The United States in Prophesy

Hal Lindsey, perhaps the premier interpreter of Bible prophesy in our time, has written a number of books including the well known “Late Great Planet Earth” and he is among my favorite authors. Hal has been asked many times what role The United States plays in Bible prophesy. So far his answer has been that he can not find anything in prophesy that specifically refers to the United States. Lindsey readily identifies Russia, China and the European Union in Bible prophesy but not the US.

Over the years I have found this neglect of what is one of the most significant countries in history to be very perplexing. This omission has caused me to ponder, search and pray about this issue. I leave it to you to judge if this answer has merit.

The Divided Kingdom

After the reign of Solomon the nation of Israel split into two parts. Judah sometimes called the Southern Kingdom had it’s capitol in Jerusalem and The Northern Kingdom of Israel which had it’s capitol in Samaria. In 722 BC the Assyrians captured Israel and killed or enslaved all it’s inhabitants such that the ten northern tribes completely lost their identity. They are sometimes referred to as The Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.

In contrast, Judah survived for more than a century after that before being captured by Babylon. Jerusalem was later allowed to be rebuilt when the King of Persia allowed many Jews to return. The Jews who rebuilt Jerusalem have retained their identity. As God’s chosen people despite being scattered globally by the Romans centuries later.

Hosea

Before 722 BC Hosea was a Prophet of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. In the book of Hosea he uses his life to metaphorically show how Israel had completely abandoned the true God in favor of worshiping idols and the gods of surrounding countries and how they would later return to God.

According to Hosea, Israel had become a nation of liars, murders and adulters. Hosea warned them to return to their true God and amend their ways or God will bring their nation to an end which as I said happened in 722 BC.

Hosea did not confuse the two kingdoms, when he said Israel he meant the Northern Kingdom not any combination. He predicted that Judah would also fall though not immediately. He predicted that for a long time Israel would not have a king or a temple or even idols. (Hosea 3:4-5)

The first chapter of Hosea is sort of an introduction to the book as a whole. In it he makes a startling prophetic statement (1:10-11). Despite the fact that in our time we have no idea what happened to the people of Israel or who they might be now, Hosea says #1, They will come together and become a great nation. 2. He says that their number will be countless. 3, He says that they will return to their God. 4, He says that Israel and Judah will come together in their own land and 5, appoint themselves one leader.

Is The United States Israel in Bible Prophesy?

What country fits all of Hosea’s criterion? The modern state of Israel is composed of the descendants of Judah along with Arabs and Palestinians but in the United states mostly Christians and Jews live together. The Christians have no way of knowing if they are descendants of the ones exiled from Israel but undoubtedly many if not most of us are. In ten generations each of us have 1,398,100 grandparents. It would be unusual if none of them are Israelis.

Consider also that the State of Israel only exists due to the constant effort of the United States. Israel is by any definition a client state of the US and many Israelis have duel citizenship. The physical existence of Israel depends on both our military support and the generosity of both our citizens and our state treasury. We are taught that God blesses those who bless Israel and no country is more blessed than The United States of America. We are in essence one.

We do not know who these lost Israelite people are so we can not number them. I don’t mean to imply that every single American is an Israelite but consider that many of the minorities in this country could be descendants of Israel just the same as the Anglo majority. When the Israelites were captured for slaves they were disbursed world wide over time. For instance over time they assimilated with the Spaniards in Spain who in turn conquered Mexico and assimilated with the native Indians. Mexico has some pure Indian people as well as some Spaniards but the overwhelming and growing majority are mixed and are now known as Hispanics or Latinos. Mexico is overwhelmingly Christian and many have migrated to the US and are now assimilating with North Americans. A similar pattern is true throughout the European countries that sent colonists to America.

The election of a president by the people was an unknown concept in the day of Hosea; Yet there it is in verse 11. This is one of the proofs that the Bible is divinely inspired. Hosea would have had no way of even guessing this detail. The European countries where the majority of early Americans came from only became democratic after America did. America is unique in being a successful pioneer in democracy and bringing together diverse peoples.

Just as Hosea 3:4-5 says it has been a long time since Israel has had a king, and Jesus will surely be their next one but they also do not have a temple or even idols. Just as Hosea predicted most of the people assimilated into countries that later became Christian and in America they have indeed returned to their God. Americans like Israelites of old are not ideal believers but an overwhelming majority profess belief in the one true God.

I know many will say that God only promised land to Israel that is in the Middle East but be careful about believing what the Bible does not say specifically. Hosea only says that Israel will inhabit their own land and this is definitely our own land. There is no mention in Hosea where this place is that people from both Israel and Judah will come together and call it their own land. Therefore, the US is as good a prospect as anywhere.

This Prophesy concerning Israel is not God’s conditional promise to Abraham which promises to give his descendants the land from the Euphrates to the River of Egypt. God's promise to Abraham has never been fully realized. To date God’s condition of obedience has not been met. Early Israelis did occupy land on the Nile River in Egypt and in recent years they temporarily held the Egyptian Sinai but they have never held land north of the current border with Syria. I am looking on with great interest regarding what some call the US occupation of Iraq which includes the Euphrates River. I wonder if this is a precursor of the realization of that promise to Abraham.

Conclusion

The fact that the United States may be Israel in Bible prophesy does not necessarily bode well for it as a nation. We will only be saved from total destruction by the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Jimmy Huffman

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