6 Dec 2013
Revelation 13:13-15
Revelation 13:13: “And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the 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.”
Notice how similar this is to the two witnesses, who were able to make fire come out of their mouths and consume men. This is a bit different, but it is similar. The point is that the false prophet is able to do great wonders and miracles, and that these miracles will deceive many. People will believe them.
Verse 14 is interesting – he persuades the world to make an idol of the antichrist. After this is done something interesting happens:
Revelation 13:15: “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”
After the idol is formed, the false prophet will bring it to life and it will be able to speak. He will force people to worship this idol, and all those who refuse will be executed. There will be zero religious tolerance: if you refuse to worship the devil then you will be murdered.