trading by
itself, the Bible says that covetousness is idolatry
(Colossians 3:5). The woman pictured in our Scripture
verses, in fact, seems to refer to the worldwide worship
of money (and its corrupt manipulation and control)
rather than the true God of creation. Quite frankly, the
whole basis of war and murder has been to take other
people’s property, in that “ye kill, and desire to have
. . . ye fight and war, yet ye have not” (James 4:2).
Therefore, the woman is pictured holding a cup full of
blood, “drunken with the blood of the saints”
(Revelation 17:6).
In this
connection, there is considerable evidence that the
global conflicts of the twentieth century, and the
formation of central banks and of income tax, was
instigated by a small cabal of financial elitists
through the agency of BIS and like organizations, for
the purpose of destroying national sovereignty and
establishing world government and finance. Income tax is
basically a mechanism for stripping the public of their
money, while central banks are basically a slush fund to
pay for wars and other schemes planned by the global
elite.
Down through the
centuries since Babel, God has refrained from judging
the entire world for worshipping money. However, during
the tribulation, this all will come to a head, resulting
in a series of judgments upon the world for their
idolatry. Ironically, it is tribulation saints who will
be blamed for these judgments and killed, while the rest
of the world repented not “of their thefts” (Revelation
9:21). Jesus said, “Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3), and the
worship of money very subtly turns people away from God
toward this idol. This is a major theme of Revelation
and of the Bible as a whole, since men must be saved by
spiritual conversion by faith in Jesus Christ, and
idolatry greatly interferes with the convicting work of
the Holy Spirit.
We see evidence of
“Mystery Babylon” in our world today, in the form of
manipulation of stock, bond, and commodities markets,
and in financial repression by central banks so that
interest rates remain essentially zero, or even
negative. This has resulted in worldwide markets
continuing to melt up despite negative economic
fundamentals, because of ongoing, continuous debt
monetization and currency dilution by central banks. In
addition, corporations selfishly have raised the price
of their own stock by carrying out massive stock
buybacks financed by borrowing money at zero percent
interest, instead of investing that capital in plant
equipment and research & development.
During the
tribulation, this corrupt system of financial
manipulation and control—carried out by central banks
and their financial partners—will become even more
centralized in the world capital of Babylon. Finally, at
the midpoint of the tribulation, the governments of the
earth will destroy this corrupt financial system,
appropriate all her assets, and do away with money
completely in favor of worship of the beast himself:
“these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate
and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with
fire” (Revelation 17:16). Thus, the worship of money
will be transferred to the worship of the Antichrist—and
to Satan directly. Instead of money, men will have the
mark of the beast—an electronic credit card implanted in
their forehead or hand—so 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” (Revelation 13:17).
Other religions
probably will be allowed—or even encouraged—by the
Antichrist, just as they are now. Remember, it’s the
corrupt system of financial manipulation (“Mystery
Babylon”) which will be destroyed by world governments,
not false religion. This means, for example, that during
the great tribulation a person could take the mark of
the beast and practice his or her own false religion at
the same time. After all, the devil doesn’t care how a
person goes to hell, as long as he or she gets there
eventually.
This subtle system
is similar to that during the persecution of early
Christians by the Romans: Their government at the time
did not exactly prohibit the practice of Christianity;
they just required all citizens to worship Caesar as
well (and executed those who refused). This requirement,
of course, violated the First Commandment and proved
that those who compromised with it were really pagans to
begin with. Thus, the rally cry of tribulation saints
will be the same as their first century brethren: “Jesus
is Lord, and none other!”
Another false
religious leader is described in Zechariah 11. Like the
false prophet, he also arises from the land, neglects
his flock, and treats them with force and cruelty.
And the
Lord said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a
foolish shepherd. For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in
the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off,
neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is
broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall
eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in
pieces. Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock!
the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye:
his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall
be utterly darkened. (Zechariah 11:15–17)
He is described as
devouring the fat sheep (spoiling the wealthy of their
possessions) and tearing their claws in pieces
(stripping their power and privilege). He is then
described as “the idol shepherd” who leads Israel to
worship an idol (the image of the beast) instead of the
true God. It seems reasonable to conclude that this
malignant destroyer is the same as the false prophet of
Revelation.
Zechariah also
indicates that his right arm will be withered and his
right eye blinded because of a sword wound. The
description given here in Zechariah of the false prophet
is of a malignant Jewish religious leader—deeply trained
in the occult—arising from Israel in the end times, who
will become wounded somehow by sword or armament and
will have a paralyzed right arm and be blind in his
right eye. This should provide more than enough
information for those living in the end times to
identify this man, along with the Antichrist.
The false prophet
plays an important role in deceiving the world into
worshipping the Antichrist as God during the great
tribulation, through the occultic signs he is allowed to
perform. Those people so deceived by their own sin will
be subject to the awful judgments of the tribulation.
I have provided a
concise summary of these judgments in my recently
published book, END TIMES DAWNING: Get Ready!
(available from
www.endtimesrecord.com). Please read it! Also if you
would, please leave a book review on Amazon!
Yours in Christ,
Steve Ashburn
