As it is my purpose in this exposition of Revelation 13 to quickly show
the fate of the USA, I will run through quickly the first beast described there in verses
1-10. It is certainly Heaven's intention that Bible students unpack the symbolism of lion,
leopard, and bear in this first beast. This vision was given by God to Gabriel to John to
us and it is meant to be understood.
The lion is the Papacy,
the world's chief primate, speaking all around the globe with the mouth of the lion. The
leopard, an animal native to India, Asia, and Africa, represents the Third World, the bulk
of the world's population. The bear represents the communist countries. These three
powers, the Papacy, the Third World, and the communist powers, represent most of the
world, except for the USA. The second beast described in Revelation 13 is the United
States of America.
Thus Revelation 13 is giving us a picture of the entire world's power
structure at the end of time.
It
is to the second beast that we turn our attention.
Whereas the first beast was represented as coming up "out of the
sea" (Rev 13:1), the second beast is represented as "coming up out of the
earth." (Rev. 13:11) Details like this are not added in prophetic passages just to
fill up space like an auctioneer's chatter.
Since "waters" can represent "peoples" according to
Rev. 17:15, then "earth" could represent "absence of people." The
lion-leopard-bear nations of modern times have their origins in populated regions. But
America arose quickly in an area that was largely unpopulated. The scattered nomadic
Indian tribes, with their respect for the natural order, kept this land in a near-virgin
condition. Thus America fits the description of the second beast as "coming up out of
the earth." The next part of the description of the second beast is that "he had
two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon." (Rev. 13:11) Now for anyone not a
student of Bible prophecy, who does not take God's word seriously, this would seem like a
silly, at best poetic meandering of a deluded prophet. But the eyes of faith can see a
very laconic, powerful definition of the United States. "Lamb" is a symbol of
Christ. John the Baptist said of Jesus, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away
the sin of the world." Plainly the lamb is a symbol of Christ and thus this second
beast being "like a lamb" would be a country professing Christianity.
Christians should try to be like their Savior. The Savior is
represented as a Lamb. (See, for instance, John 1:29) The description "like a
lamb" would fit few countries in the history of this world. The U.S. has been the
strongest professing Christian country in history. We talk about "manifest
destiny" here, the strong Christianity of the Founders, the influence of Christianity
on our laws and values, and the fact that from here more missionaries have and are being
sent out than from any other nation. Plainly the U.S. has been a "Christian
country." But the prophecy also says that this nation would "speak as a
dragon." The dragon is a scriptural symbol of Satan. (See Rev. 12:9) A nation
"speaks" through its actions. The lamblike horns and dragon voice of this
symbolic beast point to a striking contradiction between its professions and practice. In
contrast to America's record of helping the oppressed is an often shameful record of
abuse, for example the enslavement of blacks and hypocritical persecution and
treaty-breaking with the native Indians. But the prophecy is meant especially for our
time. (A look at the history of religious liberty in previous
American centuries is a good background for this study.)
The current antiChristian practices of the present administration are
perhaps the beginning of an increasingly satanic policy mindset. If the religious right
should gain power in reaction to the current leftist drift of the country's highest
office, it will likely follow the pattern of all other fundamentalist regimes in history,
whether Cromwellian, American Puritan, Catholic, or Islamic--it will develop a spirit of
intolerance and persecution. This would be directly contrary to the principles of American
government, the genius of its free institutions and the grand protections of the US
Constitution. To show the fate of America--the purpose of this short article--a verse by
verse commentary on the last half of Revelation 13 follows:
12 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 US will be equal in power to the Papal-Third World-Communist
conglomerate. The US will somehow be involved in an effort to "worship" the
Papal beast, whose deadly wound--whether it be the shooting of John Paul II or the loss of
power and prestige at the tim of the French Revolution--is now plainly healed, with the
Pope the world's leading moral figure by the admission of American, Communist and Third
World leaders.
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from
heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
The US dropped fire out of the sky on Hiroshima and Nagasaki almost 50
years ago, and a new era of war and diplomacy was begun. The "fire" power of
atomic weaponry was exhibited "in the sight of men" all around the earth. Laser
weapons--not yet demonstrated but sure to be used soon against Syria, Iraq, Iran, North
Korea or other terrorist centers--will also do "great wonders."
14 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.
It is a deception to think that because someone has more power than
you--in this case the US with its atomic arsenal--that you should follow them. Yet this
verse reveals to us that America will lead the way in erecting a governmental structure
that will practically--in its ultimate effect--bring homage to the Papacy, the beast
wounded and healed. Perhaps we are seeing the first steps of America's departure from its
long history as a Protestant power, formed to be free of the ecclesiastical evils
characterizing the Papacy's intrusions into European history, in the recent union between
the religious right and leading Catholics. Prophecy predicts it, here, in verse 14.
15 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.
The US will have the power to help the "image of the
beast"--this governmental apparatus which in some as yet unidentified way gives
homage to the Papacy--to have what political scientists call
'legitimacy"--it will "speak" and be followed, respected and obeyed, and it
will provide that all who do not honor it will be killed, the ultimate coercion, the
ultimate tool of Satan--"Do things my way or die." I would suggest that the
reason that the US is here pictured as urging people to worship a government other than
itself--probably the UN or a body that might replace the UN--is because it has at this
point, after its "fire" power has been displayed as related in the last verse,
been economically humbled as related in my exposition of Daniel 8.
While the US will still be existing as a nation at this point, it will be operating on a
momentum, as every great power that eventually decayed away, that will gradually reveal
its vacuous power. In such a situation submission to a world government would be much more
psychologically likely than at the present when we are still "number one."
16 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:
Here the "he", still the U.S., will be responsible for
bringing in the government that will demand a mark to be placed on all inhabitants of
planet earth. The Greek word from which our English word "mark" is derived means
"sharpened to a point." This is interesting since the latest technology designed
to help governments monitor their citizens is a lithium-based computer chip which can be
injected into humans with a hypodermic needle. The chip can store volumes of information
and can be programmed, unlike the former laser-tatoo technology.
17 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 a solemn warning for any serious Bible student. The day will
come when remaining true to God will mean going underground from the superstructure's
commercial system. Buying and selling in the economic system of the coming one-world
government will be treason to the Kingdom of Heaven. The Bible says that whoever takes the
mark will be separated from God. Read it in Revelation 14:9-10:
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any
man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is
poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with
fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
With a warning like this we do well to try to become intelligent in
regards to the beast and his mark. Here is the last verse of Revelation 13:
18 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."
The fabled number "666"
properly understood, reveals the mystery of the antichrist. Proceed to this 666-link only in the spirit of a seeker, please.
[Prophecy] [Liberty]
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