his mouth in blaspehemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven." 19 This is not only fulfilled by all the blasphemous words spoken by the papacy, but it is also evidently fulfilled when the pope presents himself as God and receives divine worship.

The little horn of Daniel 7, the first beast of Revelation 13, and the "man of sin" spoken of by Paul in 2 Thess. 23, 4, are evidently one and the same power. The apostle says:

"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God."

"20

21

46

The temple of God wherein it is possible for a human being to sit is the church of Christ. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." "1 No one can doubt that there was a Christian church in Rome in the days of the apostles, and that it became one of the largest and most prominent churches among the first Christians. Neither can it be doubted that the throne of the papal power has been in the city of Rome these many centuries, and that the church in which it ruled was to all outward appearance a continuation of the Roman Christian church. Is there any reason why the pope or papal power is not the "man of sin," the "son of perdition," spoken of by the apostle? I Cor. 3: 16, 17.

19 Rev. 13: 6.

20

2 Thess. 2: 3, 4.

21

CHAPTER III.

THE UNITED STATES IN THE LIGHT OF PROPHECY.

THE

HE next object that was seen by the prophet in vision was another beast coming up out of the earth. "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."1

A New Nation.

The Scriptures declare plainly that beasts in prophecy are symbols of kings or kingdoms. "These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. "2 "The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms." The symbol of the ram introduced in Daniel 8, he explains to be the "kings of Media and Persia," and the rough goat as a symbol of Grecia.'

We have also seen that the dragon in Revelation 12 is a symbol of pagan Rome, and the first beast in Revelation 13 a symbol of the papal power. But if the lion, the bear, the leopard, and the fourth beast in Daniel 7, the ram and the he goat in Daniel 8, the dragon in Revelation 12, and the first beast in Revelation 13, all denote kingdoms, or ruling powers, we can come to no other reasonable conclusion than that the second beast in Revelation 13 also must denote a kingdom or government. Let us then, in our explanation of this prophecy, adopt this rule that beasts, when used as prophetic symbols, denote kingdoms;

1 Rev. 13: II.

3 Verse 23.

2 Dan. 7: 17.
4 Dan. 8: 20, 21.

then we have a definite and sure starting point and foundation for our explanation.

"I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth." This is just as though the prophet had said, I beheld another nation or power coming up out of the earth. Now a nation has at least four parts: (1) A ruler or government; (2) Laws by which to govern; (3) A people that is governed; and (4) A country in which the people live. Another beast or nation must therefore be another power or government which reigns over another people. It cannot be Rome or any part of Rome, because Rome was the first beast, and this is the second, and both reign contemporarily.

We believe that the second beast is a symbol of the United States of North America. That this is a proper application of this symbol is seen from the fact that all the characteristics mentioned by the prophet meet in this government and in no other, and this is the main subject for our consideration in this chapter.

Characteristics of the New Nation.

1. A new nation with a new government. - The United States is evidently another power or country, for they have another government reigning according to other laws over another people in another country.

2. This government arose after the first.- The twohorned beast arose after the first beast, otherwise it could not be called another beast coming up after the first beast had received its deadly wound in 1798. The United States has been "coming up" later than the papacy. They were "coming up" in 1798, for the independence of the United States was declared July 4th, 1776, when the thirteen States having previously been English colonies were united into one nation. This agrees perfectly with the description of the prophet.

3. The new nation came up quietly.—The manner in which this nation came up is different from that of all preceding nations. "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth. Most of the beasts previously mentioned came up from the sea. This was the case with the four great beasts of Daniel 7, and the first beast of Revelation 13. They were built up by war on the ruins of other kingdoms or nations. That was not the case with this new nation. The United States did not overturn any civilized kingdom existing previously, neither did it obtain its riches and power by violence or pillage. It came up quietly, just like a plant growing up out of the earth by which it is nourished. July 4, 1776, the United States declared its independence, having at that time about three million inhabitants. In 1890 it consisted of forty-four States and seven territories, with an area of 3,576, 504 square miles, and 62,622,250 inhabitants. This does not include Alaska or the reservations of the Indians."

Peaceful and Rapid Development.

The Dublin Nation (Ireland) said, about the year 1850:

"In the East there is arising a colossal centaur called the Russian empire.' With a civilized head and front, it has the sinews of a huge barbaric body. There, one man's brain moves 70,000,000. There, all the traditions of the people are of aggression and conquest in the West. There, but two ranks are distinguishable, serfs and soldiers. There, the map of the future includes Constantinople and Vienna as outposts of St. Petersburg. "In the West, an opposing and still more wonderful American empire is emerging. We islanders have no conception of the extra. ordinary events, which, amid the silence of the earth, are daily adding to the power and pride of this gigantic nation. Within three years, territories more extensive than these three kingdoms [England, Ireland, and Scotland], France, and Italy put together, have been quietly, and in almost 'matter-of-course' fashion, annexed to the Union.

5 Rev. 13: II.

6 Potter's Advanced Geography.

"Within seventy years, seventeen new sovereignties, the smallest of them larger than Great Britain, have peaceably united themselves to the Federation. No standing army was raised, no national debt was sunk, no great exertion was made, but there they are. And the last mail brings news of three more great States about to be joined to the thirty, Minnesota in the Northwest, Deseret in the Southwest, and California on the shores of the Pacific. These three States will cover an area equal to one-half of the European continent."

When we consider that this nation a little over a hundred years ago numbered only three million people, but now sixty-three million, with an area of about four million. square miles, we have before us one of the most striking instances of national growth in extent and population that can be found in history.

And with regard to industry, the growth of the United States is no less wonderful. In 1793 no cotton mills were to be found in this country. In 1890 there were more than one thousand, and they produced about seven million bales of cotton. In 1830 the first section of steam railroad was opened the Baltimore and Ohio - to a distance of twenty-three miles. In 1890 there were more than 152,689 miles of railroad in operation. In 1840 the telegraph was invented. In 1890, 254, 110 miles of telegraph

were in use.

In 1890 the States produced 2, 112,000,000 bushels of corn, 490,000,000 bushels of wheat, 751,000,000 bushels of oats, 63,000,000 bushels of barley, 28,000,000 bushels of rye, 12,000,000 bushels of buckwheat, 202,000,000 of potatoes, 46,000,000 tons of hay, 38,000,000 cattle, 48,000,000 swine, and 36,000,000 sheep. The annual production of coal has been 80,000,000 tons, petroleum, 28,000,000 barrels, iron 4,000,000 tons. In twenty years California and a few other States have produced one thousand million dollar's worth of gold.

7 Potter's Advanced Geography.