The first beast the Anti-Christ is a powerful political and a military leader
The second beast is the religious leader working directly under the first.
The first beast was compared to a lion and the second one to a lamb
The second beast is the third person of the unholy trinity.
False Prophet along with Anti-Christ, the first beast and Dragon or Satan completes the unholy trinity.
The second beast is called the False Prophet - the head of worldwide religion.
His main purpose is to promote the Anti-Christ, the dictator of Revived Roman Empire and force people to worship his image.
The second beast has some characteristics
1st characteristic feature – Out of the earth
2nd characteristic feature- Like a lamb with two horns
3rd characteristic feature – Spoke like dragon
4th characteristic of the second beast Exercises authority on behalf of the first beast
5th characteristic of the second beast - to worship the first beast
6th characteristic of the second beast—performs great signs – impressive miracles
He causes fire to come down from heaven in the full view of the people-24/7 TV
His ability to call down fire from heaven indicates his demonic powers.
The purpose of these signs is to authenticate the authority of the first beast.
Verse 14 tells us that the second beast deceives the people with is miracle working powers.
The first deception –To setup an image of the first beast
He convinces the people to honor and revere the Anti-Christ the first beast because of his extraordinary false resurrection after wounded severely by the sword.
Satan’s greatest deception is to make the people believe that the first beast was dead and has been raised from the dead.
The problem here is that Satan has no power to raise anyone from dead.
The second deception-to give breath to the image so that it can speak
The idol began to speak telling the followers to kill those who refuse to worship him.
This image symbolizes the religious authority of the first beast and is the force behind his worldwide power.
This image had the power to convince people to kill those who did not worship the first beast.
The second beast will require everyone to wear the mark of the first beast.
Verse 16 explains that the false prophet or the second beast forces everyone to wear the mark of the first beast on their foreheads or on their right hands.
In verse 17 explains the reason for the mark of the beast to buy or sell in the market.
Without this mark, no one could buy or sell even the necessities of life.
The second beast restructures the world economy.
Only believers in the Lord Jesus will face extreme hardships because of this mandate.
Christians will reject the mark of the beast and face all struggles of life.
Verse 18 is the difficult to interpret as many scholars have no agreement on this verse.
The number 666 is the mark of a man who is the Anti-Christ.
We will never know who that could be because we will not see this day.
The believers in the Lord Jesus Christ either die before that day or raptured when the trumpet sounds.
Christianity will always remain as great threat to world religious system because of its exclusive message of salvation through Lord Jesus only.
Last three and half years of world history, Satan with his two other persons of the unholy trinity will succeed in bringing one world religion, one world economy and one world government.
Under the umbrella of one world religion, all people of the world will worship Satan.
The third person of the unholy trinity, the false prophet succeeds in achieving that for Satan.