AMERICA IN PROPHECY

     Every scholar of the Reformation identified Revelation, chapter 13 as the encapsulated history of the apostate Christian church. Verses 1 to 10 are ascribed to Rome's apostasy. While the United States of America had not yet been established the scholars could not identify the latter verses to our day and age. The following verse-by-verse commentary is intended to enlighten us to the wisdom of GOD in providing the prophetic insight to see where we are, in both time and character.

Rev. 13:11-18

11) "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth [which, in this timeline chronologically follows the first beast, rising in a land largely unpopulated (“the earth”), in contrast to the first beast rising out of “the sea” which represents "peoples, nations multitudes and tongues” (Rev. 17:5). The one great kingdom that has risen in a largely unpopulated area since the removal of papal Rome from her secular domination in 1798 is the United States of America]; and he had two horns like a lamb [Republican government and Liberty of conscience are uplifted as the ruling concepts for moral foundation, forbidding any religious authoritarianism through the First Amendment to the Constitution], and he spake as a dragon [continual exercise of hypocrisy by claiming to honor justice, and mercy, while working through acts of oppression, to weaken the very fabric of our mutual liberties established through the Constitution, ultimately leading society to full-blown religious tyranny].

12) And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him [via the religious leaders restoring the spirit of Roman inquisition and working to gain an absolute civil authority that Christ condemned and commanded should never exist (Mk.10:42-45)], and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed [The reestablishment of a church/state system of government under the auspices of the Vatican, legislating laws enforcing the worship of GOD, thereby removing the religious freedoms from the Constitution as established by our Protestant forefathers].

13) And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men [through Satan’s power the leaders of apostasy cause fire to fall from the sky burning up people and animals thereby securing more control over the people (Job 1:16; Matt. 24:23,24; II Cor. 11:13-15)],

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 [leading earth's population into a unanimous rebellion against GOD'S Law and the Gospel of Christ (Is. 8:20; 34:16; I Jn. 2:3-6; 5:3)]; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast [by a national law, and from there into international law, the violation of the Ten Commandments of GOD (Rev. 12:17; 22:14) as have already been dismissed by papal Rome by the removal of the 2nd and 4th Commandments], which had the wound by a sword, and did live [inflicted on the papacy by "a sword" of General Berthier in 1798.]

15) And he [the church leadership of America] had power to give life unto the image of the beast [through demanding the legislation of laws enforcing the worship of GOD removing the 1st Amendment to the Constitution], that the image of the beast should both speak [with unrestrained authority],
and cause [by enacting civil laws of tyranny] that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed [where civil penalties increase, leading to the death sentence. When the U.S. decrees death for the Commandment-keeping Christians, they have, in the eyes of heaven, pronounced the same sentence on themselves (Gal.6:7). A swift destruction awaits the population of earth (Lu.18:7,8).]

16) And he [Protestant America] causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand [through their actions of obeying the law of religious apostasy (Ps.94:20,21)], or in their foreheads [by accepting this law through the intellect of the mind
(Jer.3:3; Eze.3:8)]:

17) And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name [through governmental confiscation of all legal holdings, forbidding any ability to provide life- support for family and friends (Eze.34:1-16)].

18) Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. ["Vicarius filii Dei" (or Vicar of Christ) is the Pontiffs official title of which he himself claims. The numerical value of each of the letters of the pope's title, "Vicarius filii Dei," adds up to exactly 666 in each of the Biblical languages of Hebrew, Greek and Latin; the same three languages used on the placard posted on the Cross of Christ. This, in conjunction with the history of atrocities against Christians for 1260 years, as specified 7 times in prophecy (Dan. 7:25, 11:33, 12:7; Rev. 11:2, 12:6, 12:14, 13:5), committing the blasphemy of claiming attributes of Deity, removing two Commandments from His Sacred Law (the 2nd and the 4th Commandments, the ones pointing directly to Christ as Savior and Creator), and, removing over seventeen centuries of Christian history from Bible prophecy—with all this, one's understanding becomes clear: the religious systems of Catholicism and Apostate Protestantism are in the service of Satan, not Jesus Christ, and are "the beast" and "the false prophet" of Revelation's uninterrupted history of GOD'S church from the days of the Apostles through the close of earth's present history. Their mutual destruction is prophesied (Rev.19:20); and only those who disassociate themselves from the sins of these two corrupt systems claiming fidelity to Jesus Christ will be spared the coming plagues that will devastate the world before the LORD comes in power and glory (Rev.18:4)].