Not all information entering the cell come from the DNA located inside the nucleus. Sometimes viruses infect the cell and trick the cell into copying their genetic code and building new viruses. This is a type of “fake news” that is harmful to the cell, and can cause disease and death instead of health and life. This illustration from nature about information, truth and deception finds its spiritual counterpart among the great end-time player, The False Prophet in the book of Revelation.
The False Prophet in Revelation
Ancient Israel had many prophets, and several of them were false. Interestingly, the false prophets were more popular than the genuine ones. This led to a long captivity and exile in Babylon. Wouldn’t it be foolish to make the same mistake as Israel?
What do England, Protestantism, a Russian president, the Pope, Nero, the USA, humanism, Donald Trump, an Iranian ayatollah, the UN, and an Israeli leader from the tribe of Dan have in common? Not much, one would think. However, a brief search on the internet for the identity of the false prophet in Revelation gave me the answer. After plowing through several pages of search results, there were few questions, many answers, and total confusion.
One Phenomenon – Two Names
The false prophet is one of Revelation’s major end-time actors in the battle between Jesus and Satan. It is one of Satan’s most effective tools due to its ability to seduce humanity by appearing as Jesus’s collaborator, while what it says and does shows that it is actually his opponent. The phenomenon also goes by the name “the beast from the earth.”
| “The False Prophet” | “The Beast from the Earth” |
|---|---|
| Performs signs and wonders (Rev 19:20) | Performs signs and wonders (Rev 13:13) |
| Deceives people (Rev 19:20) | Deceives people (Rev 13:14) |
| Collaborates with “the Beast” (Rev 19:20) | Collaborates with “the Beast” (Rev 13:14) |
| Makes people take “the mark of the beast” (Rev 19:20) | Makes people take “the mark of the beast” (Rev 13:16) |
| Speaks for evil (demonic spirits from its mouth (Rev 16:13) | Speaks for evil: “spoke like a dragon” (Rev 13:11) |
In other words, this is both a false beast and a false prophet, that is, both a political and religious phenomenon. In this article, we will mainly focus on the religious aspect of the phenomenon and try to find out who or what this might be.
The prophets in the Bible are described as God’s messengers, proclaiming messages from God. The false prophets had the same field of work and also claimed to be God’s messengers.
Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up and slapped Micaiah in the face. "Which way did the spirit from the Lord go when he went from me to speak to you?" he asked. (1 Kings 22:24 NIV)We can therefore expect that the false prophet in Revelation professes to be God’s child, goes on His errand, preaches His word, and operates within Christianity. Humanists, Jewish leaders, ayatollahs, and Russian presidents are not famous for their Christian confessions, so it seems unfair to accuse them of being the false prophet.
Humanists, Jewish leaders, ayatollahs, and Russian presidents are not famous for their Christian confessions, so it seems unfair to accuse them of being the false prophet.
Seductive Doctrines
When the Bible warns against the false prophet, it is primarily against its message. There were many false prophets in the Old Testament, and God addresses them in general terms almost every time. When He warns His people against their teaching and preaching, He includes all of them, which suggests that they had a fundamentally common theological platform. What it consisted of follows here, with a response from God’s true prophets.
False prophets: Preach “peace, peace” under all circumstances (Jeremiah 6:14)
The Bible: “When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.” (Ezekiel 33:8 NIV)
False prophets: We can wholly or partially ignore God and His word and still have peace with Him (Jeremiah 23:17)
The Bible: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13 NIV)
False prophets: Salvation without complete surrender (Jeremiah 23:17)
The Bible: “Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel?” (Ezekiel 18:31 NIV)
False prophets: Receiving a new and clean heart has nothing to do with where you end up in the end (Jeremiah 23:17)
The Bible: “Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.'” (John 3:5 NIV)
False prophets: No preaching about the necessity of turning from sin to a life of righteousness (Jeremiah 23:22)
The Bible: “But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds.” (Jeremiah 23:22 NIV)
False prophets: No preaching of sin in specific terms (Lamentations 2:14)
The Bible: For example, Jesus uses a large part of the Sermon on the Mount to warn against specific sins (Matthew 5:21-6:19).
False prophets: True freedom includes freedom from God’s law (2 Peter 2:1-2, 19; 3:17)
The Bible: “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom” (James 2:12 NIV. See also Romans 3:31; 1 Corinthians 7:19).
Summary of Their Theology
To summarize, the doctrine of the false prophets can be described as follows:
- One-sided preaching and focus on God’s grace and care (Jer 6:14)
- No warning against sin in either specific or general terms (Jer 23:22)
- Salvation without complete surrender (Jer 23:17)
- Salvation without being born again with a new heart (Jer 23:17)
- How we live has no influence on whether we will be saved or lost (2Pet 2:1,2,19; 3:17)
What effects did the teaching of the false prophets have on the people of Israel?
- Their theology was at times the most popular form of worship in Israel (Luke 6:22,23,26)
- By the way the false prophets interpreted God’s word, they stole His word from the people, and God’s purpose in giving His Word was not effected (Jer 23:29,30, Heb 4:11-13)
- The false prophets were responsible for leading people away from eternal life and keeping people in a lost state (Ezek 13:22)
- False assurance of salvation (Jer 7:3-11, cf. Matt 7:21)
- Babylonian captivity (Lam 2:14)
Ellen G. White
As a Seventh-Day Adventist, I can not help noticing that Ellen G. White (Adventists believe she was a prophet) opposes the false prophets of the Bible. If you have read her books it will be easy to see that she is on a collision course with the Bible’s false prophets. Furthermore, she has probably been one of the strongest critics of their teachings in modern times. She comments in several places on the false prophets in the OT as well as the end-time false prophet:
“There are many false prophets in these days, to whom sin does not appear specially repulsive. They complain that the peace of the people is unnecessarily disturbed by the reproofs and warnings of God’s messengers. They lull the sinners into a fatal ease by their smooth and deceitful teachings. Ancient Israel was thus charmed by the flattering messages of the corrupt priests. Their prediction of prosperity was more pleasing than the message of the true prophets, who counseled repentance and submission.” (4T 185)
“They encourage men to look upon sin as a small matter” (4T 173.4)
“If they belittle the law of God, if they pay no heed to His will as revealed in the testimonies of His Spirit, they are deceivers” (2SM 98.3)
The statements of the false prophets in the Old Testament should hopefully be more than enough to form an opinion about what strings the end-time false prophet plays on. It is therefore interesting to observe that in some parts of Christianity, it may seem as if the gospel according to the false prophet is more accepted than “the eternal gospel,” where faith in Jesus and following God’s commandments are important elements.
“This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus”. (Rev. 14:12 NIV)
Yes, at times it can almost seem as if the gospel that the false prophets preached in the Old Testament, and for which God sent His people to Babylon, is what should bring us to heaven in our time. I am so bold as to suggest that according to Revelation, such a gospel still only leads to Babylon.
“Grandmother Died”
On the night of September 1, 1939, operation “grandmother died” was carried out. Under the cover of darkness, a small group of soldiers in Polish uniforms sneaks towards the radio station in the German town of Gleiwitz. In addition to weapons, they bring several dead Poles whom they leave outside the radio station. The German soldiers, disguised in Polish uniforms, then attack the German radio station and broadcast an anti-German message. Everything is staged by the Gestapo. A number of similar operations are carried out on the same night. The next morning, Adolf Hitler declares war on Poland, and World War II is a fact.
With false news conveyed by false messengers, the “whole” world was seduced and thrown into the largest and bloodiest war the world has experienced so far. Unfortunately, the same methods are also used in the greatest and most important of all conflicts, the battle between Jesus and Satan. However, only one of the parties uses such means. The false prophet in Revelation claims to preach Jesus’ gospel but turns out to be both wolf and dragon in sheep’s clothing. Jesus uses other means. In His final hours, He said that “for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” “I have spoken openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret” (John 18), neither in disguise nor behind closed doors.
In the end, truth and honesty endure the longest.
Today, Gleiwitz is Polish.
“Tomorrow”, Heaven and Earth will belong to those persecuted for righteousness’ sake.
“Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the [true] prophets who were before you.” (Matt 5:10,12 NIV)
Article: Life Lessons from mRNA