The Antichrist and The United States
in Bible Prophecy
The identity of the first beast that comes out of the sea in Revelation 13, which is synonymous with the Antichrist power, has been known since the early 1500's, but it was not known at that time who the second beast that comes out of the Earth that gives power back to the Antichrist, as this kingdom what not an established nation at the time. So who is the second beast (kingdom) that gives power back to the first beast?
After our nation’s founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, the Liberty Bell was rung. The United States has always pictured itself as the place where freedom rings, where liberty is cherished it’s become a stronghold of democracy in the world. And since it has played such a key role in history as a world power, we can’t help wondering, “Is the United States pictured in prophecy?” EGYPT and BABYLON, GREECE and ROME are mentioned prominently. And when Rome fell, even the nations of modern Europe are depicted as ten “toes” or “horns.” But does the UNITED STATES play a role in the Book of Revelation? Is it pictured there in any way? Several clues say it certainly is! Before we examine those clues we should realize that Revelation 13, a key chapter in the Bible deals with two separate and distinct beasts. The first is introduced in Verse 1 and is “like a LEOPARD” and this power was first identified in 1517 by Martin Luther.
All the following people knew that the Papal Church is the first beast of Revelation 13, which is synonymous with the little horn of Daniel 7, and many of them died by the hand of the Papal Church. “John Wycliffe, William Tyndale (translated the Bible - Tyndale Bible), Martin Luther, John Calvin, Thomas Cranmer; in the seventeenth century, Bunyan, the translators of the King James Bible and the men who published the Westminster and Baptist confessions of Faith; Sir Isaac Newton, John Wesley, Whitfield, Jonathan Edwards; and more recently Spurgeon, Bishop J.C. Ryle and Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones; these men among countless others, all saw the office of the Papacy as the antichrist.” - All Roads Lead to Rome, by Michael de Semlyen. Dorchestor House Publications, p. 205. 1991.
The second is introduced in Verse 11 and is at first “like a LAMB.” Remember also that Daniel 7:17 & 23 teach that a “beast” is a king or kingdom, a ruling power, civil or religious.
Clue Number One: The first beast, the Papal power, rose “up out of the SEA” in Revelation 13:1. And ALL the other prophetic beasts in Daniel 7:3-7 the lion, bear, leopard, terrible beast with iron teeth, representing the empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome also “came up from the SEA,” which means a densely populated area according to Revelation 17:15. So it’s interesting that when John introduces this second beast, the one “like a lamb,” he says: “Then I saw ANOTHER beast coming up out of the EARTH,” which would represent an Unpopulated area. This beast, this nation, arose in an unpopulated area, in an unsettled wilderness. Does that ring a bell? The United States precisely fits this clue about WHERE the second beast arose! But let’s move on ...
Clue Number Two: Here we learn the time period WHEN this second beast arose. Revelation 13:10 describes the first beast (Antichrist) going “into captivity,” and the very next verse, eleven, speaks of the rise of the second beast. So we can conclude that this second beast arose about the same time the first beast was taken captive, when it received that wound in its head, Verse 3. In our last lesson we learned that the first beast, the Papacy, received a serious wound in 1798 when the pope was taken captive by the French and Papal supremacy was broken. That was when this second beast rose to prominence in the late 1700’s. Does that fit the history of the United States? Yes, it does. In fact, as we scan the horizon of history, we discover that ONLY ONE world power was “coming up” in 1798, which was the United States of America.
Clue Number Three: Now let’s look at the nature of this second beast. Revelation 13:11 tells us that this beast or nation which rose out of the earth “had two horns like a LAMB.” What does that mean? A lamb has a gentle, innocent nature in strong contrast with the other fierce beasts of prophecy, like the lion, bear, leopard, etc. A lamb also denotes youthfulness: a lamb’s “horns” have barely begun to grow. This is not an old beast, it’s a baby lamb, a new power arising among older nations. Although a mature, established power may come into sudden prominence, the second beast emerged as a young or youthful one.
Clue Number Four: Here we learn that this prophecy is talking about a DEMOCRACY for TWO reasons. First, on those lamb-like horns, there are no crowns. You will recall that when John described the first beast in Revelation 13:1 he said: “I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and TEN HORNS. And on his horns TEN CROWNS.” Crowns indicate kingly authority. But on the second beast there are no crowns on its horns. A crown is the fitting symbol of a monarchy, so the absence of a crown indicates a democratic government vesting its power in the hands of its people, not in any ruling king. If the Bible depicted this beast wearing a crown, we could not maintain the prophecy represented the U.S.A., for we have never had a king. Secondly, a democracy, by definition, is “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” Revelation 13:14 makes clear that this power says to the PEOPLE “that THEY should make an image to the [first] beast , which had the wound by the sword, and did live.” A dictator or powerful king can act autocratically and pass laws without asking any permission, but the President of the United States must ask the people in Congress to make and pass a law. Here God foretells a form of government in which the legislative power rests with the PEOPLE, in simple terms, a DEMOCRACY.
Clue Number Five: Revelation also suggests that this lamb like beast has WORLD-WIDE influence. Revelation 13:12 says that it “causes the EARTH and those who dwell in it to worship” a certain power. The United States did not fit that picture a century ago. But now it certainly does. As a world class superpower, its influence is indeed GLOBAL. It impacts people everywhere financially, politically and culturally. Revelation has again pinpointed the United States of America. Our nation fits the prophecy precisely!
Clue Number Six: It’s exciting to find our country named in prophecy and know it has a role to play in the end-time drama. But what role exactly will the U.S. play? Look at the evidence in Revelation 13:11. The pretty picture becomes grim rather quickly, this beast that began “like a lamb” ended up speaking “like a DRAGON”! How does any nation speak? Through its laws. In fact, the only official “speaking” a nation or government can do is through the action of its legislative and judicial bodies. Since the United States is unquestionably the nation denoted by the symbol that will speak “as a dragon,” it follows that it will enact oppressive laws to become a persecuting power. But the picture gets even darker. Revelation 13:12 says, “He exercises all the authority of the first beast ... and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.” Look carefully at what God is saying. The second beast actually causes those who dwell on the earth to worship the first beast. TRANSLATION: The United States will cause people in the world to worship the Papacy. Church and state that have been separated for so long, will unite to enforce a specific religion. The strong arm of the state will enforce Papal doctrine. America will reach across the ocean and join hands with the Papacy in a dangerous alliance of Church and state. And what is the sign of Papal power? Sunday worship. That is THEIR claim stated over and over again. It’s the day which the Roman Catholic Church has declared holy.
What does “an image of the beast” mean? An image of anything is something that looks like or resembles it. If a little boy is his Dad’s “spittin’ image,” he looks just like his Dad. In Revelation, we are dealing with symbols. This image of the beast will not be some literal image such as a statue or idol. It will be a replica, a REPEAT PERFORMANCE of what the beast did before, that is, what the Papal Antichrist power did during the Dark Ages. At the height of its power, the Papacy clothed itself with civil power and created a UNION of Church and state. It had authority to punish dissenters, confiscate goods, imprison and even execute. So what will an image of the beast, an image of the Papacy, be? It will be another union of Church and state, another ecclesiastical establishment clothed with civil power. It seems impossible. But in a time of CRISIS, people could demand, “Lawmakers, DO something! Legislate morality! How about if we all unite and worship on Sunday, in one Spirit? We can be one country again, one Christian nation under God!”
The prophecies of Daniel and Revelation follow the sequential flow of history, discussing those NATIONS which play a prominent part in God’s overall plan and purpose.
Amos 3:7 God makes the mysteries of the future plain through the Bible prophets.
Revelation 13:1-10 SIX Bible clues reveal that the leopard like beast represents the Roman Church:
1. Revelation 13:1-Antichrist rises from the sea (from a populated area. Revelation 17:15).
2. Revelation 13:2-Antichrist receives the SEAT of its government from pagan Rome.
3. Revelation 13:5-Antichrist blasphemously claims the POWER of God (Luke 5:20-21).
4. Revelation 13:7-Antichrist PERSECUTES the saints (believers).
5. Revelation 13:5-Antichrist reigns supreme for 42 months = 1,260 prophetic days or 1260 literal years (from 538 to 1798). See the two witnesses of Revelations in reference to this period of time also.
6. Revelation 13:18-Antichrist is identified with the mysterious number 666.
Revelation 13:10 The second beast arises at the SAME TIME the first beast goes into captivity, or around 1798. It is a separate power.
Revelation 13:11 The second beast rises rapidly from an UNPOPULATED area, “the earth.”
Revelation 13:11 The second beast has two horns with NO CROWNS. It has no king. It is not an autocratic dictatorship but a DEMOCRACY, saying to the people that “they” should make an image to the first beast. (Revelation 13:14)
Revelation 13:11 The second beast is a young beast, a youthful power, full of freedom and innocence, a NEW nation. (A beast represents a nation. See Daniel 7:17, 23.) In this prophecy:
(1) A NEW nation arises
(2) Around 1798
(3) In an UNPOPULATED area
(4) Without kingly authority
(5) Governed by the people. It has the lamb-like quality of Jesus, allowing its people
(6) Freedom of choice. The ONLY nation that fits ALL these prophetic specifications is the UNITED STATES.
Revelation 13:11-12 The features of the lamb-like beast rapidly turn into a DRAGON. Religious liberty is followed by religious oppression.
Revelation 13:12 The second beast, the UNITED STATES, gives its influence to the first beast, the Papacy, and becomes the enforcer nation with a UNION of Church and state.
Revelation 13:12 The central issue in the final conflict is “WORSHIP.” (See Revelation 14:6-7, 12.) The Sabbath is God’s eternal SIGN of true worship of Him as CREATOR. (Revelation 4:11; Exodus 20:8-11; Ezekiel 20:12 & 20)
Revelation 13:13-14 Satan will use MIRACULOUS SIGNS and WONDERS at a time of international crisis to forge a UNION of Church and state which will violently oppose and oppress God’s people. (See Revelation 16:14 and 2 Thessalonians 2:9)
Revelation 12:17 God’s faithful people will not yield to the coercive pressure to violate God’s law.
There are so few Christians today that understand the importance of the fourth Commandment to God. It is not just a day of rest but a SIGN of our allegiance to our Creator God. Satan through the Papal Church has pulled off Histories greatest Hoax and only a small but growing count of 500 plus different denominations of Sabbath keeping Churches keep the fourth Commandment today. We need to open our eyes to Satan’s master deception or the whole world will be deceived as Jesus Christ said. God has no interest in computer chips or technology, but He does care if we bow down and worship on a day that was established by Satan himself through the Papal Church in honour of SUN Worship, (SUN-Day) which is the main reason God allowed Israel to go into Babylonian captivity as they worshipped the SUN from the temple. (Ezekiel 8:16)
Revelation 14:7 & 12 are clear that those who do NOT get the mark of the beast worship God that “made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” Greek Lexicons say this phrase is a reference to the fourth Commandment. And what Commandment defines who it is we do worship and give our allegiance to? The fourth Commandment, the Sabbath! What do those do that get the seal of God in their foreheads rather than the beasts mark? Verse 12 says they keep the Commandments of God through the faith of Jesus!
See also the Antichrist and America in Bible Prophecy and the who is the antichrist?