Revelations Land Beast

Revelations Land Beast

The following is a transcript from a lecture from Pastor Stephen Bohr entitled Revelations Land Beast. I pray that you might find some time to watch Pastor Bohr’s lectures as I have always found his talks to be informative, and in harmony with scripture. The following lectures on the two beast’s from Revelation, as well as “The Image to the Beast”, “The Number of the Beast”, and “The Mark of the Beast” are an absolute must watch series, and you will learn volumes if you invest some time into watching the video’s, and then studying the transcripts. Pastor Bohr heads a media based ministry called Secrets Unsealed and you can visit his website by clicking here.

Revelations Land Beast

let’s bow our heads for prayer; Our loving Heavenly Father, what a joy it is to be in your presence today. We thank you Father for your Holy Word because it’s a sure guide in a world that doesn’t know where to turn, in a world that’s confused about bible prophecy. We ask father that you will open our understanding today that we might be able to comprehend about the Beast that rises from the earth, I ask Lord that you will remove preconceived notions from our minds, and you will help us only to hear your voice, and we thank you for hearing our prayer for we ask it in the precious name of Jesus amen  Revelations Land Beast

In last time’s presentation we studied about the beast that rose from the sea. And we noticed that that beast that rose from the sea is a symbol of the Roman Catholic papacy. I want to make it very clear that we are not opposed to Roman Catholics. We’re talking about a system. We’re not talking about the individuals within that system. There are very many sincere, loving Christians within that communion, but we’re talking about the Roman Catholic Church, as an organization, or as a hierarchy.

Now you remember, if you were here last time, that we noticed that the fourth beast of Daniel 7 has four stages of dominion. The first stage of dominion is, of course, the dragon beast ruling by itself. That represents the Roman Empire. Then from the head of that dragon beast come ten horns, which represent the ten divisions of the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire was fragmented as a result the barbarian invasions.  Revelations Land Beast

Revelations Land Beast 3 horns uprootedAnd then we notice that a little horn rises among the ten. That represents the Roman Catholic papacy, which ruled for 1,260 years, from 538 to 1798, when the pope was taken prisoner by Napoleon’s, General Berthier.  And then we notice that there was a period of time in which that little horn, or the beast, remained inactive, because the secular governments of the world maintained this system bound. In other words they did not allow this system to use them. The Bible uses the symbolism of the sword. They did not allow the church to use the sword of the state. And so for about 200 years after the French Revolution the Roman Catholic Church has not been able to use the civil powers of the world to persecute.  Revelations Land Beast

We noticed also in our study that this deadly wound is going to be healed. The sword is going to be returned once again to this system. And all of the world, the Bible says, is going to wander after this system, is going to wander after the beast. And you say, How in the world could this wound be healed? How is it possible that any nation in the world would allow this system, once again, to climb on it, and to use that government, or to use that secular power as a sword, to persecute, once again, those who are not in harmony with the teachings of the church?  Revelations Land Beast

Well, today we’re going to study a little bit about the healing of that deadly wound. We’re going to identify a second beast in Revelation 13. This beast does not rise from the sea. It rises from the earth. And this beast is actually going to return the sword to the first beast. You see, this second beast from the earth is going to make an image of the first beast. This second beast is going to command all of the world to worship the first beast. In fact, this second beast is going to command every one on earth to receive the mark of the best. By the way, in the future we’re going to have one lecture on the image to the beast. We’re going to have another lecture on the mark of the beast. And we’re going to have still another one on the number of the beast. So each one of those aspects we’re going to study. But today we want to identify the power, or the nation, that is going to return the sword to the sea beast, or to the Roman Catholic papacy.  Revelations Land Beast

In fact, do you know that the Bible says that when the sword is returned to the sea beast, that the sea beast is actually going to be able to kill, through this power, through this nation that rises, is going to be able to kill everyone who is not in harmony with her teachings. You find that in Revelation 13: 15, where it says:  Revelations Land Beast

Revelations Land Beast Seal of the US Presidents office1“He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. Revelation 13: 15 NKJV”

Yes, persecution will arise again just like it existed during the Middle Ages. Now let’s read about this beast that rises from the earth, that is going to help the first beast get its power back. Revelation 13:11,  Revelations Land Beast

“Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. Revelation 13:11 NKJV”

Other versions say, He had two horns like a lamb but he spoke like a dragon. Now the remarkable thing about this second beast, this earth beast, is that it has a split personality. In other words, it has a positive side, and it has a negative side. The positive side are the two horns like a lamb. Because we’re going to notice in Revelation that the lamb represents Jesus Christ.

So this beast has a positive side: the two horns like a lamb. But it says that this same beast that has two horns like a lamb, speaks like what? like a dragon. Let me ask you, What similarity is there between a dragon and a lamb? No similarity at all!  And yet in this one beast you find these two characteristics: two horns like a lamb. It has two aspects like a lamb, but it speaks like a dragon. In other words it has a dual personality. It has a split personality. I want you to notice that it’s not that this beast has two horns like a lamb, and then the two horns are broken. In other words it ceases being like a lamb, and then it speaks like a dragon when the two horns are broken. No.  Revelations Land Beast

The Bible says that it speaks like a dragon even while it still have the two horns. In other words, it professes one thing, but it actually lives another. In other words, it professes two principles, we’re going to notice, that Christ entertained. And it’s going to say, We believe in that, but at the same time it’s going to persecute like the dragon of Revelation 12.  Revelations Land Beast

Now let’s identify this lamb beast. Let’s see… Actually it’s not a land beast, but the beast that has two horns like a lamb. Let’s review the order of kingdoms that we studied last time. You remember that we have a lion. What kingdom does the lion represent? Babylon. Then we have a bear. What kingdom 4_beasts_dan7does the bear represent? the Medes and Persians. Then we have a leopard. What kingdom does the leopard represent? Greece. Then we have a dragon beast. And what does that dragon beast represent? Rome. And then that dragon beast grows ten horns. What do the ten horns represent that come from the head of Rome, of the dragon beast? It represents Rome, that was divided into ten kingdoms as a result of the barbarian invasions. 476 is the key date. That’s when the last Roman emperor was deposed. And then you have the little horn, which represents the papacy, which, by the way, is Roman also. It comes from the head of the dragon beast, which is Rome. And it rules for 1260 years. But then at the end of the 1260 years, it receives a what? a deadly wound. The sword that it used to persecute now turns against it. In other words, the sword is taken out of its hand. And the sword rises against it and gives it a deadly wound. And for awhile this beast is inactive; this sea beast is inactive because it has a deadly wound.

But the Bible says that its deadly wound is going to be what? healed. Now I want you to notice something very interesting about this beast. When this first beast falls, when the sea beast receives its deadly wound, at that moment is when this land beast rises. So we have a chronological detail to know exactly when this beast is going to arise in the flow of history. Let’s notice several characteristics.  Revelations Land Beast

Characteristic one, of this land beast that is going to give the sword back to the sea beast. And it’s going to impose the mark of the sea beast. It’s going to impose the number of the sea beast. It’s going to make an image of the sea beast. It’s going to tell everyone to worship the sea beast. In other words, everything it does is with reference to the sea beast. It’s almost like it doesn’t have its own identity. It arose for one purpose, and that was to return the identity, or the ability to persecute to that first beast. Now notice Revelation 13:10, 11, Verse 10 speaks about the deadly wound. It says:  Revelations Land Beast

“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. Revelation 13:10 NKJV”

See that’s the deadly wound. And notice, immediately after it speaks about the deadly wound, we find in verse 11: So when the first beast falls it says:  Revelations Land Beast

“Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.13:11 NKJV”

So when does this second beast rise? It rises to power when the first beast receives its deadly wound. Because it says, He who kills with the sword will be killed with the sword. Then he says, Then I saw another beast rise from the earth, which means that this beast would have to rise around what year? It will have to be around the year 1798 when the first beast received its deadly wound. A second characteristic which helps us identify this beast from the earth is that in Revelation 13, beginning with verse 11, there is no reference to waters. There is no reference to winds of strife. In fact this beast that rises from the earth doesn’t even fight with any other beasts. In other words, it does not arise in the midst of strife. Winds of strife represent wars. It doesn’t have to conquer any previous nation. It actually arises in a different place. It can’t be in Asia, and it can’t be in Europe. You say, Why not? Because if you read Daniel 7 you’ll notice that the lion and the bear, which are Asian powers, by the way, rose from the sea. Also the leopard and the dragon beast, which are European powers, rose from the sea as well. But this beast rises from the earth, which means that it must rise in a different place. Are you understanding what I’m saying?  Revelations Land Beast

Now something very important is that prophecy is actually moving from east to west, because the first two beasts are Asian powers: the lion and the bear. The next two beasts are European powers, which is Greece and Rome. And, by the way, always moving further what? further west. So where would you expect this beast from the earth to arise? Probably further west than Europe. And let me ask you, What is it that is west from Europe? North America, the United States of America. In fact, it’s interesting that there are no waters. It rises from the earth. Waters represent multitudes, nations, tongues, and peoples. Let me ask you, When the United States, when the pilgrims came to the United States, were there lots of people living in this country? Was it like the old country, Europe? Absolutely not. There were very few living here. I’m going to give you some statistics a little bit later on. Revelations Land Beast

In fact, let me read you a couple of statements. One of them is by Daniel J. Boorstin, who for many years was the Librarian of Congress. He says this about North America:  Revelations Land Beast

“The vacancy of North America (was) to prove to be its peculiar promise to the world…Emptiness was Americas special fertility” Daniel J. Boorstin

That is of the United States. And another author said this, G. A. Townsend, about the territory where this country arose:

“The history of the United States was separated by a beneficent Providence from the wild and cruel history of the rest of the continent, and like a silent seed we grew into an empire” G. A. Townsend

Revelations Land Beast Declaration of IndependenceSo the United States arose in silence: no winds, no wars, no fighting other nations. It arose in the earth where there was a scarcity of people. It arose around the year 1798, and this author says that it arose like a plant. Do you know that that word that’s used, I saw another beast rise from the earth, that word rise is used in the New Testament to describe; a plant that grows from the earth. It’s interesting that this historian says, in the last quotation I read, Like a silent seed we grew into an empire.  Revelations Land Beast

Now another point that will help us identify this power is that the first beast, the sea beast, and this earth beast are contemporaneous. In other words, they exist at the same time. But the first beast is older than this second beast, because the second beast rises after the first beast has ruled for 1,260 years. In other words they exist at the same time. They are powers that are simultaneous in the flow of history. And the interesting thing is that this second beast actually helps the first beast to get it’s power back. You know, usually when you look at the beasts in Daniel chapter 7, the bear fights the lion and takes away his power, and the leopard fights the bear and takes away his power, and the dragon fights the leopard and takes away his power. In other words, every power defeats the previous power. But this is very unusual, because in 1798 when the first power falls, and loses the sword, the Bible tells that this second power is not going to fight that first power, but is actually going to do everything possible to restore the power to the first beast; Unbelievable!  Revelations Land Beast

Revelation 13 also says that this power is going to be worldwide, and it’s going to be a super power. It’s going to be a super power economically, because the Bible says that he’s going to forbid to buy and sell to whoever does not receive the mark of the beast. It’s a worldwide military power, because it says that it’s going to kill everyone who does not receive the mark of the beast. And it is also a worldwide political power, because it says that everybody on earth, all the world marveled and worshipped the beast. In other words, this second beast is the enforcer of the first beast. This second beast is actually the sword in the first beast’s hand. And you say, this is incredible. How would this beast lend itself to be used in this manner? Well, it’s unbelievable, but it’s true.

One final characteristic before we move on to talk about the two horns like a lamb, which is one especially I want us to dwell upon. This nation, before it becomes an oppressive nation, and actually enforces the religion of the first beast, actually was a blessing to those people who fled from the old country, to the United States. I’m not going to read the text, but if you go to Revelation 12, you’re going to notice in verse 16, that immediately towards the end of the 1260 years, when the church was being persecuted, it says the dragon was spewing water out of his mouth to drown the woman, which represents the church.

“But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. Revelation 12:16 NKJV”

We’re told there that the earth helped the woman, and the earth swallowed the waters of persecution that the dragon spewed out of his mouth. In other words, at first this nation provides what? help, and refuge for those who are persecuted in Europe. But later on what’s going to happen with this nation? Instead of providing refuge for God’s people, it is going to become a what? a persecuting power. By the way, I’d like to mention just briefly here the phenomenal growth of the United States into a world super power. In 1701 the United States had 260,000 inhabitants. In 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was signed, there were 2.8 million. In the year 1800 there were 5,236,000. That’s around the time of the deadly wound. In 1900 the United States had 76,212,000. In 1950 the United States had 151,325,000. And today, the latest that I saw on the internet, the United States has over 306,000,000 inhabitants. Since 1950 the population of the United States has doubled.  Revelations Land Beast

As a silent seed we grew into an empire. Let me ask you, Is the United States a global power, economically, militarily, and financially? Absolutely! Can it serve, eventually, as the enforcer for this power? There’s no nation in the world that could serve as the enforcer of this power, except the United States.  Revelations Land Beast

Now I want to go and dwell upon the two horns like a lamb. That’s what I want to dedicate most of our time to in this lecture. First of all we want to ask, What does this beast represent? What does a beast represent in Bible prophecy? Well, you know that a beast represents a nation, right? The lion represents Babylon, the bear Medo Persia, the leopard Greece, the dragon Rome, the he goat represents Greece, the ram represents Medo Persia. In other words, beasts in prophecy represent nations. Now allow me to read you a statement from Adam Clarke. He was a great Bible commentator. He’s not a Seventh day Adventist, but he explains what a beast represents. See it is not only Seventh day Adventists that believe that beasts represent nations. He says this:

Adam Clarke“As a beast has already been shown to be the symbol of a kingdom or empire, the rising up of this second beast must consequently represent the rising up of another empire.” Adam Clarke

That’s the land beast. Is he right? He said, Well, if the first beast is an empire, well the second beast must also be what? an empire, in order to be consistent.

Now what do the two horns represent? How many beasts do we have? I’m not talking about the sea beast and the land beast. The land beast is how many beasts? just one, right? But it has two horns. So how many nations does this beast represent? it’s one nation, but it has two horns. Now what do the two horns represent? Once again Adam Clarke gives this explanation: very, very good explanation. He says:  Revelations Land Beast

“As the seven headed-beast is represented as having ten horns, which signify so many kingdoms leagued together to support the Latin Church, so the beast which rises out of the earth has also two horns, which must consequently represent two kingdoms; for if horns of a beast represent kingdoms in one part of the Apocalypse, then kingdoms must be intended by this symbol whenever it is used in a similar way in any other part of the book.” Adam Clarke

This is the dragon beast. It has ten horns. That’s the book of Revelation. Is he right? I mean you have to be consistent. You can’t say that the ten horns of the dragon beast represent one thing, and to say the two horns on this land beast represent something totally different. The two horns on the head of the land beast, or this beast that has characteristics like a lamb, represent two kingdoms. Now there’s a Biblical parallel that is very, very close to this symbol that we have in Revelation 13:11. Go with me to Daniel 8, Daniel 8, and I want to read verse 3, and then we’ll jump down to verse 20. Daniel 8:3.

“Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and there, standing beside the river, was a ram which had two horns, and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. Daniel 8:3 NKJV”

How many animals? one. Okay, so you have one beast with what? two horns. Now what do those two horns represent on this one beast? This one ram with two horns. What does the ram, and what do the two horns represent? Verse 20:

“The ram which you saw, having the two horns—they are the kings of Media and Persia. Daniel 8:20 NKJV”

Let me ask you, Was this one nation? Yes, it was one nation. One beast is used to represent it: a bear, and a ram. One nation, but this one nation was composed of how many kingdoms? This one nation was composed of two kingdoms. In other words, this beast of Revelation 13 represents one nation, but that one nation has two what? has two kingdoms, or dual kingdoms within it. Now we’re going to come back to this. You’ll understand what we’re talking about. We’re setting the bases now. But let me ask, Why are these two horns like horns of a lamb? You know, there are many beasts in Scripture that have horns in prophecy. But this is the only time when the horns are specifically identified; what kind of horns. You know, for example, the dragon beast that says it has ten horns. That doesn’t say what kind of ten horns they are. It’s just ten horns. But with this beast it specifies. It says that it has two horns like a what? like a lamb. That must be important. Now the question is, What does the lamb represent?

The word lamb is used in the book of Revelation 29 times. In 28 of those references it indisputably refers to Jesus Christ. And so somehow this beast, the only time where you might have an exception is here in this text, Revelation 13:11. It must mean that Behold the lamb of godsomehow this one nation, on its head it will have two horns, which represent two kingdoms, and those kingdoms are the ones that were recognized by whom? They were recognized by Jesus Christ, because the lamb represents whom? The lamb represents Jesus. So the two horns like a lamb is the positive side of this beast. Let me ask you, Is this good that it has two horns like a lamb? sure! But the problem is that if it has two horns like the lamb, in other words, two horns like kingdoms that Jesus recognized, but at the same time it will speak like what? It’ll speak like a dragon, because it has a split personality. In other words, the two horns like a lamb are the positive side. They’re related somehow to the Lord Jesus Christ. And so we need to ask the question, What two kingdoms did Jesus Christ the Lamb recognize? Because the two horns are kingdoms, and they’re two horns like a lamb, so they must be two kingdoms that Jesus what? that Jesus recognized. Now the question is, Which two kingdoms did Jesus recognize as viable?  Revelations Land Beast

Well, we’ve studied this in previous lectures. You remember that Jesus says, Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s. Did Jesus recognize two kingdoms? Did the Lamb of God recognize two kingdoms? Yes, He did. So let’s summarize. This beast that rises from the earth must be a kingdom. This beast that rises from the earth, that has two horns, the two horns must represent that in that nation there are two what? There are two kingdoms. And they have to be two kingdoms that Jesus recognized, because they are two horns like what? two horns like a lamb. And we know that the two kingdoms that Jesus recognized are the kingdom of Caesar, the civil government, and the kingdom of God, which is on earth, the church. Revelations Land Beast

Now let’s talk a little bit about the history of the United States of America. What nation in the world arose around the year 1798? One nation that recognized in its founding documents, the legitimate simultaneous existence of two kingdoms separate one from another. There’s only one nation in the world, that originated as one nation that recognized two kingdoms, the same kingdoms that Jesus recognized as being separate, one from the other. I want to read a statement from the Great Controversy, Page 440, this magnificent book on Bible prophecy. Here Ellen White says:  Revelations Land Beast

Ellen G White“What nation of the New World was in 1798 rising to power, giving promise of strength and greatness, and attracting the attention of the world? The application of the symbol admits of no question, One Nation, and only one, meets the specifications of this prophecy. It points unmistakably to The United States of America” E.G. White Great Controversy P 440

Now what I want to do is go through the history of the United States to show you that in its founding documents you have this idea of one nation, composed of two kingdoms, separate one from the other. Now the history of the United States can be divided into two great periods: the first period is known as the Colonial period, and the second period is known as the Constitutional period. You know, the Constitutional fathers: men such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison, and Benjamin Franklin knew three things. These were the Constitutional fathers that arose around the year 1798 to write the founding documents of the United States.They knew three things: first of all they knew the history of the church in the middle ages. In fact, do you know, that every founding document of the United States: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights were all ratified before the beast received its deadly wound? As the first kingdom was coming to an end, or receiving its deadly wound, the other kingdom, in its founding documents, was rising to power. That’s very, very interesting. And the founding fathers knew the history of the church in the middle ages. They also knew the history of the United States in the Colonial period. And they also knew their Bibles, as we’re going to notice.  Revelations Land Beast

Now the Constitutional fathers knew, and they were living at the end of the 1260 years, that when church and state are joined together, the automatic result is persecution. For example, they knew the history of John Hus, that man who was convicted, and burned at the stake for his religious convictions. They knew, for example, that he had been kept in subhuman conditions in prison squalor. They knew that false witnesses were called to testify against him. They knew that he had violated no civil laws. They knew that he was tried for the religious convictions of his conscience. They knew that he was called before a religious tribunal, much like the Sanhedrin, at first. He knew that that religious tribunal had pronounced a death sentence against him. And they knew that then they took him to the emperor to have the emperor stamp his imprimatur upon the sentence of death. And they knew that because of his religious convictions he was burned at the stake.  Revelations Land Beast

They knew the history of the church in the middle ages, when church and state were united or joined together. I’d like to read you a few statements from this very interesting book that I have. It’s called, Hus the Heretic It’s written by an individual called Poggius the Papist. In fact, this is the man who was sent to arrest John Hus. And, actually, as he watched the way that John Hus was treated by the Roman Catholic Church, he actually came to sympathize with John Hus, as against the church that he represented. Let me read about the conditions that John Hus was in because of the convictions of his conscience during the middle ages. This is on page 19 of this book.  Revelations Land Beast

John Hus“After a short while Hus was let out of his dungeon into a decent chamber, but his feet almost refused to carry him. He swayed as he walked. Listless and unused to the day was the light of his eyes, deathly pale his cheeks, and loose what was left of his teeth, since 11 had fallen out due to the damp prison. The nails on his fingers were terribly long, because he had been unable to bite them off for many weeks. Upon his skin was a crust of dirt, which exuded am awful stench, and his otherwise brown hair fell in white ringlets upon his rotting and torn garb.”

This is an individual who belongs to the Roman Catholic papacy describing this.

“His shoes had rotted upon his feet, and his shirt and loincloth had vanished. The rounded flesh which had covered his bones had shrunken, and shriveled, and he had become a picture of woe without equal, unrecognizable to those who had known him before. Horror filled those who looked upon him, and pitying people prepared a bath for him, brought shirts and clothing, and refreshed him with strengthening foods, for which he could only thank with tearful eyes.”

On page 28 we find this statement:

“With the clock striking 8, and the bells telling, the procession of Bishops, Cardinals, and Fathers…

See this is, they’re taking him to his trial now, to his religious trial. Notice who he’s appearing before.

“The procession of Bishops, Cardinals, and Fathers, and Deputies moved towards the church where a chair had been placed for Hus, about which the seats of the gentlemen were arranged.”

He was brought there for the convictions of his conscience. He had violated absolutely no civil laws. In fact when they gave him an opportunity to speak he said this:  Revelations Land Beast

“God gave to Peter, His disciple… (And notice the terminology; very important.) God gave to Peter, His disciple, the key to open all hearts, and to have enough faith with it, but not the sword”

God gave Peter the what?

“He gave him the key to open hearts, but not the sword to slay, as you slay, all those who do not accept your worldly doctrines, and who evade them.”

Did he understand what the sword is? He most certainly understood what the sword was. He said you haven’t been given the sword. You’ve been given the key to open the heavenly kingdom. When the final vote was taken among the religious dignitaries, 31 votes were cast not guilty. 11 votes were cast for excommunication. And 45 votes were cast for death. And then he was taken to the Emperor, who had promised to give him safe conduct back to his home, and he broke his word. In fact there was a Count there, Count Slum who told the Emperor… And I’d like to read the words that he spoke to the Emperor as he was about to sign the death warrant for Hus. This is what he said:

“Caesar…”

Notice he calls him Caesar.

“Caesar desist from such doings. Caesar, Caesar, do not write your name with blood. But Poggius continues saying, But the Emperor’s ears were deaf, and were further closed by the Cardinals, Bishops, and priests who crowded about him, kissed the hem of his garments, and praised his name when he seized the quill and wrote his name.”

Palace of the inqusition PeruAnd Hus was taken, and he was burned at the stake. You know, I’ve been in the Palace of the Inquisition in Lima, Peru. It’s a depressing experience. They actually have models where they show the types of torture that were used against people for no reason other than they did not agree with the church. Torture and death; some were even burned at the stake, like John Hus was burned at the stake. And it wasn’t the church who did it, but the church used the sword of the state in order to accomplish its purpose.

You see, the Constitutional fathers not only knew the history of Europe, when church and state are joined together, they also knew the history of the Colonial period in the United States. You know, there are many people who misunderstand, or don’t understand the Colonial period. Do you know that during the Colonial period, which begins around 1620 when the pilgrims arrived in the United States, atheists, Jews, Quakers, and Baptists were deprived of their religious rights, because they did not agree with the established church of the Colonies, which was the Puritan, or was the Anglican Church.  Revelations Land Beast

Did you know that there were Sunday laws in the Colonies, and if you didn’t go to church on Sunday, you could be whipped, you could be fined, you could be jailed? And in the case of three Colonies, you could be executed for not coming to church on Sunday? Did you know that they actually cut off the ears of Quakers for coming back when they had been exiled from the Colonies? If they came back once the cut off one ear. If they came back the second time they cut off the second ear. And if they caught them the third time they executed them for their religious convictions. Did you know that: And also the government paid the salaries of the ministers, interestingly enough. And so the church and the state were joined together, and as a result you had persecution.  Revelations Land Beast

RogerWilliamsFaithQuote3You know, many people know the story, for example, of Roger Williams. Roger Williams arrived in the Colonies in 1629. He pastored a church there, but he started teaching separation of church and state. He said, There are to be two kingdoms in this country, absolutely, but they’re supposed to be separate one from another. Because that’s what Jesus taught. Are you seeing what the two horns are? Jesus said, Two kingdoms in the same nation, separate, one from another. And, of course, what he was teaching went over like a lead balloon. And so they banished him from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. And he himself says that towards the end of 1635, and the beginning of 1636, he had to flee for three weeks, through huge show drifts to get out of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, because he had been banished. And if they found him in there they could throw him in prison, or they could even execute him. And so he ended up in Rhode Island, and he established the Capital of Rhode Island, which is Providence. That’s interesting that he would call that city Providence.  Revelations Land Beast

And so the founding fathers knew the history of what happens when church and state are united together in Europe. They knew what happened when church and state are joined together in the United States in the Colonial period. They also knew their Bibles. In several places they wrote about how they knew that because the Jews allied themselves with the Roman state, that led to the death of Jesus Christ. They knew three things: they knew the history of Europe in the middle ages, they knew the Colonial period, and they knew their Bibles. And they knew that when these two kingdoms become one automatically there is persecution. And so the Constitutional fathers, knowing this, when they wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and the Constitution was ratified in 1787, and the Bill of Rights, which are the first ten amendments to the Constitution, was ratified in 1791. They said, We’re going to have a different system of government in this nation that we’re establishing. We are going to have, yes, church and state, but church and state are going to be separated like Jesus taught: two kingdoms in one nation. The same two kingdoms that Jesus Christ recognized. And remember that this is taking place immediately before the first beast received its deadly wound.

benjamin franklinBy the way, this idea of the separation of church and state is known as Republicanism, and Protestantism. You see, during the middle ages, what happened is in civil affairs the king was the law. You know, whatever the king said, in civil matters, that’s what was done. In religious matters whatever the Pope said, that was done. In other words, all of the power flowed from up down. But the Constitutional fathers said, We’re going to try a revolutionary experiment. We’re going to have not the power flow from up down, from the king down to the people, so that they have to jump when he says jump. We’re not going to have the power flow from the Pope down, where everybody has to subject themselves blindly. No, we’re going to have a system of government where the power flows down up; a government of the people, by the people, and for the people; where there will be freedom of religion, and where there’ll be also freedom in civil matters. It’s interesting to notice Ellen White was born 29 years after the deadly wound. It’s interesting to notice how she describes this idea of the founding fathers. In The Great Controversy, page 441, she says:

“Among the Christian exiles which first fled to America and sought an asylum from royal oppression and religious priestly intolerance were many who determined to establish a government upon the broad foundation of civil and religious liberty. Their views found place in the Declaration of Independence, which sets forth the great truth that “all men are created equal’ and endowed with inalienable right to (Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness) and the constitution guarantees to the people the right of self-government. Providing that representatives elected by the popular vote shall enact and administer the laws. Freedom of religious faith was also granted, every man being permitted to worship God according to the dictates of his conscience. Republicanism and Protestantism became the fundamental principles of the nation. These principles are the secret of its power and prosperity. ” E.G. White Great Controversy p441

That has to do with civil power, right? What kingdom does that have to do with? the religious power. She continues saying: How many kingdoms there? civil and religious liberty. Did you catch this? She’s talking about civil matters, and what? religious matters. She says: Which, by the way, means a state without a king. Which means a church without a Pope. And now notice what she says: What is the secret of the power and prosperity of the United States? all the money we have? all of the vast territory we have? The powerful military that we have? No, the secret of the power of this nation is found in the two principles upon which it was established. And she goes on to say that when these two principles are repudiated… And we’ll talk about this when we deal with the image to the beast. When these two principles are repudiated, that will lead to national apostasy, and national apostasy will lead to national ruin. She also says in The Great Controversy, page 442,  Revelations Land Beast

“The founders of the nation wisely sought to guard against the employment of secular power on the part of the church, with its inevitable result—intolerance and persecution. E.G. White Great Controversy p442

I want to read you three statements from three of the founding fathers. First Benjamin Franklin. You know, he had an interesting way of putting things. This is what he said:

“When religion is good, I can see that it will support itself. And when it does not support itself, and God does not take care to support it, so that its professors are obliged to call for the help of the civil powers, tis a sign I apprehend, of it being a bad one.”

jefferson-memorial-statueWas he right? Of course he was right. He’s talking about separation of church and state. Notice these words that are etched on the Jefferson Monument. You can go to Washington, D. C., and go to the Jefferson Monument. These are the words that are etched in stone. This is what he said:

“Allmighty God has created the mind free. All attempts to influence it by temporal punishment or burdens…are a departure from the plan of the Holy Author of our religion…No man shall be compelled to frequent, or support any religious worship, or ministry, or shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief, but all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain their opinions in matters of religion. I know but one code of morality for men whether acting singularly, or collectively”

Did Thomas Jefferson believe in the separation of church and state? Did he believe in two kingdoms? Yes, separate from one another. Notice the words of George Washington. These are words from the Baptist Delegation, August 8, 1789. Here Washington says:  Revelations Land Beast

George washington“If I could have ascertained the slightest apprehension that the constitution framed by the convention where I had the honour to preside might possibly endanger the religious rights of any ecclesiastical society, certainly I would never have placed my signature on it; and if I could now conceive that the general government might ever be so administered as to render the liberty of conscience insecure, I beg you will be persuaded that no one would be more zealous than myself to establish effectual barriers against the horrors of spiritual tyranny and every species of religious persecution. For, you doubtless remember, I have often expressed my sentiments that any man, conducting himself as a good citizen and being accountable to God alone for his religious opinions, ought to be protected in worshipping the Deity according to the dictates of his conscience” George Washington Baptist Delegation August 8 1789  Revelations Land Beast

Three of the founding fathers; Thomas Jefferson was actually one of the architects of the Constitution of the United States. Let me ask you once again, Did these men believe in two kingdoms within the same nation? Yes. And sometimes I ask people when I lecture on this, I say, Let me ask you, How many kingdoms are you citizens of? How many countries are we in now? Where in one country, right? But how many kingdoms are we citizens of in one nation? We are citizens of two kingdoms. We have two passports. One passport is a U. S. passport. That’s the civil passport. And then we have the blood of the lamb, which is the other passport. You see we’re citizens of one nation, because we were born here, or we were naturalized here. We’re citizens of the other nation, because of the new birth; we were born again. And so we live in one nation, but within that one nation there are two kingdoms that are to be ever what? separate one from another.  Revelations Land Beast

You know, there are many Christian activists today in the United States who say that the separation of church and state was established so that the state could not control the church. But the history of the middle ages, and the history of the colonial period shows that the reason why the founding fathers separated church and state was because there was a danger that the church should use the state to accomplish her purposes. Frequently Christian activists also will say, Well, the expression separation of church and state is not found anywhere in the Constitution. And that’s true. If you look in the Constitution for an expression that says separation of church and state, you’re not going to find it. But if you read the First Amendment to the Constitution you’re going to find that clearly in the First Amendment is the idea of the separation of church and state; of religion from politics.Notice what the First Amendment says:  Revelations Land Beast

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” 1st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America.

Now what part of no law don’t you understand? This is the first clause of the First Amendment. In other words, it doesn’t say that Congress can’t make a law establishing a church, or Congress can’t make a law establishing a religion. No. It says Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. In other words, what the First Amendment forbids is not favoring one church above another church, or one religion above another religion. The First Amendment forbids the Congress from enacting laws that have anything to do with religion, period. And so the First Amendment, the first clause of the First Amendment says: And then you have the second clause: That’s known as the establishment clause, and the free exercise clause. In other words, the government can’t tell you to worship in a certain way, and the government can’t forbid you to worship in the way that your conscience tells you to worship. Let me ask you, Does that very clearly, and obviously, establish a separation between church and state? It most certainly does, because the First Amendment says that Congress can’t make any law having to do with religion. It cannot tell you to practice religion in a certain way, and it can’t forbid you from practising your religion in a certain way. In other words, there’s a separation between the civil power and the religious power.  Revelations Land Beast

James Madison, who is known as the father of the Constitution, had this to say about the Constitution, and the relationship between religion and government. He said this:  Revelations Land Beast

Revelations Land Beast James_madison“There is not a shadow of right in the general government to intermingle with religion. Its least interference with it would be a most flagrant usurpation. I can appeal to my uniform conduct on this subject, that I have warmly supported religious freedom. ” James Madison

That is with religion. Is that clear? In 1797 the United States signed a treaty, it’s known as the Treaty of Tripoli. It’s was actually approved by President John Adams. And this is what the Treaty of Tripoli said.

“…the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion” Treaty of Tripoli Article 11 1797

This is only a portion of the treaty. Now we need to understand that it was founded upon this idea of two principles: separation of church and state, separation of civil matters from religious matters. But that doesn’t mean that the United States was founded as a Christian nation. It was founded as a nation of Christians. It’s different to say that it was a Christian nation than to say that it is a nation of Christians, where most of the people, at that time at least, were Christians. Now what about Thomas Jefferson? In 1802 he wrote a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association, and he used what is known as the metaphor of the wall. And, actually, he probably got this metaphor “on the wall” from Roger Williams long before him. But he didn’t give him credit if he did. Notice what he had to say to the Danbury Baptists.  Revelations Land Beast

“Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should “make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.” Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptists Jan. 1. 1802

Do you know what, I think Thomas Jefferson knew much better what the First Amendment to the Constitution meant than the Christian Revisionists who want to rewrite it, and reinterpret it today, because he was nearer to the event, and he actually participated in it. By the way, do you know that the third clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution has to do with civil rights? Isn’t it interesting that in the First Amendment you have these two things: the first two clauses deal with religious freedom, and the last part of the First Amendment deals with civil liberty? Thus encased, folks, within the First Amendment to the Constitution, one of the founding documents of the United States, you have this idea of two kingdoms: in the Declaration of Independence, in the Constitution, and in the Bill of Rights. You have this idea of separation of church and state.

You know the third clause, having to do with civil liberty, guarantees freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and freedom to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Let me ask you, Are those civil rights? Yes. And so in the First Amendment you have religious rights, and you have civil rights, contained within the same Amendment. So what is it that is going to happen, according to Bible prophecy?  Revelations Land Beast

According to Bible prophecy, this beast that arose from the earth, that at first sustained the idea that this is one nation having two kingdoms, separate from one another, church and state, where you could be actually a citizen off both within the same country; where Congress could make no law respecting an establishment of religion, nor forbidding the free exercise of religion.

Prophecy tells us that this nation is going to repudiate those principles, because we’re told in Revelation 13 that this beast had two horns like a lamb, which we’ve clearly identified as these two kingdoms, which represent the church and the state, and they derive ideas of freedom of religion, and also civil freedom. What’s going to happen is this country is going to repudiate these two principles, and it is going to speak like a dragon.  Revelations Land Beast

In other words, it is going to become a persecuting power, like the dragon tried to kill the child when the child was born. That was Rome, by the way. Like the dragon tried to destroy the woman in the wilderness during the 1260 years. That was another Rome, by the way. This same Rome, at the end of time, will recover the sword. And the most unlikely of all nations will be the nation that will return the sword to this sea beast, so that it can once again persecute the saints of the Most High.  Revelations Land Beast

You know, I pray to God that this wouldn’t happen. That as people hear what I’m presenting, and watch it on television, they’d say, Wow, This is an amazing history of the United States of America. We can’t allow this to happen! We cannot allow this church to use the United States of America to accomplish such purposes. We cannot have another Middle Ages. We must stand firm with our principles upon which our nation was established. I pray to God that that would happen. Bible prophecy tells us that as God has announced, things are going to happen. They happen because God knows the end from the beginning. He does not determine them that way, but He knows that they’re going to occur, because He knows the end from the beginning. I pray that in this final conflict we will choose to be on the right side.  Revelations Land Beast