The United States in Prophecy

WE notice yet another consideration pointing to the locality of this power. John saw it arising from the earth. If the sea from which the leopard beast arose, Rev. 13:1, denotes peoples, nations, and multitudes, Rev. 17:15, the earth would suggest, by contrast, a new and previously unoccupied territory.

Being thus excluded from the eastern continent, and impressed with the idea of looking to territory not previously known to civilization, we turn of necessity to the western hemisphere. And this is in full harmony with the ideas already quoted, and more which might be presented, that the progress of empire is with the sun around the earth from east to west. Commencing in Asia, the cradle of the race, it would end on this continent, which completes the circuit. Bishop Berkley, in his celebrated poem on America, written more than one hundred years ago, in the following forcible lines, pointed out the then future position of America, and its connection with preceding empires:—

"Westward the course of empire takes its way;

The four first acts already past,

A fifth shall close the drama with the day;

Time's noblest offspring is the last."

By the "four first acts already past," the bishop had undoubted reference to the four universal kingdoms of Daniel's prophecy. A fifth great power, the noblest and the last, was, according to his poem, to arise this side the Atlantic, and here close the drama of time, as the day here ends its circuit.

To what part of the American continent shall we look for the power in question? To the most powerful and prominent nation, certainly. This is so evident that we need not stop to pass in review the frozen fragments of humanity on the north of us, nor the weak, superstitious, semi-barbarous, revolutionary, and uninfluential kingdoms to the south of us. No; we come to the United States, and here we are held. To this nation the question of the location of the two-horned beast undeviatingly leads us.

And the eyes of all Europe are intently watching our movements. Says Mr. Townsend (New World and Old, p. 583):—

"All the great peoples of Europe are curiously interested and amazed in the rise of America, and their rulers at present compete for our friendship. 'Europe,' said the prince Talleyrand long ago, 'must have an eye on America, and take care not to offer any pretext for recrimination or retaliation. America is growing every day. She will become a colossal power, and the time will come when (discoveries enabling her to communicate more easily with Europe) she will want to say a word in our affairs, and have a hand in them.'"

The time has come, and the discoveries have been made, to which Talleyrand referred. It is almost as easy now to communicate with Europe as with our nearest town. By these things the attention of the world is drawn still more strongly toward us; and thus whatever the United States does, it is done in the sight, yes, even before the eyes, of all Europe.

CHRONOLOGY OF THE TWO-HORNED BEAST.

Having become satisfied where the power symbolized by the two-horned beast must be located, we now inquire respecting the time when we may look for its development. At what period in this world's history is the rise of this power placed in the prophecy? On this point, as on the preceding, the foundation for the conclusions at which we must arrive is already laid in the facts elicited in reference to the preceding or leopard beast. It was at the time when this beast went into captivity or was killed (politically) with the sword, verse 10, or (which we suppose to be the same thing), 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 popedom by the French, in 1798, then we have the time definitely specified, when we are to look for the rising 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. The power represented by this symbol must, then, be some power which in 1798 stood in this position before the world.

That the leopard beast is a symbol of the papacy, there can be no question; but some may want more evidence that the wounding of one of its heads, or its going into captivity, was the overthrow of the papacy in 1798. This can easily be given. A nation being represented by a wild beast, the government of that nation, that by which it is controlled, must as a very clear matter of course be considered as answering to the head of the beast. The seven heads of this beast would therefore denote seven different governments; but all the heads pertain to one beast, and hence all these seven different forms of government pertain to one empire. But only one form of government can exist in a nation at one time; hence the seven heads must denote seven forms of government to appear, not simultaneously, but successively. But these heads pertain alike to the dragon and the leopard beast; from which this one conclusion only can be drawn: that Rome, during its whole history, embracing both its pagan and papal phases, would change its government six times, presenting to the world seven different forms in all. And the historian records just that number as pertaining to Rome. Rome was first ruled by Kings; second, by Consuls; third, by Decemvirs; fourth, by Dictators; fifth, by Triumvirs; sixth, by Emperors; and seventh, by Popes. See American Encyclopedia.

John saw one of these heads wounded, as it were, to death. Which one? Can we tell? Let it be noticed, first, that it is one of the heads of the beast which is wounded to death, and not one of the heads of the dragon; that is, it is some form of government which existed in Rome after the change of symbols from the dragon to the leopard beast. We then inquire, How many of the different forms of Roman government belonged absolutely to the dragon, or existed in Rome while it maintained its dragonic or pagan form? These same seven heads are again presented to John in Rev. 17; and the angel there explains that they are seven kings, or forms of government, verse 10; and he informs John that five are fallen, and one is; that is, five of these forms of government were already past in John's day; and he was living under the sixth. Under what form did John live? The imperial; it being the cruel decree of the emperor Domitian which banished him to the Isle of Patmos where this vision was given. Kings, Consuls, Decemvirs, Dictators, and Triumvirs, were all in the past in John's day. Emperors were then ruling the Roman world; and the empire was still pagan. Six of these heads, therefore, Kings, Consuls, Decemvirs, Dictators, Triumvirs, and Emperors belonged to the dragon; for they all existed while Rome was pagan; and it was no one of these that was wounded to death; for had it been, John would have said, I saw one of the heads of the dragon wounded to death. The wound was inflicted after the empire had so changed in respect to its religion that it became necessary to represent it by the leopard beast. But the beast had only seven heads, and if six of them pertain to the dragon, only one remained to have an existence after this change in the empire took place. After the Emperors, the sixth and last head that existed in Rome in its dragonic form, came the Popes, the only head that existed after the empire had nominally become Christian, The "Exarch of Ravenna" existed so "short a space," Rev. 17:10, that it has no place in the general enumeration of the heads of this power.