Some Questions and Possible Answers on Revelation Chapter 13?

The head of the economic governmentof Europe Herman Van Rompuy

There is something that has been bothering me for some time relative to the prophecies of Revelation Chapter 13 that someone out there in cyber land may be able to be of some assistance with.

Some of you out there may recall the prophecy mentions two beasts.

For many years I may have been acting under a false allusion that the first beast referred to the Antichrist while the second beast made reference to the False Prophet.

Yet, if this were the case all along I could not understand the Christian belief system which has very clearly made reference to the Mark of the Beast as being the mark of the Antichrist when quite clearly the mark was forced upon everyone by the second beast whom I have for so long thought was the False Prophet.

There are numerous others who call the second beast the FP and yet at the same time say the number of the Antichrist is 666 which adds further to the confusion.

This doesn't really worry me a great deal but it is something that I would like to clarify once and for all as it simply does not add up.

After serious contemplation I may have the answer.

We definitely know that there are two separate beasts because later on in the book of the Revelation we are told that Satan is thrown into the lake of fire were the False Prophet and the Antichrist are.

But could it be that the first beast of Revelation Chapter 13 is the False Prophet while the second Beast is the Antichrist, and not vice versa.

I can only recall of the instance of Revelation Chapter 13 where we learn that the Beast has ten horns and ten crowns. That is the only instance I can find of that occurring.

Beforehand in Daniel Chapter 7 there are four separate horns with the final one being the Antichrist.

Each of these little horns has ten horns but there is no mention of the ten crowns and ten horns there at all, just ten horns.

If what I suppose is correct then I could name the current French president Nicholas Sarkozy as being the first beast of Revelation Chapter 13, the False Prophet as it was he who brought together and co-chaired the ten nations of the Mediterranean Union and it has been he who has been acting as if he were the Antichrist for so long now so much so that it has led many to believe that he was indeed the Antichrist.

Remembering that he was appointed as the head of the economic government of Europe if that is correct then second beast who has two horns like a lamb and forces everyone to take a mark for buying and selling could only be the newly appointed EU president Herman Van Rompuy.

Here is how I have described Van Rompuy on my blog spot at www.there-is-no-rapture.blogspot.com:

""Van Rompuy is known in Belgium for his inscrutable, mouse-like, mild-mannered exterior and his self-deprecating humour. He was in office in Belgium just a year and managed to keep Flemish- and French-speaking factions of the country from tearing the nation in two through conciliatory methods. Yet his past antics of political subterfuge indicate much more to his inner man than just a guy who composes haiku during parliamentary meetings. Unassuming Van Rompuy has a history of getting his way. He advises that the path to power is to appear innocuous and unobtrusive, yet his methods have at times appeared more underhanded than meek.""

Sounds very much like a lamb to me while being a master of trickery at the same time?

REVELATION CHAPTER 13
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?

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 kindred's, 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.

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.

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.