I reordered some of the paragraphs to make it a more cohesive flow:

After years of careful study, I see a practical flaw in this understanding of the order of the unholy trinity. Could Satan actually be the unholy counterpart to God the Holy Spirit? This proposed adjustment would make the False Prophet the earthly father of the Antichrist.

In the Holy Trinity during the incarnation, humanity saw the Father (through the Son, John 14:9; Colossians 1:15; 2 Corinthians 4:4) and the Son in the flesh (Romans 1:3), while the Holy Spirit remained unseen.

In the unholy trinity, humanity will see two physical persons (the False Prophet and Antichrist) presented as a “father-son” duo, empowered by an unseen spirit (Satan), a closer visible parallel than the traditional ordering.

So the corrupt counterfeit counterparts would be:


False Prophet = unholy father

Antichrist = unholy firstborn son

Satan = unholy spirit / spiritual father


This doctrinal adjustment is equally applicable for those scholars who advocate the minority view of the supernatural origin of the Antichrist, such as Arthur W. Pink, Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Dr. Daniel E. Woodhead and others which teach that the person of the Antichrist will be the literal offspring / seed of Satan. The only difference would be that they would be the perceived father and firstborn son. Perceived to those people alive during the 70th week of Daniel, creating the concluding corrupt counterparts:


False Prophet = unholy father / perceived father of the Antichrist

Antichrist = unholy son / perceived son of the False Prophet / actual seed of Satan

Satan = unholy spirit / actual father of the Antichrist


There is a difference between perceived reality and actual reality. The Jews in Jesus’ day perceived that Joseph was the father of Jesus (Luke 3:23; 4:22); yet, the actual reality was that God was His Father. Jesus even asked the scribes to explain this apparent juxtaposition (Luke 20:41—44; Matthew 22:41—45). This is what we will explore in this study. We shall re-examine the current Church Doctrine of the Unholy Trinity.

In order to understand the proper relationship between the False Prophet and the Antichrist, we must understand the nature of God, what Satan wants and how Satan will counterfeit the Trinity.

Within the nature of the One God, there are Three co-eternal and co-equal distinct Persons: Father, Firstborn Son and Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy 6:4; Mark 12:29, 36; Hebrews 1:6; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 John 5:7).

Satan wants “to be like” God (Isaiah 14:14). The word “like” in this passage is the Hebrew word “damah” (H1819) which means: “To compare, to resemble, to liken, to be like, to use similitudes.”2 “To make oneself like.”3 To do this, he must pretend to substitute God. To be “like” God, Satan must have his own father, firstborn son, and spirit unholy trinity (Revelation 16:13; 20:10).

The current teaching in the majority of the Churches is that Satan is represented as the unholy father and the Antichrist is represented as the unholy son (Genesis 3:15). But when we get to the False Prophet being represented as the unholy spirit, the advocates of the current Church teaching say: Since the Holy Spirit bears witness to the person and work of Christ and glorifies Christ and draws men to worship Christ, so shall the False Prophet bear witness to the person and work of the Antichrist and glorify him, and will draw men to worship the Antichrist.4

The main problem with this view is that according to Scripture, the Father has the exact same ministries:

Bears Witness of Christ (Deuteronomy 18:17—19; Isaiah 11:1—2; 42:1; Matthew 3:17; 17:5; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22; John 5:37; 8:18).

Glorifies Christ (Daniel 7:13—14; John 12:23; 13:32; 17:1, 5, 22, 24; 2 Peter 1:17).

Draws men to Christ (John 6:44—45, 37, 65; 17:9, 11—12, 24).

To Worship Christ (Hebrews 1:6; [cf. 1 Peter 3:22; Colossians 1:18]; [cf. Hebrews 1:8; Luke 4:8; John 10:30]).

While Trinitarian roles overlap significantly (e.g., the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and Son, John 15:26), the ministries of the False Prophet (exercising authority, performing public signs, enforcing worship, and animating the image; Revelation 13:12—15) more closely parallel the Father's public, declarative roles toward the Son than the Holy Spirit's internal work. This supports viewing the False Prophet as the unholy father, a visible authority who exalts his "firstborn son" (the Antichrist), counterfeiting the Father's exaltation of Christ.

Revelation's power flow further illustrates this: Satan empowers the Antichrist directly (Revelation 13:2), while the False Prophet derives power "before him" (Revelation 13:12), exercising it in a subordinate yet delegatory manner analogous to the Father's delegation of authority to the Son (John 5:22—23) while maintaining hierarchy.

For instance, Revelation 13:12 states: "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." The False Prophet's delegated authority and command for universal worship of the Antichrist echo the Father's granting of authority to the Son (John 5:22—23, "that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father") and directive for worship (Hebrews 1:6, "And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him"). This public enforcement aligns more with the Father's authoritative ministries than the Spirit's convicting role, reinforcing the False Prophet as the counterfeit earthly father.

Furthermore, Revelation 13:13—14 declares: "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." The public signs, such as fire from heaven, serve to bear deceptive witness of the Antichrist, mirroring the Father's heavenly affirmations of the Son (Matthew 3:17, "And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased"; John 5:37). These acts glorify and draw people to the Antichrist (paralleling John 6:44—45, where the Father draws people to Christ), emphasizing external deception over internal conviction (John 16:8). In the Tribulation context, this counterfeit witness fits the False Prophet as counterfeiting the Father's glorifying role.

Revelation 13:15 adds: "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." Granting life to the image and enforcing worship under penalty of death parallels the Father imparting life to the Son (John 5:26) and decreeing universal worship (Philippians 2:10—11; Daniel 7:13—14, where the Father gives dominion). This coercive, visible exaltation underscores the father-son dynamic proposed, with the False Prophet counterfeiting the Father's public promotion.

Matthew 3:17 (cf. John 12:28—30) provides a divine parallel: "And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." The Father's audible witness from heaven publicly glorifies the Son, akin to the False Prophet's heavenly sign (fire) that draws worship to the Antichrist. This declarative parallel supports the argument that the False Prophet's ministries overlap more with the Father's external actions.

Since the ministries of the Father are to bear witness of Christ, to glorify Christ, to draw men to Christ and explicitly counsels His creation to worship His Son, then the False Prophet would be the unholy counterpart to the Father, making him the earthly father of the Antichrist. Satan will counterfeit the Trinity in a similar fashion. As the Father instructs His creation to worship His Firstborn Son, Jesus; likewise, the False Prophet will demand everyone to worship his firstborn son, the Antichrist and his image or be killed (Revelation 13:12, 15).

Another categorical correlating consideration is that Jesus “is the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15) and since “the Father hath life in Himself; so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself” (John 5:26), so shall the False Prophet have “power to give life unto the image of the beast” (Revelation 13:15).

As the Antichrist imitates Christ, Scripture shows the Antichrist having a dual nature, being the unholy son of perdition (seed of Satan – spiritual or supernatural; depending on which view of the origin of the Antichrist you believe) and the man of sin (Genesis 3:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:3).

Scripture testifies over and over, that Satan is the cardinal copycat, the diabolical deceiving dragon, the example of every evil, the first fraudulent foe, the initial imitator, the master of masquerade, the prototype pretender, the supreme sinister serpent, the numero uno usurper, the number one wannabe and the original unholy spirit (Ezekiel 28:12—18; Isaiah 14:12—14; 2 Corinthians 11:14; Galatians 1:8; Revelation 12:3—4; Genesis 3:4—5).

The Scriptures portray Satan not as a visible, literal father in the unholy trinity but as an invisible spirit who spiritually "fathers" deception and empowerment, counterfeiting the Holy Spirit's indwelling role. This aligns with the argument that Satan empowers the Antichrist (Revelation 13:2) in a spiritual manner, remaining unseen during the Tribulation, while the False Prophet and Antichrist form the visible father and firstborn son duo.

Jesus told the Pharisees that Satan is their spiritual father: “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.” (John 8:44). In this passage, Jesus identifies Satan as the spiritual father of the unbelieving Pharisees, not through literal paternity, nor through counterfeiting God the Father in the unholy trinity of the end times, but through shared deceptive character and actions. This spiritual kinship exemplifies Satan's role as the source of lies and murder "from the beginning," paralleling his function as the unholy spirit who spiritually fathers the Antichrist's wickedness (Genesis 3:15's "seed" interpreted as supernatural influence). This supports the view that Satan's fatherhood is non-literal, focused on indwelling and empowerment, as seen in his deceptive operations during the end times (2 Thessalonians 2:9).

Ephesians 2:2 states: "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." Here, Satan is explicitly designated a "spirit" who actively "worketh in" (energizes) the "children of disobedience," making them his spiritual offspring through influence. This mirrors the Holy Spirit's indwelling of believers (1 Corinthians 3:16) and reinforces Satan's counterfeit as the unholy spirit, invisible and operational within the Antichrist (Revelation 13:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:9, "whose coming is after the working of Satan"). In a futuristic eschatological context, this foreshadows Satan's unseen empowerment in the Tribulation, distinct from any literal fatherly role, whether through paternity or through counterfeiting God the Father in the unholy trinity of the end times.

2 Corinthians 11:14 declares: "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." Satan's ability to disguise himself as light counters the Holy Spirit's role in illumination and truth (John 16:13). As a spirit being (Ezekiel 28:12—18 describes him as a fallen cherub), his imitation is spiritual and deceptive, not physical. This aligns with Isaiah 14:12—14, where his ambition to "be like" the Most High is a spiritual usurpation, positioning him as the original unholy spirit who spiritually fathers deception in the unholy trinity (Revelation 16:13).

1 John 3:8—10 adds: "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning... In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God." This text distinguishes "children of the devil" by spiritual actions (persistent sin), not biological descent. Satan's original sin "from the beginning" establishes him as the spiritual father of unrighteousness, which culminates in the end-times figures like the Antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2:3—4). This exegetical emphasis on spiritual rather than literal fatherhood strengthens the reordering, with Satan as the empowering unholy spirit.

These passages collectively depict Satan as a spiritual entity whose "fatherhood" is through deceptive influence, not literal biological progeny, and not counterfeiting God the Father in the unholy trinity of the end times, enhancing the argument's portrayal of him as the invisible counterpart to the Holy Spirit.

Out of these three beings, only two have physical bodies. Since Satan is a spirit, (literally, the original unholy spirit) people alive during the 70th week of Daniel will only see a father and his firstborn son, in order to counterfeit God: the Father, His Firstborn Son Jesus (Luke 2:23; Colossians 1:15, 18; Hebrews 1:6; Revelation 1:5) and the Holy Spirit.