Is the United States in Biblical Prophecy?

When it comes to prophecy, there have been numerous attempts to explain the book of Daniel as it relates to the times we live in.  I think we may have moved far enough in time to see the progression more clearly.

In Daniel 2, it has traditionally been understood that the gold head was the Babylonian Kingdom.  Daniel makes this identification for us.  The chest and arms were the Medes and the Persian Empire, the belly of bronze was the Hellenic Empire and the fourth Kingdom was the Roman Empire.  The Roman Empire was destroyed and then transformed by the mountain of the Lord which is the Kingdom of God that is growing here on earth during the church age.  I believe this is a correct understanding of this passage.

In Daniel 7, the second vision is recorded by Daniel.  In this vision there are four beasts namely the lion, bear, leopard and the last beast which is left unidentified.  Revelation 13 does identify the last beast stating that it is a combination of the lion, bear and the leopard. 

The animals all appear at one time rather than in sequence in Daniel 7 demonstrating that all of these nations will exist at the same time in history.

It has been traditionally understood that Daniel 7 parallels Daniel 2; however, the vision is very different.  I think all of the animals in Daniel 7 can be identified in this present age. 

The British Empire is represented by the Lion.  In Daniel 7:4, it says, “The first was like a lion, and had Eagle’s wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off.”  The Eagle is the symbol for America and it has been the British-American Empire that is still ruling to this day.  The wings represent the spiritual nature of these powers; however, over time these wings were plucked meaning that American-British alliance lost their spiritual origin.  The text also notes that the Lion with Eagle wings turns into a man emphasizing that these spiritual nations are transformed into godless nations.  

The Bear is Russia which maintains an empire during our present age.  The bear has three ribs in its mouth revealing that they present a threat to Israel and actually harm Israel at some point most likely due to its alliance with the Islamic nations which continue to threaten and harm Israel.

The Leopard is an animal that has a lot of spots.  If you have ever seen a leopard, it has lots and lots of spots.  The spots represent a collection of nations that work as one.  A leopard that fits that exact identification does exist in the United Nations.  The U.N. is seen as an empire in our world today.  The Leopard has four wings and four heads.  The number four is the number for the authority over the earth so that the Leopard's authority extends to all people on the earth which is true of the U.N.

I think in part that the current configuration of nations is important because Israel as a nation came into existence in 1948 which began an eschatological (def: end times) clock ticking.

The final beast is the final world government which will combine the British-American, Russian and United Nations into a one world government.

The final world government is controlled by 10 nations.  The United Nations currently has 5 permanent members and 10 non-permanent members.  The book of Revelation predicts that the world government follows a horrific cataclysmic event where 1/3 of the world's population is killed.

Out of these 10 nations that rule the world, one little horn which I believe is the great city found in Revelation 17 will come to power and these 10 nations will give their power to the beast.  Revelation 17 demonstrates that the center of power resides in a revived Roman Empire which had previously been destroyed by the mountain of the Lord in Daniel 2.  However, the Rome which sat on seven hills may simply be a picture of the world government that covers seven continents.

The end of the vision in Daniel 7 is the coming of the Son of Man who gives the earth to the saints beginning the millennial Kingdom.

The Rise of Christian Russia?

While most think that Russia is a former super-power, Russia has actually been rapidly rising again as a major force in the world today.  Russia is advancing Christian morality and free-market ideas and reaping the benefits while the U.S. is allowing the godless to influence the direction of America.

I recently was speaking with some missionaries who went to Russia and they were describing Christians who were comparable to the early church which caused me to reflect on Russia a little more intensely.  Contrary to the image of Russia being the evil empire, it appears that Russia is flourishing as they embrace the Christian faith.  The U.S. on the other hand is looking more and more like the evil empire from a Biblical perspective.

Here are some interesting facts:

Muslims in Russia are converting to Christianity with over 2 million Muslims joining the Orthodox Church.  It is estimated that only 2500 Christians have converted to Islam during the same time period.

President Putin has recently stated that world leaders need to join together to stop Christian persecution around the world.  Putin then credited Christianity for the rise and development of “culture and education” in Russia over the last 1000 years crediting it with turning Russia into “one of the largest world powers.”

While the U.S. is busy promoting homosexuality, Russia has made it illegal to promote homosexuality.

Russia leads the world in oil production with 10.9 million barrels per day as compared to Saudi Arabia which produces 9.9 million and the U.S. which produces 8.4 million.

Russia only has an 8.4 percent debt to GDP ratio as compared to the U.S. which has a 101.6 percent debt to GDP ratio.

Under the leadership of Putin, Russia has an unemployment rate of 5.0.  The Russian economy has now vaulted to the fifth largest economy in Europe surpassing all the economies in Europe including Germany.  

Moscow can now boast that they have the “highest number of billionaires…in the world.”

While the United States has the most powerful military in the world, Russia can boast that it has the second most powerful military in the world.

The people in Russia are still in a very depressed mode for the most part.  Putin sees that Christianity gives people hope and a purpose.  Even though Putin sees the benefit of the Christian faith, his insight may only be a temporary opening for the people of God to shine brightly.  The one world religion found in the false prophet in Revelation 13 necessitates Russia encouraging the Russian Orthodox Church at this time.  The intent is that the Russian Orthodox Church will someday join with Catholicism to bring stability and unity to the world.  The false prophet who will deceive the world with his power will bring Catholicism and Islam together under the same umbrella.

NSA Violated the Law Thousands of Times

The Washington Post is reporting that the NSA violated the law thousands of times each year as they spied on Americans. 

It was discovered that there were over 2700 infractions in 2012 which represents an audit at just one of their offices located in the Washington, D.C. area.

In one incident the NSA scooped up all the (202) area code phone calls which is the area code for Washington, D.C.  In other words, someone had access to all the phone calls being made by members of Congress at one point including the Supreme Court.  How many of those calls were listened to will never be known.

The Washington Post reveals that there is no way to actually calculate all of the compliance issues stating, "There is no reliable way to calculate from the number of recorded compliance issues how many Americans have had their communications improperly collected, stored or distributed by the NSA."

The White House spins the finding trying to argue that almost all of them were mistakes and that there is nothing here for American's to be concerned about.

The Bible speaks of the coming surveillance state where no man is able to even buy or sell without the 'mark'.  Revelation 13 says that there will be a time of great persecution where believers are captured and killed.  John writes, "If anyone has an ear, let him hear. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints."

In order to find all the saints, a surveillance state will exist which is why the nations of the world will mourn at the coming of Christ (Rev 1:7).  If the saints were here, then there would be great rejoicing here on the earth; however, by the end of the tribulation almost all of those who came to Christ during the tribulation are tracked and then killed before the second coming of the Lord.

Love is Dying in America

The fervency of the conservative grass roots is coming to an end.  The conservative movement was an attempt to restore America to it moral roots so that the family could be rebuilt on the reality of love.  A family built on love results in a society rooted in love providing the maximum amount of freedom.

The movement faced some really long odds because the Supreme Court had taken away its right to legislate a morality consistent with godliness and goodness.

The godless worldview does not acknowledge the reality of love and seeks to allow the selfish and immoral to grow their numbers through various means.  Hollywood really brings this reality into focus as they promote fornication, adultery, divorce, pornography and homosexuality.  The immorality of Hollywood has been promoted by the Democrats since the 1960's and now moderate Republicans are promoting it also.

All of these represent the failure of men in America to love their spouse and children which was the hallmark of America's greatness.  Due to the promotion of liberalism, men have lost their identity as God-fearing defenders of the American way and women no longer respect the role of men in society as a result.

The Lord is raising up our enemies to destroy our greatness because our nation has turned its back on God, love, morality and hope.  Once love, morality and hope disappear, you have a people group who are ready to be ruled by those who are evil.

The freedom that Americans have enjoyed is coming to an end as the godless and immoral begin to influence the future of America and bring it to its knees.  Love is the great motivator in life and without love, you have nothing.  Love is not a choice or a feeling; rather, God is love being a spiritual reality a person comes to know through faith which is then shared with their spouse, children and eventually the world.

Paul summed up this prophecy when he said, 2 Timothy 4:3 "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but having itching ears, they shall heap to themselves teachers in accordance with their own lusts."

Government Shut Down?

I know there is a little noise about a government shut down; however, it won't succeed in my opinion. The surveillance state is a part of prophecy and this is the path that America and the world will travel down. 

The government has to have access to everything about you in order to maintain absolute control during the tribulation so buckle up!

The Republicans are scared to death of losing their positions of power.  There are just too many people who have placed their hope in the government providing for their needs including over 47.5 million people on food stamps.  That means 1 out of every 6 people are currently receiving food stamps and that is just for starters.