6.15 The United States of America in Prophecy                                           

 

1. When was the papal head of the first beast of Revelation 13 wounded?
In 1798

 

2. What did the prophet see rising up at this time?
Revelation 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
Note: The preceding beast came out of the sea. That shows that it rose up from the peoples and nations of the world existing at that time. (Revelation 17:15) This beast rises up out of the earth. This must mean that it rises up where previously there had been no peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. In 1789, when papal power received its fatal wound, the government of the United States of America, on the western mainland, was the only major nation that then came to the fore in territory that had previously not been populated by peoples, multitudes, and nations. Only nine years before this year (1789), the United States had adopted its national Constitution. Today, they are the greatest power in the world, asserting their influence everywhere.

 

3. What is the character of this new power?
Revelation 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
Note: The characteristics of this power are the great Christian principles of civil and religious liberty. The two horns may rightly represent symbols of these two fundamental principles of the government of the United States of America.

 

4. What will this power, notwithstanding its lamblike appearance, ultimately do?
Revelation 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
Note: The voice of the dragon is the voice of intolerance and persecution. This shows that in the future, this nation will reject its soft and lame declarations of civil and religious liberty and will become a persecuting power.

 

5. How much power will this beast exercise?
Revelation 13:12 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.
Note: The first beast exercised power over all who differed from it in religious matters, by persecuting them and putting them to death. The only way to make the whole earth worship is by means of voluntary or forced rest. It will therefore most likely be a voluntary Sabbath observance or a forced Sunday rest. The day of rest instituted by God or the day of rest instituted by a human institution.

 

6. What means will be employed to lead people back into this false worship?
Revelation 13:14 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.
Note: The beast “that had the sword and came to life again,” is the papacy. It was the church vested with civil power. In other words, it was a union of stake and church and made its religious doctrines binding by worldly power, under penalty of confiscation of property, imprisonment, and death. An image of this beast would be another ecclesiastical organization vested with civil power. Another union of church and state to make religious doctrines binding by law.

 

7. What will this power propose that people will do?
Revelation 13:14 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.

 

8. Since the Sunday Sabbath originated with the Roman power [the beast], to whom then shall people pay homage, when, knowing the facts, they choose to keep Sunday instead of the Sabbath of the Bible?
Romans 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

 

9. What does Christ say about our duty toward the state?
Matthew 22:19-21
19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.
20 And He saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?
21 They say unto Him, Caesar's. Then saith He unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.
22 When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left Him, and went their way.

 

10. What special miracle shall finally be performed to deceive the people, and to keep them deceived?
Revelation 13:13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

 

11. To what extent will this effort to enforce the worship of the image of the beast be carried?
Revelation 13:15 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.

 

12. What deliverance will God finally bring to His people in this controversy?
Revelation 15:2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

 

13. What song will they sing?
Revelation 15:3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints.

 

14. What was the song of Moses?
Read Exodus chapter 15
1 Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea.
2 The LORD is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation: He is my God, and I will prepare Him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt Him.
3 The LORD is a Man of war: the LORD is His name.