A few days ago, I stopped at a grocery store to buy a few items. When I handed the cashier a twenty-dollar bill, he didn't simply drop it into the cash register. He held it up to the light for a moment to make sure it wasn't counterfeit.
That got me thinking. If we are not careful, we can accept forgeries of prophesy simply because it sounds convincing or seems to fit the popular narrative.
But God's people have never been called to interpret prophecy through the latest headlines or popular culture. We are called to test everything by the Word of God.
Isaiah put it this way: "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20).
David wrote, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105).
Our responsibility is to let Scripture interpret Scripture. To let God‘s word distinguishing truth from error.
The question before us is whether or not America has spoken like a dragon in fulfillment of the prophecy found in Revelation 13.
Like every country in the world, America has flaws and sins in her past. Christians should not minimize this or attempt to rewrite history. Slavery, for example, was a terrible evil and a tragic contradiction of the principles set forth in the Declaration of Independence.
At the same time, we should remember that the very document upon which this nation was founded contained the seeds that would eventually undermine slavery in this country.
The declaration that "all men are created equal" became one of the strongest arguments used by abolitionists. More than 360,000 Americans gave their lives during the Civil War, and countless others risked everything because they believed those God-given principles should apply to every human being.
But some point to slavery as evidence that America has already spoken “like a dragon.” Others point to systemic oppression today as evidence of dragon speech. But this is not the same as the prophetic fulfillment of Revelation 13.
If every wicked failure constituted dragon speech, every nation in history would qualify. In fact, some more so than the United States. Again, the question before us is not whether America has flaws. The question is whether America has fulfilled the prophecy of Revelation 13.
Has America Spoken Like a Dragon Yet?
Thankfully, we don't have to guess or twist scripture to harmonize with popular culture which is becoming increasingly anti-American. Revelation tells us clearly. The prophecy is very specific.
The beast with lamb-like characteristics speaks like a dragon…
WHEN it "causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed" (Revelation 13:12).
WHEN it causes "that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed" (Revelation 13:15). Finally…
WHEN it "causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast" (Revelation 13:16-17).
So when does America speak like a dragon?
We do not have to speculate.
Prophesy describes a power that forms an image to the beast, enforces worship, compels conscience through civil authority, and threatens economic sanctions and punishment against those who refuse to comply.
Ellen White not only identifies this power, she also affirms scripture by telling us exactly “when” it speaks like a dragon:
"It has been shown that the United States is the power represented by the beast with lamblike horns, and that this prophecy will be fulfilled WHEN the United States shall enforce Sunday observance, which Rome claims as the special acknowledgment of her supremacy" (The Great Controversy, p. 579, emphasis supplied).
She continues:
"WHEN Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power; WHEN she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism; WHEN, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution... then we may know that the time has come."
Notice Ellen White's repeated use of the word "when." Apparently, America has not yet spoken like a dragon, since none of these prophetic events have happened yet.
Please let that sink in.
According to Ellen White, it will do so only “when” it enforces Sunday observance and “repudiates” the constitutional principles that have protected liberty of conscience.
Expanding this prophecy to include every past or present injustice may be popular today, but it goes beyond what Scripture and the Spirit of Prophecy actually say.
Ellen White then explains how America will speak like a dragon:
"The 'speaking' of the nation is the action of its legislative and judicial authorities" (The Great Controversy, p. 442).
According to Ellen White, America speaks like a dragon when its legislative and judicial authorities use civil power to enforce religious worship. That is the context of Revelation 13, and thankfully, that moment has not yet arrived.
The Timing Matters
For more than a century, Seventh-day Adventists have taught that sincere Sunday-keeping Christians do not presently have the mark of the beast because the prophetic conditions of Revelation 13 have not yet been met.
If we are careful not to apply the mark of the beast before its appointed time in Bible prophecy, shouldn't we be equally careful not to say America has already spoken like a dragon before the prophecy says it has?
After all…
Both prophecies are found in the same chapter. Both are connected to the same end-time events.
When we move prophecy ahead of God's timetable, we create the following problems.
We associate our church with non-Christian and anti-American movements.
We unnecessarily offend those who would’ve been open to our message.
We teach that Bible prophecy is subjective and can be reinterpreted based on popular culture.
We create confusion and insecurity regarding the trustworthiness of prophecy.
We promote apathy in regard to religious liberty,  communicating that it is too late for America and she is beyond redemption.
We cause others not to celebrate the beautiful rights we still have as Americans. Rights that millions around the world wish they had.
It is a conviction of this writer, that Satan is working to deceive christians into blowing up the only “refuge” they have for religious liberty.
Demonizing America before her time, only makes it easier for godless movements to erode the Biblical principles we rely on to live, worship and boldy share the three angels messages.
Years ago, Ronald Reagan shared a conversation with a Cuban refugee who had escaped Castro's regime. Someone remarked how fortunate the man was to have come to America. The refugee replied, "At least I had somewhere to run. Where will you run if America falls?"
This captures what millions of people around the world have believed for generations. America has been a refuge because of the liberties protected by its Constitution.
Don’t Give in to Unscriptural Speculation
Dear reader, our calling is not to speculate. Our calling is to let Scripture speak for itself, within its own context and according to its own timing.
Church leaders, pastors, religious liberty leaders, and church members should continue to defend the freedoms secured by the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
We must also teach these principles to our children and ensure they are faithfully taught in our schools.
We do this not because we believe America is beyond criticism, but because these God-given freedoms have provided an unparalleled opportunity for the gospel to advance.
We also know from prophecy that a day is coming when many of these freedoms will be swept away. That is all the more reason to cherish them, defend them, and wisely prepare the next generation while we still can.
The Bible tells us that the day is coming when America will speak like a dragon.
Scripture is clear.
The Spirit of Prophecy is equally clear.
A time will come when church and state unite, religious liberty is set aside, conscience is coerced, and civil authority is used to enforce religious worship.
Major discussions are even happening now regarding these things. But according to Revelation 13 and the Spirit of Prophecy, that day has not yet arrived.
Above all, let us follow Paul's counsel:
"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).
May God help us neither add to His Word nor subtract from it, but interpret it faithfully and courageously.
America will one day speak like a dragon.
But not yet.
****
Gary is the President of the Northern New England Conference
