All prophecy points to one grand event, the final Day of Judgment when the plan of salvation is complete. At that time, the name above all names will appear on the blood-stained robe of God’s Son: “King of kings and Lord of lords”. See Revelation 19:13, 16.
All nations will be impacted by the Lord’s return (Revelation 1:7). But there are some nations that prophecies in Daniel and Revelation seem to point out as playing a significant role.
In particular, two power systems, or beasts (Daniel 7:17, 23), described in Revelation 13 grab our attention. One is a beast from the sea and the other is a beast “coming out of the earth”.
The sea waters, which help identify the first beast, are mentioned in Revelation 17:15. “Waters” mean they come from many “peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.” John, and readers of his time, could easily have recognized this great power as that of the Roman Empire, which included many people groups across Europe and Asia.
The beast of the sea had other identifying marks that the prophet Daniel saw in vision. Many Protestant Reformers thought this first beast was the papacy of the Roman Catholic Church, which had become the medieval power structure that blasphemed God’s name, inflicted persecution for all who dared defy its teachings, and even changed God’s law (the fourth commandment, in particular).
Along with kings across Europe who were controlled by this beast, this terrifying papal power lasted 1,260 prophetic years (from 538 to 1798 A.D.). Daniel’s prophecies about this beast coincided precisely with those in the book of Revelation. See Daniel 7:25 and Revelation 13:6, 7.
But what about the beast of the earth, also described in Revelation 13? Some Christians have seen this beast as representing the United States. This world power rose up from a sparsely-populated area in the Americas, symbolized by the “earth”. At some point though, this peaceful country would speak like a dragon, or Satan (Revelation 12:9).
Satan’s goal and strategy is the same as with the first beast of the sea, papal Rome. Satan will find a way to unite and control the governing authorities in the United States. He will set himself up once again as the ruling agency of church and state, in order to procure worship for himself, rather than God. This achievement satisfies Satan’s desire is to be the king of kings and lord of lords, instead of Christ.
The gradual, subtle takeover of government will be very deceptive in nature. Many Christian believers will not recognize the events that propel Satan to dominance in their country.
But make no mistake; it will happen. Governments (like the kings across the Holy Roman Empire) will align themselves with church authorities, in order to force people to worship Satan, rather than the real King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ.
Through efforts to dismantle the constitutional guarantee of separation of church and state in the United States, Satan will have another chance to become the king of kings and lord of lords, or the antichrist—not just a false Christ, but His rival.
Anyone who refuses to obey laws that prescribe our worship, like worshiping on a certain day of the week, will become an enemy of the state and be killed, according to Revelation 13:15.
One Christian author predicted this event over a hundred years ago. Ellen White wrote: “Let the principle once be established in the United States that the church may employ or control the power of the state; that religious observances may be enforced by secular laws; in short that the authority of church and state is to dominate the conscience, and the triumph of Rome in this country is assured.” ~The Great Controversy, p. 581.
