Revelation Chapter 12
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Revelation Chapter 13b
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Revelation Chapter 13a
The Agelong Struggle
for Religious Freedom
Verse 1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns,
and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet
were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the
dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. 3
And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly
wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
4 And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast:
And they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who
is able to make war with him?
The sea is a symbol of “peoples, and multitudes, and
nations, and tongues.” Revelation 17:15. A beast is the Bible symbol
of a nation or power. It sometimes represents the civil power alone, and
sometimes the ecclesiastical in connection with civil. Whenever a beast is
seen to come up out of the sea, it denotes that the power arises in a
thickly populated territory. If the winds are represented as blowing upon
the sea, as in Daniel 7:2, 3, political commotion, civil strife, and revolution are indicated.
By the dragon of the previous chapter, and the beast first introduced
in this, we have the Roman power as a whole brought to view in its two
phases, pagan and papal; hence these two symbols have each the seven heads
and ten horns. (See comments on Revelation 17:10.)
The Leopard Beast. —The seven-headed and ten-horned beast, more briefly the leopard beast, here introduced, symbolizes a power which
exercises ecclesiastical as well as civil authority. This point is of
sufficient importance to justify the introduction of a few conclusive
arguments which prove it.
The line of prophecy in which this symbol occurs begins with Revelation 12. The symbols of earthly governments
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embraced in the prophecy are the dragon of Revelation 12 and the
leopard beast and the two-horned beast of Revelation 13. The same line of
prophecy evidently continues into chapter 14. Beginning, therefore, with Revelation 12:1, and ending with Revelation 14:5, we have a line of
prophecy distinct and complete in itself.
Each of the powers here introduced is represented as fiercely
persecuting the church of God. The scene opens with the church under the
symbol of a woman anxiously longing for the promise to be fulfilled that
the seed of the woman, the Lord of glory, should appear among men. The
dragon stood before the woman for the purpose of devouring her child. His
evil design is thwarted, and the child is caught up to God and His throne.
A period follows in which the church suffers severe oppression from this
dragon power. In this part of the scene the prophet occasionally glances
forward, once even down almost to the end, because all the enemies of the
church were to be actuated by the spirit of the dragon. In verse 1 of
Revelation 13 we are carried back to the time when the leopard beast, the
successor of the dragon, begins his career. From this power the church
suffers war and persecution for the long period of 1260 years. Following
this period of oppression, the church has another conflict, brief but sharp
and severe, with the two-horned beast. Then comes deliverance. The
prophecy closes with the church brought safely through all her
persecutions, and standing victorious with the Lamb on Mount Zion. Thank
God for the sure promise of final victory!
The one character which ever appears the same in all these scenes, and
whose history is the leading theme through all the prophecy, is the true
Church of God. The other characters are her persecutors, and are
introduced simply because they are such. Here, as an introductory inquiry,
we raise the question, Who or what is it that persecutes the true church?
It is a false or apostate church. What is it that is ever warring against
true religion? It is a false and counterfeit religion. Who ever heard of
the mere civil power of any nation persecuting the
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people of God on its own initiative? Governments may war against other
governments to avenge some wrong, real or imaginary or to acquire territory
and extend their power. But governments do not persecute (mark the
word— do not persecute) people on account of their religion, unless
under the control of some opposite and hostile system of religion.
Leopard Beast a Persecuting Power. —The powers introduced in this prophecy —the dragon, the leopard beast, and the two-horned beast of
verses 11-17— are all persecuting powers. They are actuated by
rage and enmity against the people and church of God. This fact is of
itself sufficiently conclusive evidence that in each of these powers the
ecclesiastical or religious element is the controlling power.
Take the dragon: what does it symbolize? —The undeniable answer is,
Primarily Satan, as shown heretofore, and secondarily the Roman Empire.
But this is not enough. No one would be satisfied with this answer and no
more. It must be more definite. We therefore add, The Roman Empire in its
pagan form, to which all must agree. But just as soon as we say
pagan, we introduce a religious element, for paganism is one of the
most gigantic systems of counterfeit religion that Satan has ever devised.
The dragon, then, is so far an ecclesiastical power that the very
characteristic by which it is distinguished is a false system of religion.
What made the dragon persecute the church of Christ? It was because
Christianity was prevailing against paganism, sweeping away its
superstitions, overturning its idols, and dismantling its temples. The religious
element of that power was touched, and persecution was the result.
We now come to the leopard beast of Revelation 13. What does that
symbolize? The answer still is, The Roman Empire. But the dragon
symbolized the Roman Empire, and why does not the same symbol represent it
still? Ah! there has been a change in the religious character of
the empire. This beast symbolized Rome in its professedly Christian form.
It is this change of religion, and this alone, which makes a change
in the
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symbol necessary. This beast differs from the dragon only that it
presents a different religious aspect. Hence it would be wrong to
affirm that it denotes simply the Roman civil power.
A Symbol of the Papacy. —To this beast the dragon gives his
power, his seat, and great authority. By what power was pagan Rome
succeeded? We all know that is was by papal Rome. It matters not to our
present purpose when or by what means this change was effected. The great
fact is apparent, and is acknowledged by all, that the next great phase of
the Roman Empire after its pagan form was its papal. It would not be
correct, therefore, to say that pagan Rome gave its power and seat to a
form of government merely civil, having no religious element whatever. No
stretch of the imagination can conceive of such a transaction. But two
phases of empire are here recognized, and in the prophecy Rome is pagan
until Rome is papal. The statement that the dragon gave to the leopard
beast his power and seat, is further evidence that the dragon of Revelation 12:3 is used as symbol of pagan Rome. But back of both powers, and
leading them on in their wicked work, is Satan himself.
But it may be said that it takes both the leopard beast and the
two-horned beast to constitute the papacy, and hence it is to these that
the dragon gives his power, seat, and great authority. But the prophecy
does not say so. It is the leopard beast alone with which the
dragon has to do. It is to that beast alone that he gives his
power, seat, and great authority. It is that beast which has a head that
is wounded to death, which is afterward healed; that beast after which the
whole world wonders; that beast which has a mouth speaking blasphemies, and
which wears out the saints for 1260 years. It does all this before the
succeeding power, the two-horned beast, appears. The leopard beast alone,
therefore, symbolizes the Roman Empire in its papal form, the controlling
influence being ecclesiastical.
Identical With the Little Horn. —To show this more fully, we
have but to draw a parallel between the little horn of
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Daniel 7:8, 20, 24, 25, and this power. From this comparison it will appear that the little horn and the leopard beast symbolize the same power. The
little horn is generally acknowledged to be a symbol of the papacy. There
are six points by which to establish their identity:
1. The little horn was a blasphemous power. “He shall speak great
words against the Most High.” Daniel 7:25. The leopard beast of
Revelation 13:6 does the same. “He opened his mouth in blasphemy
against God.”
2. The little horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against
them. (Daniel 7:21.) This beast also (Revelation 13:7) makes war with
the saints, and overcomes them.
3. The little horn had a mouth speaking great things. (Daniel 7:8, 20.) Of this beast we read: “There was given unto him a mouth
speaking great things and blasphemies.” Revelation 13:5.
4. The little horn arose on the cessation of the pagan form of the
Roman Empire. The beast of Revelation 13:2 arises at the same time; for
the dragon, pagan Rome, gives him his power, his seat, and great authority.
5. Power was given to the little horn to continue for a time, times,
and the dividing of time, or 1260 years. (Daniel 7:25) To this beast
also power was given for forty-two months or 1260 years. (Revelation 13:5.)
6. At the end of that specified period of 1260 years the “saints,”
“times,” and “laws” were to be taken out of the “hand”
of the little horn. (Daniel 7:25.) At the end of the same period, the
leopard beast was himself to be led “into captivity.” Revelation 13:10. Both these specifications were fulfilled in the captivity and exile of the pope, and the temporary overthrow of the papacy by France in 1798.
These six points prove satisfactorily the identity of the little horn
and the leopard beast. When we have in prophecy two symbols, as in this instance, representing powers that come upon the stage of action at the same time, occupy the same territory, maintain the same character, do the same work, exist the
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same length of time, and meet the same fate, those
symbols represent the same identical power.
Received a Deadly Wound. —The head that was wounded to death was the papal head. We are held to this conclusion by the obvious
principle that whatever is spoken in prophecy of the symbol of any
government, applies to that government only while it is represented by that
symbol. Now Rome is represented by two symbols, the dragon and the leopard
beast, because it has presented two phases, the pagan and the papal; and
whatever is said of the leopard beast applies to Rome only in its
professedly Christian form. John says that it was one of the heads of this
leopard beast that was wounded to death. In other words, this wound fell
upon the form of government that existed in the Roman Empire after its
change from paganism to Christianity. Thus it is evident that is was the
papal head that was wounded to death, and whose deadly wound was healed.
This wounding is the same as the going into captivity. (Revelation 13:10.) It was inflicted when the pope was taken prisoner by Berthier, the
French general, and the papal government was for a time abolished, in 1798.
Stripped of his power, both civil and ecclesiastical, the captive pope,
Pius VI, died in exile at Valence in France, August 29, 1799. But the
deadly wound began to be healed when the papacy was re-established, though
with less of its former power, by the election of a new pope, March 14,
1800. [1]
Verse 5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to
continue forty and two months. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 7
And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome
them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose
names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world. 9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10 He that leadeth into captivity
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shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
Speak Blasphemies. —This beast opens his mouth “in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.” Mention has already been made in comments on the book of Daniel as to the significance of the expression, “He shall
speak great words against the Most High.” Daniel 7:25. In verse 5
in this chapter of Revelation similar words are used, for he had “a mouth speaking great things.” Here, however, the word “blasphemy” is added, and this evidently points to the fact that the great words will be blasphemous enunciations against the God of heaven.
In the Gospels we find two indications of what constitutes blasphemy.
In John 10:33 we read that the Jews falsely charged Jesus with blasphemy
because, said they, “Thou, being a man, makest Thyself God.”
This is in the case of the Saviour was untrue, because He was the
Son of God. He was “Immanuel, God With Us.” But for man to
assume the prerogatives of God and to take the titles of deity— this is
blasphemy.
Again, in Luke 5:21 we see the Pharisees endeavoring to catch Jesus in
His words. “Who is this which speaketh blasphemies?” said they.
“Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” Jesus could pardon
transgressions, for He was the divine Saviour. But for man, mortal man, to
claim such authority is blasphemy indeed.
We might ask if the power represented by this symbol has fulfilled this
part of the prophecy. In comments on Daniel 7:25 we saw clearly from the evidence submitted that he had spoken “great words” against the God of heaven. Now observe what is said regarding the claim of the priesthood to forgive sins:
“The priest holds the place of the Saviour Himself, when, by
saying, ‘Ego te absolvo’ [I thee absolve], he absolves from sin. . . . To
pardon a single sin requires all the omnipotence
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of God. . . . But what only God can do by His omnipotence, the priest
can also do by saying ‘Ego te absolvo a peccatis tuis.’. . . Innocent III
has written: ‘Indeed, it is not too much to say that in view of the
sublimity of their offices the priests are so many gods.’ “
[2]
Note still further the blasphemous utterances of this power:
“But our wonder should be far greater when we find that in obedience to the words of His priests —HOC EST CORPUS MEUM [This is My body]— God Himself descends on the altar, that He comes wherever they call
Him, and as often as they call Him, and places Himself in their hands, even
though they should be His enemies. And after having come, He remains,
entirely at their disposal; they move Him as they please, from one place to
another; they may, if they wish, shut Him up in the tabernacle, or expose
Him on the altar, or carry Him outside the church; they may, if they
choose, eat His flesh, and give Him for the food of others. ‘Oh, how very
great is their power,’ says St. Laurence Justinian, speaking of priests.
’A word falls from their lips and the body of Christ is there substantially
formed from the matter of bread, and the Incarnate Word descended from
heaven, is found really present on the table of the altar!’ “
[3]
“Thus the priest may, in a certain manner, be called the creator
of his Creator. . . . ‘The power of the priest,’ says St. Bernardine of
Sienna, ‘is the power of the divine person; for the transubstantiation of
the bread requires as much power as the creation of the world.’ “
[4]
Thus this beast power blasphemes the temple in heaven by turning
attention of his subjects to his own throne and palace instead of to the
tabernacle of God; by diverting their attention from the sacrifice of the
Son of God to the sacrifice of the mass.
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He blasphemes them that dwell in heaven by assuming to exercise the
power of forgiving sins, and so turns away the minds of men from the
mediatorial work of Christ and His heavenly assistants in the sanctuary above.
By verse 10 we are again referred to the events of 1798, when that
power that had for 1260 years led the saints of God into captivity, was
itself let into captivity.
Verse 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.
Two-Horned Beast. —This verse brings to view the third great
symbol in the line of prophecy we are examining, usually denominated the
two-horned beast. We inquire for its application. The dragon, pagan Rome,
and the leopard beast, papal Rome, present before us great organizations
standing as the representatives of two great systems of false religion.
Analogy would seem to require that the remaining symbol, the two-horned
beast, have a similar application, and find its fulfillment in some nation
which is representative of still another great system of religion. The
only remaining system which is exercising a controlling influence in the
world today is Protestantism. Abstractly considered, paganism embraces all
the heathen lands, containing more then half the population of the globe.
Catholicism, which may perhaps be considered as including the religion of
the Greek Orthodox Church, so nearly identical with it, belongs to nations
which compose a large part of Christendom. A clear portrayal of
Mohammedanism and its influence has been given in other prophecies. (See comments on Daniel 11 and Revelation 9.) But Protestantism is the religion
of nations which constitute the vanguard of the world of liberty,
enlightenment, progress, and power.
A Symbol of America. —If, then, Protestantism is the religion
to which we are to look, to what nation as the representative of that
religion does the prophecy have application? There are notable Protestant
nations in Europe, but for reasons which
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will hereafter appear, the symbol cannot apply to any of these. A
careful investigation has led to the conclusion that it does apply to
Protestant America, or the United States of America. The reason for such
an application and the evidence by which it is supported we will carefully
consider.
Are they any reasons why we should expect that the United States would be mentioned in prophecy? On what conditions have other nations found a
place in the prophetic record? First, that they have acted a prominent
part in the world’s history; and second, and above all, that they have had
jurisdiction over, or maintained important relations with, the people of
God. In the records of the Bible and of secular history, we find data from
which to deduce this rule respecting the prophetic mention of earthly
governments: A nation enters prophecy when the work and destiny of God’s
people are definitely linked with it. All these conditions are certainly
fulfilled in the United States. The conviction has fastened itself upon
many minds that the rise and progress of this nation has been of such a
nature that Providence saw fit to forecast it in prophecy.
Governor Pownal, an English statesman, predicted in 1780, while the
American Revolution was in progress, that this country would become
independent; that a civilizing activity, beyond what Europe could ever
know, would animate it; and that its commercial and naval power would be
found in every quarter of the globe. He then speaks of the probable
establishment of this country as a free and sovereign power as” ‘a
revolution that has stranger marks of divine interposition,
superseding the ordinary course of human affairs, than any other event
which this world has experienced.’” [5]
George Alfred Townsend, speaking of the misfortunes that have attended
the other governments in the Western Hemisphere says:
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“The history of the United States was separated by a beneficent
Providence far from this wild and cruel history of the rest of the
continent.” [6]
Such considerations as these are calculated to arouse in every mind a
strong expectation that this nation will be found to have some part to act
in the carrying out of God’s providential purposes in this world, and that
somewhere it will be spoken of in the prophetic word.
Chronology of This Power. —At what period in this world’s
history is the rise of this power placed in the prophecy? On this point,
the foundation for the conclusions at which we must arrive is already laid
in the facts set forth regarding the leopard beast. It was at the time
when this beast went into captivity, or was killed with the sword (verse
10), or had one of its heads wounded to death (verse 3), that John saw the
two-horned beast coming up. If the leopard beast, as we have conclusively
proved, signifies the papacy, and the going into captivity met its
fulfillment in the temporary overthrow of the papacy by the French in 1798,
then we have the time definitely specified when we are to look for the rise
of this power. The expression “coming up” must signify that the
power to which it applies was but newly organized, and was then just rising
into prominence and influence.
Can anyone doubt what nation was actually “coming up” in
1798? Certainly it must be admitted that the United States of America is
the only power that meets the specifications of the prophecy on
this point of chronology.
The struggle of the American colonies for independence began in 1775.
In 1776, they declared themselves a free and independent nation. In 1777, delegates from the thirteen original States —New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia— in Congress assembled, adopted Articles
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of Confederation. In 1783, the War of the Revolution closed with a
treaty of peace with Great Britain, whereby the independence of the United
States was acknowledged, and territory ceded to the extent of 815,615
square miles. In 1787, the Constitution was framed, and by July 26, 1788,
it was ratified by eleven of the thirteen original States; and on the 1st
of March, 1789 it went into effect. The United States thus began with less
than one million square miles of territory, and less than four million
citizens. Thus we come to the year 1798, when this nation is introduced
into prophecy.
John Wesley, in his notes on Revelation 13, written in 1754, says of
the two- horned beast:
“He has 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.”
[7]
Age of This Power. —There is good evidence in the prophecy to
show that the government symbolized by the two-horned beast is introduced
in the early part of its career; that is, while a youthful power.
John’s words are, “I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth;
and he had two horns like a lamb.” Why does not John simply
say, “He had two horns?” Why does he add “like a lamb?”
It must be for the purpose of denoting the character of this beast,
showing that it is not only of an innocent and harmless demeanor, but also
that it is a youthful power; for the horns of a lamb are horns that
have barely begun to grow.
Bear in mind that by the preceding argument on chronology, our gaze is
fixed on the year 1798, when the power symbolized was then youthful. What
notable power was at that time coming into prominence, but still in its
youth? England was not, nor was France, nor Russia, nor any European
power. For a young and rising power at that epoch, we are obliged to turn
our eyes to the New World. But as soon as we turn them in that
direction, they rest inevitably upon the
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United States as the power in question. No other power west of the
Atlantic Ocean fits the description.
Location of the Two-Horned Beast. —A single declaration of the
prophecy is sufficient to guide us to important and correct conclusions on
this point. John calls it “another beast.” It therefore is no
part of the first beast; and the power symbolized by it is likewise no part
of that which is intended by that beast. This is fatal to the claim of
those who avoid the application of this symbol to the United States by
saying that it denotes some phase of the papacy; for in such a case it
would be a part of the preceding, or leopard, beast.
Since this is “another” beast, “coming up out of the
earth,” it must be found in some territory not covered by any other
symbols. Babylon and Medo-Persia covered all the civilized part of Asia.
Greece covered Eastern Europe, including Russia. Rome, with the ten
kingdoms into which it was divided, as represented by the ten toes of the
image of Daniel 2, the ten horns of the fourth beast of Daniel 7, the ten
horns of the dragon of Revelation 12, and the ten horns of the leopard
beast of Revelation 13, covered all Western Europe. In other words, all the
Eastern Hemisphere known to history and civilization is covered by
prophetic symbols respecting the application of which there is scarcely any
room for doubt.
But there is a mighty nation in the Western Hemisphere, worthy, as we
have seen, of being mentioned in prophecy, which is not yet brought in.
There is one symbol remaining whose application has not yet been made. All
the symbols but one are applied, and all the available areas of the Eastern
Hemisphere are covered by the applications. Of all the symbols mentioned,
one alone, the two-horned beast of Revelation 13, is left. Of all the
countries of the earth respecting which any reason exists why they should
be mentioned in prophecy, one alone, the United States of America, remains.
Does the two-horned beast represent the United States? If it does, then
all the symbols find an application, and all the ground is covered. If it
does not, it follows that the United
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States is not represented in prophecy, and the symbol of the two-horned
beast is left without a nation to which it can apply. But the first of
these suppositions is not probable, and the second is not possible.
Another consideration pointing to the location of this power is drawn
from the fact that John saw it arise from the earth. If the sea, from
which the leopard beast arose (Revelation 13:1) denotes peoples, nations,
and multitudes (Revelation 17:15), the earth would suggest, by contrast, a
new and previously unoccupied territory. By exclusion from Eastern
continents, and by looking to territory not previously known to
civilization, we turn of necessity to the Western Hemisphere.
Manner of Its Rise. —The manner in which the two-horned beast
was seen coming up shows, equally with its location, age, and chronology,
that it is a symbol of the United States. John saw the beast coming up “out
of the earth.” This expression must have been designedly used to point
out the contrast between the rise of this beast and that of other national
prophetic symbols. The four beasts of Daniel 7 and the leopard beast of
Revelation 13 all arose out of the sea. New nations generally rise by
overthrowing other nations, and taking their place. But no other nation
was overturned in order to make room for the United States, and the
attainment of its independence was already fifteen years in the past when
it came into the field of prophecy. The prophet saw only peace.
The word which is used in verse 11 do describe the manner in which this beast comes up, is very expressive. It is {Greek- avnabai=non} anabainon, one of the prominent definitions of which
is, “to grow or spring up as a plant.” It is a remarkable fact
that this same figure has been chosen by political writers, without any
reference to the prophecy, as the one conveying the best idea of the manner
in which the United States has arisen. George Alfred Townsend says:
“In this web of islands, the West Indies, began the life of both
[North and South] Americas. There Columbus saw land; there Spain began her
baneful and brilliant Western
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empire; thence Cortez departed for Mexico, De Soto for the Mississippi,
Balboa for the Pacific, and Pizarro for Peru. The history of the United
States was separated by a beneficent Providence far from this wild and
cruel history of the rest of the continent, and like a silent seed we
grew into empire; while empire itself, beginning in the South, was
swept by so interminable hurricane that what of its history we can
ascertain is read by the very lightnings that devastated it. The growth of
English America may be likened to a series of lyrics sung by separate
singers, which, coalescing, at last make a vigorous chorus, and this,
attracting many from afar, swells and is prolonged, until presently it
assumes the dignity and proportions of epic song.” [8]
A writer in the Dublin Nation spoke of the United States as a
wonderful empire which was “emerging,” and “amid
the silence of the earth daily adding to its power and pride.”
Edward Everett, in an oration on the English exiles who founded this
government, said:
“Did they look for a retired spot, inoffensive for its obscurity,
and safe in its remoteness, where the little church of Leyden might enjoy
the freedom of conscience? Behold the mighty regions over which, in peaceful
conquest —victoria sine clade [victory without strife]— they have
borne the banners of the cross.” [9]
Will the reader now look at these expressions side by side— “coming
up out of the earth,” “emerging amid the silence of the earth,”
“like a silent seed we grew into empire,” “mighty regions”
secured by “peaceful conquest.” The first is from the prophet,
stating that would be when the two-horned beast should arise; the
others are from political writers, telling what had been in the
history of the United States of America. Can anyone fail to see that the
last three are exactly synonymous
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with the first, and that they record a complete accomplishment of the
prediction?
Another inquiry naturally follows: Has the United States “come up”
in a manner to meet the specifications of the prophecy? Let us see. A
short time before the great Reformation in the days of Martin Luther, more
than four hundred years ago, this Western Hemisphere was discovered. The
Reformation awoke the nations that were fettered in the galling bonds of
superstition and oppression, to the great truth that it is the heaven-born
right of every man to worship God according to the dictates of his own
conscience. But rulers are loath to lose their power, and religious
intolerance continued to oppress the people. Under these circumstances, a
body of religious heroes at length determined to seek in the wilds of
America that measure of civil and religious freedom which they so much
desired. In pursuance of their noble purpose, one hundred of these
voluntary exiles landed from the “Mayflower” on the coast of New
England, December 21, 1620. “There,” says Martyn, “New
England was born,” and this was “its first baby cry, a prayer and
a thanksgiving to the Lord.” [10]
Another permanent English settlement had been made at Jamestown,
Virginia, in 1607. In process of time, other settlements were made and
colonies organized, which were all subject to the English crown till the
Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.
The population of these colonies amounted in 1701 to 262,000; in 1749,
to, 1,046,000; in 1775, to 2,803,000. [11]
Then came the struggle for independence, the establishment of a united
constitutional government, and the proclamation to the world that here all
could find an asylum from oppression and intolerance. From the Old World
came immigrants by the thousand, adding by peaceful means to the population
and
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prosperity of the new nation. Large territories were purchased or
acquired by treaty to make room for all who came to settle. Now, passing
over more than 150 years, to the second quarter of the twentieth century,
the territory of the United States has expanded to more than three and a
half million square miles, and its population has increased to over
135,000,000 people.
The growth of the United States in material prosperity and enlightened
development is an astonishment to the world, and furnished an ample basis
for the application of the prophecy.
Character of Its Government Symbolized. —Under this division of
the subject we find still further evidence that the symbol represents the
United States. In describing this power, John says that it had “two
horns like a lamb.” The horns of a lamb indicate youthfulness,
innocence, and gentleness. As a power which has but recently arisen, the
United States answers to the symbol admirably in respect to age, while no
other power can be found to do this. Considered as an index of power and
character, it can be decided what constitutes the two horns of the
government, if it can be ascertained what is the secret of its power, and
what reveals its character, or constitutes its outward profession. The
Hon. J. A. Bingham gives us the clue to the whole matter when he states
that the object of those who first sought these shores was to found “what
the world had not seen for ages; viz., a church without a pope, and a state
without a king.” Expressed in other words, this would be a government
in which the ecclesiastical should be separate from the civil power, and
civil and religious liberty would be characteristic.
It needs no argument to show that this is precisely the profession of
the American government. Article IV, sec. 4, of the Constitution of the
United States reads in part: “The United States shall guarantee to
every State in this Union a republican form of government.” Article
VI: “No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to
any office or public trust
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under the United States.” The First Amendment to the Constitution
begins as follows: “Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
These articles profess the amplest guaranty of civil and religious
liberty, the entire and perpetual separation of church and state. What
better symbols of them could be given than “two horns like a lamb?”
In what other country can be found a condition of things which would
represent so completely this feature of the symbol?
Republican in Form. —The two-horned beast, with a noticeable
absence of crowns upon its horns, symbolizes a nation with a republican
form of government. A crown is an appropriate symbol of a kingly or
dictatorial form of government, and the absence of crowns, as in this case,
would suggest a government in which the power is not vested in any such
ruling member, but is lodged in the hands of the people.
But this is not the most conclusive proof that the nation here
symbolized is republican in its form of government. From verse 14 we learn
that appeal is made to the people when any national action is to be
performed: “Saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they
should make an image to the beast.” This is emphatically the case in
the United States. The Constitution on which it was founded guarantees “a
republican form of government,” as shown above. This constitutes
another link in the chain of evidence that this symbol applies to the
United States of America. There is no other government to which anyone
could reasonably think of applying this symbol.
A Protestant Nation. —The two-horned beast symbolizes a nation which cannot be Catholic in religion. The papacy is a religion that is
fundamentally a union of church and state. The Constitution of the United
States of America (Article VI ) declares that “no religious test shall
ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust,”
and thereby establishes a perpetual separation of church and state. Civil
and religious liberty is a fundamental principle of Protestantism.
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The founders of this great land, living close to all of the
events that resulted from a union of church and state, were jealous of the
liberties that they claimed as the rights of all, and were quick to
denounce anything that savored of a union of church and state. From the
religious standpoint, therefore, the United States is a Protestant nation,
and meets the requirement of the prophecy admirably in this respect. Thus
again the prophecy points directly to this nation.
Before entering upon a discussion of another aspect of this prophetic
symbol, let us review the points already established:
The power symbolized by the two-horned beast must be some nation
distinct from the powers of the Old World.
It must arise in the Western Hemisphere.
It must be seen assuming a position of prominence and influence about
the year 1798.
It must rise in a peaceful and quiet manner, not augmenting its power
and expanding its territory, as other nations have done, by aggressive wars
and successful conquests.
Its progress must be so evident as to strike the beholder with as much
wonder as would be the perceptible growth of an animal before his eyes.
It must be republican in its form of government.
It must be Protestant in its religion.
It must exhibit before the world, as an index of its character and the
elements of its government, two great principles which are in themselves
perfectly just, innocent, and lamblike.
It must perform its work after 1798.
We have seen that of all these specifications, it can be said that they
are conclusively met in the history of the United States thus far; and that
they are not met in the history of any other nation. It is therefore
impossible to apply the symbol of Revelation 13:11 to any other nation
than the United States of America.
To Speak as a Dragon. —Now that we have identified the United States of America as the power symbolized by the two-horned
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Revelation Chapter 13b
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