The false prophet is a religious leader who acts as a counterfeit Holy Spirit, causing the world to worship the Antichrist through miracles and deception.
Les Feldick teaches that the false prophet will be a powerful religious leader, not a political ruler, who will function as a counterfeit of the Holy Spirit by directing people to the Antichrist. He will exercise the first beast's power, perform great wonders such as bringing fire from heaven, and use his worldwide religious system and miracles to deceive the inhabitants of the earth into worshipping the Antichrist.
Revelation 13:11-15 — This passage directly describes the false prophet's role: he exercises the first beast's power, causes the world to worship the beast, performs wonders, deceives by miracles, and gives life to the image of the beast.
The Bible presents the false prophet as a second beast coming up out of the earth, distinct from the first beast (Revelation 13:11-12). His role is to exercise all the power of the first beast and to cause the earth and its inhabitants to worship that first beast, whose deadly wound was healed (Revelation 13:12). Scripture also records that he performs great wonders, including causing fire to come down from heaven, and that he deceives those on the earth through these miracles (Revelation 13:13-14). In addition, he commands that an image be made to the beast, and he is given power to give life to that image so that it speaks and so that those who refuse to worship it are killed (Revelation 13:14-15).
Les Feldick describes the false prophet as a religious leader—not a political ruler—who appears during the tribulation as a "counterfeit of the Holy Spirit." Just as the Holy Spirit draws people to God the Son, the false prophet will cause the people of the earth to worship the Antichrist, a counterfeit of the Son. Les emphasizes that both figures are under the control and power of Satan. He also shows the false prophet exercising all the power of the first beast before him, working hand in glove with the political leader. By the midpoint of the tribulation, the false prophet will have a worldwide religious system. He will perform great wonders, including making fire come down from heaven, and he will even give life to the image of the beast. Les also sees these three—Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet—as a counterfeit trinity. Finally, Les speculates that because the second beast comes "up out of the earth" (the land of Israel), the false prophet may be an apostate Jew.
Les Feldick describes the false prophet as a powerful religious leader who acts "under the cloak of religion" and "under the inspiration of Satan." He is not the political ruler; the Antichrist holds that role. Les also speculates that, based on the phrase "out of the earth" in Revelation 13:11, the false prophet may be an apostate Jew, following the pattern of Moses and Daniel rising to high positions within Gentile empires.
Les shows a direct parallel: the genuine Holy Spirit draws people to God the Son, while the false prophet—"this false religious leader"—causes people to worship the Antichrist, who is "a counterfeit of the Son." He calls the false prophet a "false Holy Spirit" and says both he and the Antichrist are under Satan's control. Just as the Holy Spirit does much legitimately, Les says the counterfeit does much of what the Holy Spirit does, but in a deceptive way.
By the midpoint of the tribulation, the false prophet will have a worldwide religious system, just as the Antichrist will have a world government. Les says both will be global and the whole earth will be involved, though Israel remains the vortex of Revelation's activity. This religious organization will give him the platform to cause the inhabitants of the earth to worship the first beast.
Les warns that just because something is a miracle does not mean it is from God—Satan has tremendous miracle-working power. He teaches that the false prophet will perform great wonders in the sight of the beast, including causing fire to come down from heaven on the earth. He will also have power to give life to the image of the beast, so that the image can speak and enforce worship. These miracles are the means by which he deceives those who dwell on the earth.
Scripture says the false prophet exercises all the power of the first beast before him, and Les says the two are "working hand in glove." The false prophet causes the earth and those who dwell therein to worship the Antichrist, and he orders them to make an image to the beast. Les places this pair within a counterfeit trinity: Satan as the counterfeit Father, the Antichrist as the counterfeit Son, and the false prophet as the counterfeit Holy Spirit.
False Prophet as an Apostate Jew
Les explains that the second beast's origin "out of the earth" points to the land of Israel, leading him to think the false prophet may be an apostate Jew, following the pattern of Jews like Moses and Daniel who rose to high positions in Gentile empires.
Counterfeit Role of the Holy Spirit
Les teaches that the false prophet causes people to worship the Antichrist, fulfilling a counterfeit role of the Holy Spirit, and that both he and the Antichrist are under Satan's power.
Religious Leader Directs Worship to the Antichrist
Les says the false religious leader, under Satan's inspiration, makes the people of the earth worship the Antichrist and tells them to make an image of the Antichrist, just as Nebuchadnezzar built a great image.
Nebuchadnezzar's Dream That Predicted Every World Empire — Daniel 2
Now I'm always emphasizing, just because it's a miracle, don't say that's God. Satan has tremendous miracle-working power, and he's going to really do it here during the tribulation. And so he has the miracles in the sight of the beast. Now remember these are two great world leaders. These aren't animals. These are men.
Miracles and Deception of the False Prophet
Les explains that the false prophet is the counterfeit Holy Spirit who draws people to worship the counterfeit Son, and that he performs great wonders, including making fire come down from heaven, by which he deceives the earth.
Worldwide Religious System and the Image
Les teaches that by mid-tribulation the false prophet will have a worldwide religious system, and that he will have power to give life to the image of the beast.
Daniel's Dream, the Antichrist & the Mark of the Beast
The Antichrist is the counterfeit of God the Son, and the false prophet, or this individual we're talking about here, the religious leader, is a counterfeit of the Holy Spirit. Now here you see it. As the Holy Spirit today, as the genuine Spirit of God draws people to God the Son, this counterfeit of the Holy Spirit, this religious leader of the tribulation period, causes people to go to a worship…
Exercising the First Beast's Power
Les shows the false prophet exercising all the power of the first beast before him and causing the world to worship the political leader, while noting that Revelation presents a counterfeit trinity with Satan as the counterfeit Father.
Revelation 13:11: 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.
Identifies the false prophet as a second beast coming out of the earth.
Revelation 13:12: And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
His power and his mission to make the world worship the first beast.
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,
His great wonders, including calling fire from heaven.
Revelation 13:14: 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.
His deception through miracles and his command to make an image to the beast.
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.
His power to give life to the image, enforcing worship.
No. Les describes the Antichrist as the political leader and the false prophet as a religious leader who works with him. The false prophet exercises the first beast's power but is a separate individual.
The Bible says he does great wonders, including making fire come down from heaven. Les warns that miracles are not proof of God, since Satan has tremendous miracle-working power.
He uses his worldwide religious system and deceptive miracles. Les says he does much of what the Holy Spirit does legitimately, but in reverse—drawing people to worship the counterfeit Son rather than the true Son.
Because the text says the second beast comes "out of the earth," which Les links to the land of Israel. He also notes the pattern of Moses and Daniel rising to high positions in Gentile empires.
Les teaches that Revelation presents a counterfeit trinity: Satan as counterfeit Father, the Antichrist as counterfeit Son, and the false prophet as counterfeit Holy Spirit.
Watch the Teaching: The Antichrist Revealed: What Revelation 13 Really Says