Luke 21:8

Christian, Be Not Deceived!

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO 

COULD THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BE DEPICTED BY THE 6th OR ANY OTHER HEAD OF THE BEAST? 

Some who apply the lamblike beast of Rev. 13 as one of the heads of the beast of Rev. 17 do so in an endeavour to make up eight heads. Some apply the 6th head of the beast to the United States thinking thus to solve the problem presented by the angel's explanation (vs. 8-11) that the 6th head "is" during the period when the beast "is not". Some think that a power brought so prominently into the prophetic picture in Rev. 13 should also come into the prophetic symbolism of Rev. 17 as one of the heads. This latter thought of course is in harmony with the Bible principle of repeating in later chapters that which has been mentioned in earlier ones. So the purpose for which the lamblike beast is mentioned in Rev. 13 should be looked for in a later chapter. The lamblike beast is brought into the prophetic picture in Rev. 13 to show how the beast will have its power restored; how the world will be led to wonder after the beast-by the lamblike beast changing its lamblikeness to the likeness of a dragon. 

The Revelator often mentions the crucial part, the pinnacle point, when introducing an actor in the drama of the great controversy between the forces of good and evil. So when introducing this lamblike beast, he says: "He had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon" (v. 11). What follows in his description of this power leads to the world's crisis over the mark of the beast, a crisis which is brought about by this power leading the world to "worship the beast, whose deadly wound was healed", and he does this by compelling people to receive "the mark of the beast" (vs. 13-17). Thus Protestant America is brought into the picture, not as a separate head engaging alone in persecuting the people of God, but as an associate with the beast. Apostate Protestantism, through imbibing and promulgating the doctrines of the beast, makes it possible for the death-stroke to be healed, and prepares the way for the resurrection of the beast of persecution. Apostate Protestantism is pictured as being an associate with the beast-not as a separate head, but as a part of that persecuting head. Observe the wording of Rev. 13:12, 13: "And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the 

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sight of the beast" Observe again in Rev. 19:20 how the false prophet is an assistant to the beast, not a separate, independent head: "And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image." 

The Scriptures clearly indicate that the power of the Papacy will be restored and that apostate Protestantism will unite with her in the work of persecuting God's people, and consequently is not to be regarded as a separate head. Observe the following statements made by the servant of the Lord declaring that Protestants will unite with the Papacy: 

"As America, the land of religious liberty shall unite with the Papacy in forcing the conscience and compelling men to honour the false Sabbath the people of every country on the globe will be led to follow her example". (6T. 1 

"The Protestant churches unite with the world and with the Papal power, against commandment-keepers" (5T. 449). 

“The church appeals to the strong arm of civil power, and in this work, Papists and Protestants     unite.” (GC. 607). 

“Under one head–the Papal power–the people will unite to oppose God in the person of His witness. (7T. 182). 

Thus there can be no question that both the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy point to the restoration of Papal power with which the power of apostate Protestantism will be united; there will be but "one head–the Papal power"–under which "the people will unite to oppose God in the person of His witnesses". There is no separate Protestant head. 

In the endeavour to explain how one of the heads could exist without the body of the beast–the problem suggested by the angel's statement that the 6th head "IS" during the period when the beast "IS NOT"–some have suggested that perhaps the lamblike beast constitutes the 6th head of the beast from the time the Papacy received its death-stroke in 1798 until the spirit of oppression and terror rises again. This may be thought a way of explaining the problem of how a head of the beast could exist without a body, for the 6th head is said to be, or "IS", when the beast "IS NOT". Actually, however, such a view creates several problems. Before presenting these we wish to make a brief statement concerning the Papacy receiving its death-stroke. Before 1798 events occurred which indicated that the Papacy was losing its supremacy. Before 1798 it had largely lost control of the secular power to persecute God's people. The Saviour had stated in His second advent sermon that the tribulation of "those days should be shortened" (Matt. 24:22; Mark 13:20, 24). "The 1260 days, or years, terminated in 1798. A quarter, of a century earlier, persecution had almost wholly ceased" (GC. 306). However, the time period of Papal supremacy mentioned in Daniel and Revelation did not expire until 1798 when the Pope was taken a 

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prisoner and the Papacy then for the time being practically ceased to exist. What happened in 1798 was really the climax of events which preceded it. As the Scriptures point to 1798 as the time of the loss of the last vestige of Papal supremacy, we present that date as the time when the Papacy received its death-stroke, though we recognize that that event was but the culmination of events which had transpired in the political world reducing the power the Papacy among the nations. 

In rejecting the suggestion that Protestant America is the head of the beast after the Papal head received its death-stroke, we would point out that if the heads are assumed to be symbols of persecuting powers (and there seems no reason for disbelieving this viewpoint which is generally accepted and there does not appear to be any other reason for their existence), it would appear most incongruous to believe that the 6th head represented, not a persecuting power but one that has been a mighty force in bringing to the world civil and religious liberty; a power that has been a mighty bulwark against priestly and kingly tyranny. It would surely be illogical or contrary to the intent of this prophecy to point to the heads of the beast as representing those powers that have persecuted God's people down the ages, and then to point to the 6th and apply it to a power that has given God's people freedom from the fury of intolerance and persecution. 

If it be argued that the 6th head represents Protestant America that will eventually forsake its principles of religious liberty and thus persecute God's people, we would point out that that argument fails in two main essentials. When the United States becomes a persecuting power, the beast of persecution will then have risen from "the bottomless pit", but the 6th head is said to exist before the beast emerges from the abyss. And again, when the persecuting beast does rise from the abyss it then has not the 6th but the 7th and last head. We are explicitly informed in Rev. 17:10, 11 that when the beast rises from the abyss he then has the 7th head which is stamped with the symbol number 8. Thus it would be impossible for Protestant America to be the 6th head from 1798 until the rise of persecution again, because (1) the heads represent the persecutors of God's people and, during that time (from 1798 until now) the United States has been a great bulwark in defense of religious liberty; and she could not be represented by the 6th head when religious tyranny rises from the abyss because (2) the beast rises from the abyss possessing the 7th head. The 6th head must exist (though in a wounded, practically lifeless state–Scriptural reasons supporting this important feature will be presented in the next chapter) during the period from 1798 until the beast of persecution once more lifts its ugly head from the grave; it cannot exist after that time because the 

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beast then has the 7th head which is stamped with the symbol number 8. To apply the 6th head to Protestant America during the time it shelters the church behind its mighty bulwark of religious freedom would surely be most incongruous in view of the fact that the prophecy employs the 7 heads to depict those who persecute God's people! 

Some may think that the United States should be a separate head, perhaps on the basis that it is especially brought into the prophetic picture in Rev. 13:11-17, but it should be noted that in these verses Protestant America is not depicted as a separate head of the former beast which has seven heads, but one who helps the beast to regain its power. 

So far as the symbol of the lamblike beast is concerned, it is separate from the leopard-like beast, and there is no suggestion in Rev. 13 that it is to be understood as being one of the 7 heads of the other beast. Its lamblikeness–indicates a separateness at least in its original character; a contrast, an opposition to the persecuting beast. This, we know, is the actual fact. The principles of Protestantism held aloft by the United States have been diametrically opposed to the totalitarian principles of the Papacy. Thus Protestant America has been depicted as a separate entity to the persecuting beast which symbolized the Papacy for many centuries. When the Papacy lost its power to persecute that persecution was not continued by the United States; to the contrary the United States has stood for principles which brought about the cessation of persecution at the hands of the Papacy. Thus the lamblike beast is brought into the prophetic picture not  because of its similarity to the beast but because of its dissimilarity. Of course the prophecy hastens to inform us that the lamblike beast ceases to be like a lamb, but becomes like a dragon. However, in this change of character it is not brought into the prophetic picture as a separate persecuting power but one that is an assistant to the leopard-like beast. It is brought into the prophecy. to reveal how this at-one-time antagonist of the beast would entirely lose its lamblikeness, change its character, and assist in the healing of the head of the beast that had received a death-stroke. The prophecy dwells upon this astonishing fact that a virulent anti-Papal power can so turn around as to actually aid in the restoration of the persecuting power of the Papal head that had been apparently slain. But even in this role this lamblike then dragon-like beast is still only an assistant to the leopard-like beast. It is not mentioned as a separate head, but a power that helps in the healing of the death-stroke which befell one of the heads of the first and thus permits the rise once more of religious intolerance and persecution. It is thus brought into the prophecy, not as a separate head but a power that unites with the head that was 

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wounded and which is healed of its death-stroke, and thus helps to form the 7th head of the persecuting beast as it rises again to trouble the people of God. 

The emphasis placed upon the healing of the death-stroke and the resurrection of the persecuting beast would suggest that the 7th head is the 6th head healed of its death-stroke, and thus leaves no room for another power to be one of these heads, and surely the last power to be sandwiched in between persecuting heads would be the United States, which has stood so valiantly for religious freedom during the time when the 6th head still exists, though the beast of persecution cannot exercise its power upon the people of God. 

And, further, if the United States is made a separate head–a persecuting head–when would it become this head? As it is agreed that the Papacy is to be restored to its power, and assisted too by the United States to regain its lost glory, when would there be time for the United States to be a separate persecuting power? It has been understood by most if not all interpreters that the heads represent successive powers; this is indicated by the word of the 2nd angel in Rev. 17:16, which reads: "They are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space." We have already shown that there are only 7 heads altogether, the 7th one numbered 8 because it is the Bible symbol for resurrection. Which, then, will be the 7th head–the United States? or the Papacy? If reckoned separately they would make 8 heads when the beast has but 7, and as they both do their persecuting at the same time it would mean that if each is reckoned a head then two heads would operate at the one time. This of course would contradict the plain statement of the inspired Word which explicitly declares that the 6th and 7th heads function successively. 

And, further still, how could the United States be a separate head when the work which is clearly outlined for it to do is that of making "an image to the beast". This is the main feature brought to view in the prophecy–the lamblike beast becomes dragonlike and then makes "an image to the beast" by compelling all to receive "the mark of the beast". Whatever power is the head is also the beast, for in Rev. 13:3 it is the head that is wounded to death, whereas in verses 12 and 14 it is "the first beast ... whose deadly wound was healed"; "the beast which had the wound by a sword and did live". It certainly would be incongruous for the United States to be "the beast", as it would be if it were one of the heads, and yet at the same time make "an image to the beast". There is nothing in the prophetic word to indicate that the lamblike beast is to be regarded as a separate head on the persecuting beast. 193 

Another fact that should also be taken into consideration is that the lamblike beast in its broadest sense represents more than the United States, it also includes all Protestants of other countries who subscribe to the enforcement of Sunday laws through the power of the State. Observe carefully the following extract from the servant of the Lord: "The churches, represented by Babylon, are represented as having fallen from their spiritual state to become a persecuting power against those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. To John this persecuting power “the churches represented by Babylon" is represented as “having, horns like a lamb, but as speaking like a dragon" (TM. 117). In GC. 383, 578, 592, 603, 606, 607, 615, 625; EW. 273, 277; TM. 61 the Lord's servant applies the term Babylon to "the various organizations that constitute Babylon"; "the fallen denominational churches are Babylon", etc., meaning Protestants anywhere who accept the principle of the union of Church and State. This not only considerably broadens the significance of the symbol of the lamblike beast with reference to Protestants anywhere (thus complicating matters so far as making the United States a head), but the context of the passages referred to above make use of that term when outlining the work done at the time the Papal head is restored. Apostate Protestantism–not merely Protestants living in the United States, but including those in every nation-is represented as "the false prophet" (Rev. 16:13; 19:20; 20:10) because Protestants teach such doctrines as Sunday sacredness, the inherent immortality of the soul, etc., which they have received from the Papacy and which thus helps to confirm the claims of the Papacy to be the true church or a leader of Christian teaching. Anciently, false prophets led people to trust in their false conceptions of worship and teachings. Thus Protestantism is pictured as "the false prophet" confirming the teachings of the beast. As the whole of Protestantism-including those of all nations-is thus presented as an assistant to the beast, it further illustrates the fact that no separate head of the beast would represent merely the Protestants of the United States. 

There can be no doubt that the 6th head was the one that received the "death-stroke" and the natural corollary is that the 7th head is the resurrection of the 6th, and also that "the false prophet" by assisting to restore the prestige and power of the beast is included in the 7th head that Satan employs for the persecution of the remnant church. 

There is but one application regarding the angel's statement that the 6th head "is" when the beast "is not" that harmonizes with Scripture and logic, as will be seen in subsequent chapters. 

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