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America in Prophecy, Part 2
There are some Bible-reading, Jesus-loving Christians, who find America in biblical prophecy. In this section, it’s my intention to respectfully disagree with their interpretations. There are three primary passages where some “find” America in prophecy.
View #1: America is “Babylon”
Some people teach that America is the nation of “Babylon” mentioned in Jeremiah 50-51 and Revelation 17-18. One proponent of this interpretation says,
"Did you know that there are Biblical prophecies yet to be fulfilled which predict that just before the rise of the Antichrist and before the return of Jesus Christ, a Super-Power nation will exist called Mystery Babylon. The Biblical Prophecies indicate that this Super-Power nation will set up an alliance with Satan and his cosmic rebel angelic forces and thus allow them to have an 'observation base' within that nation. The prophecies use a symbolic 'code-name' for this end- of- the-era Super Power nation. The symbolic code name is: 'Mystery Babylon.'Today, we know this nation as the United States of America."
Sounds exciting, but it's just not true. The “Babylon” mentioned in Bible prophecy is a city, not a nation. Revelation 17:18 reads, "The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth." This city appears to be located in the Middle East near the Euphrates River (cf. Rev. 9:14, 16:12), which also dismisses the speculation that New York City is “Babylon,” which some people suggested after 9/11/2001. Furthermore, there’s no indication in the context of these passages that “Babylon” is a code term. Either an existing city is renamed or a new city is established.
View #2: America is “the Unnamed Nation”
In Isaiah 18, the prophet speaks of a nation filled with “smooth-skinned” people, who speak a strange language, whose land is divided by rivers. Some believe Isaiah is writing about America. One proponent of this view says,
"America is in Bible prophecy. Isaiah 18 warns of the destruction of America by attackers from a land in the region of Iran, Pakistan or southern Asia. This is the reason America does not show up in prophecy during the last seven years before Jesus returns. That is why this powerful nation isn't mentioned during the Tribulation. God through his prophet Isaiah gives us clues as to what is yet to happen. Isaiah chapter 18 discusses more than one nation. Study each verse carefully. It prophesies the destruction of a country which can only be America. What people want is peace and safety. What they will really get is the opposite. You need to know and understand what is to come."
Reading the chapter makes clear that the geographical context of these verses is North East Africa. For example, verse one speaks about the land along “the rivers of Cush.” Ancient Cush was composed of the area that is currently occupied by southern Egypt, northern Ethiopia, Sudan, and Somalia. In other words, Isaiah isn't speaking about America.
View #3 America is “Tarshish and All Her Villages”
Others believe America is vaguely referenced in Ezekiel 38:13, which reads, “Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all her villages will say to you, ‘Have you come to plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods and to seize much plunder?’”
The context of this verse refers to an end times' invasion of Israel by her enemies. The verse states that Sheba, Dedan, and “the merchants of Tarshish and all her villages” will try and defend Israel. Sheba and Dedan are in modern-day Saudi Arabia, but the location of Tarshish is more difficult to identify with specificity. There is agreement among scholars that its located west of Israel, but while some suggest it’s refers to Spain, others suggest its refers to Great Britain.
Those who understand Tarshish to be Great Britain interpret “and all her villages” to mean all of the country’s historical appendages, such as America, and/or other English-speaking nations like Canada. Therefore, it is proposed that Ezekiel 38:13 alludes to a Western alliance of nations that comes to Israel’s defense in the last days.
Although it’s interesting that this theory does align with the political makeup of the world today, there is simply not enough evidence in the Bible to say with certainty that the description “Tarshish and all her villages” includes America.
I will admit that unlike Views 1 and 2, where the evidence is opposed totheir interpretations, I would concede that there isn’t enough evidence to come to a definitive conclusion about View 3.
So, it is possible America is “Tarshish and all her villages”? Yes. However, the Bible warns against turning prophecy into a guessing game, so I chose not to answer definitively.
I want to note again that I’m sure I could find much more in common theologically with Christians who find America in the book of Revelation and Ezekiel than uncommon. That said, since the subject is finding America in biblical prophecy, my study has led me to conclude that America simply isn’t mentioned in the Bible.
Conclusion
Just because America isn’t referred to in Bible prophecy doesn’t make our future irrelevant. Paradoxically, the Bible’s silence about America speaks volumes. But how does America descend from the world’s only superpower to being essentially irrelevant on the world stage during the end times? What happens? What are the possibilities? And if the end is near, like the Bible says it is, how soon will this all take place? I believe answering these questions can teach us about our country, ourselves, and our God, and is therefore, a worthwhile discussion. This will be the subject of my next post.
Yes! Jesus is Coming!
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