The Beast from the Earth
Who (or What) is the Beast from the Earth?
The current prevailing interpretation of Revelation 13 (at least among non-preterists) generally reads as follows:
The Beast from the Sea is the Antichrist, and
The Beast from the Earth is the False Prophet.
I propose—and this is only a proposal, mind you, not a definitive assertion—that there is only one End Times villain, not two, and that the False Prophet is none other than the Antichrist himself.
There are several reasons why I tend to take this view. The first is that while scripture is replete with references to the Antichrist, the same cannot be said about a secondary character called the False Prophet. In fact, we do not run into this individual until the middle of the final book of the Bible. One would think that such a key personage in The Last Days would have more of an introduction.
That being said, it is easy to understand why the False Prophet is assumed to be a separate person from the Antichrist. For one thing, he has a different title. He is not called the Antichrist, so there is no reason to think that he is the Antichrist. But remember that the word Antichrist is never used in the Book of Revelation—it is we who apply that label.
The biggest reason behind this assumption, though, is that most people read the Book of Revelation as though it unfolds in a linear manner. The trouble is this is not the case. It often doubles back, painting a picture with broad strokes before returning to fill in the details.
I think this is precisely what is happening in Revelation 13. Verses 1-10 give us an overview of king and kingdom, whereas verses 11-18 zero in on the king. This allows the text to present and discuss the Antichrist in the context of being a person rather than being merely the mouth of a great beast.
Also, consider this connection between the two: the Beast from the Sea is given a mouth, and that mouth represents the Antichrist. Well, what does a mouth do? It speaks.
This is the very first thing we are told about the False Prophet:
he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon.
Revelation 13:11
If that isn’t a description of the Antichrist in a nutshell, I don’t know what is. It captures him perfectly: a Christ imposter who is the very embodiment of Satan. A dragon in sheep’s clothing.
Keep in mind that the word Antichrist does not only suggest a person who opposes Christ but also one who attempts to supplant Him (an idea I will be revisiting in future posts). Thus, there will be two Messiahs: one true, one false. There will be two armies: one holy, one unholy. The first is headed by the Son of God, and the second by the Son of Destruction. It is a 1:1 ratio.
The idea that the Antichrist has an evil sidekick seems to lessen the strength of that vision. It also seems a bit strange that the powers of Satan would be wielded by someone other than the person who is actually filled with Satan, which, if we believe the False Prophet to be a sort of magician to the Antichrist’s Pharoah, would be the case.
Finally, let us take a look at an excerpt from 2 Thessalonians, which is widely held to be a reference to the Antichrist:
the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,
and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish
2 Thess. 2:9-10
This same description is repeated in Revelation 13, but in reference to the False Prophet:
He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men.
And he deceives those who dwell on the earth
Revelation 13:13-14
Are these passages referring to the same man, or to different men?
I’ll leave you to decide.
