- In spite of the September 11 terrorist attack on America,
the United States yet remains "the world's sole remaining
superpower" (Time, July 29, 1991. p. 13). The Bible
often refers to great nations, such as the ancient kindgoms of
Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. These were superpowers in
their day and are all mentioned in the prophetic book of Daniel
because they had a direct historical connection with God's chosen
people, the Jews. In our modern times, America, more than any
other nation, has aided the spread of Christianity. In our national
pledge, we still claim to be "One Nation Under God."
Our coins still say, "In God We Trust." Therefore,
it is highly appropriate to ask: Has America been left behind
in Bible prophecy?
Revelation 13 describes two beasts. It is an irrefutable and
immovable fact that in Bible prophecy, a beast represents
a kingdom. After describing four symbolic beasts, the angel
interpreter declared, "The fourth beast shall be the fourth
kingdom upon earth" (Daniel 7:23). This point is of mega
importance when it comes to prophetic interpretation. It is also
an irrefutable fact of history that for almost four hundred years
Protestants have interpreted
the first beast in Revelation 13 to represent the kingdom of
papal Rome. But there is a second beast also mentioned in the
same chapter.
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- John wrote:
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- "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"
(verse 11).
- Who is this second beast? Let's find out.
John saw "another beast" rising into power. Again,
what does a beast represent? "The fourth beast shall be
the fourth kingdom upon earth" (Daniel 7:23). Almost all
prophecy scholars will admit that Daniel 7 parallels Revelation
13. Therefore, this second beast must also represent a great
kingdom or nation. It also must be an end-time kingdom because
the second beast is finally involved in the enforcement of "the
mark of the beast" (Revelation 13:11-17).
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- The second beast rises "out of the earth," whereas
the first beast comes out of the sea (Revelation 13:1). This
often-overlooked detail is actually quite significant. In fact,
all four beasts in Daniel 7 came out of the sea. What does "the
sea" or water represent in prophecy? The Pacific Ocean?
Hardly. In Revelation 17:1, John saw a woman named "Babylon"
sitting upon "many waters." An angel explained, "The
waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples,
and multitudes, and nations, and tongues" (Revelation 17:15).
Thus, the "water" represents lots of people. Historically,
the great nations of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome rose up
from among the multitude of nations in Europe and the Middle
East.
The second beast was seen "coming up out of the earth."
If the "water" represents lots of people, then "the
earth" would represent a sparsely populated area - more
of a wilderness region. The second beast is also described as
being "like a lamb." In the Bible, a lamb is primarily
a symbol of Jesus Christ (John 1:29; Revelation 14:1). The second
beast is not Jesus, to be sure, but it will be lamb-like; it
will be "like" Jesus in some significant way. It also
has "two horns." Horns in prophecy represent either
kings, kingdoms or divisions within a kingdom (see Daniel 7:17,
23, 24; 8:3, 8, 20-22). Thus, the second beast could have a division
of power within itself.
Also there is much more to the matter of the time when this beast
arises than a simple appearance near the end times. The prophecy
is more specific. On December 31, 1999, almost the whole world
was thinking about time. Would the infamous Y2K computer bug
lead to a global technological meltdown? On New Year's Eve, I
was watching Peter Jennings and his ABC coverage. The countdown
began-five, four, three, two, one . . . fizzle! Nothing happened.
The year 2000 arrived with hardly a hiccup, yet when it comes
to the time of the rise of the second beast, there is something
much larger than a fizzle that should attract our attention.
Speculative Y2K doomsday prophecies proved false, but true prophecy
never fails.
In the last chapter [chapter 4 of Truth Left Behind] we
talked about the wounding of the first beast. This wound occurred
on time in the exact year that marked the end of the 1,260
years. What year was that? 1798.
This wound is described in Revelation 13:10. In that verse the
first beast is described as going into "captivity."
In other words, in 1798, he would be on his way down. Now notice,
it is in the very next verse that the second beast is seen "coming
up." It's like a prophetic teeter-totter. The first beast
goes down, and then the second beast comes up. This "down
and up" activity occurs right around the same time. Therefore,
we need to look for a great kingdom coming into power around
the year 1798.
John Wesley founded the Methodist Church in England in the 1700s.
Like most other Protestants in his day, he had absolutely no
interest in the speculative fancies of Jesuit
Futurism. In the 1750s, as Wesley was studying prophecy,
he realized the 1,260-year period would soon come to an end.
In 1754, he published his much-respected New Testament with Explanatory
Notes. After applying the first beast of Revelation 13:1-10 to
the papacy, he contemplated the rise of the second beast. Underneath
verse 11, John Wesley wrote, "Another . . . beast . . .
But he is not yet come, though he cannot be far off; for he is
to appear at the end of the forty-two months of the first beast.
And he had two horns like a lamb-a mild, innocent appearance"
(John Wesley, Notes on Revelation, 1754. p. 457). The
founder of the Methodist Church was right on target! His footnotes
here were more reliable than many of C. I. Scofield.
A lamb is a young animal, a baby sheep. The fact that this nation
is described as being lamb-like around 1798 indicates that this
would be a young nation at this time. All of the other recognizable
beasts in Daniel 7 (the lion, the bear, and the leopard) were
like hungry wild animals. The nations of Babylon, Persia, Greece,
and Rome rose by conquering the previous nation in power. Yet
the lamb-like beast was to rise differently, more peacefully.
The fact that it has no crowns on its horns is also highly significant.
The first beast of Revelation 13 has horns with crowns. Crowns
represent kingly power, as in the European nations. Papal Rome
did in fact rule over kings. Yet the lamb-like nation would try
something new. It would have no crowns, thus it would be a nation
without a king.
Revelation 13 predicts that the second beast will eventually
become a superpower. How do we know this? Because this beast
eventually has the capability to enforce the mark of the first
beast upon "all" the peoples of the world (Revelation
13:16). Therefore, the second beast must grow from its comparatively
small and peaceful beginnings into a mighty nation of superpower
status with global influence. And yet, in spite of its lamb-like
profession, it will eventually "[speak] as a dragon"
(Revelation 13:11). This indicates a final denial of its principles,
internal degradation, and the use of satanic force.
When I was a boy, I put together a lot of jigsaw puzzles. Revelation
13 is part of God's jigsaw puzzle. So let's put the pieces together:
1. What youthful nation was "coming up" into power
in a wilderness area around 1798?
2. What new nation around 1798 was "like a lamb," Christian
in its features, mild and peaceful, without needing to conquer
another great nation in its ascent?
3. What nation now has "two horns," that is, a division
of power within its government?
4. What nation in its form of government has no crowns, is without
kingly power, being ruled constitutionally "by the people"?
5. And what great nation is now the world's only superpower in
the twenty-first century, capable of enforcing the Mark of the
Beast upon "all" the world?
When it comes to golf, there is only one Tiger Woods. When it
comes to Bible prophecy, there is only one nation that qualifies
as the second beast of Revelation 13. You know which nation that
is-the United States of America. Our Declaration of Independence
from England was signed in 1776. Our Bill of Rights was ratified
in 1791. We "came up" right on time, around 1798, when
the first beast was going down. Through the courage of godly
leaders and the providence of Almighty God, we have become a
great nation. The United States of America is now the only superpower
left on planet Earth.
What does the future hold? We have already seen that God's unerring
Word predicts the healing of the wound of the first beast (the
Roman Church). In our next chapter, we will discover that the
Bible also describes the first beast (the Vatican) and the second
beast (Protestant America) working together during the closing
seconds of time.
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- Note: For more information on this vital topic, see Steve
Wohlberg's entire book, Truth Left Behind. To order, call
toll free: (800) 795-7171.
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