Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
Politics and Religion
Why I believe the US is the Beast: Beast #3

Why I believe the US is the Beast: Beast #3

Last updated on: October 3, 2023 at 9:01 am by Rob Dalrymple

Why I believe the US is the Beast: Beast #3 2023-10-03T09:01:37-08:00 Rob Dalrymple

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Apotheosis of Washington adorns the ceiling of the rotunda in the US Congress. It depicts the rising of Washington to heaven flanked by Lady Liberty and Lady Victory.

In my last 2 posts, I suggested that the Western (American) church is in bed with the Beast. Of course, I wish to reiterate that I am not saying that all Christians in America are bad, corrupt, or unbelievers. What I am saying is that the American church has largely (and “largely” is a relative term) fallen prey to the Beast.

In my first post, I gave 4 reasons why I believe that we are in bed with the Beast: which, in summary form are:

As Ezekiel says, “We are wealthy and comfortable and we neglect the poor and the needy.”
We justify our wealth as something we earned and deserve, and we condemn those who have nothing as lazy.
Our condemnation of the poor is used as a justification for our lack of care for them.
We have aligned ourselves with the Beast.

You might find my list of 4 items odd. But I assure you that they are vital elements of Empire—which I am calling “the Beast.”

In my last post, I responded to some potential criticisms: such as, I must hate the church; and, I must hate America—both of which are ludicrous—especially the notion that I hate the church (see my book Understanding the NT and the End Times for evidence of my extremely high view of the Church).

in this book, I propose that the end times have begun in Jesus and why this matters for us today

The US is the Beast?

What about the assertion that the US is the Beast? In this post and the ones to follow, I will attempt to point out why I believe that the US is the Beast.

Of course, I should be clear: the US is not the only Beast. As I have written, (see blog post, “Who/what is the Beast”) all nations are ultimately the Beast. The US, in other words, is the Beast because it is a nation. It is, in one sense, no more the Beast than Chile.

Therefore, we align ourselves with the Beast when we align ourselves with the US.

Now, in saying this, there is again much to clarify. Risking misunderstanding, I will resist chasing all the various sidebars and simply note that we must maintain the distinction between patriotism and nationalism. I am certainly not denying the former and I am definitely warning against the latter.

The US is the Beast and it is far worse than you might have thought.

Now, I said earlier that the US is just as much the Beast as Chile. The reality, however, is that the US, especially on the global stage, is far more beastly than Chile.

NB: I realize that I am a biblical scholar and that issues of modern geopolitics are not my expertise. I also realize that this may be one of the reasons why many biblical scholars have not spoken up on such matters—it is outside their field of expertise. Btw, many biblical scholars have spoken up and I intend to interact with them in subsequent posts.

I have come to the conviction, however, that more of us must speak up. It seems to me that many who are experts in the fields of geopolitics, sociology, militarism, human rights, and a host of other such fields, are speaking up. The problem is that many in the Church are not listening to them. Consequently, I believe that it is time for more voices to bridge the gap between the biblical, prophetic call of following Jesus in the way of cross-bearing love and the current geopolitical realities.

To give a hint as to how Beastly the US is here are the thoughts of a Central American biblical scholar, “Our countries live in oppression and exclusion by an economic, cultural, and military system of globalization led by the United States government operating as an imperial, arrogant, and cruel power”(Richard, Apocalypse, 147).

The US has all the features of the Beast

What does it mean to be an empire? Noted NT scholar Michael Gorman defines empire as,

An entity that has come to widespread (global or nearly global) dominance through deliberate expansion by means of the extreme exercise of some form(s) of power—economic, political, military, and/or religious—resulting in the creation of colony-like clients of the entity and enemies who perceive the entity as oppressive” (Gorman, Reading Revelation Responsibly, 45).

It is “empire,” along the lines that Gorman has defined it, that the book of Revelation sharply warns its readers about.

One of the problems that I see in the American church (and I am sure this is true for Christians in other nations as well) is that we have too closely aligned our Christian faith with our nation.

Christian nationalism

Although this is a topic for another series of posts, you might garner from what I have already said as to why Christian nationalism is such a danger.

NB: by nationalism I mean, as dictionary.com says, the “Identification with one’s own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.”

The danger is the combination of nationalism with Christianity.

The idea that any nation could be Christian is anathema in light of Jesus’ proclamation of the kingdom. This doesn’t mean that all nations are inherently evil. Neither does it mean that everyone in power within a nation is inherently evil or corrupt.

NB: on the determinetruth podcast (Oct 2, 2023), we discuss the first 4 Seals in Revelation 6. In the episode, I note that the first Seal represents false teaching, which serves as the basis for the establishment of empire.

It simply means that followers of Christ are to give allegiance to the Lamb that was slain and not any other empire.

And yes, the US is the epitome of empire.

The US as empire

I realize that some readers may not consider the US as an empire and, as a result, might be hesitant, or more than hesitant, to agree with my assessment.

Let me begin by referring you to the picture at the top of this post. This picture represents the “Apotheosis of [George] Washington” and it is found in the rotunda of the US capital building. This is not some label given to it by others. This title is found on an official US government website.

This may not seem like much but one of the key features of civil religion is that it borrows, or shall we say it incorporates, religious language into its nationalistic identity. That this is a fabric of the American civil religion is more than evident from the widespread use of biblical language employed by the colonial settlers during the formation of the US.

The Puritans, in fact, believed that the land of the US was the new land of Israel, they themselves were the true Israelites, and the native Americans were the evil Canaanites

This is one of the first keys to establishing empire. Empires need a religious justification as to why they are divinely sanctioned and worthy of allegiance.

NB: I recommend Nelson Kraybill’s Apocalypse and Allegiance).

Once the citizens of the empire acquiesce to the ideological and religious basis for the nation’s existence, it is quite simple for the empire to act brutally—as empires do—and all the while receive little objection from those within the empire. After all, their acts of brutality are deemed divinely sanctioned or they are viewed as the means of defending what God has divinely sanctioned.

This is one reason why the American empire, which began with the slaughtering of the natives, received only minor objections from those within the empire. After all, if the empire was divinely sanctioned, then the extension of the empire must be also.

In addition, the American national ideology further justified its brutal treatment of the natives under the pretense that it provided them with the option of joining us. Those who failed to join our cause, especially those who violently opposed it, only proved that they were, as the Declaration of Independence states, “merciless Indian savages,” and, therefore, worthy of their destruction.

. . . to be continued.

Our goal is to keep these posts free of charge. I do not intend to ever hide them behind a paywall. I can only do this if those of you who have been blessed by them and can afford to give ($5, $10, $25, or more/month) do so. You can give a tax-deductible contribution by following this link.

Please share this post and let others know about determinetruth.

If you wish to view this blog on your smartphone through the Determinetruth app simply download the “tithe.ly church” app on your smartphone and insert “determinetruth” as the church name you wish to follow. Once it is loaded, simply click on the “blog” icon and it will automatically load.

If you would like to have Rob speak at your church or organization in person or via Zoom, please let us know by filling out the contact info on the Contact me tab on this site.

Progressive Christian

Politics and Religion

History and Religion

Beast

Biblical Interpretation

Christian Nationalism

About Rob Dalrymple

Rob Dalrymple is married to his wife Toni and is the father of four fabulous children, and two grandchildren. He has been teaching and pastoring for over 34 years at colleges, seminaries, and the local church. He has a PhD in biblical interpretation. He is the author of four books (including Follow the Lamb: A Guide to Reading, Understanding, and Applying the Book of Revelation & Understanding the New Testament and the End Times: Why it Matters) as well as numerous articles and other publications. He is currently completing a commentary on the book of Revelation titled, “Revelation: a Love Story” (Cascade Books, pending 2025). You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

September 20, 2023

Why I think the American Church is in Bed with the Beast: Beast #2

Next Post

October 8, 2023 My thoughts on Biden’s speech regarding the tragic events in Israel and Gaza

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 000 1 Cor 11:17-34 1 Corinthians 1 John 1 Peter 1 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 10 Commandments 2 Corinthians 2 John 2 Peter 2 Thessalonians 2 Timothy 3 John 666 Abortion Acts 2:42 Ahmaud Arbery AIPAC All Saints Day America antisemitism BDS Beast Betting Bible Bible study Biblical Interpretation Biden Book of Acts Boycott Campus Protests Catholicism Ceasefire Chavez Ravine Christian Nationalism Christian Zionism Christianity Today Christmas Church Colossians Communion Convict Leasing Covid-19 Craig Blaising creation Crucifixion Daoud Nassar Deception Deconstruction Democracy Devotional guide Discipleship Easter Eden Education Election End-times Ephesians Eschatology Ethnic Cleansing Evangelicalism Evangelicals Evolution Fall Famine Fascism FIFA Freedom of Speech Galatians Gary Burge Gaza Gaza; Genocide; Boycott Genesis Genocide George Floyd Global Warming God's will Gospel Gospel of John Gospel of Luke Gospel of Mark Gospel of Matthew Government Grace Great Prostitute Hamas Harris healthcare Hebrews HeGetsUs Holy Spirit Holy Week Honor Father and Mother ICJ Immigration Indigenous peoples day Iran Israel Israel Palestine Itamar Ben Gvir James Jesus Joel Willits Jude Just war Justice Kamala Harris Kingdom Of God Kings and Queens land of Israel Law (OT) Lazarus Les Miserable LGBTQ+ Love Luke Mahmoud Khalil Man of Lawlessness Mark Mark of the Beast Marriage Martin Luther King Jr Mercy Mexican Repatriation Military-Industrial-Complex Ministry Mission Money NAFTA Nakba Netanyahu New Creation New Testament Nicaragua Nicodemus Non Violence Occupation Pacifism Palestine Parable Paul Peace Pentecost Peonage Philemon Philippians Politics Poor Power Prayer Pride Month Priests Pro-life Propaganda Prophesy Prophet Qatar Queen Elizabeth Racism Reconstruction Redemption Reformation Resurrection Revelation Roe v Wade Romans Romans 13:1-7 Rome Russia Sabbath Samaritan Seals Sermon Settlements Slavery Spiritual gifts Taxes Tent of Nations Terrorism The Beast Theology Titus Torture Trump truth Ukraine Uncategorized Veteran's Day War Warsaw Ghetto wealth Wedding Women World Cup 2022 Worldview Worship Wrath Yemen Zionism

Select a Month September 2026 May 2026 February 2026 November 2025 October 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 August 2018 June 2018 May 2018 March 2018 September 2017 July 2017 May 2017 November 2016 October 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which Psalm did Moses write?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Psalm 119 Psalm 72 Psalm 90 Psalm 23

Support this
Column