Where Does the U.S. Fit Into Biblical Prophecy?

In this regular feature Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call.  Here is this week’s question:  Dear Dave and Tom:  Where does the United States fit into biblical prophecy?  Is the attack on this country by terrorists in September a significant event biblically?

Tom:

Dave, we’ve gotten lots of questions along this line and I think some of the confusion out there is because some of our Christian leaders or those who are highly visible, evangelicals have made statements with regard to the terrorist attack, with regard to God pouring out his wrath on this country and so on.  But let’s start with the United States.  Are there any scriptures that would—

Dave:

You see, Tom, prophecy is a dangerous thing.  If you are not God, you are going to make mistakes and if you are a mere human being and you try to play around and make God’s prophesies say what they don’t say, then you’ve got problems, too.  You know, I speak in a lot of prophecy conferences and I’ve rubbed shoulders, I guess, with a lot of these people and some of them embarrass me because everything that happens they have to find it in the Bible.  I remember when the Gulf War began.  That was the beginning of Armageddon some of them said.  Some of them said the United States would be defeated and so forth.  That’s sad!  A little common sense would help you not make some of these mistakes.  The Bible does not name the United States.

Tom:

Or even America.

Dave:

That’s right.  Now, they go to the eagle’s wings and so forth.

Tom:

The young lions of Tarshish.

Dave:

Yes, but it doesn’t work.  Now, I can tell you what I think will happen.  The United States—

Tom:

Now are you going to be speculating for us here, Dave?

Dave:

Well, maybe a little bit speculative, okay, but you can come to your own conclusions.

Tom:

Well, we are encouraging people to search the scriptures, check them out.  Notice, I am laying this on you.

Dave:

Right, right, but if, and I have written an awful lot and said an awful lot about apostasy.  I don’t know how many real Christians we have in this country.  Nevertheless, I believe this country is unique.  Our President may be a real Christian, genuine Christian, maybe some of our admirals and generals, top people, computer operators, military people, science and so forth.

Tom:

You’re going to the significant positions.

Dave:

Exactly, that’s what I am trying to say.  So that the Rapture would devastate this country and the Rapture is hardly going to touch NATO, I don’t know that it would touch them at all, it certainly won’t touch Europe.  Now probably, more Chinese will be raptured than Americans, could very well be.

Tom:

Because of the underground church, because of the persecution.

Dave:

Right, but who are they? Coolies, street sweepers, that’s just going to mean more rice to go around for everyone else, but in the United States?You are taking key people.  It could just practically turn this country—well; I think America will become sort of a subsidiary of United Europe.  Now, whether the United States is mentioned or not in prophecy, the Bible is very clear.  Zechariah 12, God says I will bring all nations of the world against Jerusalem in battle.  Ezekiel 38 says the same, I am going to punish these nations for how they have treated my people Israel, and at the same time, God says, I am going to punish Israel for rejecting me.  This is what Armageddon is, it has two purposes.  So, the United States, specifically mentioned?  No, but the United States?  Yes, by implication, it will be one of the nations of all the world that will come against Israel.  We’re not as much a friend of Israel as people think and there is a lot of pressure on right now:  why do you keep backing Israel?  So, we may be heading in that direction but ultimately we will join them.

Tom:

Going back to the second part of the question, is the attack on this country by terrorists in September a significant event biblically?  Specifically, no one can say, I think.  However, we know certain things are leading up to the last days.  I remember you calling me, telling me about C-Span and how Arab nations, leaders of, you know, within the UN.

Dave:

Muslim nations.

Tom:

Muslim nations, correct.  They were making statements that just astounded you.

Dave:

The Ambassador from Tajikistan for example, said, “No disaster, national disaster or any kind, no calamity, nothing that has ever happened in this earth could even begin to unite the world like this event has and, of course, it has united them, first of all against terrorism.  I think they are going to run the terrorists down.  I think terrorism is going to become so out of fashion, I mean, there will be some, few people here and there, but its not going to have the backing that it has had in the past.  And, this could—is it significant?  I don’t know, it could lead to a false peace.  We have to come to the place, 1Thessalonians 5, “When they—(that’s not us—that’s they), say peace and safety…” but we have to come to the place where the world thinks it has achieved some kind of peace and safety and Israel also has to be guaranteed a false peace by the Antichrist, ultimately.  So I think this is heading us in that direction.

Tom:

So it has a conditioning affect, things are developing that seems to be a movement toward unity, which is certainly a characteristic of the end times.

Dave:

Right. Unity and peace, that’s where we’ve got to get, finally, and we are out of here and it doesn’t have to happen before we leave.  When I say we are out of here, of course, if you are out there and you are listening, we’re referring to the Rapture. Christ is going to take his own to heaven.

Tom:

Maranatha.