(Continued from Part 2.)
In Part 2 of this series, we reviewed the Trumpet Judgments, and how the people on earth will be affected by these catastrophic events. I sincerely hope that the pre-Tribulation rapture believers are correct, and that Christians will be gone to heaven by this point. However, what if Christians end up having to endure part or all of the Tribulation? If so, are you emotionally prepared for this possibility? In this installment, we will look at some of the specific events associated with the False Prophet, the Antichrist, the Mark of the Beast and the One-World Money System—and how all of these might affect you.
We begin by taking a close look at what Scripture has to say about the “Beast,” also referred to by most Bible experts as the Antichrist:
The Antichrist (the first Beast)
“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation 13:1-4 KJV)
The Dragon is probably Satan. The Beast appears to be the Antichrist, who also has control of 10 nations or regions of the world, represented by 10 horns. The 7 heads may be a symbol of 7 powerful nations, or 7 nations or kingdoms that existed previously. Many Bible experts believe the Book of Daniel may relate in this case.
In chapter 7 of this book, Daniel received a vision of four beasts, who are identified by Bible scholars as the ancient kingdoms of Babylon (lion), Medo-Persia (bear), Greece (leopard) and the “dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly;” (Daniel 7:7 KJV). Experts believe this final kingdom could also be a symbol of the final one-world government, headed by the Antichrist, which will rule the world. Daniel also mentions 10 horns, (Daniel 7:24) same as Revelation 13:1.
In the next chapter, Daniel says of the Antichrist:
“And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.” (Daniel 8:23-24 KJV).
There are many other passages in Daniel which confirm what the Book of Revelation says about the End Times. Note that the Dragon/Satan gives the Antichrist power. The deadly wound which was healed (Revelation 13:3) may refer to either the resurrection of the revived Roman empire thought to be dead; or to the Antichrist rising from the dead after an assassination attempt. Daniel also described a “horn” symbolizing a strong leader, who will speak with boastful words, but then die: “ I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.” (Daniel 7:11 KJV)
The Antichrist Speaks against God
This world leader, who now has nearly total Satanic control, now begins his persecution of the Christians:
“And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” (Revelation 13:5-10 KJV)
We again see the reference to the Beast/Antichrist having power for 42 months, or 31⁄2 years. He is also given global “power.” It’s possible that technology, including AI, could aid in this worldwide control. He blasphemes against God, or speaks against Him. He also had power to “make war with the Saints” and is able to overcome them—that is, to murder many Christians who do not renounce their faith. The unbelievers (“whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb”) will worship the Antichrist as god. Again, Christians will need to have “patience” in the midst of all this persecution. They will need to pray for protection, and strengthen those whose faith is starting to weaken, so they will not worship the Beast, and take his mark, and be lost forever.
The False Prophet
The Antichrist appears to be a secular political figure. Now we shall discuss the second Beast, whom most Bible scholars refer to as the False Prophet:
“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 which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 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 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. 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.” (Revelation 13:11-15 KJV)
This “second beast” has for many years been referred to by Bible commentators as the “False Prophet.” This is because he is directly involved in trying to force people to worship the Antichrist, or the first beast. The False Prophet is viewed by many as a very influential religious figure. The False Prophet also deceives people and sets up an “an image to the beast,” (the Antichrist). The False Prophet will also “had power to give life unto the image of the beast” so it can speak.
This sounds very much like a hologram. He will be given power to cause fire to come down from heaven. Whether this is actual fire or a hologram image is not known. Persecution of Christians and even others who are on the fence will become so intense that anyone who refused to worship the image was killed. (Though Jesus did say “some” and not all would be put to death [Luke 21:16]). The mention of this image and fire from heaven may be a reference to the warning Jesus gave us about believing in someone only based on signs and wonders:
“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” (Matthew 24:24 KJV)
Some people will call themselves Christians, but will get tricked, unlike the real Christians (“the elect”). Similarly, the Apostle Paul also warns us about falling for the amazing works of the Antichrist, whom he refers to in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 as the “the Son of Perdition:”
“Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders…” (2 Thessalonians 2:9 KJV)
Don’t be one of those gullible persons that get caught up in the emotion of seeing somebody put on a spectacular show, but then demand you worship him.
LIFE APPLICATION: Worship the one and true God only, believing in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins. Be careful not to be pulled into some new movement or false Christ who appears to have all the answers, but is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
The Mark of the Beast
“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.” (Revelation 13:16-18 KJV)
Note that it is the False Prophet, and not the Antichrist, who forces the unbelievers to receive the Mark of the Beast. The forehead will probably be a secondary location for the mark, in case the marked person has no hands, due to being a double amputee. Only those people receiving the mark will be able to buy and sell. So, true Christians and those from other groups refusing the mark will be unable to purchase necessities, such as groceries. Some may survive for a time, and there are many who believe that God will provide for them during these difficult days.
On the other hand, remember the references to widespread famine in Revelation 6:8 (the 4th rider) and Luke 21:11. If the pre-tribulation rapture believers are correct, Christians currently living will be gone to heaven before this happens. The claim is made that the people saved during the trumpet judgments are the “tribulation saints”—a second group of Christians who will believe in Jesus after the pre-tribulation rapture.
The mark of the Beast could be an implantable chip or some type of digital tattoo. The mark will somehow relate directly to the Beast/Antichrist, because verse 17 states it is “the name of the beast or the number of his name.” Since the False Prophet is responsible for directing worship towards the Antichrist, it is probable that any person who agrees to accept the mark will be required to swear some type of oath of loyalty and worship the Beast, and then receive the mark.
There are some very sober words of warning for those who accept the Mark of the Beast:
“And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” (Revelation 14:9-11 KJV)
LIFE APPLICATION: Do not take any kind of a mark or anything else on your hand or forehead, as described above. Your eternal destiny is at stake.
A One-World Money System
The False Prophet, working together with the Antichrist and Satan, will institute a one-world money system, with cash money probably outlawed. This will force people to either accept or reject the Mark of the Beast in order to buy or sell (Revelation 13:16-18) Some of the leading candidates for this currency are the following:
Bitcoin and other Cryptocurrencies. “Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency that you can buy, sell and exchange directly, without an intermediary like a bank. Every Bitcoin transaction that’s ever been made exists on a public ledger accessible to everyone, making transactions hard to reverse and difficult to fake. That’s by design: Core to their decentralized nature, Bitcoins aren’t backed by the government or any issuing institution, and there’s nothing to guarantee their value besides the proof baked in the heart of the system. Since its public launch in 2009, Bitcoin has risen dramatically in value.” (Forbes.com)
UPDATE: Although it once sold for under $10 per coin, as of January 2026, 1 BTC equals around $87,900.
BRICS CURRENCY: The countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) have formed an economic alliance and are in the process of agreeing on a new money system. This will bypass the U.S. dollar, which will weaken the dollar and strengthen the BRICS currency. With recent developments related to tariffs (money charged by countries to import products from other countries), the BRICS alliance will probably reduce dependence on countries that charge high tariffs.
CENTRAL BANK DIGITAL CURRENCY: Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are digital forms of a country’s fiat currency issued and regulated by its central bank, and are fixed in value by the government. Unlike cryptocurrencies, which are decentralized and volatile, CBDCs aim to provide stability and are government-backed. With the rise of innovative technologies like cryptocurrency and blockchain, the idea of cashless societies has gained traction. As a result, various nations are actively developing or have already transitioned to using CBDCs. (https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/central-bank-digital-currency-cbdc.asp)
GOLD AND SILVER: Gold, silver and other precious metals (along with paper money also) will probably not be part of the Mark of the Beast system. This is because they are physical assets which cannot be controlled or tracked electronically. Some governments are already monitoring purchases made by people on lists of “dissidents”—those who have opposed the government for various reasons. In some extreme cases, purchases have been denied electronically due to “unlawful” behavior. This is called “digital fencing.”
For this reason, many investors and others have chosen to keep some of their savings in precious metals as a hedge, or protection against government control, inflation and the fear that the dollar could be devalued due to either the increase in influence of the BRICS currency,
or other economic uncertainties. The Mark of the Beast system could be tied into either cryptocurrency, BRICS, CBDCs, or some other electronic money in the future.
UPDATE: Since my book was published in the fall of 2025, the market value of silver in particular has risen dramatically, to around $117 per ounce, an all-time high. Gold is also up dramatically, to around $5,400 per ounce.
LIFE APPLICATION: With all the uncertainties about our future economy, purchase tangible assets such as canned food, or store non-perishable food, along with medical supplies and other goods you may need. When the one-world money system totally kicks in, you may not have access to your bank account, or there will be restrictions. Buy now, before it’s too late! Also, how diversified is your portfolio? Consider spreading your assets across not only bank accounts and common stock, but also precious metals and other physical assets of value. If gold and silver are out of reach for you, look into other items that may be used for barter in the future, when Christians are shut out of the one-world government economy.
In part 4 of this series, we will discuss the Merchants of the Earth, the Persecution of the Saints, the Harvests of the Righteous and the Unrighteous, and the Second Coming of Jesus.
(To be continued tomorrow, in Part 4.)
About The Author: Peter Cannon is an author and jail/prison chaplain in California. He is a former newspaper reporter and editor, filmmaker and currently a preacher and teacher.
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