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“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. 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..” (Revelation 13:11)
June 3, 2003 -We have spent many weeks exposing the Papal Antichrist with proofs so numerous and Spiritual evidence so convincing - some might be led to ask, “Why does not EVERYONE believe the obvious evidence?” In fact, why does not the Roman Catholic Antichrist Papacy recognize herself as Antichrist?
Just as we can be assured from scripture that the ability to receive the articles of our faith, and the right to believe on God are gifts from that same Sovereign God, so is the ability to recognize God’s enemies a gift received from His throne. We explained in our chapters on the Antichrist, how 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 plainly states that God will WITHHOLD some from being able to recognize His enemy, so that they might perish having not received the gift.
Why does the world not recognize the Papal system as Antichrist? Because their eyes are shaded by her sorceries, their ears are stopped by her vain traditions; their consciences are seared by their own fornications with her. It is almost impossible to see the evil of an institution until you are out of her and far away from her. So long as her witchcraft and cunning has control of the mind, the mind is not freed to see her for what she is. The world does not accept the truth about the Papal Antichrist, because they have bought the BIGGEST LIE of all. They have believed that man can do good without God. Roman Catholics do not see their church as evil, because they do not have the mind of Christ, therefore they cannot hate what He hates. They cannot loathe that which demotes Him and usurps Him. Please keep this principle in mind as we move forward to discuss the False Prophet.
First, let us recap and note some of the attributes of the first beast (Antichrist) in Revelation the 13th Chapter:
The first beast is a Kingdom. The prophetic word “beast” connotes a kingdom, a nationality, or a ruling authority
The first beast rises from apostate Christianity, holds ecclesiastical power over many nations and tongues and peoples.
The first beast (Antichrist) is also a man, in that at any time there is a singular human authority that sits in the throne of power.
It is evident that since the Holy Spirit utilizes the term “beast” to signify both the Antichrist AND the False Prophet, that both beasts will have these characteristics. Because of this, the Reformers, who had properly identified the first beast, almost unanimously declared that the actual POPE (whoever was Pope at the time) was the false prophet, as opposed to the PAPACY, which was considered the Antichrist. Although I have no real argument against this interpretation, recognizing that the Reformers were commenting on Revelation based on their time, and the information that was available at the time, but I hope to point out some information that might call for a rethinking of the traditional view on this subject. The Reformers were properly historicists, and they recognized that prophecy was to be fulfilled in continuance throughout the age of the church. The Reformers were faithful to examine prophecy up until their time, and they were called specifically to identify and reveal the man of sin, the son of perdition - the Antichrist Papal System which has so ensnared the world.
To me, it is evident that this second beast in Revelation Chapter 13 shares many of the attributes of the first beast, and for much of the church age the second beast coexists with the first beast, but that this second beast rises some time AFTER the revealing of the first beast, and it also necessarily rises from a place completely different from that of the first beast.
Whereas the antichrist system arises from the sea, and this sea is interpreted for us as “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues” (Rev 17:15), the second beast, the false prophet, arises from out of the earth:
“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.” (Rev 13:11)
I believe the scripture also encourages us to draw a delineation between these two civil and ecclesiastical powers in the previous chapter:
“Therefore
rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to
the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto
you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”
(
John specifically separates the “inhabiters of the EARTH and the SEA” as two separate peoples, from which the two beasts will arise.
Many of the Puritan writers like John Gill state in their commentaries that the second beast must rise at the same time as the first beast, because the false prophet causes the earth and the people to worship the antichrist, but I believe that Gill was writing long before the rise of the false prophet in his fulness (Gill lived from 1616-1683), and since the Bible prophesies that the Papacy would continue to exist through to the return of Christ, therefore the Biblical prophecy that the false prophet would arise AFTER the Antichrist, and from a place diverse in nature from the first beast, ALSO allows for the two to coexist for many centuries fulfilling the prophecy.
Once again, we will focus on the plain text of scripture, comparing it with known and provable history in our search for the identity of this second beast.
This second beast arises from the earth, or a lower or lesser people - an earthly people scattered abroad by persecutions or the rage of powers and authorities. They are considered to have risen “from the earth” or from a low estate, where they are lowly regarded. Some Bible expositors see the 1st Beast as having risen from the sea, in that the Jewish Church would have had to look across the sea from Jerusalem to Rome where the 1st Beast would arise. The 2nd Beast therefore would have to have the attributes of Egypt and Greece, because the Jewish church would have looked across land to see this beast arise. All of these things are clues for us that we may apply when a proper and suitable suspect arises.
Let us examine a Biblical shadow-picture of the false prophet, and maybe we can discern some more clues from it:
“And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus: Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.” (Act 13:6-11)
Let us examine this historical event and see if we can glean some prophetic wisdom from it.
The Apostle Paul finds himself on the Isle of Cyprus, particularly in the WESTERNMOST corner of the island, a village called PAPHOS. The word Paphos was a Grecian translation of a Phoenician word which meant CORNER OF CORNERS. So in the far western part of the world of Cyprus, in the Corner of Corners, a False Prophet is found, and he has the ear of the ruler, the Roman Proconsul, a man named Sergius Paulus. The false prophet is named Barjesus (which means the Son of Jesus), which would hint that he was an apostate who declared that he was a follower of Jesus. The Ruler of the people desires to hear the Word of God, and calls for God’s preachers to deliver it to him, but they are withstood by the wizard Barjesus who desires to turn away the government from the faith. Note the most important qualities that Paul examines of the False Prophet:
1) The False Prophet is filled with SUBTILTY and all mischief.
2) The False Prophet PERVERTS the right ways of the Lord.
The False Prophet, through subtlety and mischief, PERVERTS the right ways of the Lord. The False Prophet has the ear of rulers and leaders, proclaims himself to be Christian, perverts the right way of the Lord, and arises from a distant corner of the earth, to the west. The false prophet is a nation, and a church and a political system. The false prophet rises up some time AFTER the rise of the Antichrist Papal System, yet directs all worship to that first beast. The false prophet rises to power from a lowly people, but attains GREAT STRENGTH by means of subtlety.
The False Prophet has two horns like a lamb (Rev. 13:10), but speaks as a dragon. So this nation will speak often about peace and love and safety, but will threaten and provoke. This nation will pretend to be like Christ, the Lamb of God, but will prophesy and speak like the devil. This system will exercise all the power of the Antichrist Papal System (Rev. 13:12), and will eventually cause all the earth to worship according to the Doctrines and practices of the Roman Church. This will be a mighty and powerful system, whose power will extend to doing miracles in the sight of the whole world, like calling fire down from heaven on her enemies. The false prophet will cause an image to be made like unto the first beast, and will cause the image to have life and to receive worship.
The Antichrist Papacy infiltrated Protestantism early in the Reformation. The Papal doctrines of works, protestantized by the Arminians and infiltrated through Jesuitical subtlety, soon overtook the Reformation movement. By the mid 1700’s, Arminianism began to sweep across the American Continent, that land of the lowly people, gathered from those scattered from the nations. America was the farthest corner of the globe, the westernmost outpost of the New World. It was the corner of corners, the Paphos of the earth. Although the true Protestants worked hard to keep the system clean, the wizards and warlocks of Deism and Arminianism had the ear of the new rulers. America became the home of Arminian Protestantism, and although many of the founders and teachers strove valiantly to protect her from Papal infestation, the Beast rose anyway - and she would do miracles in the sight of the whole world. Both her political system AND her ecclesiastical system would “maketh fire come down from heaven” in the sight of those who dwell on the earth.
America is the home of Apostate Christianity. Her churches evangelize the world with the false doctrines of Arminianism and Miracle worship. She is the home of the biggest so-called Protestant ministries in all the world, and she causes all the world to worship according to Papist Arminian Free-Will doctrines. The False Prophet is a nation (America). The False Prophet is a church (apostate Protestantism), and the False Prophet rules over the world, a world that shakes in fear of the fire that America has called down on her enemies. Although Protestant America has the form of a Lamb, she speaks as a dragon, threatening the world with her miraculous weapons. By the way, she says, “If you are not with us, you are with the terrorists”.
The False Prophet causes an image to be built of the 1st beast, Papal Rome. If you will examine Washington D.C. for a minute, you will find a replica of Papal Rome, from the towering obelisk, to the great domed palace that faces it. Washington D.C. was built from land granted from the only Catholic colony (Mary Land), and you will note that the land which was granted from Virginia (a hard-core Protestant state) was returned. The Capitol itself was built on a hill that was previously called ROME, and the city was designed by a French Catholic who desired to make it as an image of Papal Rome.
The Roman Church was able to (through mischief and subtlety) twist Biblical Protestantism until it became an image of the beast. The so-called Protestants brought in Pagan holidays and Pagan worship institutions, both derived from Egypt and Greece. They deified the building and called IT the church, instead of recognizing that the people who gathered there are to be considered the church. They reinstituted Rome’s harlotries by giving them other, more Biblical sounding names. The Protestant church became that which she reportedly hated. Today, when you tell people that you have COME OUT of the harlot so-called “Protestant” Church system, they will have the audacity to repeat VERBATIM the arguments made by the Catholics against the early Reformers. They will say:
a) God is operating in the institution, and if you are not a “member” of an ecclesiastical institution, then you are in rebellion and outside the will of God.
b) God utilizes the visible church to call people to Himself. If you resist the authority of the visible, institutional, state-sponsored church, then you resist God’s ordained authority.
c) Our traditions (holidays, tithing, church rule, etc.) are not specifically banned in scripture (although many of them are), and are upheld by many previous “Church Fathers”, so they should be accepted by all people in order for their belief system to be Christian.
d) Those who attack the false and apostate institutional church system are “accusers of the brethren”, and should be labeled heretics.
The same false and apostate institutional Protestant church system has heralded the doctrines of the PAPACY, and by doing so has caused the Antichrist to receive worship from professing Christians. Washington D.C., which is an image of the Beast political, and the Protestant Church, which is an image of the Beast ecclesiastical, are resident in the United States of America. The US/UN led global economy has become ever more restrictive and refuses the right to true religious autonomy. Very few are willing to come out of her by refusing her street-corner whore churches, and refusing to be ensnared in her failed economic sorceries.
The wrath of God is promised against all those who partake in the sorceries of the False Prophet. In my recent book Swarms of Locusts, I showed how the false Protestant church, particularly in the Charismatic sects, called down “fire from heaven” in their services - a direct quote from this section of the book of Revelation. God has proclaimed the ruin of both the Antichrist Beast, and the False Prophet Beast. They will both be thrown into the fire. God has pleaded with mankind to “come out of her” so that we do not partake of her sins and her plagues. The deadly wound of the Papacy has been healed. Those who should be at warfare with that Antichrist Roman church are instead held in the grip of her doctrines. Once again I would direct the hearer to my book Swarms of Locusts for facts and figures regarding this harlotry.
Why can the church not see that she has become the False Prophet? Because the people have refused to heed the warning of scripture. You cannot see her harlotries while you continue to partake in her sorceries. So long as you participate in her worship, you are defiled by fornicating with her. The modern Protestant church utilizes the same methods and arguments of the Papacy when that system attacked and anathematized the Reformers. The modern church also finds herself to be so institutionalized and top heavy, that she cannot see that her foundation is destroyed, and she is destined to topple. God will not allow idols to be raised up under his banner. The false and idolatrous system of institutionalized “church” is destined to go the way of their mother church. The mother of harlots has seen her daughters grow to adulthood, but their systems will be thrown together into hell.
Do not make the mistake of your fathers. Do not attempt to “reform” that which God has called both a beast and an antichrist. Antichrist cannot be reformed; rather Antichrist should be warred against perennially. The False Prophet is a puppet of Rome. Do not attempt to “reform” the puppet, nor should you join the millions who have deceived themselves by the lie: “But my church is alright”. If that were true, we would not see rampant Apostasy sweeping the globe from the shores of America We are to be outside the camp with our Lord, and to stand with Him on Mount Sion with His Father’s name written on our foreheads. We are the redeemed of the earth, and we are not defiled with the earth’s so-called churches. We follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth, and we will not follow another because we hear His voice. He is our great Shepherd.
Study to show thyself approved.
Read the scriptures and plead for wisdom and understanding.
Now is the time of deception.
Now is the time of confusion.
The beasts from the sea and the earth are now rising to new heights of power.
They are being given power from the devil who was cast down upon them.
Gird up your loins, ye children of God - your redemption draws nigh!
I am your servant in Christ Jesus,
Michael Bunker