The United States in the Light of Prophecy Or, an Exposition of Rev. 13:11-17 — Story, Setting & Ideas

Prophetic Chronology and the Two-Horned Beast

Smith devotes a chapter to the chronology of the two-horned beast, arguing that its rise must be dated after the first beast (the papacy) received its deadly wound. He contends that the United States emerged in the precise historical window when the papacy’s power was broken, around 1798. The author draws on the sequential nature of Daniel’s beasts—lion, bear, leopard—to argue that a transfer of dominion marks a new beast, not a mere phase of an old one. He insists that the two-horned beast cannot be a feature of the papacy because it exercises power in the presence of the first beast, which still possesses its dominion. This chronological argument is central to Smith’s identification of the United States as the beast, though the excerpts do not reveal his full dating evidence.

The Dragon Voice and National Character

Smith examines the phrase "he spake as a dragon" (Revelation 13:11) to characterize the two-horned beast’s government. He argues that the lamb-like appearance suggests a mild, republican beginning, but the dragon voice indicates a future oppressive turn. The author draws on the structure of the prophecy: the beast arises from the earth (not the sea), which he interprets as a new, unoccupied territory—America. He contrasts this with the sea-born beasts of previous empires. Smith’s analysis of the dragon voice is tied to the beast’s role in enforcing worship of the first beast, implying that the United States will eventually compel religious observance. The excerpts show Smith’s method of moving from symbolic detail to national application, though the full argument for the dragon voice is only partially visible.

Wonders of the Age: Fire from Heaven

In the chapter "He Doeth Great Wonders," Smith interprets the miracle of bringing fire from heaven as a reference to 19th-century technological breakthroughs. He describes a world that, fifty years prior, stood "where it did in the days of the patriarchs" in terms of domestic convenience and communication. Then, suddenly, "the divine finger lifted the seal from the prophetic books," and men harnessed the elements—binding lightning to carry messages around the world. Smith explicitly connects these wonders to Nahum’s prophecy of chariots with flaming torches running like lightnings. He presents the telegraph and rapid locomotion as fulfillments of Revelation’s signs, arguing that such marvels validate the prophetic timeline. This section reveals Smith’s tendency to read contemporary innovation as direct biblical prophecy, a recurring structural move in the work.

The Image to the Beast and the Mark

Smith’s exposition of the image to the beast and the mark of the beast (Revelation 13:14-17) is outlined in the table of contents but only partially excerpted. He argues that the two-horned beast will cause the earth to worship the first beast, implying that the United States will promote a religious system modeled after the papacy. The mark, he suggests, is a test of allegiance, though the excerpts do not detail his interpretation. Smith’s structure here moves from identification (the United States as the beast) to application (the beast’s actions and their consequences for believers). He frames the subject as one of "continually-increasing interest" and necessary for understanding "our duties and responsibilities." The closing chapters, "The Beginning of the End," likely synthesize these threads, though the excerpts cut off before that section.

Smith’s treatise is best approached as a period piece of prophetic interpretation, where biblical exegesis meets 19th-century American optimism and anxiety. Readers should note his reliance on a specific historical moment—the post-1798 papacy and the rise of telegraphy—to anchor his claims. The work’s structure, moving from textual analysis to contemporary application, rewards attention to how Smith weaves Greek philology, Danielic chronology, and technological wonder into a single argument. For those interested in the intersection of religion and national identity in the Gilded Age, this text offers a focused case study.

I found myself returning to Smith’s careful timeline of the two-horned beast, and it brought to mind the patient genealogies in The Expositor's Bible: The Book of Genesis — Reading Companion. Both books treat history as a quiet, deliberate unfolding—every name, every numeral, a small stone placed in a path meant to be walked slowly.