Leon Fortunato

"Yes! Yes, I have always known, Lord! Thou art the Messiah, the Son of the Living God!"

- Leon Fortunato after he and Nicolae were captured by the archangel Michael.

Leon Fortunato, also known as the False Prophet, is a major antagonist in the Left Behind series. He is the right-hand man to Nicolae Carpathia, and the left-hand man to Satan.

Personality
Leon Fortunato is extremely manipulative in his ways, willing to get as many people to worship Carpathia and Satan. Using his charisma, he would bring millions of citizens to take the Mark of the Beast, where each number is obtained from its own mathematical equation according to each Global Community district. He is also a coward, lying about being ashamed of his acts to Jesus Christ just so he can escape.

The Regime: Evil Advances
In Italy, where Leon was born, he grew up fascinated with the catholic religion, but was never truly part of that religion; he only liked the pomp and circumstance, and his religion was Theosophy. He had affection for wearing extraordinary clothing, and strutting through his college. After being expelled from college, he wanted to become a kingmaker to evaluate his chosen candidates to the positions they desired.

The Rapture: In the Twinkling of an Eye
Nicolae, who was interested in politics, made Leon as part of his staff and valued his counseling. Leon taught Carpathia how to feign humility, which proved to be very useful in the world political stage.

Nicolae: The Rise of Antichrist
Leon Fortunato is appointed by Nicolae Carpathia to the position of Supreme Commander of the Global Community. He continues to praise Carpathia throughout the novel.

Soul Harvest: The World Takes Sides
During the Wrath of the Lamb Earthquake, Leon is crushed by the rubble from the GC headquarters complex, and his mother was calling him home. He then heard Carpathia’s voice, saying, “LEONARDO, COME FORTH!” At that moment, Leon was revived.

Apollyon: The Destroyer Is Unleashed
After Leon’s revival, he becomes more faithful to Nicolae than ever before, claiming he is a god. It's heavily implied their spiritual master is none other than Satan himself, as they regularly communicate with the spiritual realm, and Satan (the Dragon), Nicolae (the Antichrist), and Leon (the False Prophet) make up the Unholy Trinity.

Assassins: Assignment: Jerusalem, Target: Antichrist
In this novel, Carpathia is stabbed by Chaim Rosenzweig (a Hebrew scientist), and Leon temporarily becomes the Supreme Potentate of the Global Community, before Satan revives Nicolae and indwells him.

The Indwelling: The Beast Takes Possession
Satan gives Fortunato powers, such as calling down fire from heaven. Leon calls down fire from heaven to murder Christians (including Annie Christopher). With that, he is identified as the False Prophet prophesied in the book of Revelation.

The Mark: The Beast Rules the World
Leon is promoted from the Supreme Commander of the Global Community (which Walter Moon takes) to the Most High Reverend Father of Carpathianism. He announces to the world that all citizens of the world must bear the "mark of loyalty" (the Mark of the Beast, with each number obtained from a mathematical equation involving 3 sixes in the 10 regions of the GC) and the worship of Carpathia must be set up in many locations around the world.

Desecration: Antichrist Takes the Throne
During the First Bowl Judgment, Leon and everyone else who took the "mark of loyalty" suffer from agonizing boils. He then calls fire down from heaven to murder Hattie Durham (who just became a believer in Christ), who rebukes him and Carpathia. Later on, he tells the masses that they have to take the "mark of loyalty" or be executed, but one of God’s angels interrupts and speaks Revelation 14:9-13 to the masses.

The Remnant: On the Brink of Armageddon
Leon Fortunato trains a legion of lesser false prophets, who were also imbued with demonic powers. On television, between a debate between himself and Tsion Ben-Judah, the latter refuses to call him by "Most High Reverend Father of Carpathianism".

Armageddon: Cosmic Battle of the Ages
Leon and Carpathia expel Ashtaroth, Baal, and Cankerworm (3 demons in the form of frogs), one from Leon, and two from Nicolae because Satan is still indwelling him; he expels one of the three unholy spirits as well. The spirits enter 3 Carpathia-like bodies, and go out to gather the Global Community’s forces to form the Unity Army, for a final battle against Jesus Christ.

Glorious Appearing: The End of Days
After Jesus Christ’s return and the destruction of the Unity Army, Nicolae and Leon are captured by Michael the archangel. When Leon's judgment comes, he shows himself to be a coward, as he makes up excuses to escape from God’s judgment. After that, Satan is forced to leave Nicolae's body, and Nicolae himself is judged by Jesus. After the judgments, a hole (which opens to the Lake of Fire) a yard in diameter opens, releasing a nasty odor and blue flames reaching up to 20 ft in the air. Michael casts Leon into the Lake of Fire, and then Nicolae, and the hole closes.

Kingdom Come: The Final Victory
After Satan is released and meets his ultimate defeat, Jesus opens a seam in the cosmos (which also opens to the Lake of Fire), and casts Satan into it. As Satan is cast into the Lake of Fire, Nicolae and Leon can be seen writhing, shouting, “JESUS IS LORD!”. The seam closes, and Satan, Nicolae, and Leon's suffering is resumed for eternity.