Who Was the False Prophet of Revelation 20:10?

(The Shocking Truth Nobody in Church Will Tell You)

You’ve been lied to about the end times. The “False Prophet” of Revelation isn’t some future Antichrist sidekick waiting to take over the world. He was exposed, judged, and destroyed nearly 2,000 years ago right under the nose of history. Don’t believe it? I’ll prove it with the Bible, Josephus, and the early church.

THE WORD

Q1: What Does Revelation Actually Say About the False Prophet?

Revelation 19:20 - “But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf… The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.”

Revelation 20:10 - “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of fire where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown.”

• The false prophet is always paired with the beast (not some vague future world leader).

• Their judgment is depicted as immediate and final, not stretched out over centuries.
  
  

Confused? Is the Beast Nero, Rome, or Jerusalem? Here’s the Real Deal.

Let’s set the record straight. The “beast” in Revelation is a layered symbol, not just a single person.

• The Beast = Rome. In Daniel and Revelation, the “beast” always refers to a world empire. In John’s day, that empire was Rome (see Daniel 7:23; Revelation 13:1 - 2).

• Nero was the living “head” of the beast. Revelation 17:9 - 11 points to Nero as the sixth “king” (emperor) of Rome. When we say “the beast was Nero,” we mean the Roman Empire under Nero. He was its main persecutor and the fulfillment of the “666” riddle (Revelation 13:18).

• Jerusalem’s priesthood “rode” the beast. Revelation 17:3 - 7 shows a woman (apostate Jerusalem) sitting on the beast. The corrupt religious leaders partnered with Rome against Jesus and the early church.

• The false prophet = Jerusalem’s apostate leaders. The “false prophet” was the religious power that promoted lies, fake miracles, and persecution, propping up both Rome and apostate Israel’s system.

In short:
Rome was the empire. Nero was its most notorious emperor (“head”). Jerusalem’s leaders used Rome for their own power (“rider”). The false prophet was their mouthpiece and enabler.

This isn’t a contradiction, it’s exactly how Bible prophecy uses symbols: one vision, multiple layers. All fulfilled in the first century.

Q2: Was the False Prophet an Individual, a Group, or a Spirit?

Short answer:

The false prophet was a real, historical group, not a single person.

Long answer:

• The Greek word pseudoprophētēs is used for both individuals and collective movements (see Matthew 24:11, 24).

• Jesus warned: “Many false prophets will arise and deceive many” (Matthew 24:11, fulfilled in the same generation: Matthew 24:34).

• Peter wrote: “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you…” (2 Peter 2:1).

Key clue: Revelation’s “false prophet” isn’t just any liar. It’s the chief deceiver, the mouthpiece of apostate Israel’s religious system that opposed Christ and sided with Rome.

Q3: Where Else Does the Bible Describe These False Prophets?

• Old Testament: Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Micah all blasted “false prophets” in Israel who led God’s people astray (Jeremiah 23:9 - 40, Ezekiel 13:1 - 23, Micah 3:5 - 7).

• Jesus and the apostles: Warned constantly about false prophets within Israel, never about pagan Gentiles or some global Antichrist (Matthew 7:15, Acts 13:6, 1 John 4:1).
  
  

Q4: How Did the False Prophet Deceive People?

Revelation 13:13 - 14:
“He performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven… He deceived the inhabitants of the earth by the signs he was allowed to perform on behalf of the beast…”

• These “signs” fulfill Old Testament warnings about miracle-working deceivers (Deuteronomy 13:1 - 5).

• In first-century Israel, miracle claims and false messiahs exploded during the Jewish-Roman War just as Jesus predicted (Matthew 24:24).

Historical bombshell:

• Josephus, War of the Jews 6.285 - 288: Records countless deceivers promising miraculous deliverance from Rome, leading the people to slaughter.
  
  

Q5: Who Was the Beast, and What Was the Relationship to the False Prophet?

The Beast = Rome (with Jerusalem’s apostate priesthood riding it. See Revelation 17:3 - 7).

• The beast needed religious cover to keep the Jews in line.

• The false prophet propped up Roman rule and opposed the message of Christ and the apostles.

Josephus (War 6.285):
“Impostors and deceivers persuaded the multitude to follow them into the wilderness, pretending that God would show them signs of deliverance…”

• These “prophets” were NOT followers of Jesus. They were the last gasp of a dying, apostate system.

Q6: Did the False Prophet Get Judged in History?

Absolutely.

• Jesus said: “This generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (Matthew 24:34)

• The “lake of fire” is symbolic of utter destruction, just as Jeremiah prophesied judgment against Jerusalem in fire (Jeremiah 7:30 - 34, Lamentations 4:11).

AD 70: The Proof:

• The siege and destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 wiped out the entire priestly class, the corrupt religious leaders, and the miracle-working deceivers exactly as Jesus and John warned.

• Josephus (War 6.285 - 288): “The flames spread to the people’s houses and the temple, consuming everything. The deceivers perished with the city.”
  
  

Q7: What Did Early Christians Believe?

Early church writers didn’t expect a future “false prophet.”

• Eusebius, Church History 3.8: Points to the end of the Jewish nation, the priesthood, and the Temple as the fulfillment of Jesus’ warnings.

• Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and others saw the false prophets and antichrists as past threats, already judged.

Q8: What Do Futurists Get Wrong? (Objections Obliterated)

Objection 1: “The false prophet is a future figure!”

Refuted:

• Revelation’s time statements: “must soon take place” (Revelation 1:1, 3; 22:6, 10, 12, 20).

• Jesus: “All these things will come on THIS generation.” (Matthew 23:36, 24:34)
  
  

Objection 2: “The lake of fire means eternal hell, so it has to be future!”

Refuted:

• The lake of fire is OT language for judgment and utter destruction (see Daniel 7:11, Isaiah 66:24).

• Jerusalem, the priesthood, and their deceivers were destroyed in AD 70, just as John saw.
  
  

Objection 3: “The church never taught this view!”

Refuted:

• The earliest church writers understood these prophecies were fulfilled in their time (see above).

• Modern “end times” obsession is a recent invention, never found in the ancient faith.

Final Call: Don’t Fall for the Modern Lie

You’ve seen the evidence. The “false prophet” of Revelation 20:10 isn’t some future bogeyman. He was the real-life deceiver of first-century Israel, exposed and annihilated in the fires of AD 70, just as Jesus and the prophets promised. The Bible fits. History fits. The church fits. Only modern tradition doesn’t.

Still doubting? Open your Bible. Read Josephus. Test everything. Don’t let anyone sell you a prophecy scam.

Want more jaw-dropping proof the “end times” already happened? Share the truth and then read the rest!