Where is America in Bible Prophecy?
"There was another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation. It was planted in the good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine."
(Ezekiel 17:7-8)
The vision of the eagle recorded in 2 Esdras contains certain parallels that may refer to the United States. While America is not alluded to directly in Scripture, it may be referred to indirectly. God weaves His prophetic revelations within Scripture by using patterns, types and implications. So we must search for those patterns and references when looking for America's role in prophecy. Let's begin by looking at Isaiah.
"Woe unto the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond
America: God's Prophetic Vineyard
the rivers of Ethiopia; That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled! All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye"
(Isaiah 18:1-3).
Some Scholars think that the land beyond Ethiopia referred to in Isaiah is America. The nation in Isaiah's vision was a land "shadowing with wings," or literally a land with buzzing wings that sends ambassadors by the sea. Certainly America, along with many other nations, has sent ambassadors across the oceans. The nation that Isaiah described was "scattered and peeled." The word "scattered" in Hebrew means to stretch or to be tall. The word "peeled" in Hebrew refers to being smooth or bright. Therefore, Isaiah sees a people who are tall and have a bright complexion.
North Africans are dark skinned, so this nation must be beyond Africa—"beyond the rivers of Ethiopia." Isaiah continued to explain that this nation is "meted out and trodden down." A literal translation would be mighty and conquering. Other Bible translations read:
• "a people dreaded near and far that conquers and treads down"
(Berkeley translation)
• "a terror far and near; a sturdy race of conquerors" (Moffet translation)
• "terrible from the beginning onwards, a nation mighty"
(Rotherham translation)
Since it is located "beyond Ethiopia" and it is well watered by rivers, it is hard to determine what nation the prophet referred to in his day. Continuing to read, a warning is given to the nation. The warning concludes with:
"In that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the
place of the name of the Lord of hosts, the mount Zion."
(Isaiah 18:7)
Contemporary Bible scholars are uncertain who Isaiah meant to portray here. It has been speculated that this verse refers to America, but that cannot be proven. There are other theories for us to consider.
America and Jeremiah's Babylon Theory
Jeremiah 50 opens with the prophecy against Babylon (Jeremiah 50:1 and 51:1). He wrote, "Babylon has been a gold cup in the Lord's hand" (Jeremiah 51:7); that "Babylon has suddenly fallen" (Jeremiah 51:8); and that Babylon will become "a heap, a dwelling for dragons"
(Jeremiah 51:37). He warned God's people to "Get ye out of the midst of her" (Jeremiah 51:45).
Some prophecy teachers believe that Jeremiah 50 and 51 cryptically refer to America. I disagree, because Jeremiah states that the prophecy is spoken against Babylon. In the sense that Babylon's sins can be compared to the sins of America, there is a lesson to be learned here about repentance, but not a prophetic lesson concerning America.
Jeremiah warned about Israel's seventy years of captivity in Babylon (Jeremiah 25:11). In fact, Jeremiah gave firm warnings about Babylon throughout the whole book of Jeremiah. An accurate comparison of Babylon (in Chapters 50 and 51) to America requires that we also compare the other references in Jeremiah to America. This is literally impossible.
Comparing References to Babylon Made by John and Jeremiah Jeremiah's prophecy is related to the warnings of the Apostle John concerning Mystery Babylon in Revelation 17 and 18. Regarding Babylon, Jeremiah wrote that the rivers would dry up (Jeremiah 50:38).
In Revelation 16:12 John wrote that the Euphrates River would dry up.
Ancient Babylon was built on the edge of the Euphrates River and Jeremiah commanded the people to "flee and come out of her" (Jeremiah 51:6,45). John also referred to Mystery Babylon when he wrote, "Come out of her my people" (Revelation 18:4). In Jeremiah's vision, Babylon was a gold cup (Jeremiah 51:7). John repeated the same statement about Mystery Babylon, saying that she has a "golden cup in her hand"
(Revelation 17:4). Jeremiah said dragons would dwell there (Jeremiah 51:37). The Hebrew word is tannim and can mean land or sea monster.
America: God's Prophetic Vineyard
It probably alludes to some type of desert animal dwelling among the ruins. At times, tannim is translated in the original Scriptures as serpent or snake. Several hundred years later, John said Mystery Babylon would become a habitation of devils (Revelation 18:2). It is interesting to note in Revelation 12 that John described Satan as a "dragon with seven heads and ten horns" (Revelation 12:3, 9).
The comparison continues as Jeremiah cried out, "Babylon is suddenly fallen" (Jeremiah 51:8). And John prophesied seven hundred years later, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen" (Revelation 18:2).
Because the angel in Revelation 18:2 announced the fall of Babylon twice, with the phrase "is fallen, is fallen" it could suggest two separate destructions of Babylon.
Jeremiah's Babylon was built by King Nebuchadnezzar. It was conquered by the Medes and Persians, and taken by the Greeks and Alexander the Great. Alexander planned to restore the city to its grandeur, but he died unexpectedly in Babylon at age 33. After Alexander's death, Babylon became the capital of the Seleucid dynasty.
The temples were eventually moved from the ancient city and a new capital was built at the Tigris River. Babylon became a ghost town.
However, it was never destroyed in the manner that Jeremiah predicted
—that is, with a destroying wind. John's Mystery Babylon will be destroyed with fire in one hour (Revelation 18:8,10, 17, 19).
I believe that Jeremiah predicted the fall of his current-day Babylon, and at the same time prophesied regarding the Babylon to come later. This could be a dual prophecy, meaning a prophecy regarding Jewish captivity in Babylon in Jeremiah's day, and a prophecy concerning a future Babylon (seen by John in Revelation).
Using the basic laws of Biblical interpretation, I cannot conclude that America is connected to this prophecy of Jeremiah.
Is America the Mystery Babylon in Revelation 17?
The most frequent prophetic teaching about our nation suggests that America is depicted in Revelation 17. Yet again, upon carefully examining the text "line upon line and precept upon precept," the Babylon of Revelation cannot refer to America. This is why:
"And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth
upon many waters. With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her I wondered with great admiration."
(Revelation 17:1, 2, 5, 6)
John's imagery portrays a prostitute riding a beast. In the Bible, a prostitute signifies unfaithfulness to God, or a false religion. Those who see America here compare the Statue of Liberty to the woman on the beast. The woman in Revelation has a gold cup, but Lady Liberty has a torch. The Statue of Liberty stands, yet the harlot rides. Ten kings rule the harlot, yet fifty sovereign states joined together in a federal head rule America.
The woman was responsible for killing the saints and was guilty of the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. America did not exist at the time of Christ's crucifixion and America has protected religious freedom. In John's day, the Roman Empire was guilty of crucifying Christ and murdering thousands of early Christians. We could continue on, but one verse in Revelation 17:18 gives us the ultimate clue as to the identity of the woman who rides the beast:
"And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth."
(Revelation 17:18)
Rome reigned in John's day. After the decline of Rome, the Roman church continued to set up kings in Europe and literally controlled European politics along with parts of the Middle East.
Furthermore, it was clearly Romans who persecuted and executed early Christians, becoming "drunken with the blood of the martyrs." In John's time, apocalyptic writers referred to Rome as Babylon. They did this to avoid Roman persecution for predicting God's judgment against Rome.
Babylon and Rome invaded Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and captured the Jews and enslaved them. The destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem occurred on the 9th of Av, at the time of the Babylonian and Roman invasions.
America: God's Prophetic Vineyard
Daniel's Vision of Empires—a More Plausible Prophecy
I think that a more plausible theory is found in Daniel 7:1-7. The Hebrew prophet Daniel received a vision while he was a captive in ancient Babylon. Using the symbolism of animals, the vision portrays several empires that would rule in the future. Some conclude that one small passage may refer to the United States.
"Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse from one another. The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. And behold another beast, a second, like a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it and they said thus to it, `Arise, devour much flesh!' After this I beheld and to another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl. The beast also had four heads; and dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the night visions and behold, a fourth beast dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet. It was diverse from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns."
(Daniel 7: 2-7)
Notice that these beasts rule in succession: the lion, the bear, the leopard, and finally, the non-descriptive beast with ten horns.
Traditionally, scholars point to Daniel 2 and 8 to demonstrate that the four successive empires m Daniel's prophecy are Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. According to this interpretation, the lion represents ancient Babylon; the bear, Medo-Persia; the leopard, Greece; and the fourth beast, the Roman Empire. The animals in the vision represent specific kingdoms. The entrance to Babylon was flanked with large, winged lions made of stone. Large bears roamed the mountains of ancient Persia. The swiftness of the leopard represented the Greek Empire's incredible ability to conquer when lead by Alexander the Great.
In Daniel's vision, the leopard had four wings on its back. When Alexander the Great died, his kingdom was divided between his four generals, signified by the leopard's four wings. The final beast with iron
teeth represents the iron kingdom of Rome. It is clear from Nebuchadnezzar's dream in Daniel 2:33 that the legs of iron on the image represent the Roman Empire.
In Daniel's vision, "four kings shall arise." This is future tense.
Daniel 7 was written during Daniel's captivity in Babylon. If Babylon is the first beast (the lion) and the four beasts in Chapter 7 shall arise (future tense), then perhaps the vision symbolized a series of end-time empires that would rule in the latter days.
Four Modern Empires of Prophecy
Some scholars teach that these four beasts represent four modern empires that have risen up in the past three hundred years:
• The lion represents Great Britain, whose wings formed the United States.
• The bear represents the nation of Russia.
• The leopard represents the nation of Germany.
• The final beast represents the final kingdom that will rule at the time of the end.
First, consider Great Britain, whose emblem is a lion. Britain was once the mightiest empire in the world. It was said that the sun never sets upon the British Empire. Britain colonized much of the world, including Palestine (present day Israel). Notice that the lion had eagles' wings and the wings were plucked or removed. The lion suddenly stood up and was given a heart like a man. While traditional scholars think this symbolizes Nebuchadnezzar's seven-year nervous breakdown and his recovery in Daniel 4, others believe this speaks of how America was plucked away from the British lion and made to stand alone. America came out of the lion and has been given a heart of a man, or a heart of compassion.
The Eagle's Wings in Daniel's Prophecy
An interesting story in early American history suggests that Daniel 7 influenced the decision to use the eagle as America's national emblem. A Jewish broker named Haym Salomon helped finance the American Revolution. In my personal stamp collection, I have a U.S.
postal stamp that says "Contributions to the Cause" with the name Haym
America: God's Prophetic Vineyard
Salomon, financial hero (See fig. A). On the back it reads:
"Financial hero, businessman and broker Haym Salomon was responsible for raising most of the money to help finance the American Revolution and later to save the new nation from collapse."
The founder of the Institute for Judaic Christian Research in Arlington, Texas has suggested that Haym Salomon contributed to the process of selecting America's seal. Having studied the book of Daniel, Salomon read about the eagle's wings being plucked from the lion. In this, he saw a prophetic picture of how America was plucked away from the British lion; thus, the eagle would be a perfect symbol for America!
After the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a committee was formed to design the seal of the United States. According to the Federalist Brief, Thomas Jefferson suggested a seal depicting the children of Israel being led with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Benjamin Franklin picked up on the same theme and suggested a seal with Moses dividing the sea and the chariots of Pharaoh being swamped under the waters, with a motto:
"Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God." The Hebrew connection to American independence was very evident in these discussions. Neither of these designs was chosen. Instead, the committee selected the eagle.
The eagle is printed on the back of every dollar bill. Notice the eagle has arrows in one claw and olive branches in the other. The arrows represent war and the olive branches represent peace. The eagle faces the olive branches to communicate that America desires peace. However, the arrows of war are available if needed. In America's modern history, she has been a peace-loving nation, yet she stands ready to defend peace if necessary. The eagle does not wear a crown as do the many coats of arms found in Britain. The crown represents royalty and is omitted from America's seal because America was a land of the people and by the people.
Above the eagle's head is a series of 13 stars surrounded by a
Commemorative stamp of broker Haym Solomon, whose financial support prevented the American Revolution from collapsing. Fig. A
circle of clouds. Notice that these 13 stars form the Magen David, or the
"star of David." This design is found on the Israeli flag and is the emblem of the modern nation of Israel.
Some Christians believe that the pyramid on the back of the dollar bill is related to the occult. I prefer to quote the journals of Congress regarding the meaning of the pyramid:
"A pyramid unfinished of 13 layers of stone. In the zenith, an eye of Divine Providence, surrounded with a glory proper.
Over the eye these words, Annuit Coeptis [Latin for "He (God) has blessed our undertakings"]. On the base of the pyramid the numerical letters MDCCLXXVI. Underneath the motto, Novus Ordo Seclorum meaning A New Order of the Ages (Source:
Our Flag and other Symbols of Americanism, Robert Weaver, Alexandria, Virginia, 1972, p.9).
Charles Thomas served as Secretary of the Congress when the seal was approved. He stated that the pyramid signifies strength and duration. The eye and the motto allude to the many single interpositions of Providence in favor of the American cause (Source: The Story of the Seal, p.19).
James Wilson, a Justice of the first Supreme Court, noted that "A free government has often been compared to a pyramid ... it is laid on the broad basis of the people." The eagle's wings that were plucked from the lion could very well represent America. If this is correct, then it was the Almighty who plucked the eagle's wings and formed a new nation that was certain to become a major end time Gentile power.
Who are the Other Three Beasts?
If the Lion represents Britain and the eagle's wings represent America, then what about the other three beasts? Today the bear is Russia's emblem. In Daniel's vision, the bear lies on one side and has three ribs in its mouth. Russia is known for its spread of Communism.
The three ribs could represent the three main Communist leaders, Marx, Lenin and Stalin. The bear "devours much flesh." Millions of innocent humans were literally devoured as the Russian bear clawed its way into nations, tearing apart those who resisted. The Russian Revolution of 1917 brought about Communism.
The next major nation after the rise of Communist Russia was Germany. Hitler's Germany influenced the world after the rise of
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Communism. The leopard is the third beast and the German Nazis were the Third Reich. The army of Germany, as did Alexander the Great centuries before moved with the speed of a leopard to conquer surrounding nations.
There is a final beast that will arise after the leopard that will be
There is a final beast that will arise after the leopard that will be