America and Israel: Spiritually Connected
Part 1 – Can America Be Found in Bible Prophecy?
This new study entitled America and Israel: Spiritually Connected is a study that has been a long time coming. I have studied this topic on and off for several years and have contemplated bringing it before you several times, and I did present some of the information we will look at to the adult Sunday School class about five years ago. But this week, I had a little more time to actually look at this study again and I feel that perhaps now is the time to share it with you.
This study is a complicated one with many offshoots. It holds some great depth and fascinating treasures about God’s chosen people, the Jews, and God’s redeemed children, the church. I will include in the bulletin inserts each week the list of sources I have consulted and quoted from for each teaching, so that you can review them for yourselves. These are some great sources for any serious Bible student and I highly recommend them to anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of God’s Word.
Having said that, let’s get into Part 1 of this new teaching: Can America Be Found in Bible Prophecy?
Since America became a nation, Bible scholars and students have wondered if America is mentioned anywhere in the Holy Word, but more specifically in the verses that cover end-time prophecies. Surely the most powerful Gentile nation on earth, a nation that has become the lighthouse to the world by proclaiming the Gospel of Christ wouldn’t be omitted from the thousands of Scriptures covering end-time predictions, would it?
Well, most Bible scholars agree that this is probably one of the most frequently asked questions they have been asked, and it is one of the most difficult to answer.
Most ancient peoples and empires mentioned in Scripture can be easily traced through Bible prophecy to their modern day forms. The present day European Union is clearly anticipated in Bible prophecy as the revived form of the culture and people of the old Roman Empire in the last days. Even the city of Rome occupies a large place in the final form of western power as predicted by the Bible.
In the same time frame the vast populations of Asia and especially China are predicted under the sphere of power called the kings of the east. They occupy a fateful role in the battle of Armageddon.
All the nations that surround the reborn state of Israel are named in prophecies about the last days. These nations are all connected today by Islam. The ancient Hebrew prophets predicted this confederacy and its passion to destroy the reborn state of Israel in the last days.
Ancient nations like the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians can all be tracked across history to nations present in the last days.
Even ethnic groups can be traced through their forefathers to their modern counterparts. The descendants of Magog can be traced through the Scythians to modern ethnic Russians. Descendants of Cush are the modern black Africans. The modern descendants of a Biblical character known as Put are the peoples of Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.
But if you are to go looking through Bible prophecy for something that can be traced to America as easily as some of these countries and people can then you aren’t going to find anything. There’s not even so much as an inference. When it comes to answering the question, “Where is America in Bible Prophecy?” pick any five Christian theologians and you will get six or seven opinions. That is what makes studying this question so confusing and mind boggling, and why it has taken me so long to try and put this teaching before you.
After studying and listening to various respected Bible teachers I’ve formed my own opinions about this question, and I will present it to you today and in the weeks to come, but keep in mind that it is only my opinion. I am basing it on what I have studied and my own understanding as far as the Holy Spirit has made clear to me. I am only human though, so I encourage you to listen to several teachers as I have, do your own studying, and form your own opinion, even if it contradicts mine.
Hal Lindsey and Perry Stone are two of the most highly respected Biblical prophecy teachers today. Throw in John Hagee, Jack Van Impe, Tim Lahaye, Jerry Jenkins, and Clarence Larkin, and you can’t go wrong listening to the teachings of these great men about what is going to occur when Jesus returns. But you will also find after looking at their teachings, that even though in general, they all agree about end-time events, when it comes to specific passages, even they have differing interpretations.
Well, I have discovered by researching these teachers as well as the Bible that some of the greatest truths in Scripture are often hidden within the text. The answers or treasures that we seek can be found, but usually only after some intense mining. To discover these truths we need to compare verse with verse and word with word. We need to be on the lookout for the many patterns and cycles locked within the Bible.
You know the old sayings “there’s nothing new under the sun,” or “everything old is new again,” or “history has a tendency to repeat itself”? Well, I believe there is great truth in these sayings because in the Bible we can see that God works that way. Things in the Old Testament are shadows of things that come in the New Testament. You can find patterns and cycles that repeat themselves over and over again, and when you begin to see them you gain greater understanding and revelation.
So, can America be found in the Bible? I’ll give you an answer that is probably about as clear as mud – Yes and No.
I. NO - Physically
Let’s look at the NO answer first. As I said before, if you are looking for a clear example or reference to the United States of America in Bible prophecy you won’t find it. There is no verse or reference that you can point to and clearly say that God is talking about the United States right here.
The Bible clearly identifies who will be the leader or superpower in the last days and it’s not America. According to the prophet Daniel it will be the descendants of those who destroyed the temple in 70 AD. The temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by Roman general Titus and his tenth legion. So according to Daniel the global leader in the last days is going to be the descendants of the empire and people of Rome. And the Roman Empire has certainly revived politically today in its modern version the European Union.
In fact Russia, China, Iran, Syria and a whole host of most of the world’s major nations can be found in Scripture right up to the end. But it is Europe, which the Bible predicts as being the remaining world super power in the end times, NOT the United States.
Some theologians have put up some very compelling arguments that America can be found in several places among the prophetic scriptures. And when you study their theories and their reasoning, I would tend to give them the benefit of the doubt and say that maybe that scripture is speaking of America, but then again maybe not. A lot of the theories these scholars are pointing to use symbolism and allegory, and you can gain great understanding this way IF you are using scripture to explain scripture. But you can get into some major trouble and false understanding by trying to explain scripture by using something that lies outside the Bible.
A. Tarshish and the Young Lions
For example, some scholars point to the passage in Ezekiel 38:13 where the prophet speaks of the merchants of Tarshish and all the young lions thereof, who launch a diplomatic protest at the time of the battle of Gog and Magog with Israel. Ezekiel 38:13 reads, “Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? Hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? To carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?”
They explain that Tarshish was the western-most trading and seafaring nation of the ancient world. From this they conclude that Tarishish was Britain. After all, Britain is at the western-most point of the continent and the symbol of Britain is the lion. Consequently, the interpretation goes, that all the young lions thereof become all the former British colonies like Australia, Canada, and of course the United States. Therefore the merchants of Tarshish and the young lions thereof must be referring to America.
Now, this is one of those maybe and maybe not instances. I agree that England’s symbol is a lion and that it is on the western-most point of the continent. But this theory is “IFFY”, because nobody can pinpoint with any degree of accuracy the exact location of ancient Tarshish. In fact, most recent archeological studies put in presently in modern day Spain which would make this theory false. So, although the theory is possible, it doesn’t seem to be very likely unless future research can prove that Tarshish is actually located in Britian.
B. Wings of Eagles
Another theory looks at Revelation 12:13-17, which talks about the woman, Israel, fleeing from the antichrist and Satan halfway through the Tribulation period on the wings of eagles. Verse 14 reads, “ And to the woman [Israel] were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.” They say that since the eagle is the symbol for the United States that this passage is saying that America will provide a military airlift to take Israel to safety during this time.
Now, I’m not saying this won’t happen. America very well could be used by God during the Tribulation to rescue the remnant of Israel being pursued by their enemy. But the arguments against this interpretation are stronger and more believable.
The first argument being that America is not the only nation in history to ever have the eagle as its national symbol. The eagle was also the symbol for Ancient Rome. So, using the same reasoning you could just as easily say that the revised Roman Empire of the later days, the EU, could be the ones rescuing Israel at this time.
The second and best argument against America being the eagle of this passage has to deal with the fact that scripture will interpret scripture. And scripture has already identified who has the wings of an eagle in Deuteronomy 32:9-12, “For the Lord’s portion is his people; Jacob [Israel] is the lot of his inheritance. [10] He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. [11] As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: [12] So the Lord alone did lead him…”
From this scripture we can see that God identifies himself as being the bearer of Israel on eagle’s wings. So one must be very careful when using signs and symbols.
And those are just two of the theories that have been put forth as to where America might play a part in end time events, I found many more while preparing for this study. Some are very compelling. But most, if not all, fall under the category of maybe this is talking about America, but then again maybe not.
So, that leads us to the YES part of our answer as to whether or not America can be found in the Bible.
II. YES - Spiritually
As I’ve said, America can not be easily pointed out in the Bible. We can’t trace our national identity or cultural heritage back to ancient times like the countries and ethnic groups that are named in the Scriptures can. We can’t look at a passage or verse or word and say that this is a description of ancient America. After all, we have only existed as a nation for about 230 years.
But what we can do is trace our spiritual heritage. America’s spiritual heritage existed long before our physical nation ever did. Our Christian heritage can be traced back to Christ himself.
No other nation on earth can claim the rich Christian heritage that we can, and I believe that America was divinely birthed and purposed to nurture and spread the gospel message until the time of the end. And our Christian or spiritual heritage can be found in the Bible, for we are connected as Americans in a unique way to our spiritual forefathers, the Jews.
A. The Theory of God’s Vineyard
Look with me if you will at Isaiah 5:1-7 and Matthew 21:33-41,43.
Isaiah 5:1-7: “Now will I sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My well-beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: [2] And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. [3] And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. [4] What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? [5] And now go to: I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down. [6] And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. [7] For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah (Jews) his pleasant plant (vine)…”
Hundreds of years later, Jesus took the parable of the vineyard written in Isaiah and revealed additional information concerning a new vineyard that God would raise up. Christ’s parable about these future events is recorded in Matthew 21:33-41, 43.
Matthew 21:33-41, 43: “Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: [34] And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. [35] And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. [36] Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. [37] But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. [38] But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. [39] And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. [40] When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? [41] They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. [43] Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing for the fruits thereof.”
The nation of Israel is compared to three different trees or bushes in Scripture: the fig tree, the olive tree, and the one that we are most concerned with here the vine. Each one of these trees or bushes represents a different aspect or privilege that has been bestowed upon the nation of Israel. In the case of the vine, it represents Israel’s spiritual privilege of taking the true knowledge of God and His love to the rest of the world.
Israel was the true vineyard of the Almighty in the first parable. No matter how God nurtured, protected, taught, and blessed them they still brought forth wild grapes. And their continual disobedience to God brought judgment upon the vineyard. The Hebrew prophets foresaw a time when God would remove the hedge and allow the vineyard to be trampled down. This happened to the nation of Israel twice, once in 606 BC with the invasion of the Babylonians, and once in 70 AD with the invasion of the Roman tenth legion, just as Isaiah said it would in the first parable.
Jesus picks up and continues this idea of the vineyard in his parable in Matthew. Here the Jews are the husbandmen or farmers, those who are entrusted by God to spread the love and knowledge of God to the world, and thus bear fruit or spiritual children. God sent the prophets to them at harvest time to see what fruit they had grown and to warn them that the owner wanted an accounting of them. The servants of the parable exemplify the prophets that God sent to the nation of Israel. But the Jews didn’t want to share their privileges nor believe that the owner, God, would soon be coming to hear their accounting, so they killed the prophets.
God then sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to them, and they decided to kill Him in order to keep all the spiritual privileges of His inheritance for themselves. So look what Jesus said happened to them. Jesus announced that God would transfer His vineyard, (or spiritual privileges) and give it to a nation that would bring forth fruit.
Most scholars believe this nation or people that Jesus is speaking about is the Church, the body of Christ. When the workers in the vineyard killed the son, Jesus, the vineyard was given over to others. God raised up Gentiles to carry the gospel of Christ to the nations of the earth after Christ’s death was approved by religious Jews.
Just as the priesthood was removed from the Jews and placed on Jesus, the spiritual privileges of the Jewish people were removed and placed on a different people that would do the work that the Jews had refused to do.
This is our Christian heritage. We, the Gentiles, the Church, were given the vineyard and the spiritual privileges that belonged to the Jews in order that we could take the message of Jesus Christ to the world. But notice that Jesus said that God would let out the vineyard to a NATION. I believe that that word choice is very interesting. He didn’t say that he would let out the vineyard to a people, but he used the word nation.
A nation is a relatively large group of people organized under a single government or political system. Now, I would agree that the Church is a large group of people organized under the single government of God, but could Jesus have meant something more than just the Church in general, here? A nation usually has physical borders and its entire people living in one general area.
Could He have also been referring to a physical nation that would carry the Gospel of Christ to the world? I don’t know for sure, here’s another maybe or maybe not scenario. But isn’t it interesting that America is the largest Gentile nation in the world that has funded the preaching of the Gospel worldwide? Isn’t it interesting that America is the only nation that can claim to have been founded on Christian principles? And as we will see in upcoming teachings we are the only nation in the world that can trace its origins and prophetic patterns to Israel.
Throughout this study we are going to be looking at how closely America is linked spiritually to Israel. Long before America was ever thought of the nation of Israel was destroyed and its people scattered. God knew that in the end times He would again return to dealing with His Jewish children, and in order to do so they would once again need to be a nation. America has played an instrumental part in the rebirth of the nation of Israel. But did you know that hundreds of years earlier it was the Jews who played instrumental parts in seeing that the United States of America was born?
We are a unique nation, with a unique divinely appointed job to do. We are called to take God’s message to the nations of the world, and when that job is done, our time on earth will be done. America, or more specifically, Christian America, can find itself in the Bible as what I believe are the new husbandmen of God’s vineyard.
God has lent us the spiritual privileges that were once Israel’s because they did not share them with the world as they were supposed to. But notice that God has only rented us the vineyard. It’s not ours. It belongs to Him, and when we have brought forth the fruit and the harvest is over, then we will be taken home.
I believe that this is why America can not easily point to a verse of Scripture that clearly identifies them as present in the last days. I think America the superpower will not exist in the last days, because our work will be done, our spiritual privileges will be returned to Israel and the Church will go home to meet their Savior in the air.
When the Christians are gone, when God’s blessing and provision no longer rest on our nation, I believe America will no longer have the power that she does now, and that’s why the United States doesn’t appear to have a role in end time events.
Now, I know that I’ve thrown a lot at you this morning and that this teaching can be a little confusing to understand, so I have made some copies of it and will have them on the vestibule table if you would like to take one to review at your own leisure. Next week we are going to look at some historical evidence that shows just how closely connected America and Israel are.
Works Consulted:
“Where is America in Prophecy?” by Hal Lindsey, DVD, Oracle House Publishing, Murrieta, CA.
“Plucking the Eagle’s Wings” by Perry Stone, book, 2001, Voice of Evangelism, Inc., Pressworks, Cleveland, TN.
“Dispensational Truth” by Clarence Larkin, book, 1918, Larkin Estate, Philadelphia, PA.
