THE USA IN BIBLE PROPHECY!!!
At the height of the papacy’s power, its “iron teeth” fell upon Protestant Reformers. who protested the Catholic Church’s unbiblical teachings. Many of those who were not martyred, however, found a means of escape to the New World.
Revelation prophesied this exodus in the symbol of a faithful woman, who represents God’s true church. This woman, “persecuted” (12:13) by the dragon through papal Rome, fled “into the wilderness” during “a time and times and half a time” (v.14), the same 1,260 years of papal supremacy. Thus, the prey escaped the predator, and the most notable republic in the world was born.
In 1776, the United States declared its independence. It established its own rule of law, the Constitution (1787) and the Bill of Rights (1791). By 1798, simultaneous with the head wound to the Roman Church, the nations of Europe recognized the United States as an independent world power, one built on two unique principles represented by the earth beast’s two-lamb-like horns: Republicanism, a government without a king, and Protestantism, a church without a pope.
The United States became the standard bearer of freedom of conscience and embodiment of the separation of church and state–all that the Roman Catholic Church was not.
THE IMAGE OF THE BEAST!!!
But the Bible makes a surprising prediction: America will fall away from its founding principles and advocate for the sea beast, the very power the Founding Fathers resisted. Revelation 13:12-15 has a few key take aways:
A. The United States forms “an image to the beast” (v.14). This is not a statue; rather, “an image” is a “representation” or “resemblance.”
Hence, an “image of the beast”(v.15) will be a religio-political power that looks, speaks, and acts like the papacy.
B. The image of the beast will use a combination of deception (v.14) and coercion (v.15) to achieve universal worship of the papacy (v.12,15).
C. The ultimate power behind the transformation of the United States is the dragon, Satan, who extends his “authority” (v.12) from the sea beast to the earth beast (v.4).
According to the Bible, the United States will one day look, speak, and act like the papacy.
FACT: During the 1260 years, the little horn “[persecuted] the saints of the Most High” (Daniel 7:25). During this period of papal supremacy, dubbed the Dark Ages, the Catholic Church labeled as heretics those who followed the Word of God over its own doctrines and, sources state, it condemned more than 50 million people to death.
The little horn “thinks [intends] to change times and laws” (Daniel 7:25). The Bible refers to the Ten Commandments as God’s law. (See Romans 7:7.) The Catholic catechism’s version of the Ten Commandments does not match those in the Bible (Exodus 20:2-17.) The second commandment against worshiping idols is absent (Ex.20:4-6). To get back to ten commandments, the tenth against covetousness (v.17) is split into ninth and tenth: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife,” and “you shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.”
Moreover, the Sabbath commandment (v.8-11), the longest, is modified to a single sentence: “Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day. “The Catholic Church claims Sunday is “the Lord’s Day,” worshiping on the first day of the week, a practice that has been adopted by most Protestant churches. The Bible is clear that “the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God” (v.10). (See also Genesis 2:3; Exodus 20:8.) According to the Bible’s reckoning, the seventh day is Friday sunset to Saturday sunset (Leviticus 23:32).
Remember, the first angel’s message directly references the fourth commandment.
This message is not an attack on people, as there are many true believers within the Catholic faith. Rather, these prophecies point out a religious system that has existed long before any of us were born. Why? “The Holy Scriptures . . .make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). God gave this divine knowledge to save you. Though this may be a difficult truth to accept, please prayerfully consider it.
It’s no secret that the United States of America, “the land of the free and the home of the brave,” is in the middle of a catastrophic crisis. Its troubles are not unique. Nations worldwide are struggling with moral, social, environmental, and economic woes. “Make America Great Again!” has become a popular slogan expressing the hopes of millions. What does the future hold for the mightiest nation on earth? Believe it or not, that future has been foretold in advance in the God-inspired pages of the Holy Bible. The Book of Revelation predicts: “Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon” (Revelation 13:11).
Whether you believe the Bible or not, allow me to build a reasonable case that this mysterious prediction applies to America and its future. First, what is a “beast,” in Bible prophecy? We don’t need to guess, prognosticate, or speculate. The answer is clear in God’s book. In its prophecies, the term beast is a symbol for a mighty nation. The proof is in Daniel 7, a chapter that parallels Revelation 13. Both Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 refer to beasts, ten horns, a boastful mouth speaking pompous words, and intense warfare against God’s people (compare Daniel 7:3-8,21 with Revelation 13:1-7). Specifically, Daniel 7 describes four great beasts: a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a dragon like creature. Embedded in the same chapter, an angelic interpreter confirmed: “The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom on earth” (Daniel 7:23).
So, we can nail this down: According to Daniel 7–which parallels Revelation 13–a beast in Bible prophecy isn’t a computer or super-evil person, but a mighty kingdom or nation. That’s what the angel said. Historically, 98% of reputable Christian Bible commentaries have interpreted Daniel’s four beasts to represent the ancient nations of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. This is a fact.
PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER!!!
Let’s put all the pieces together:
1.) Revelation 13:11 pinpoints the rising of a great beast.
2.) In prophecy, a beast represents a great nation.
3.) This nation rises out of the earth, or wilderness area.
4.) This nation starts out young, like a baby lamb.
5.) This nation has lamblike, Christian characteristics.
6.) This nation has horns with no crown–it has no kings.
7.) This nation achieves superpower status near the close of time.
8.) This nation influences the world’s economy.
9.) This nation finally becomes the image of the beast.
10.) This nation finally enforces the mark of the beast.
BE HONEST: HOW MANY NATIONS ON PLANET EARTH TODAY FIT ALL TEN OF THESE CLEAR, UNQUESTIONABLE, HEAVEN-INSPIRED DETAILS? ONLY ONE, THE UNITED STATES of AMERICA!
To discover more eye-opening information about this prophecy, earth’s closing events, the mark of beast, and God’s infinite love, refer to the bestselling book, The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan, which explains these subjects more fully.