While preterist interpreters seek meaning for the land beast in the contemporary Roman context (see, for example, Aune, Revelation, 756-757), the movement of the text from Revelation 12 to 13 argues for a future power not yet in existence when Revelation was written. As we have seen, this power arises in the context of the shift from the sea beast’s reign of 42 months to its actions in the end-time context. What power arose in the world at that time (around 1800 A.D. if one applies the year-day equation to the 42 months) that could fit all the designations? The common historical interpretation a hundred years ago would still seem to be the best one now. The United States of America was founded by persecuted Christians who came from Europe to America looking for religious freedom. It arose in a part of the world that was relatively uninhabited, and was unknown in the ancient Euro-Asian context (it has no background in Daniel 7, for example). It was a young nation, a relatively new power on the world’s stage. Its governing principles were more positive than those of most nations in the course of history (principles of liberty, equality, and human rights empowered by the people). It rose up around the end of the 1260 years (1798). The land beast had no crowns. The United States was a nation without a king and its main churches had no pope. It arose from obscurity to become a major world power–there is no nation in the world today more dominant than the United States of America.

One could argue that the USA has “spoken like a dragon” from the very beginning of its history, in the subjugation of native Americans and the very early institution of slavery in the southern states. But I think all would agree that the “speaking like a dragon” has accelerated through America’s history and has reached a new level in the events since September 11. Perhaps a better way to look at this is the increasing divide between America’s ideals and its military and political actions toward those who differ.

This historical connection between the USA and the beast from the earth does not seem quite as clear or convincing as the connections between the beast from the sea and the medieval papal system. But if there is a historical focus to this text, and I think there is, and if we are anywhere close to the end of history; a connection between this beast and the United States of America is the only one that makes sense. Other major powers have come and gone over the last two hundred years. All of them have arisen from the Eurasian/African landmass (represented by the sea?), which has been the focus of Bible prophecy all the way until now. The USA has been a significant world power for more than a hundred years, and during that time its relative dominance in the world has only been increasing. And it is the first world power that centers outside the land mass that includes Europe, Asia and the Mediterranean coast of Africa (Egypt was certainly a “world power” in its time and North Africa was a major part of the Roman Empire).

But the strong religious tone of the land beast’s actions (Rev 13:12-15) suggests that if the United States is the power intended in these texts, it is its religious character that is particularly in view. America was historically a Protestant Christian nation, so supporting a “beast” in the heritage of the medieval papacy would be a dramatic shift in religious perspective for Nineteenth Century America. Since the United States is no longer a protestant-dominated nation (though some would like to restore that), exactly how this would happen today is not clear. Having said that, in today’s world the USA is the center of gravity for world Christianity as much or more than Rome, and it is in this religious role that its actions in the latter part of this chapter are particularly to be seen. The United States has been admired for its freedom. Americans are willing to tolerate violence and crime as long as their freedom is not jeopardized. If the main thing you want is to have a low crime rate, you can accomplish that with brute force as occurred in Soviet Russia. When the people of the United States are more concerned with safety and security than they are with freedom, Americans will find tyranny the best of bad options. An American move toward tyranny would be the adoption of the dragon’s methods as portrayed in this part of Revelation.