John sees a second beast, this time rising from the earth. The second beast is called a deceiver (13:14). This second beast is called the false prophet in Revelation 16:13, 19:20; 20:10. Along with the red dragon and the beast from the sea, this third character introduced here is part of a “satanic trinity.” Irenaeus referred to this false prophet as the “armor bearer” of the Antichrist, Adv. Haer. 5.28.2).
As with the first beast, many commentators think this is an allusion to the two primordial beasts in Job, Leviathan and Behemoth. In several Second Temple period texts, God separated Leviathan and Behemoth on the fifth day of creation (1 Enoch 60:7-101, 24; 4 Ezra 6:47–54; 2 Apoc. Bar. 29:4). These two beasts are prepared for the “great day of the Lord” when they will be turned into food (1 Enoch 60:24).
1 Enoch 60.7–10 On that day, two monsters will be parted—one monster, a female named Leviathan, in order to dwell in the abyss of the ocean over the fountains of water; 8 and (the other), a male called Behemoth, which holds his chest in an invisible desert whose name is Dundayin, east of the garden of Eden, wherein the elect and the righteous ones dwell, wherein my grandfather was taken, the seventh from Adam, the first man whom the Lord of the Spirits created. 9 Then I asked the second angel in order that he may show me (how) strong these monsters are, how they were separated on this day and were cast, the one into the abysses of the ocean, and the other into the dry desert. 10 And he said to me, “You, son of man, according (to the degree) to which it will be permitted, you will know the hidden things.”
The second beast has two horns like a lamb, but it speaks with the voice of the dragon. The dragon has already been identified as Satan. The two horns are unusual since they are the usual number from a lamb; usually animals have many horns. It is possible, then, the horns do not represent rulers (as with the first beast), but rather suggest the appearance of harmlessness. But when the harmless looking beast speaks it is communicating the word of the Dragon, Satan. In the opening paragraph I suggested John has created a satanic parody of the trinity. If that is the case, then this second beast is like the Holy Spirit. Rather than communicating the word of God, it speaks the word of the Dragon.
What does this “false prophet” do? Unlike the first beast, John gives a series of activities associated with the false prophet and many evoke the activity of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. (Note I am using masculine personal pronouns here because they are in the Greek text; this is a possible argument against a parody of the Holy Spirit since the Greek for spirit is neuter.)
First, the false prophet causes the inhabitants of the whole world to worship the first beast. If the first beast refers to the Roman empire, then worshiping the Roman empire naturally brings the imperial cult to mind. Most commentators understand this as an allusion to Daniel 3; Nebuchadnezzar set up an image and demanded everyone worship it or be put to death.
Second, he performs great signs which help convince the first beast has power. In the Gospel of John, Jesus did seven signs (σημεῖον) which were to convince people he was the Messiah (John 20:30-31). This false prophet does great signs (σημεῖον) in order to convince people that the Beast of the Earth has great power, and (perhaps) that the injured horn is the messiah.
Third, he heals the near-fatal wound of the first beast. This is the greatest of miracles, a parody of the resurrection of Christ. In Revelation 13:3 the first beast appeared to have died and was brought back to life, now in 13:14 it is the power of the false prophet that did this great miracle. It is important to observe the first beast was not actually dead, so this is a false-resurrection.
Fourth, he makes the image of the first beast speak. This was a belief of the first century, that statues could magically be made to talk. Certain cults would use ventriloquism to make statues appear to talk. In this case the statues will pronounce judgement on all who do not worship it.
Fifth, he requires that all men receive the mark of the beast on their hand or forehead. This may allude to increasing pressure on Christians in Asia Minor to participate in the imperial cult. I will deal with the Mark of the Beast in another post.
John’s description of the first beast is consistent with warnings against false prophets in Deuteronomy 13:1-3, Jesus’s warnings about false prophets and false messiahs (Mark 13:21-23, Matt 24:23-25), as well as Paul’s description of the coming Lawless one (2 Thess 2:9-11). The Lawless One is empowered by Satan and will have “all power and false signs and wonders” in order to deceive those who have refused to love the truth. People believe these deceiving signs because God has sent a “strong delusion” so that they believe what is false. Similarly, here in Revelation 13 the second beast does great signs to convince the whole world of the power of the first beast.
Other Second Temple period texts describe the coming evil one as doing many great signs. Aune points to Sibylline Oracle 3.63-74 since it combines the Return of Nero myth with the satanic Beliar performing great miracles, including raising the dead:
Sib. Or. 3.63–67 Then Beliar will come from the Sebastēnoi and he will raise up the height of mountains, he will raise up the sea, the great fiery sun and shining moon, and he will raise up the dead, and perform many signs for men.
In summary, the second beast in Revelation 13 is the religious support for the empire and emperor described by the first beast. Although many in the modern west think of the separation of church and state as good and normal, the Roman world did not think of the political world as separate from the religious. The emperor demonstrated proper piety toward the gods and was deified and worshiped in the imperial cult. The imperial cult served to unified the empire and served to broadcast imperial propaganda throughout the Roman world.
Although little is known about the function of the imperial priesthood, John appears to be describing the function of the imperial cult and its priesthood. (Aune, 756; Beasley-Murray, 216). If the first beast is the Roman empire and the horns are various emperors, then the imperial cult was the religious support system for the empire, especially in Asia Minor. This will be clearer with the final activity of the second beast, forcing all people to take the mark of the beast.
You could be mistaking. The Romans let everybody use their own religions. Was the Christians during the Roman empire in order to keep power wanted only their religion to be used, the power came from converting the people high up in society.
The ultimate goal for the false prophet is to get men to worship the first beast and also mark all of the men with the mark of the beast on their hand or forehead. I find this to be very interesting because it is almost cult like with making men get the mark of the beast on their hand or forehead. I think this defeats the purpose of religion and basically turns it into a cult. It is very confusing to know that it is a false prophet because he performs miracles that make people believe that the beast has power. Believing in something is when you put your own faith into that specific person or thing. It is important to put your faith into that person or thing, because then you trust them and believe that they are real. Being manipulated into believing in something is a very hard thing to swallow, which happens a lot in this day in age with things like believing in God or not. I am a firm believer because I know the Scripture from the Bible is all true which makes me a believer of God. This false prophet is easy to be tricked by, but understand that God is our ultimate creator and not this false prophet.
The false prophet is an often-ignored character in the book of Revelation. The focus of most Christians is on the beast out of the sea and the role he will play, but the false prophet is equally as dangerous and deceptive. The description of the false prophet only highlights this deceptiveness. He speaks like a dragon, but it appears like he is a lamb (Rev. 13:11). He appears innocent, but in reality he will consume you. The signs the false prophet can perform are also interesting as he can make fire come down from heaven (Rev. 13:13). These signs will be very effective and deceptive. The parallels the false prophet has to the Holy Spirit are interesting, but there is a major contrast in that the Holy Spirit testifies about God and Jesus (John. 15:26). The false prophet will not testify anything that is true about Jesus, but will only lie and blaspheme just like the first beast (Rev. 13:6). Within this line of thinking I also see a connection to 1st John 2:22-23. John writes about false believers who appeared to be sincere in their faith but were revealed through their abandonment of Christ and there inability to confess that he is the Messiah. I question if the false prophet will act in the same manner. He will appear as someone good but will be unable to admit Jesus is lord. This is simply speculation. Regardless of all this speculation, we know the true purpose of the false prophet. “Its purpose is religious, enforcing worship, deceiving through great signs, and instructing idolatry” (Davies, 2019, p. 119). It is important to stand firm in our faith and oppose those who, like the false prophet, try to lead us and others astray.
When studying Revelation, I find that I often forget about the false prophet. It is important to remember that this is indeed a parody of the trinity of God. This “unholy trinity” is composed of Satan, the antichrist, and the false prophet. This false prophet is specifically a parody of the Holy Spirit as he is given power from the first beast and also performs miracles and signs. The identity of the false prophet seems to be the thing that people want to interpret the most. Perhaps this has to do with the immense amount of crazy interpretations of the mark of the beast. John calls for wisdom in interpreting the number of the beast as it is the beast’s name (Rev. 13:18). This, as discussed in other posts, is the most fanaticized topic in all of Revelation. There is no doubt this stems from the fear that it brings. Christians need to leave behind this fear and focus on the greater themes of Revelation. In the end, God wins and those who trust in Him are established for all of eternity in the new earth.
Now on to the current interpretations of the beast’s identity. Depending on your method of interpretation, one will take this beast literally or ascribe it to a different entity altogether. Many preterists liken this beast to the Roman empire and the imperial cult. Others will take this entirely figuratively and name the beast as any random assortment of evil entities. Regardless of the specific entity that you choose to think the beast is identified as, it is clear that the false prophet has a mission. This mission is to deceive the world into worshiping Satan.