The False Prophet

The following eleven verses are the only ones that give us any information about the false prophet

Revelation 13

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.

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.

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.

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.

Revelation 16

13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

14 For they are the spirits of devils, 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.

Revelation 19

20 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 worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Revelation 20

10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

1. Considering the details of the false prophet in order, the first thing that we see is the words “coming up out of the earth.” This could mean one of two things, or a combination of the two. The anti-Christ, who is the original beast, literally comes up out of the earth as he is released from the bottomless pit. We are not told that the second beast is restrained in the pit, but from the words used, it is a distinct possibility.
2. In Revelation 17:15 we gather that the beast, who will take over as the eleventh human king and the eighth spirit king over the final mountain/empire that is an offshoot of Mystery Babylon, will rise up from the many waters, which are defined as peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. Revelation 13:1 seems to confirm that he will rise from the sea of humanity. The words above seem to tie the rising from the pit and the rising from the multitudes together for the false prophet.
3. The two horns give the impression of strength, but the fact that there two, if you compare it to other prophecies, suggests that there is something more than just strength being portrayed here. In Daniel 8, the Medo-Persian Empire was symbolized by two horns, one for each of the confederate kingdoms. Alexander and his empire were displayed as a great horn. His four generals and their piecemeal portions of the Greek Empire were four horns, and finally, the anti-Christ as a little horn. There is no indication that the false prophet is actual two persons, but the presence of the horns seem to suggest that he will control two countries. In Revelation 17, the beast is shown having ten horns which represent the ten nations that join together in support of the anti-Christ. The beast may be bring two additional nations to the alliance.
4. Jesus is referred to as the Lamb 28 times in the Revelation. The false prophet is also called by the same Greek word for lamb. In Revelation 6:2, the anti-Christ is revealed as a ruler and a conquerer on a white horse. The symbolism of both the white horse of the anti-Christ and the lamb of the false prophet give the appearance of holiness and righteousness. This is a part of the delusion that God allows as people chose to worship and serve lies over the truth.
5. The false prophet exercises all the power of the first beast before him. Revelation 13:4 tells us that many will worship the dragon which gave power unto the beast. The dragon is Satan. 2 Thessalonians 2:9 informs us that the anti-Christ's coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders. The false prophet is able to access the full power of Satan to perform his duties.
6. Verse 12 tells us that the false prophet will cause many on the earth to worship the beast. It’s not until later in the Revelation that we see him called the false prophet.
7. One of the greatest powers of Satan, the beast and the false prophet is their abilities to deceive.
8. In Revelation 16 we see that the false prophet shares the ability to control demons.
9. In Verse 14 we are told that he has power to do miracles. They are meant to frighten, deceive and to bring into bondage as opposed to the miracles of God which liberate, make whole and bring peace to the recipient. He makes fire fall from heaven and empowers the image of the beast. He will likely do many other lying wonders. Those miracles are real supernatural interventions into the natural world. Many have theorized that the image of the beast will be powered by technology. That would be a modern marvel that can be replicated by the thousands, but that is not what we are told in these verses. His power coms from Satan and the demons of the spirit world. God is going to allow them their time at the end of the world to attempt to win souls over to Lake of Fire.
10. The final power that the false prophet posses is authority. Both in representing the beast, and in delivering general directives to the population concerning their everyday lives, ie: build an image, take the mark, worship the beast and kill those who disobey.