In orthodox Christianity, we worship God as a Triune Being (Trinity). He is One God in three Persons. Satan from the very beginning in Genesis has been tempting and deceiving man into thinking that there is a better way. This comes in many different forms but the goal is always the same: a rejection of God and His sovereignty over His creation. As we have the genuine, we also have the counterfeit. As we have the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we also have a satanic trinity: Satan, Antichrist and False Prophet. As the Holy Spirit today works power and miracles on behalf of Jesus Christ, so too it will be with the False Prophet, who will work power and miracles on behalf of the Antichrist. This is demonstrated by the Pharaohs’ magicians,
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Many people, including myself, have thought it was the Antichrist who was the one that creates the image of the beast and its mark. Not so. It is the False Prophet that sets up these things. He is Satan’s go-to being to ensure that the Antichrist is positioned as the central ruler of the world. Satan’s the god of this world-system in all of its man-centered fallenness (2 Cor. 4:4). Essentially both Jesus Christ and the Antichrist are offered the same thing by Satan: all the kingdoms of the world (see Matthew 4:9). But to God, these kingdoms are nothing more than beasts. That’s why both Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 represent them as various beasts. Jesus answered Satan’s temptations by scripture. He refused his offer. The Antichrist will gladly accept his offer. As a result, Satan will assure that he is the center of all the world’s commerce (money), power and worship. If I had to boil it down to just three things Donald Trump seeks, it’s money, power and worship. Verses 16 and 17 deal with the money part. I discuss the Mark in other sections but to reiterate, the Mark of the Beast is a system of commerce. There will be no money, no checks, no credit cards or even online purchases or sales. All transactions, buying and selling will be done through the Mark of the Beast. You hungry? If you’re going to buy food, you better have the Mark. You cannot own a home, drive a car, rent a hotel room, even go to the hospital without the Mark. If a Mark-type of system was controlled by righteous being, it might be an effective tool for good. Terrorism can’t survive without cash. Neither can criminal drug (or gun) dealers. Crooked activity of any sort involving money will be nearly impossible. Of course, the Mark will stop nuclear proliferation as well. It’s brilliant. If Satan bombards the world with enough tragedy like terrorism or war, that same desperate world will beg for ANY system that will save it
Many people, including myself, have thought it was the Antichrist who was the one that creates the image of the beast and its mark. Not so. It is the False Prophet that sets up these things. He is Satan’s go-to being to ensure that the Antichrist is positioned as the central ruler of the world. Satan’s the god of this world-system in all of its man-centered fallenness (2 Cor. 4:4). Essentially both Jesus Christ and the Antichrist are offered the same thing by Satan: all the kingdoms of the world (see Matthew 4:9). But to God, these kingdoms are nothing more than beasts. That’s why both Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 represent them as various beasts. Jesus answered Satan’s temptations by scripture. He refused his offer. The Antichrist will gladly accept his offer. As a result, Satan will assure that he is the center of all the world’s commerce (money), power and worship. If I had to boil it down to just three things Donald Trump seeks, it’s money, power and worship. Verses 16 and 17 deal with the money part. I discuss the Mark in other sections but to reiterate, the Mark of the Beast is a system of commerce. There will be no money, no checks, no credit cards or even online purchases or sales. All transactions, buying and selling will be done through the Mark of the Beast. You hungry? If you’re going to buy food, you better have the Mark. You cannot own a home, drive a car, rent a hotel room, even go to the hospital without the Mark. If a Mark-type of system was controlled by righteous being, it might be an effective tool for good. Terrorism can’t survive without cash. Neither can criminal drug (or gun) dealers. Crooked activity of any sort involving money will be nearly impossible. Of course, the Mark will stop nuclear proliferation as well. It’s brilliant. If Satan bombards the world with enough tragedy like terrorism or war, that same desperate world will beg for ANY system that will save it