The Seventh Day Adventist church has always taught that the second beast of Revelation 13:11-17 is the United States of America. Many others who disagree with this interpretation say it could possibly be the nation of Islam. In an e-mail with a friend who disagreed with me I was presented with the following reason why Islam could possibly be the second beast. However, a closer examination revealed that this just could not be. Lets take a look together:
Reasons showing why it could be Islam:
–Point 1: Rises up out of the earth (unpopulated area – verse 11) = Arabia.
–Point 2: Looks like a two horned lamb (verse 11) = Submissive, Islam is submissive to Allah.
–Point 3: Speaks like a dragon (verse 11) = Islam slanders God’s name.
–Point 4: Brings about the Mark (verse16) = Islam affects actions of people.
–Point 5: Has the authority of the first beast (verse 12) = Islam has political connections.
–Point 6: Deceives (verse 14): Islam deceives.
–Point 7: Image to honor 1st beast (verse 14) = Follows pattern for new system based on changes made by first beast.
A couple of problems with these points
First: The Second beast rises up “peacefully” as a lamb. Islam, however, began rising and gaining power speaking as a dragon, forcing all who did not comply with their way to submit to Islam, and persecuting both the Christen and Jewish religions. Now today is when it supposedly tries to make peace with the world. Can you see the difference? It is backwards with the Islamic religion. They “began” speaking as a dragon, then acted like a lamb… whereas the second beast “begins” peacefully as a lamb “first,” and then it “speaks as a dragon.
Second: Since the “seas” in prophecy represent many multitudes of peoples and nations (Rev. 17:15) this means that as the second beast rises out of the earth, it much be a place not of “peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues.” The USA was not a nation of many different people and languages, nor was it even an established country yet. Arabia was already an established country when Islam appeared, and although the native tongue was Arabic, there were certiantly already people of other “nations and tongues” living therein.
Third: The mark brought about by the second beast, is to cause the world to worship the first beast! Even if one disagrees that the first beast is the Roman Catholic Church (for proof, see Identifying the Antichrist Part 1), this second beast still causes people to worship another beast. Islam, however, does not want to cause anyone to worship any other god but Allah. Their whole religion is based upon their belief in worshiping Allah alone. They will never want others to worship anyone else.
Fourth: The second beast rises as a “lamb.” While “submission” is certiantly a quality of a lamb, prophetically speaking, a lamb in the bible specifically represents Jesus Christ (John 1:27), that lamb which was prophesied to come. Christians are supposed to reflect the very character of Jesus Christ in their actions… and as a result they become “Christians” –manifesting the lifestyle of their Saviour Jesus Christ. This means that the second beast rises up as a christian nation with christian principles. Islam… we know, is anti-Christianity.
Fifth: The lamb like beast has two horns. We know horns represent kings, however, unlike the crowned horns of the first beast (verse 1); these horns are “crown-less” showing rather two non-royalistic kings. Adventism teaches that these two horns are The Bill of Rights and The Constitution… which two documents govern the United States just as a crowned human king would. What two things does Islam have that act as crownless kings which governs them? We only know of one… the Quran.
So while their might be some similarities between the second beast and Islam, Islam does not fit all the criteria’s of the second beast. The United States, however, fits them perfectly. Learn how the U.S.A fits all the identifications of the second beast by clicking HERE.
