Is religious peace and harmony just ahead?
Will there be REVIVAL in our time?
Read here how startling events — including FALSE MIRACLES — are destined to occur!
"AND the beast was taken, and with him the FALSE PROPHET that wrought miracles before him, with which he had deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them which worshipped his image" (Rev. 19:20).
In this famous scriptural passage, your Bible — the inspired Word of God — speaks definitely and specifically of a coming FALSE PROPHET — a man who is destined to inspire AWE and ASTONISHMENT within the hearts of millions!
WHO is he? WHAT teaching or religious denomination will he represent? WHEN will he rise up to deceive much of this world's population? WHERE will he have his headquarters? WHY will he be able to perform miracles and deceive his followers?
A MAJOR Happening
Whether or not you happen to be particularly religious, the IMPACT of this coming false prophet on world events and on your life will be of major proportions! For the inspired prophecies reveal that this man will hold sway over MILLIONS of deceived human beings in the most powerful church-state union in history.
Read this article carefully!
We are now going to give you, in advance, some of the BIG NEWS of the next decade! For the news of this soon-coming FALSE PROPHET — and the political-religious union under him — will make front-page, major newspaper HEADLINES over and over again during the next ten years of YOUR LIFE.
So read and study carefully — and THINK — and PRAY!
MANY False Prophets to Arise Jesus Christ is the greatest newscaster who ever lived — because He foretold the news of the future before it happened! In the religious sphere, He foretold the history of His true followers. And He also foretold the rise of a multitude of FALSE PROPHETS who would deceive millions.
Jesus said: "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and FEW there be that find it" (Mat. 7:13-14).
He clearly revealed that only the FEW — in this age — are being called by God.
Then He described the false prophets which would rise. "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit' (Verses 15-17).
In this passage, the Son of God revealed that false prophets will APPEAR to be like sheep. Outwardly, they SEEM to be very holy and pious men.
But, Jesus cautioned, look at the "fruit," the product, the RESULTS of their teachings and activities.
You, the reader, should learn to APPLY this God-given principle to every religious and political "ism" abroad in the world today. Start DOING this right now!
Look at the "Fruit"
Take Communism, for instance, as an example. Are the lives of the people under this political system really FULL and CLEAN and HAPPY? The answer is obvious.
Rather than devoting the resources of the state to the betterment of the people, the Communist governments concentrate on: (1) holding a sullen, restive population in line; (2) preparing to conquer — either by direct attack or internal subversion — other nearby states; (3) spending their resources and man-hours on scientific and WAR projects such as going to the moon in order to insure victory in another world war — which they themselves plan to start whenever they think they can win!
Now apply this principle to the major RELIGIONS of the world. Consider Buddhism. The people of India, China and Burma are the principal adherents of this religion. By the millions, they have practiced it for thousands of years.
What has it brought them? What are the "fruits" — the RESULTS — in their daily lives?
The history of these people is a great human epic of sadness, suffering, ignorance, superstition, filth, disease and, finally, merciful DEATH. By the millions, literally, they die at birth or in early childhood. In maturity, more millions — even in recent times — have died of plain STARVATION.
Whatever "gods" they may pray to, they seem to be under unending CURSES. And this is literally true, for their ancient forefathers forsook the TRUE GOD of Shem and Noah, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and "went a whoring" — as God puts it — after FALSE GODS of their own devising.
Yes, they have followed false prophets. They are under multiplied CURSES in every phase and facet of their existence.
In the western "Christian" world, what nations and peoples have always been the most backward, poorly educated, superstitious in every sense of the word, filthy, hungry, down-trodden and disease-ridden? What form of so-called "Christianity" do they practice? Does their kind of religion inspire them to develop their minds and abilities, to GROW in grace and KNOWLEDGE of God's Word? Are they prospered and BLESSED after following this type of religion for literally hundreds of years?
What are the "FRUITS"?
Jesus' Prophecy
In His Olivet prophecy, Jesus warned: "Take heed that no man deceive you. For MANY shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall DECEIVE MANY" (Mat. 24: 4-5).
Notice that as He was speaking, He said many would come in His name — the name of Jesus Christ — and would "DECEIVE MANY."
Now carpenters, electricians, lawyers and scientists don't come "in the name" of Jesus Christ. But professing "Christian" ministers Do!
Verse 5 shows that these men will come teaching that Jesus Is the Christ. They will talk about His person and His works. But they will PERVERT and DISTORT His Message, for these very "Christ-preaching" ministers will "DECEIVE MANY"!
Later, in Verse 11, speaking of the end-time tribulation against God's true Church, Jesus said: "And MANY false prophets shall rise, and shall DECEIVE MANY."
Then, obviously speaking of the last few months or years before His second coming, Jesus warned: "For there shall arise FALSE CHRISTS, and FALSE PROPHETS, and shall show GREAT SIGNS and WONDERS; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect" (Verse 24).
Notice! Even in this "scientific" age, whole nations are going to be deceived by LYING WONDERS — FAKE MIRACLES — which these FALSE PROPHETS are going to palm off on a gullible public!
Only the "elect" — those who are WATCHING and PRAYING (Luke 21:36) — will not be deceived.
Will YOU be among these elect? The Roman Empire is described in the symbolism of a "beast" in Revelation 13:1-10. The "dragon" or SATAN (Rev. 12:9) gave this empire its power and authority (Verse 2). The original Roman Empire fell in 476 A.D. — receiving a "deadly wound" (Verse 3). But in 554 A.D., Justinian revived the empire in the West and the "deadly wound" was HEALED.
The "Second Beast" of Revelation 13
Then, beginning in Verse 11, Christ shows John in vision another beast. "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And, he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed" (Rev. 13:11-12).
Notice that this "second beast" does NOT replace the first — the Roman Empire — but merely exercises its power (Verse 12). This beast looks like a lamb (Christ) but speaks as a dragon (SATAN — Revelation 12:9). And he causes all men to serve and obey the first beast "whose deadly wound was healed" — the "Holy Roman Empire" as it was called during the Middle Ages after its revival by Justinian in 554 A.D.
This "second beast" then, clearly, is a FALSE PROPHET — who looks like a lamb, or Christ, but speaks LIES like a dragon, or Satan — and who exercises power and influence over the Holy Roman Empire. Could anything be plainer?
Now notice Verse 13: "And he doeth GREAT WONDERS, so that he maketh FIRE come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and DECEIVETH them that dwell on earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live."
Here we find this false prophet working great FALSE MIRACLES! God's Word calls them "great wonders" and says this man will even make FIRE come down on earth out of the skies!
Has this really happened YET?
Obviously, since these TREMENDOUS miracles were to take place in the area of the Roman Empire in Western Europe since its revival in 554 A.D., the complete fulfillment of these things is YET to be accomplished before Jesus Christ returns to this earth!