Islam and the False Prophet (Part 2 of 3)

Historical Origins of the False Prophet

Historical Origins

We look now at the historical origins of the false prophet, who appears with apparent abruptness in ch.16 of the book of Revelation, and goes to his doom with the beast in ch.19.

It is in ch.19 that we are given by the Spirit a clear clue to the origins of the false prophet:

“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” (v.20).

Here we have a reference back to the events of Revelation ch.13 – and this reference not only explains who the false prophet is, but also which of the beasts of ch.13 is seen in ch.16. Here is the relevant passage:

“And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth…(he) deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the (sea) beast” (13:11,14).

A comparison of these two passages proves beyond doubt two critically important expositional points:

  • The beast of Rev.19:20 is the sea beast of 13:14 (and so that of 16:13).
  • The false prophet is the earth beast of ch.13.

For some unexplained reason, Dr. Thomas missed this’identification, this co-relation of the two passages, and assumed (mistakenly, in view of the facts of the case) that the beast of 16:13 was the earth beast; he was thus in a position to assume that the false prophet was identical with’the ‘mouth’ of the sea beast of ch.13.

I do not reject Dr. Thomas’ exposition of this point in any critical spirit; no reasonable brother or sister can read the mighty work of the Doctor without recognising its brilliant exposition and profound understanding of scripture. But no human expositor can always be right, and this particular mistake must be corrected (as surely Dr. Thomas would have done, had he seen it). if the truth of scripture is to be upheld at all cost.

Dragon, Beast and False Prophet

The two passages quoted prove that the dragon, beast and false prophet of chs. 16 & 19 are forms of the dragon, sea beast and earth beast of ch.13. must therefore go backward in our search for the origins of the three great powers who go to their doom as the Lord Jesus returns in glory.

In Rev. ch.12 & 13 there is a great red dragon opposing a woman and persecuting her seed. He is attacked by Michael and his angels, and cast down to earth; when this is accomplished, two other beasts arise (which may be regarded as his ‘seed’), one out of the sea, the other from the earth.

In our endeavour to identify these three beasts, we are not left to guess­work. Again, the Spirit has described the creatures in terms which take us back to another scripture, the book of Daniel, from which we may take further help.

What we find there is summarised below:

1. THE DRAGON of Revelation is described in terms of the 4th beast seen in Daniel ch.7.

  • it has 10 horns like those on the 4th beast (Dan.7:7)
  • it has 7 heads, the aggregate of the heads of the 4th beast and the 3 earlier beasts conquered by the 4th beast (Dan.7:4-7)
  • it devours (Dan.7:7, see Rev.12:4)

2. THE SEA BEAST of Revelation is described in terms related to all four beasts of Daniel ch.7.

  • it rises from the sea (Dan.7:3)
  • it has 10 horns (Dan.7:7)
  • it is like a leopard (Dan.7:6)
  • it has bear’s feet (Dan.7:5)
  • it has a lion’s mouth (Dan.7:4)
  • its mouth speaks great things (Dan.7:8)

3. THE EARTH BEAST of Revelation is described in terms relating to the ram of Daniel ch.8.

  • it appears to exist on the earth (see “face of the whole earth” describing the lands taken from the ram by the he-goat in Dan.8:5)
  • it has two horns (Dan.8:3)
  • lamb’s horns may be regarded as descended from ram’s horns (Dan.8:3)

In Daniel the symbols of the beasts .are explained in the record itself. The four beasts are said to be “four kings” rising in the earth, and the fourth is a great world-conqueror who stamps on the other three. This 4th beast can be no other than the great world-empire of Rome.

The sea beast of Rev.13 has a leopard-body, and the four-headed leopard of Dan.7 can only be the empire of Greece which existed immediately before that of Rome. Since the whole body of the sea beast of Revelation is leopard-like, that beast must be predominantly western – especially since it is first seen in Dan.7 rising up out of the great sea (the Mediterranean).

Passing on now to Daniel ch.8, the ram with two horns is stated to he the “kings of Media and Persia”. The arena of this prophecy is not the Mediterranean area, but the eastern lands, those lands east of the land of Israel, and often treading that land down.(Dan.8:9).

The two areas, east and west, are clearly marked in Daniel 7 and Daniel 8. There is the Mediterranean area, eventually dominated totally by Rome; and the lands of the east over which the Persian ram once ruled, bordered on the east by the Indus, and on the west by the Mediterranean. In Daniel 8 a sea-power from the west (Greece, v.5) conquers this land area. Later, a large part of the area was taken over by the Romans from the Greeks.

My conclusions from this excursion into Daniel are:

  • THE DRAGON is the later manifestation of the 4th beast of Daniel 7, pagan Rome, ruling over both the western Mediterranean Sea peoples, and over part of the eastern lands taken from the Persians by the Greeks.
  • THE SEA BEAST is the power rising up in the west as the pagan Roman Empire collapses before the assault of Christianity at the time of Constantine (in the first place, Western Rome – with its papal eyes and mouth).
  • THE EARTH BEAST is the Eastern Roman Empire which also came into existence after the fall of the pagan Roman Empire in the time of Constantine. In this Empire an ‘image’ of the sea beast was created (the Greek Orthodox Church and religious institutions, subject to the Eastern Emperor, and so without the political ‘life’ of Catholicism in the west).

More will be said about these in the next issue in explanation of Rev. chs. 12 and 13; the cards are put on the table here, as it were, so that readers may see the direction in which the exposition is heading.