Is America in Bible Prophecy?

Let’s explore this question, starting with Revelation 13:11–15: “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. 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.... 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.”

We have already identified the first beast as the Roman Catholic Church-State that controlled Western Europe for 1,260 years. (See “The Beast behind the Mark” in this issue.) To identify this second beast, we must note the contrasts between them. The first beast arose from the sea, which is said to represent “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” Rev. 17:15. The Mediterranean world, where the medieval Papacy arose, was densely populated. By contrast, this new “lamblike nation” was to arise from “the earth,” or a region not densely populated.

A New Nation Rises on the World Stage

The lamblike beast was also to rise around the time that the first beast, the Papacy, received her deadly wound. Many Protestant Reformers shared the understanding that the Papacy’s 1,260-year period of political power (also known as 42 prophetic months) was to end sometime in the latter part of the 18^th century. As early as 1754, John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement and a brilliant Bible scholar, began looking for the rise of the second beast. In his comment on Revelation 13:11, he stated, “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.” (For an understanding of how to calculate the end of the first beast’s reign in 1798, see “The Beast Behind the Mark” in this issue.)

In the latter part of the 18^th century, the United States of America emerged as a new world power. One historian, speaking of the birth of the American nation, describes “the mystery of her coming forth from vacancy” and “like a silent seed” growing into an empire. America commenced young and gentle. Though compared to a lamb, the same symbol used to portray Jesus Christ, she nevertheless had power, represented by her two horns. The fundamental principle of the First Amendment is separation of church and state—affording both civil and religious liberty. Properly understood, this principle is quite Christlike. Jesus presented the distinction between civil and religious authority when He said, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Matt. 22:21. 

Rightly applied, the state was not to control the church, nor was the church to control the state. The role of the church was to foster public morality through the unrestricted (but not publicly funded) teaching of God’s Word. The role of the state was to protect the rights of its citizenry—including the right to worship or not to worship. The American Bill of Rights was established on the premise that the peaceful assembly for worship is never to be forbidden and worship is never to be coerced—because God desires only the voluntary act of true devotion.

The Lamb Who Speaks as a Dragon

Although the prophecy first describes this beast as a gentle lamb, it undergoes a drastic change and speaks “as a dragon.” A nation “speaks” through its laws or official decrees. Revelation 13 depicts an ultimate union of church and state within this nation. By enacting religious legislation, the lamblike beast will enforce some form of worship and will do so in contrast to its original nature. So, at some point in the future, this country’s principles of the separation of church and state will be repudiated. In fact, Bible prophecy reveals that the US will one day be foremost in enforcing the mark of the beast upon the whole world. Rev. 13:12, 16, 17. (See “The Mark of the Beast” in this issue for what constitutes the mark.)

When America enforces worship through its official laws and persecutes those who cannot conscientiously participate in legislated worship, then this nation will “speak as a dragon.” In the face of this country’s historical legacy of constitutional freedom of worship, it has seemed hard to believe that one day these liberties will be denied.

However, freedom in America has been on a steep decline since September 11, 2001, when the United States declared war on terrorism. Americans have been trading their constitutional freedoms for the promise of increased security and protection. What they’ve gained by the trade is the rise of surveillance technology in everyday life, the erosion of the writ of habeas corpus along with the use of extrajudicial detainment and trials, and the freezing of assets of those suspected of funding terrorism (even without evidence). Even the definition of terrorism has evolved and can now include anyone who questions the official narrative or a government mandate. 

The COVID-19 pandemic further eroded freedoms. In many states, religious gatherings were banned. In some states where church bans were enforced, casinos and bars were allowed to remain open. Big tech corporations colluded with the government to suppress any voice that questioned the official COVID narrative, including the voices of prominent scientists and medical practitioners. The economic freedoms of local businesses and individuals have been severely limited. Refusing the vaccine has cost some their livelihoods and denied others their opportunity to fulfill their academic goals. Travel has been seriously limited.

These developments with civil and religious liberty have created a climate ripe for persecution and for the future enforcement of the mark of the beast by the United States.