THE SATANIC TRINITY

Satan has his trinity of personalities in imitation of the Trinity of the Godhead. The thirteenth chapter of Revelation distinguishes the three. Verse i: "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." This "beast" is to be a world-dictator and is the same person called elsewhere "Anti-Christ", or "The Lawless One". Verse 4: "And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast." The dragon of course is none other than Satan himself. Verse 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." This personage who is here called "Another Beast" is called in other passages, "The False Prophet".  

SATAN A COUNTERFEIT OF GOD THE FATHER  

Satan in all of his activities is a counterfeit of God the Father. Satan's first sin was trying to be like God. Isaiah 14:13-14: "For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High." Satan began his career of sin by wanting to be like God, and ever since then he has been trying to usurp the place of God in relation to men.  

The Bible calls Satan "the god of this world". 2 Corinthians 4:4: "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not." Satan is in the place of God to thousands upon thousands of people. Great hosts of them do not realize that they are carrying out the will of Satan, because his work with them is so hidden from view. Some in heathen lands and a few here at home are bold enough to come out and declare that they worship the devil. He is indeed "the god of this world" to millions of souls.  

Satan has his children just as God has His children. John 8:44: "Ye are of your father, the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do." These are the words of the Lord Jesus spoken to certain men of His day. Those who are not the children of God are the children of the Evil One. The pride of the natural man causes him to rebel at such a truth, but nevertheless the truth remains.  

A young man who had been drinking stood on the outside of a crowd and made the boast that he would cause the open-air preacher to quit his preaching. He shouted out: "Hi, Mister, you can go home; you needn't preach any more—the devil's dead!" The preacher looked sternly at the young man and said to him, "The devil's dead? Then you're an orphan." The crowd laughed, and the young man instead of the preacher was the one to hurry away from the crowd.  

Satan has his angels just as God has His Angels. Revelation 12:7: "And there was War in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels." Evidently after Satan fell in the beginning, he was able to persuade other angels to sin also. These other fallen angels com-pose an army which is under the command of the devil himself. This army carries out the will of its commander.  

ANTI-CHRIST A COUNTERFEIT OF JESUS CHRIST  

Anti-Christ, the second person in the trinity of the devil, is to be a counterfeit of Christ. The spirit of Anti-Christ has already been in the world, but the person of Anti-Christ has not yet appeared. The Tribulation Period of judgment will usher in his rule over men. This will follow the Rapture of the Church.  

Anti-Christ will imitate the coming of Christ. 2 Thessalonians 2:9: "Even him (i.e. Anti-Christ), whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders." To-day real Christians are looking for the coming of Christ. Men of the world are looking for some super-man to appear who will solve all the problems of the world. Anti-Christ will pose as that man and will be accepted by many as earth's redeemer.  

Anti-Christ's ministry will be approved by Satan with signs and lying wonders, as Christ's ministry was approved by God with real signs and wonders. The verse quoted in the last paragraph indicates that this coming dictator will be granted by Satan marvelous power to perform wonders. Of course this is in imitation of the power of Christ given Him by God. Acts 2:22: "Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know." The miraculous powers of Anti-Christ will cause multitudes to be deceived into thinking that here is the world's Messiah come to deliver them.  

Anti-Christ (or the Beast) will imitate the death, and resurrection of Jesus." Revelation 13:3 and 14: "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. . . . 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." This world-dictator will no doubt receive his greatest power to rule over men after they witness this startling miracle of his death and resurrection.  

Anti-Christ will be a king over kings, even as Christ is called "King of Kings". Revelation 13:7: "And power was given him (i.e. the Beast) over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations." His dominion will indeed be world wide. All the rulers of earth shall -be under his control for that period of time during which God will allow him to reign.  

Anti-Christ will be worshipped by the world, even as Jesus Christ demands worship of men. Philippians 2:10-11 tells of the worship demanded of Jesus: "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." In imitation of this we read of the worship accorded Anti-Christ in Revelation 13:4: "And they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him??' Anti-Christ when he comes on the world's scene of action will be in every sense a counterfeit of Jesus Christ, and the men of the world will be largely deceived by him.  

THE FALSE PROPHET A COUNTERFEIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT  

The False Prophet, or the Second Beast of Revelation 13, is the third person in the trinity of the devil, and all his work is in imitation of the Holy Spirit. He works in the children of disobedience even as the Holy Spirit works in the children of God. Ephesians 2:2: "Wherein in time past, ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." God has His Spirit working in the lives of His own. Satan has his spirit working in the lives of his children.  

Satan's work is to glorify Anti-Christ just as the Holy Spirit's work is to glorify Christ. John 16:14 tells of the task of the Holy Spirit: "He shall glorify me (Christ) for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you." Revelation 13:12 tells of the task of the False Prophet: "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." Because of the work of this third person of Satan's trinity, multitudes will worship the Anti-Christ.  

He will work miracles in imitation of the Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 12:10 which refers to the work of the Holy Spirit it speaks of "the working of miracles". Revelation 13:14 tells us about the miracles of the False Prophet: "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."  

He will have a certain 'life-giving" power in imitation of the Holy Spirit. Romans 1:4 indicates that it was the power of the Holy Spirit that raised up Christ from the dead, and other Scriptures indicate that He is the source of real life to the Christian. Revelation 13:15 describes the life-giving power of the False Prophet. "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." He will have power to make the image of the beast to live and talk with the object in view of calling forth the worship of men.  

He will seal the followers of the Beast in imitation of the sealing work of the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 1:13 we have the account of the sealing work of the Holy Spirit: "In whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise." Revelation 13:16 gives us the sealing of the False Prophet: "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." Even as all those who are sealed by the Holy Spirit belong to God, so those who are sealed by the False Prophet belong to the devil.  

Satan is indeed the arch-deceiver of men. His plan is to deceive men by imitating the trinity of God. If we study our Bible and understand his intentions, we will not be influenced by his cleverness.