Dear Holy999,
The "False Prophet" which is taught in Revelation is the
spirit of anti-Christ. The spirit of anti-Christ is also presented in the second half of Revelation chapter 13 as the "
second beast".
A called out believer who has the spirit of anti-Christ is "a" false prophet. They are also represented by the spiritual symbols "anti-Christ", "Man of Sin" and "Seven Headed Beast with 10 Horns/Ten Crowns".
In the verses below, Christ teaches how a believer becomes to be a "Man of Sin":
Mat 12:43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself SEVEN other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
The spiritual symbol of an unclean spirit represents a spirit who teaches Satan's false truth through lies and deceptions.
Since a new believer remains
spiritually blind (
Mark 8:21-25) after receiving the Early Rain of the Spirit (the Holy Spirit of Promise,
Eph 1:13-14), they cannot replace their worldly false beliefs with the truth of Christ. ONE unclean spirit leaves but comes back with SEVEN more. The number "seven" represents perfection. In this case, the number seven represents the perfection of Satan's lies/deceptions which come to a believer by the indwelling of the spirit of anti-Christ. Now, instead of ONE unclean spirit within the believer, they now have EIGHT. The number eight is a spiritual symbol which represents a
new spiritual condition. In this case, the new spiritual condition is
worse than the first. This "worse than the first" spiritual condition makes the believer a false prophet, a Man of Sin or a Seven Headed Beast with Ten Horns and crowns.
Christ also taught on the spirit of anti-Christ in these verses:
Mar 5:2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: 4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. 6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, 7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, what have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. 8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. 9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, my name is LEGION; for we are many. 10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. 11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. 12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. 13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand and were choked in the sea.
The "
man" who is possessed by many unclean spirits represents an Elect believer just prior to their conversion. The stones the man uses to cut himself represents the Law of Moses (man’s work). The unclean spirit (Legion, who are many) represents the
spirit of anti-Christ who has spiritually killed the man (he dwells among the tombs). This is how Satan kills the saints (
Mat 24:9, Rev 11:7). When Christ comes to the man with the Latter Rain of the Spirit, Christ drives out the spirit of anti-Christ by the brightness of His appearing. This represents the judgment of the Beast and False Prophet (a Man of Sin, one flesh). Before this happens, Legion asks to go into the great herd of Swine feeding upon the hill. The Herd of Swine represents other called out believers who are also chosen (“2000” in the herd). When Legion enters the Swine, they run into the sea and are killed just as the possessed man was killed earlier.
The spirit of anti-Christ invaded the church in the 1st century A.D. and ravaged it.
Paul prophesied of its coming in the verse below:
Acts 20:29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock
John also made this statement:
1John 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
By the time the book of Revelation was written by John, the spirit of anti-Christ had come and destroyed the churches which the Apostles started. Nothing has changed in the church since that time. The apostasy of the church happened in accordance with God's "will" and plan which He has revealed in scripture.
To be saved in this age, the First Fruits/Elect must pass through this "Day of Evil" which occurs between them receiving the Early and Latter Rains of the Spirit. This time in between the two Rains is represented by the last 3 1/2 years remaining of Daniel's Seventy Weeks prophecy. This 3 1/2 years is also presented as "time, times and a half", "42 months" and "1260 days" The Day of Evil is also represented by Israel's 40 years of wandering in the wilderness and by Elijah's 3 1/2 years of drought.
If you look at Rev 13:5, you will see that the Seven Headed Beast continues for 42 months. The Seven Headed Beast is destroyed when an Elect believer receives the Latter Rain of the Spirit and is converted (
2Thes 2:8).
Also, notice that the book of Revelation says that to be 'blessed", a believer must "keep the sayings of the prophecy".
Rev 22:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
The book also says that the "time is at hand" and that the prophecies taught in the book are
not sealed.
Rev 22:10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
Christ's second coming is said to happen "quickly" for the Elect. Christ's second coming is a spiritual event when He comes to one of His Elect to give them the Latter Rain of the Spirit. If He doesn't come to believer before they die, they are not going to be saved in this age and will not be a first fruit of His harvest. To be saved in this age,
a believer must keep the sayings of the prophecy. For the Elect, Christ will do all the necessary spiritual work to make sure they keep the sayings. He has been doing this work for His Elect ever since the book of Revelation was written.
Becoming a Man of Sin (a believer who has the spirit of anti-Christ) is a
required step along the Pathway to Salvation. If a believer does not keep that step, they will not be saved in this age. All Elect believers must take the "mark of the beast" and they will do so without any knowledge that they have taken it. The "mark" is taken when the spirit of anti-Christ indwells a believer. However, the believer has no knowledge of when this happens because Satan's deceptions are too strong and concealed.
This verse applies:
Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
The "very Elect" are the Apostles (including Paul) and the other early Elect believers. For them, it was not possible to be deceived by Satan because the spirit of anti-Christ came upon the church AFTER the "very Elect" had been converted and were given "eyes that can see".
After the apostasy came, all Elect believers have taken the mark of the beast at some point before they were converted. It happens during their "Day of Evil" when they endure for 42 months. Nothing has changed even for the Elect of today. They, too, will take the mark of the Beast before they are converted.
One final point: The book of Revelation is a spiritual teaching on the Pathway to Salvation an Elect believer must travel before they die. It is NOT a book which teaches outward world events which only happen near the end of the literal age. None of the "end-time" prophecies are teaching about outward literal events. The events they teach are spiritual and happen "within" a believer.
The Old Covenant was outward and physical. However, the New Covenant is inward and spiritual.
If a believer cannot understand spiritual things, they are not going to be able to understand the truth of God's Word and have their mind transformed by it. They will remain carnal.
Paul even had this same difficulty (even before the spirit of anti-Christ came) with the churches he started:
1Cor 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
The "world" understands God's Word in a physical, literal and outward way. A converted believer who has "eyes that can see" will understand God's Word in a spiritual way. They are the only ones who have the "mind of Christ" and who walk by the truth.
Joe