Can you flesh out the details? How does the Bible symbolize the USA? What do you mean by "beholden"? Does the Bible specify the Atheistic Power? How do you define "faithfulness" - Sabbath-keeping?

I believe I've already indicated that I believe the beast is a religious power.

Why is it associated with a whore, harlot, queen, widow, a "her"?

1. Jer. 34:8-22 (in type)
2. Beholden: "owing thanks or having a duty to someone in return for help or a service."
3. Today, that would be Israel (a country that denies that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah)
4. "Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water." (Rev. 14:7) Notice who it says to worship: Jesus Christ, cf. Heb. 1

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James, thank you for answering my questions.

Bible students long before Ellen white already found the true meaning. The leopard like beast of Rev. 13 is the papacy when it is combining politics and religion. The sign of his supposed authority above the commandments of God is Sunday.

As early as 1657 people like Thomas Tillam wrote "The Seventh Day Sabbath, sought out and celebrated by saints obtaining victory over the mark of the beast." and "the Christians glorious conquest over the mark of the beast, and recovery of the long slighted seventh day, to its ancient glory."


The beast in Rev. 13 links to the beasts in Daniel 7. The beasts in Daniel 7 are explained in that chapter as four separate and distinct kingdoms. These respectively correspond to the kingdoms of Babylon, (also pictured as the head of gold in Dan.2 and identified as Babylon) Medo-Persia, Greece (also identified in Dan. 8) and Rome.
The fourth beast divides into 10 horns but it's power continues in form of a "little horn".
This power is said to be a powerful voice (:7), a persecutor of the true saints (:21), one who destroys other contenders or powers (:24), one who claims great titles and glory to itself, crushes the true church almost out of existence and changes times and laws (:25). Papacy fulfills this description minutely.

In Revelation 13 the symbols show us that the beast here is the end result of the four beasts in Daniel 7, it has feet like a bear, mouth of a lion, and body of a leopard, and it is a beast. It is the same line of history -- a continuation of Rome after it divided into ten horns and was now under the direction of the "little horn" throughout the 42 months (1260 years), but receives a deadly wound yet revives and works with the New beast with lamb like horns in the last crises.

And the whole world wonders after the beast -- there is no other power in the whole world that has politicians from all over the world honoring him and seeking his advice or blessings. It fits only one identity -- and yes, it is all about WORSHIP.



This last crises is depicted in Revelation as a war concerning God's commandments and true commitment in faith to Christ.

Rev. 12:17 The devil makes war on those who keep God's commandments and have the testimony of Jesus.

Rev. 14:12 clearly tells us what the sign of the saints is (those who do not get the mark of the beast)
The saints with patience keep God's commandments and have the faith of Jesus.

The last message to the world is a call to --
To worship the ONE Who made the heavens and the earth (Rev. 14:7) A clear linguistic link to the fourth commandment and its position as a memorial that GOD created everything in six days -- He spoke and it stood fast -- .

Right now the USA is divided between worldliness in many forms, Christianity in many forms, as well as other religons. The Christians most of whom have forgotten their protestant background are cozying up to the papacy.

That is how things stand NOW.

Yet, the statement "Beholden" or owing thanks to atheism has truth for the future development.
Thanks to atheism or Islamic anti-christian action it will bring a huge back lash in the favor of a papal led, USA former protestant empowered movement soon.

It will be on the ruins of our society that the beast and its image will appear as "the saviors of the world".

Marian Apparitions (which are spirits) condemn America as the principal agent for attempting to bring in a One World Government with a Luciferian religion and they are CALLING FOR A RETURN TO THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (that is the Catholic version of the ten commandments with a SUNDAY LAW). This is the mechanism designed by Satan to bring in the Sunday Law Crisis to the world. This spiritual movement directed by spirits as "mary", the papacy, and the formerly protestant denominations of America, will be seen as a movement to save the world and anyone in opposition will be seen as opposing the very force which will sweep away the openly anti-Christian movement.

This will make Sabbath keepers look like REBELS against every moral principle in the Bible, because they cannot conform to the demands of the so called great movement of salvation from the clutches of the Luciferian One World Order.

Protestants are willing to work with the Papacy for the good of Christianity but they are not going to give up their protestant autonomy to serve under the headship of the Pope. Satan is working to develop a threefold union of Apostate Protestantism, Catholicism, and Spiritualism - "a new and more exalted system of religious faith". Evil angels, working through spiritualism, is the glue by which Satan will attempt to unite the world under his sin-stained banner. The Pope, like everyone else, will be deceived and submit to Satan's leadership.

Revelation 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.



When was the Roman Empire's wound healed.

As I read Revelation 13:3, it is not identifying the beast in its wounded condition, but in its HEALED state.



The mark of the first beast in its healed state? or the mark of the second beast?

The mark of the first beast in its healed state? or the mark of the second beast?

The mark -- is the supposed mark of authority of the first beast to change God's time and law.

The second beast is the one who gives the political power to enforce the "mark" in honor of the first beast.



The last war concerns worship according to God's Commandments:
Rev. 12:17 The dragon in great fury makes war on the remnant of her seed WHO KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD....
and
Rev. 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints WHO KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD...

The last call of mercy is to
"Worship HIM who made the heavens and the earth and fountains of water... Rev. 14:7 (Compare with Ex. 20:8,11)
The rest are said to be worshipping the beast.

The synod in October at the Vatican should be interesting in relation to this thread and some of the other related threadfs here.