The first time I heard the phrase “Unholy trinity,” I was sitting in a new church during my senior year of high school. The preacher spoke about how Satan creates counterfeits, even to the point where he imitates the Trinity itself. Given his character, this makes total sense. Satan cannot create. He can only corrupt. This is how we get witchcraft versus miracles. Miracles come from God’s power, and the counterfeit version, witchcraft, comes from Satan’s power.
As we enter into the end times, we must remain watchful for an entity known as the unholy trinity. Three forces of evil will band together to put an end to the saints and God’s plan. In the end, of course, they will lose. This article will dive into the unholy trinity, its three persons, and how it operates.
What Is the Unholy Trinity in the Bible?
Before we can look at the unholy trinity as a whole, we have to look at each member and understand how each operates. Then we can see how they plan to work together.
The three members of the unholy trinity are Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet. All will play a role in the events mentioned in Revelation. Let’s explore each of these members.
1. Satan. The oldest member of the unholy trinity. Satan existed with the angels at the beginning of creation as one of the cherubim. Some versions of Ezekiel 28:13 mention him being a master of music (which is why the King James Bible says, “the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.”)
Then Satan got prideful. He didn’t want to direct worship at God. Instead, he wanted all the praise for himself. This earned him his ticket out of heaven, where he fell to the earth like a star.
For those of us who know biblical history, he didn’t stop there. He introduced sin to humankind in Genesis 3, when he disguised himself as a serpent and tempted Eve and Adam.
Ever since then, he has attempted to take down humans with him. He knows his end and wants you to join him in it.
Since Jesus offered a way of salvation, Satan will get very nervous as the end times approach. Knowing he has limited time, he will essentially “boss battle” the end of days. He will bring out his biggest guns in his arsenal: the Antichrist and the false prophet.
Of course, as we see at the end of Revelation (Revelation 20)—after Satan wages war against God’s people at Armageddon—he will receive a fiery, torturous end to his evil deeds.
2. The Antichrist. It should be noted—and Scripture notes it—that several antichrist types have popped up over time. “Anti-christ” means someone who seeks to tear down Christ and those who follow him. We can think of several figures, from Antiochus Epiphanes IV to Hitler to Nero, who would fit the bill very well.
But although we have had several types of antichrists emerge over the centuries, we haven’t met the ultimate Antichrist.
This figure will arise during the Last Days. He will win people over with his charm and his charisma. He will unite the world under one global superpower, one currency, and will attempt to change the dates and times. He will essentially try to play at being God.
He will also wage war against the saints. During the seven years of Tribulation, many Christians will be martyred and tortured because of the Antichrist.
He will also display several miracles—including one where he appears to resurrect. This will lead many people astray toward the same grisly end that he will receive.
3. The False Prophet. People tend to know less about this final member of the unholy trinity. It’s described in Revelation 13 as a second beast (the Antichrist described as the first) who will give credibility to the Antichrist. We can think of this as the anti-John the Baptist to the anti-Jesus Christ.
This beast will pave the way for the evilest ruler to exercise his injustice and corruption. It will also perform “miracles,” such as calling fire down from heaven.
Although this may seem like the least powerful of the three, don’t let this guy deceive you. Remember all the damage false prophets did in the Old Testament. They would tell the kings of Israel and Judea all the things they wanted to hear instead of the fact that Babylon and Assyria planned to capture their kingdoms.
In listening to the false prophets, Israel fell to their enemies.
Revelation 19 says that because of the false prophet’s work in Revelation, people go as far as to receive the mark of the beast. This bars them from eternal life in heaven. If you ask me, those are some pretty powerful words.
What Will the Unholy Trinity Do in Revelation?
We’ve touched on some things above, and Revelation (not to mention earlier books prior that prophesied the end times) has a lot more to say. To keep things clear and brief, we’ll lump what these three do into three major categories.
1. Deceive. Satan, and the other two, know their end. And they want to take down as many people as possible with them. So they will use whatever tactics they have in their arsenal. This could be words, miracles, signs, or wonders. But they will do what they can to sway people to trust them. To take up the sign of the beast. They will create a worship wholly dedicated to the devil himself. And unfortunately, those who follow the unholy trinity will seal their eternal fate forever.
2. Persecute. Deception only can go so far. Most evil rulers throughout history need a scapegoat to distract the people from their heinous actions. Hitler used the Jewish people as his scapegoat. Nero blamed the Christians for setting fire to Rome. In the same way, the unholy trinity will place the blame on believers. They will find ways to make their followers turn against believers and commit inhumane acts.
3. Perish. Although the unholy trinity will rule for a while—God will cut its days short. They will receive ther due end in Revelation 20, in the fiery lake. Of course, the unholy trinity will do anything to prevent this grisly end. But they will not succeed.
How Can We Watch for the Unholy Trinity?
It seems inevitable that whenever I write an article like this, someone will email me about “who the true antichrist is.”
The truth? Several things must happen before the unholy trinity can enter the world’s stage.
First, the Gospel has to reach all four corners of the earth. It hasn’t yet. We still have work to do, believers, so that every tribe, tongue, and nation can hear the good news of Christ.
Second, the world has to unite under one global superpower. Until it does, we haven’t met the Antichrist. We may have met some antichrist types, but not the one with a capital A.
Finally, when the Antichrist (and his holy trinity) takes power, they will use deceptive words in actions. At that point, we need to read the Word for as long as we can to spot the difference. The Antichrist steps onto the scene before Jesus does—for the second time—so be watchful and read up as much as you can.
It never hurts to know the Bible as much as possible. Sadly, for many believers, Satan knows the Bible more than they might. He quotes Scripture even in the Bible. So make time to spend with the Lord. That way, you can know the shepherd’s voice and not follow a wolf.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/sqback
Hope Bolinger is an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, book editor for hire, and the author of almost 30 books. More than 1500 of her works have been featured in various publications. Check out her books at hopebolinger.com for clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Check out her editing profile at Reedsy.com to find out about hiring her for your next book project.
This article is part of our larger End Times Resource Library. Learn more about the rapture, the anti-christ, bible prophecy and the tribulation with articles that explain Biblical truths. You do not need to fear or worry about the future!
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