DANIEL 8:20 KINGS OF MEDES AND PERSIANS RAM - LAMB LIKE BEAST REVELATION 13
Updated: Dec 21, 2022
CHAPTER 20
During the following Bible study on Daniel 8 verse 20, we will discuss a third application of the Daniel 8 prophecy regarding who the Ram represents at the very close of time.
Daniel 8:20 The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Daniel-Chapter-8/
I ask you here to review chapters three and four on Daniel 8:3- 4 regarding the Ram. During those discussions we looked at the literal and spiritual significance of the Ram. We discovered that the Ram literally represented the kings of the Medes and the Persians. We also found that these were good kings who helped restore the Israelites back to Jerusalem. Through a series of decrees, Israel was given the freedom to rebuild their capital city; to govern themselves under God; to rebuild the temple; and to worship according to God’s plan for them. Then we saw the He-Goat or Greece come on the scene and destroy the kingdom of the Medes and Persians through war but also by promoting Hellenism with the conquered nations by means of idol worship, intermarrying and Greek education. Israel was one of those conquered territories.
Secondly, we also discovered that the kings of the Medes and Persians represented the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, as by His selfless life and death on earth, He redeemed us, restored our vision of God and consequently, the freedom to worship God in the human heart and mind without fear; we saw Christ as he took earth from Satan at the cross and gave us freedom from sin, or to govern ourselves under God. We saw Christ build His spiritual church or sanctuary, His life being laid down as the Chief Cornerstone. In contrast, we saw the Devil or spiritual representation of the He-Goat, in fury try to destroy Christ as an infant, during his ministry, and finally by putting Christ on the cross during the hour of the power of darkness. And at the cross we saw the church in agreement with the state power of Rome become the tool the devil used to place the innocent Savior on the cross of Calvary.
But there is a third application. During this discourse I want to show you why the Ram also represents a special group or nation of people at the very end of time.
First let me remind you that the Ram is also the Lamb. We saw that in the story where Abraham offers Isaac as an act of faith in God.
Genesis 22:7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. ……… 12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ramcaught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Genesis-Chapter-22/
In scripture, the Lamb is used to specifically represent Christ.
John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/John-Chapter-1/
Consequently, when we see the Ram in Daniel 8, we must think spiritually about Christ. However, the Ram of Daniel 8 is also a kingdom, specifically, the kings of the Medes and the Persians. And I think there are other comparisons that should be noted between these two Bible passages regarding the Ram.
It is interesting that this Ram, representing Christ as he offers Himself in our stead, is caught in a thicket by His horns. Remember that in our study of Daniel 8:3 that the Kings of the Medes and the Persians bestow special powers (or horns) upon Israel, those horns being religious liberty and civil liberty. (Please review our study on Daniel 8:3 regarding the two horns of the Ram).
Daniel 8:3 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Daniel-Chapter-8/
First, they received religious liberty from the Kings of the Medes and the Persians.
Ezra 1:3 Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Ezra-Chapter-1/
Ezra 6:7 Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in his place.
8 Moreover I make a decree what ye shall do to the elders of these Jews for the building of this house of God: that of the king's goods, even of the tribute beyond the river, forthwith expenses be given unto these men, that they be not hindered.
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Ezra-Chapter-6/
Then, they received civil liberty to govern and protect themselves under God from the kings of the Medes and the Persians.
Esther 8:13 The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, and that the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Esther-Chapter-8/
Ezra 7:25 And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know them not.
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Ezra-Chapter-7/
Did you ever stop to contemplate that because of sin, Christ, the spiritual Ram was caught in a thicket by His horns. One of the horns or powers He offers us is religious liberty. We are not compelled to worship Him, but instead are free to worship Him making the act of worship voluntary and an act of returned love to our Creator. In our world today this is called religious liberty or to be allowed to worship God as our conscience dictates not as man dictates and not by compulsion.
The other horn or power Christ was trapped by is the freedom He gives us to govern ourselves under God. We are not to be compelled by an earthly supreme ruler but rather we the people are free to choose our rulers and to look to God as our Supreme Ruler and to His form of government. This is called civil liberty.
These two freedoms or powers that God gave to His creation, literally caught God in a thicket by His horns so to speak. By the act of sin, man chose to worship Satan and chose to make him the ruler of the world. Satan, unlike God, is an arbitrary ruler. He does not like religious liberty or civil liberty. But Christ would not react to our sin by also becoming an arbitrary ruler and forcing us to worship and obey Himself. Instead, to save man from the clutches of sin, He humbled Himself to the point of becoming one of us and restored in man worship and obedience to the wisdom of His Father by choice even to the point of volunteering Himself to die in our stead to establish that selfless love which is the foundation of the government of God. Even as He did this, He allowed man to choose who he would worship or be ruler of his heart to the extent of even allowing man to put Him on the cross.
This is the act of the true Lamb of God. But Christ warns us of a lamb-like beast.
A lamb like beast would look like Christ, at least outwardly. Jesus talked specifically about it in Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” He calls a wolf in sheep’s clothing a “false prophet”. Christ then tells two ways to know a false prophet. The first being by their fruits. Do they bear the fruits of the Spirit being the character of God (Ephesians 5:22-25) or the fruits of hypocrisy choked by the thorns and thistles of the cares and riches and pleasures of this world (Luke 8:14)? And then Jesus goes on to tell us that the false prophet would be a praying entity, saying “Lord, lord” and would even work miracles. But He tells us the way to know the true from the false is in the obedience they give to the Word of God.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Matthew-Chapter-7/
It is interesting to note that the book of Revelation speaking of the very close of time also warns us of a false prophet who is a Lamb-like beast (a wolf in sheep’s clothing).
Revelation 19:20And 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. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Revelation-Chapter-19/
Read below and compare Revelation 19:20 quoted above with the Lamb-like beast of Revelation 13 to discover they are the same. Specifically, notice that miracles are used by the false prophet, described here as a Lamb-like beast, to deceive or to be a sheep in wolves clothing. This clues us in that the false prophet of Revelation 19:20 and the Lamb-like beast of Revelation 13 are one and the same.
Revelation 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Revelation-Chapter-13/
WHO IS THIS LAMB LIKE BEAST AT THE END OF TIME?
Revelation 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Revelation-Chapter-13/
In prophecy, a beast can represent a kingdom. See Daniel 4:17. The Lamb-like beast of Revelation 13:11 is unique in that it comes up from the earth. Most beasts rise from the sea. (See Revelation 13:1 and Daniel 7:3.) In Revelation 12:16, we find the church of God in trouble with persecution symbolized by a flood (Psalms 18:4). But the Bible says the earth helped the woman and swallowed up the flood. This happens after the woman has been nourished in the wilderness from the face of the serpent for 1260 years or three and a half years of days each day in prophecy representing a year (Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6). See Revelation 12:6. Going back to Revelation 13, we find a beast or kingdom coming up out of the earth represented by a lamb with two horns. See Revelation 13:11 but it is significant that this happens after the forty-two month reign of the leopard-like-beast of Revelation 13:5. Forty-two months is also three and a half years or 1260 days each day in prophecy representing a year or 1260 years. This Leopard like beast persecutes or wars against God’s people and blasphemes his temple or tabernacle or sanctuary and God Himself. But he has an end. The point is, that in both Revelation 12 and 13, a power rising from the earth is spoken of after 1260 years of persecution.
The focus of Revelation 12 really helps us to understand who the devil is. But Revelation 13 helps us to understand the earthly powers the devil uses to destroy God’s church.
Combine the information from both chapters of Revelation 12 & 13 and you see the following: For persecution to stop, the church needed help, and to facilitate this, a new beast or power would rise from the earth, swallowing up the flood of persecution. It would look like a lamb with two horns.
Revelation 12:16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Revelation-Chapter-12/
Revelation 13: 11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Revelation-Chapter-13/
It is also an interesting tidbit of prophetic information that the above two verses really say the same thing.
We can use this Bible story in Numbers 16 to help us to understand Revelation 12:16.
Numbers 16:30 But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Numbers-Chapter-16/
The idea to “make a new thing” literally means “create a new creation” in Hebrew
(See below). And the earth opening her mouth to swallow the men provoking the Lord is the same idea as the earth opening her mouth to swallow a flood of persecution. These men in Numbers 16 considered themselves above God and were persecuting Aaron the high priest and Moses who represented the law of God. These persecuting men can be compared to the persecuting rulers of the papal hierarchy who considered themselves above God and replaced our true High Priest, Christ, with sinful men and popes; and who disdained the law of God even supplying their own traditions and laws to take its place. The earth did open her mouth and swallow up the flood of persecution this caused.
MAKE H1254
בָּרָא bârâʼ, baw-raw'; a primitive root; (absolutely) to create; (qualified) to cut down (a wood), select, feed (as formative processes):—choose, create (creator), cut down, dispatch, do, make (fat). https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H1254&t=KJV
A NEW THING H1278
בְּרִיאָה bᵉrîyʼâh, ber-ee-aw'; feminine from H1254; a creation, i.e. a novelty:—new thing. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H1278&t=KJV
The pilgrim fathers fled the religious intolerance and persecution of Europe to a new land to bring about the birth of a new nation, The United States of America. Originally, however, the new land was a colony formed under the sovereign of the King of England. Once the pilgrims arrived here persecution and tyranny tried to follow. Eventually the colonist had to break away from the king of England to maintain the freedoms they believed in. On July 4, 1776, the nation of the United States of America was born.
The 1620 agreement (first called the Mayflower Compact in 1793) was a legal instrument that bound the Pilgrims together when they arrived in New England. The core members of the Pilgrims' immigrant group were Separatists, members of a Puritan sect that had split from the Church of England, the only legal church in England at that time. Others in the group, however, had remained part of the Church of England, so not all of the Pilgrims shared the same religion.
When the Pilgrims left England, they obtained permission from the King of England to settle on land farther to the south near the mouth of the Hudson River (in present-day New York). Because they chose to remain where they landed in New England, they needed a new permission (called a patent) to settle there. On November 11, 1620, needing to maintain order and establish a civil society while they waited for this new patent, the adult male passengers signed the Mayflower Compact.
THE TEXT OF THE MAYFLOWER COMPACT:
In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, etc.
Having undertaken for the Glory of God and advancement of the Christian Faith and Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the First Colony in the Northern Parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one of another, Covenant and Combine ourselves together in a Civil Body Politic, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute and frame such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colony, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In witness whereof we have hereunder subscribed our names at Cape Cod, the 11th of November, in the year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France and Ireland the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini 1620.
(William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation, ed. Samuel Morison, 75-6.
https://plimoth.org/for-students/homework-help/mayflower-and-mayflower-compact
In Congress, July 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
Just as the new power of the Medes and Persians took over the day Babylon fell, so the United States of America would be rising to power as spiritual Babylon experienced its loss of state power March of 1798 under Pope Pius VI.
Pius VI, original name Giannangelo Braschi, (born December 25, 1717, Cesena, Papal States—died August 29, 1799, Valence, France), Italian pope (1775–99) whose tragic pontificate was the longest of the 18th century.
Braschi held various papal administrative positions before being ordained a priest in 1758. Progressing rapidly, he became treasurer of the apostolic chamber in 1766, under Pope Clement XIII, and in 1773 was made cardinal by Pope Clement XIV, after whose death a four-month conclave elected Braschi on February 15, 1775.
The church needed spiritual and institutional reform, and the papacy was nearly stripped of power and influence. The religious orders, the essential medium of papal influence in the church, were under attack by the protagonists of the Enlightenment. And the royal leaders of Catholic Europe, the pope’s traditional allies, were now indifferent to papal interests, being concerned only with the possibilities of using the national churches in their schemes for administrative reform.
In October 1781 the Holy Roman emperor Joseph II inaugurated his reforming Edict of Toleration, whereby non-Catholic minorities received considerable religious toleration, “unnecessary” monasteries were dissolved, diocesan boundaries were redrawn, and seminaries were placed under state control. Further detailed reforms were intended to abolish such practices as festivals and superstitious reverences that were not considered in keeping with the Enlightenment. Pius intervened in 1782 by personally visiting Vienna but failed to secure any concessions. Joseph’s application of Febronianism, an ecclesiastical doctrine that advocated restriction of papal power, subsequently became known as Josephinism. Meanwhile, the church in the Habsburg dominions remained wealthy and influential but subordinate to the state.
The French issue was equally overwhelming. Preliminaries to the Revolution were occurring, and the new government turned to the church’s wealth, which it confiscated as a direct backing for its currency. Under the Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790), France intended to force a reform of the French Church, thus causing a major conflict between Rome and the Revolution, whose scheme resembled Joseph’s designs. Pius took no immediate action, but when an oath of fidelity to the new regime was demanded from the clergy, he formally denounced the Civil Constitution and the Revolution on March 10, 1791. The French Church was completely split.
Pius was on good terms with the allies against France in 1793 and felt that he could rely on them, but in 1796 his territory was invaded after the last Austrian defeat by Napoleon, who forced the pope to sign a peace treaty at Tolentino on February 19, 1797. A riot in Rome in the following December led to French occupation of that city on February 15, 1798, and the proclamation of a republic by a group of Italian patriots. Aged and frail, he was seized by the French in March 1799 and died a prisoner in France the following August.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pius-VI
Roman Republic, French République Romaine, Italian Repubblica Romana, republic established in February 1798 by French troops occupying Rome and its environs. The pope was forced into exile, and the new republic was set up under an executive of seven consuls. In November 1798 Ferdinand IV of Naples sent an army that recaptured Rome, but the French returned victoriously the next month. The reestablished republic lasted only until 1799, when the Austrian-Russian campaign swept the French out of Italy. Although Napoleon retook Italy in 1800, he desired the pope’s goodwill toward the eventual signing of the Concordat of 1801 and thus allowed the pope to retain his states.
https://www.britannica.com/place/Roman-Republic-historical-territory-Italy-1798-1799
If we compare the United States to the Ram or Lamb-like beast of the kings of the Medes and the Persians, we find a lot of similarities. Please see the major similarities below.
1. Like the kings of the Medes and the Persians, The United States of America is a nation with two horns or unique powers. The horn of religious liberty and the horn of civil liberty known as Republicanism. Uncommon in the world, these powers enabled the church to grow and to thrive in the borders of the land of the free as well as to become a light to the world through missionary endeavors. (See Ezra 1:1-4; 6:7-12; 7:21-26; Esther 8:10-13)
Constitution of the United States
First Amendment
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.
https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1/
Constitution of the United States
Article IV Relationships Between the States
Section 4 Government
The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.
https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/article-4/section-4/
Republicanism, meaning the right to vote for representatives
The word “republicanism” means a representative government where citizens can vote for people who share their opinions and views. Republicanism means the power rests with citizens who can and do vote. Then, elected representatives use their power to make laws. https://www.summitlearning.org/docs/63383
2. The kings of the Medes and the Persians had three presidents including Daniel whose name means judge representing the judicial branch of government; and 120 princes who were lawmakers or the legislative branch of government; and the king who was the executive branch of government. The United States of America also has a system of government with three branches being executive, legislative and judicial that we give account/respect to in order not to suffer injury to our country and government. (Daniel 6:2)
Three Branches of Government
Our federal government has three parts. They are the Executive, (President and about 5,000,000 workers) Legislative (Senate and House of Representatives) and Judicial (Supreme Court and lower Courts).
The President of the United States administers the Executive Branch of our government. The President enforces the laws that the Legislative Branch (Congress) makes. The President is elected by United States citizens, 18 years of age and older, who vote in the presidential elections in their states. These votes are tallied by states and form the Electoral College system. States have the number of electoral votes which equal the number of senators and representatives they have. It is possible to have the most popular votes throughout the nation and NOT win the electoral vote of the Electoral College.
The Legislative part of our government is called Congress. Congress makes our laws. Congress is divided into 2 parts. One part is called the Senate. There are 100 Senators--2 from each of our states. Another part is called the House of Representatives. Representatives meet together to discuss ideas and decide if these ideas (bills) should become laws. There are 435 Representatives. The number of representatives each state gets is determined by its population. Some states have just 2 representatives. Others have as many as 40. Both senators and representatives are elected by the eligible voters in their states.
The Judicial part of our federal government includes the Supreme Court and 9 Justices. They are special judges who interpret laws according to the Constitution. These justices only hear cases that pertain to issues related to the Constitution. They are the highest court in our country. The federal judicial system also has lower courts located in each state to hear cases involving federal issues.
All three parts of our federal government have their main headquarters in the city of Washington D.C.
https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/education/three-branches/three-branches-of-government
3. The kings of the Medes and the Persians had 120 princes over 120 provinces. and who had power to legislate the law of the Medes and the Persians. In the same way the United States of America elects state representatives, the number of whom is based on state population, and 50 elected senators from 50 individual states that compose the legislature of our country. (Daniel 6:1,4-5).
Constitution of the United States
Article 1 Legislative Branch
Section 1: Congress
All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.
Section 2: The House of Representatives
The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.
No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.
……
Section 3: The Senate
The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote.
….
Section 8: Powers of Congress
The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;
To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;
To establish a uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;
To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;
To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;
To establish Post Offices and post Roads;
To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;
To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;
To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations;
To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;
To provide and maintain a Navy;
To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;
To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;
To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;
To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards and other needful Buildings;-And
To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.
https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/article/article-i
4. The kings of the Medes and the Persians declared themselves a nation under God; as has the United States of America. (Daniel 6:26)
§4. Pledge of allegiance to the flag; manner of delivery
The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag: “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”, should be rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. When not in uniform men should remove any non-religious headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute.
(Added Pub. L. 105–225, §2(a), Aug. 12, 1998, 112 Stat. 1494; amended Pub. L. 107–293, §2(a), Nov. 13, 2002, 116 Stat. 2060.)
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised
Section
Source (U.S. Code)
Source (Statutes at Large)
4
36:172.
June 22, 1942, ch. 435, §7, 56 Stat. 380; Dec. 22, 1942, ch. 806, §7, 56 Stat. 1077; Dec. 28, 1945, ch. 607, 59 Stat. 668; June 14, 1954, ch. 297, 68 Stat. 249; July 7, 1976, Pub. L. 94–344, (19), 90 Stat. 813.
Codification
Amendment by Pub. L. 107–293 reaffirmed the exact language of the Pledge, see section 2(b) of Pub. L. 107–293, set out as a Reaffirmation of Language note below.
Amendments
2002—Pub. L. 107–293 reenacted section catchline without change and amended text generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, ‘I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.’, should be rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. When not in uniform men should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute.”
Findings
Pub. L. 107–293, §1, Nov. 13, 2002, 116 Stat. 2057, provided that: “Congress finds the following:
“(1) On November 11, 1620, prior to embarking for the shores of America, the Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact that declared: ‘Having undertaken, for the Glory of God and the advancement of the Christian Faith and honor of our King and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia,’.
“(2) On July 4, 1776, America's Founding Fathers, after appealing to the ‘Laws of Nature, and of Nature's God’ to justify their separation from Great Britain, then declared: ‘We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness’.
“(3) In 1781, Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence and later the Nation's third President, in his work titled ‘Notes on the State of Virginia’ wrote: ‘God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God. That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever.’
“(4) On May 14, 1787, George Washington, as President of the Constitutional Convention, rose to admonish and exhort the delegates and declared: ‘If to please the people we offer what we ourselves disapprove, how can we afterward defend our work? Let us raise a standard to which the wise and the honest can repair; the event is in the hand of God!’
“(5) On July 21, 1789, on the same day that it approved the Establishment Clause concerning religion, the First Congress of the United States also passed the Northwest Ordinance, providing for a territorial government for lands northwest of the Ohio River, which declared: ‘Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.’
“(6) On September 25, 1789, the First Congress unanimously approved a resolution calling on President George Washington to proclaim a National Day of Thanksgiving for the people of the United States by declaring, ‘a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a constitution of government for their safety and happiness.’
“(7) On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address on the site of the battle and declared: ‘It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this Nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.’
“(8) On April 28, 1952, in the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in Zorach v. Clauson, 343 U.S. 306 (1952), in which school children were allowed to be excused from public schools for religious observances and education, Justice William O. Douglas, in writing for the Court stated: ‘The First Amendment, however, does not say that in every and all respects there shall be a separation of Church and State. Rather, it studiously defines the manner, the specific ways, in which there shall be no concern or union or dependency one on the other. That is the common sense of the matter. Otherwise the State and religion would be aliens to each other—hostile, suspicious, and even unfriendly. Churches could not be required to pay even property taxes. Municipalities would not be permitted to render police or fire protection to religious groups. Policemen who helped parishioners into their places of worship would violate the Constitution. Prayers in our legislative halls; the appeals to the Almighty in the messages of the Chief Executive; the proclamations making Thanksgiving Day a holiday; “so help me God” in our courtroom oaths—these and all other references to the Almighty that run through our laws, our public rituals, our ceremonies would be flouting the First Amendment. A fastidious atheist or agnostic could even object to the supplication with which the Court opens each session: “God save the United States and this Honorable Court.” ’
“(9) On June 15, 1954, Congress passed and President Eisenhower signed into law a statute that was clearly consistent with the text and intent of the Constitution of the United States, that amended the Pledge of Allegiance to read: ‘I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.’
“(10) On July 20, 1956, Congress proclaimed that the national motto of the United States is ‘In God We Trust’, and that motto is inscribed above the main door of the Senate, behind the Chair of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and on the currency of the United States.
“(11) On June 17, 1963, in the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in Abington School District v. Schempp, 374 U.S. 203 (1963), in which compulsory school prayer was held unconstitutional, Justices Goldberg and Harlan, concurring in the decision, stated: ‘But untutored devotion to the concept of neutrality can lead to invocation or approval of results which partake not simply of that noninterference and noninvolvement with the religious which the Constitution commands, but of a brooding and pervasive devotion to the secular and a passive, or even active, hostility to the religious. Such results are not only not compelled by the Constitution, but, it seems to me, are prohibited by it. Neither government nor this Court can or should ignore the significance of the fact that a vast portion of our people believe in and worship God and that many of our legal, political, and personal values derive historically from religious teachings. Government must inevitably take cognizance of the existence of religion and, indeed, under certain circumstances the First Amendment may require that it do so.’
“(12) On March 5, 1984, in the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in Lynch v. Donelly, 465 U.S. 668 (1984), in which a city government's display of a nativity scene was held to be constitutional, Chief Justice Burger, writing for the Court, stated: ‘There is an unbroken history of official acknowledgment by all three branches of government of the role of religion in American life from at least 1789 . . . [E]xamples of reference to our religious heritage are found in the statutorily prescribed national motto “In God We Trust” (36 U.S.C. 186) [now 36 U.S.C. 302], which Congress and the President mandated for our currency, see (31 U.S.C. 5112(d)(1) (1982 ed.)), and in the language “One Nation under God”, as part of the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag. That pledge is recited by many thousands of public school children—and adults—every year . . . Art galleries supported by public revenues display religious paintings of the 15th and 16th centuries, predominantly inspired by one religious faith. The National Gallery in Washington, maintained with Government support, for example, has long exhibited masterpieces with religious messages, notably the Last Supper, and paintings depicting the Birth of Christ, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection, among many others with explicit Christian themes and messages. The very chamber in which oral arguments on this case were heard is decorated with a notable and permanent—not seasonal—symbol of religion: Moses with the Ten Commandments. Congress has long provided chapels in the Capitol for religious worship and meditation.’
“(13) On June 4, 1985, in the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in Wallace v. Jaffree, 472 U.S. 38 (1985), in which a mandatory moment of silence to be used for meditation or voluntary prayer was held unconstitutional, Justice O'Connor, concurring in the judgment and addressing the contention that the Court's holding would render the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional because Congress amended it in 1954 to add the words ‘under God,’ stated ‘In my view, the words “under God” in the Pledge, as codified at (36 U.S.C. 172) [now 4 U.S.C. 4], serve as an acknowledgment of religion with “the legitimate secular purposes of solemnizing public occasions, [and] expressing confidence in the future.” ’
“(14) On November 20, 1992, the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, in Sherman v. Community Consolidated School District 21, 980 F.2d 437 (7th Cir. 1992), held that a school district's policy for voluntary recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance including the words ‘under God’ was constitutional.
“(15) The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals erroneously held, in Newdow v. U.S. Congress (9th Cir. June 26, 2002), that the Pledge of Allegiance's use of the express religious reference ‘under God’ violates the First Amendment to the Constitution, and that, therefore, a school district's policy and practice of teacher-led voluntary recitations of the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional.
“(16) The erroneous rationale of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in Newdow would lead to the absurd result that the Constitution's use of the express religious reference ‘Year of our Lord’ in Article VII violates the First Amendment to the Constitution, and that, therefore, a school district's policy and practice of teacher-led voluntary recitations of the Constitution itself would be unconstitutional.”
Reaffirmation of Language
Pub. L. 107–293, §2(b), Nov. 13, 2002, 116 Stat. 2060, provided that: “In codifying this subsection [probably should be “section”, meaning section 2 of Pub. L. 107–293, which amended this section], the Office of the Law Revision Counsel shall show in the historical and statutory notes that the 107th Congress reaffirmed the exact language that has appeared in the Pledge for decades.”
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2011-title4/html/USCODE-2011-title4-chap1.htm
5. The kings of the Medes and the Persians gave Israel the right to defend herself. The United States of America allows its people to bear arms in self-defense. (Esther 8:10-13)
Constitution of the United States
Second Amendment
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-2/#amendment-2
6. The kings of the Medes and the Persians exempted those who were temple workers from being taxed. The United States of America allows for tax exemption for religious entities. (Ezra 7:24)
Taxation of Religious Entities
By Joseph Rosenblum
Both before and after adoption of the Bill of Rights, state legislatures enacted, and the courts upheld, tax exemptions for religious entities, which are generally shared with charities. The federal legislature from its earliest days has exempted religious entities from the national tax base. Today, in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, statutes and constitutions provide various types of property tax exemptions for religious organizations. Similarly, the federal government has exempted churches and other religious organizations from federal taxation in the modern federal tax code since ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1913.
https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/972/taxation-of-religious-entities
Up until now in our study of Daniel 8 we have looked closely at the 2300-day prophecy. This prophecy extended from 457 BC to around the autumn of 1844 AD. But 1844 is also very close to the end of another time prophecy in scripture being the 1260-year prophecy of the Little Horn power reign.
We can study this prophecy in Daniel 7, Revelation 11, Revelation 12, and Revelation 13. This Little horn or Leopard-like beast power lasted from 538 AD to 1798 AD. The year 1798 and 1844 are only 46 years apart. Forty-six years is another time uniquely spoken of in scripture in reference to the temple.
John 2:13 And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:
15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;
16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.
17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.
18 Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?
19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?
21 But he spake of the temple of his body. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/John-Chapter-2/
“Forty and six years … - The temple in which they then were was that which was commonly called “the second temple,” built after the return of the Jews from Babylon. See the notes at Matthew 21:12. This temple Herod the Great commenced repairing, or began to rebuild, in the eighteenth year of his reign - that is, sixteen years before the birth of Christ (Jos. ‹Ant.,‘ b. xv. Section 1). The main body of the temple he completed in “nine years and a half” (Jos. ‹Ant.,‘ xv. 5,6), yet the temple, with its outbuildings, was not entirely complete in the time of our Saviour. Herod continued to ornament it and to perfect it even until the time of Agrippa (Jos. ‹Ant.,‘ b. xx. chapter viii. Section 11). As Herod began to rebuild the temple sixteen years before the birth of Jesus, and as what is here mentioned happened in the thirtieth year of the age of Jesus, so the time which had been occupied in it was “forty-six years.” This circumstance is one of the many in the New Testament which show the accuracy of the evangelists, and which prove that they were well acquainted with what they recorded. It demonstrates that their narration is true. Impostors do not trouble themselves to be very accurate about names and dates, and there is nothing in which they are more liable to make mistakes.” https://www.studylight.org/commentary/john/2-20.html
Christ, who 46 years after Herod began to rebuild the temple, was seen coming into His temple to a scene of the people buying and selling in the temple. He was indignant at the thought of salvation being for sale when it was a gift. So, at the start of his ministry He proceeded to cleanse the temple. A similar comparison comes at the start of the “time of the end” forty-six years after the papacy (Little horn power of Daniel 8, Daniel 7, Leopard like beast of Revelation 13) lost its control over the world (1798) there was still a misunderstanding of the true temple of God, true worship, and the role of Christ as our High Priest in heaven, and there was still a lot of pagan influence left in the newly formed Christian churches. The church was still buying and selling Christ. God needed to clean the temple of our hearts and minds. To mark the beginning of this special ministry, the cleansing of the temple or sanctuary would be prophetically announced as occurring in 1843-1844.
Daniel 8:13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?
14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Daniel-Chapter-8/
The freedoms in the United States of America allowed the church to grow and to thrive and to be used instrumentally to cleanse the false methods and ideas, that for 1260 years, the Little Horn power had instilled in the minds and hearts of men regarding Christ and His government or the law of God and worship of God. In essence, just as the kings of the Medes and Persians gave power to the Jews to re-build their temple and to govern themselves under God, so did the United States provide those powers to the church of God. The church was allowed to grow, and missionaries of the gospel were sent to the whole world. The Lord was free to write His covenant law on the hearts and minds of men cleansing their heart temples from sin and to prepare a people for the coming of the Lord.
But the Bible clearly tells us that Satan would be angry or indignant about this and once again would set out to destroy the woman (church).
Revelation 12:16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Revelation-Chapter-12/
To destroy the woman, the dragon must destroy the nation that God used to free and protect her. To do that, the dragon must destroy its two fundamental powers, religious liberty and civil liberty. This is where we need to look at the prophecy of Daniel 8:3-7 and apply it to the close of time to the United States of America. The prophecy says the He-goat brake his (the Ram’s) two horns.
Daniel 8:6 And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power.
7 And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Daniel-Chapter-8/
Is it even possible that the United States of America, land of freedom with its balance of powers, could give up its two most sacred powers, that of civil and religious liberty? It can happen and will according to prophecy. In likeness to the Bible story in Daniel 6, where the legislature in the kingdom of the Medes and Persians framed a law taking away liberty of conscience to worship God and consequently threw their judicial system (Daniel, whose name means judge) to the lion’s den, so will happen in the United States of America.
9 Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.
11 Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Daniel-Chapter-6/
Once the Devil convinces the United States of America, land of freedom, to use its legislature to frame a law which requires man to worship in a certain way even contrary to the Bible, the Lamb-like beast will speak like a dragon. First, he speaks in deception as the serpent spoke to Eve or like the princes of Daniel 6 spoke to the king (looking outwardly good and attractive) but in the end, it is a trap for the people of God and a tool of force. Religious liberty and civil liberty are gone. There will be no power in the Ram (Lamb-like beast) or the United States of America to stand for God before the He-goat (Satan). The devil will again stomp on the people of God using the papacy as he once did to control the consciences of men and to kill those who do not worship the image of the beast.
Daniel 8:6 And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power.
7 And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Daniel-Chapter-8/
Revelation 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Revelation-Chapter-13/
God said it would happen. He warned us every step of the way. Through scripture He tells us how to know who the man of sin is and how to resist him. But there is a test coming. There are only two groups of people in the end of time. Those who listen to God’s word and obey it, and those who listen to God’s word but place the word of man above God. One believes in true freedom. The other resorts to force. One system is proven to give life and the other leads to self-destruction. Which will you choose? Who will you choose?
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Our Bible study on Daniel 8 verse 20 discussed a third application of the Daniel 8 prophecy regarding who the Ram and His special horns represent at the very close of time. We were reminded that the Kings of the Medes and the Persians bestowed special powers (or horns) upon Israel, the first of those horns being religious liberty or being allowed to worship God as conscience dictates not as man dictates and not by compulsion. And the other horn or power being civil liberty or the freedom of the people to govern themselves. People are not to be compelled by an earthly supreme ruler but rather are free to choose their rulers and to look to God as their Supreme Ruler and to His form of government. This is called liberty.
These two freedoms or powers that God gave to His creation, literally caught God in a thicket so to speak. By the act of sin, man chose to worship Satan and chose to make him the ruler of the world. Satan, unlike God, is an arbitrary ruler. He does not like religious liberty or civil liberty. But Christ would not react to our sin by also becoming an arbitrary ruler and forcing us to worship and obey Himself. Instead, to save man from the clutches of sin, He humbled Himself to the point of becoming one of us and restored in man worship and obedience to the wisdom of His Father by choice even to the point of volunteering Himself to die in our stead to establish that selfless love which is the foundation of the government of God. Even as He did this, He allowed man to choose who he would worship or be ruler of his heart to the extent of even allowing man to put Him on the cross.
This is the act of the true Lamb of God. But Christ warns us in Revelation 13 of a lamb-like beast who would look like Christ outwardly and would be called a false prophet. Christ then tells two ways to know a false prophet. The first being by the fruits they produce. The second is in the obedience they give to the Word of God. Revelation 13 and 19 speaking of the very close of time also warn us of a false prophet who is a Lamb-like beast (a wolf in sheep’s clothing) who deceives the world by performing miracles with the Leopard-like beast at the close of time.
To find out who this Lamb-like beast is at the close of time, we looked at the timing of the Lamb-likes beast rise from the earth and found out it came up existing following the Leopard-like beast reign of 1260 years of Revelation 13 as a nation that helped God’s people by swallowing up the flood of persecution they were going through.
The pilgrim fathers fled the religious intolerance and persecution of Europe to bring about the birth of a new nation, the United States of America. Breaking away from the tyranny of the sovereign of the King of England to maintain the freedoms they believed in, they formed the new nation of the United States of America on July 4, 1776. Just as the kingdom of the Medes and Persians began the day Babylon fell, so the birth of the United States of America would begin as spiritual Babylon experienced its loss of state power March of 1798 under Pope Pius VI.
If we compare the United States to the Ram or Lamb-like beast of the kings of the Medes and the Persians, we find a lot of similarities.
1. Both nations are described with the two horns or unique powers of religious liberty and civil liberty known which enabled the church to grow strong.
2. Both nations are described as having three branches of government including a legislative, executive and judicial branch.
3. Both nations are described as having a legislature representing the people.
4. Both nations declared themselves a nation under God.
5. Both nations gave their people the right to bear arms and defend themselves against tyranny.
6. Both nations exempted those who were church workers from being taxed.
The Little Horn power reign ended in 1798, just forty-six years before 1844. This forty-six year time period is spoken of in scripture in reference to the first cleansing of the temple at the beginning of the ministry of Christ on this earth.
A similar comparison comes at the start of the “time of the end” forty-six years after the papacy lost its state power and control or empire over the world in 1798. In 1844 there was still a misunderstanding of the true temple of God, true worship, and the role of Christ as our High Priest in heaven, and there was still a lot of pagan influence left in the Christian church. The church was still buying and selling Christ. God needed to clean the temple of our hearts and minds. To mark the beginning of this special ministry, the cleansing of the temple or sanctuary was prophetically announced as occurring in 1843-1844.
The freedoms in the United States of America allowed the church to grow and to thrive and to be used instrumentally to cleanse the false methods and ideas, that for 1260 years, the Little Horn power had instilled in the minds and hearts of men regarding Christ and His government or the law of God and worship of God. In essence, just as the kings of the Medes and Persians gave power to the Jews to re-build their temple and to govern themselves under God, so did the United States provide those powers to the church of God. The church was allowed to grow, and missionaries of the gospel were sent to the whole world. The Lord was free to write His covenant law on the hearts and minds of men cleansing their heart temples from sin and to prepare a people for the coming of the Lord.
But the Bible clearly tells us that Satan would be angry or indignant about this and once again would set out to destroy the woman (church).
To destroy the woman, the dragon must destroy the nation that God used to free and protect her. To do that, the dragon must destroy its two fundamental powers, religious liberty and civil liberty. We have applied the act of the He-goat breaking the two horns of the Ram to the close of time and specifically to the United States of America. The United States of America, land of freedom with its balance of powers, in giving up its two most sacred powers, that of civil and religious liberty will use its legislature to frame a law which requires man to worship in a certain way even contrary to the Bible. Then the Lamb-like beast will speak like a dragon. First, like the princes of Daniel 6 spoke to the king flattering him, this will look outwardly good and attractive but in the end, it is a trap for the people of God and a tool of force. Religious liberty and civil liberty are gone. There will be no power in the Ram (Lamb-like beast) or the United States of America to stand for God before the He-goat (Satan). The devil will again stomp on the people of God using the papacy as he once did to control the consciences of men and to kill those who do not worship the image of the beast.
God said it would happen. He warned us every step of the way. Through scripture He tells us how to know who the man of sin is and how to resist him. There is a test coming for the people in the end of time. There will be two groups: those who listen to God’s word and obey it; and those who listen to God’s word but place the word of man above God. One believes in true freedom. The other resorts to force. One system is proven to give life and the other leads to self-destruction. Which will you choose?