WHO or WHAT is this “beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition”? – Revelation 13 and 17.
The LORD God is speaking concerning a great universal church that has greatly influenced this world.
Revelation 17:1 – “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, ‘Come, I will show you the judgment of the great [whore] who sits on many waters, ...’”
This ‘great whore’ is universal. Around the world.
Verse 2 – “’ with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.’ 3) So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.”
The seven resurrections of the “Holy” Roman Empire. The final resurrection of ten kings or kingdoms (kingdoms as the LORD God sees kingdoms).
Verse 4 – “The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, ...”
What do the colors purple and scarlet remind you of? Harlotry and the colors of the great universal church ── the Roman Catholic Church.
“...and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. 5) And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS [the Mother of prostrating daughters], AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6) I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.”
And this phrase here, “the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints.” The Catholic Church’s willingness to shed blood.
A Book About the Kingdom of Israel
God’s living word──the Holy Bible──is primarily an inspired Book about one man’s family – that of Abraham. But, it’s also a Book about the chosen nation of Israel and the nations that come into direct contact with the nation of Israel.
Before the great Flood, we do not know if there were “nations,” “kingdoms,” or “city-states.” However, not long after the great Flood, Nimrod (a mighty hunter against the LORD) founded the city-states of Babylon – see: Genesis 10:8-12.
As early as 4000 B.C. – the most ancient civilization which began in the Tigris-Euphrates valley was formerly called the Babylonian-Assyrian civilization. And by about 605 B.C. King Nebuchadnezzar II had founded the first world empire or Union of Nations.
Incredibly, God’s living word reveals to us the history and prophecy of the gentile world empires──beginning with King Nebuchadnezzar II and onto the glorious and powerful Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ──as well as the history and future prophecy concerning Israel.
Again, Who or What is this mysterious “beast” of Revelation 13 and 17? Because, if you have this “mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” you will ‘share in her sins, and will receive of her plagues.’ Is this “beast” a mysterious ruler that is yet to appear on the world scene? Is this “beast” an antichrist, or a church?
Its Image and Its Mark
A MOST IMPORTANT question for this 11:59 Hour is, What, or Who, is the ‘beast,’ the ‘image,’ and the ‘mark’ of this “beast”? You need to know.
It is those in this present ‘generation’ who shall be worshiping this “beast” or its image, and who have this “mark of the beast” who will suffer unspeakable tribulation!
And ignorance will not suffice. The LORD God says, “’ My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. …’” – Hosea 4:6.
We, as watchmen, who see the “sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.” – Ezekiel 33:6. The LORD God expects us to be His “watchman” (Ezekiel 33:7) and to WARN HIS PEOPLE!
On November 6th, 2016, while I lay in my bed at night I had a dream, and behold: I was looking up at the clearest night sky I had ever seen before, filled with crystal clear bright shining stars. I watched the glistening of the stars until I heard a loud booming voice. It appeared to be the end of a conversation. The voice spoke, “They only have 10 years left.” The time is at hand! The wrath of God will soon be poured out upon a Godless, God-defying world, and a careless, lukewarm, indifferent false Christianity!
The apostle John──under the divine inspiration of the Spirit of God──describes for us a grave warning from the third angel: “’ If ANYONE worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his FOREHEAD or on his HAND, 10) he himself shall also drink of the wine of the WRATH OF GOD, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. …” – Revelation 14:9-10.
“...telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast ...” - Revelation 13:14.
So, the beast is the construct of the “Holy” Roman Empire. And the different manifestations of the Empire down through history. The Roman Catholic Church which has its roots in central Europe has always been organized just as the Roman Empire. And so when you read ‘the image to the beast,’ it’s referring to a spiritual or religious organization led by a so-called “holy” man constructed and designed in the very image of the Roman Empire.
Verse 15 – “He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, ...” – meaning, this great so-called holy man becomes such a rock star. And you can think about even now, many places in Europe – I’m told, I’ve never been there – these great cathedrals have very few people who attend their services. Because the people right now aren’t very interested in it. But with this religious leader coming onto the scene with all of this ‘power to make lightning fall from the sky,” and other signs and wonders, that organization will become highly relevant. And this religious leader will become a rock star! And he will bring back celebrity status and power to that organization. That’s why it says, ‘He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast.’ “...that the image of the beast should both speak [which means papal announcements] and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.” – so, there will become a requirement in Europe (keep this in mind)! This part of the prophecy is talking about what goes on inside of Europe! – primarily. Now, I’m sure there will be other people in other countries and other lands who will be sort of caught up in all of this enthusiasm. But, primarily these passages here are talking about what happens in a future Europe.
Verse 16 – “He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and [bond], to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17) and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”
There are quite a few places - Revelation 13:16- 17; Revelation 14:9-11; Revelation 15:2; Revelation 16:2; Revelation 19:20; Revelation 20:4 that speak concerning the ‘mark of the beast.’
Now, the term ‘the mark’ – if you look up in your concordance or your lexicon under your Bible study helps – it describes an actual something. An actual thing – a symbol. It’s not a concept or an idea.
The identifying sign of the churches of false Christianity is the cross - from the time of the Roman Empire down to today. Back in the 1930s and 1940s Adolf Hitler had his swastika, or his “broken cross” or“ crooked cross.” But the “Holy” Roman Empire, and from the days of Emperor Constantine the Great, they have used the cross as the symbol of their religion.
But the people of Europe and the people of Western Christianity of the Western world use that mark to identify their religion! It’s an actual mark ── it’s an actual symbol. So, keep in mind–“to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads.”
And those same people–every time they have a prayer–they have to take their right hand, and they have to start at their forehead and they make a cross. And sometimes they’ll just make a cross on their forehead with their finger. THAT’S WHAT THE MARK OF THE BEAST IS!
Again, listen. The apostle John carried these horrible visions on into the terrible “Day of the Lord”! “And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden bands. … So the FIRST went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men WHO HAD THE MARK OF THE BEAST and those who worshiped his image.” – Revelation 15:6; 16:2.
Truly, those who will suffer the full strength of the wrath of God are described as those who worship the “beast” or his “image,” and those who have his “mark.”
There is only one Way to learn the truth. And that is to study God’s living word carefully, methodically, prayerfully, with a mind led by the glorious Holy Spirit, along with all the testimonies and Scriptures that bear on this IMPORTANT SUBJECT.
Who is the Beast?
The “beast,” the “image,” and the “mark” are all primarily described for us in the 13th chapter of the Book of Revelation.
The apostle John was being given this message for you and me for this ‘generation.’ In these series of visions, he saw, this “beast rising up out of the sea, having SEVEN HEADS and TEN HORNS, and on his horns TEN CROWNS, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 2) Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.” – Revelation 13:1-2.
Truly, this description IDENTIFIES the “beast.”
All of these, of course, are symbols. The very word “beast” is symbolic. When we come to know what the heads, the horns, the feet of a bear, the mouth like a lion, and the likeness of a leopard are ──then we will come to know what, or who, the “beast” is.
Let us always understand this truth ──the living word of God always interprets itself. It interprets its own symbols. To properly understand GOD’S TRUTH on any subject, we must allow God’s living word to interpret itself and its own symbols!
Notice: God’s living word sets down for us a basic historical background ── a brief outline of FOUR GREAT CIVILIZATIONS:
- Babylon – under King Nebuchadnezzar II and then King Belshazzar.
- Medo/Persian Empire under King Darius I and King Cyrus II.
- Greco/Macedonian Empire under King Alexander the Great.
- The Roman Empire.
True to form, you can’t properly understand biblical prophecy unless you understand the significance of the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire controlled the known world for centuries! And, Rome itself had a profound effect on the life and times of our Lord Jesus Christ. As well as the New Testament Church of God, the life of the apostle Paul, and all the other disciples. Also, upon the destruction of the 2nd Jewish temple in Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jewish people to many parts of the world in 70 A.D., it became the birthplace and the breeding ground of a great Mother Church ──that to this day is still headquartered in Rome.
In the seventh chapter of the Book of Daniel, we find exactly these same symbols described. Verse 1 – “In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. …”
Verse 3 – “And FOUR great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. 4) The first was like a lion, …” – a reference to Babylon.
“ … and had eagle’s wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.”
Verse 5 – “And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. …” – a reference to the Medo/Persian Empire.
“ … It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’”
Verse 6 – “After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, …” – a reference to the Greco/Macedonian Empire under King Alexander the Great.
“ … which had on its back FOUR WINGS of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.”
When King Alexander the Great died, his kingdom was divided between four leading generals.
Verse 7 – “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. …” – a reference to the Roman Empire.
“ … It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it and it had TEN HORNS.”
Those ‘ten horns’ are the final installment of the “Holy” Roman Empire! We see this symbolism of the ten in both the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation.
Notice verse 16 – the latter part. “So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things.”
Will you accept the LORD God’s answer to these things? Will you accept God’s living word of what the seven heads are, what the tens horns are, the lion, the bear, the leopard, and what is the great and dreadful beast?
Verse 17 – “Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth.”
The word “kingdom” is used to explain the beasts in verses 18, 22, 24, and 27.
What do the ‘TEN HORNS’ represent?
We are told in verse 24 – “The ten horns are ten kings Who shall arise from this kingdom. …”
So, ten succeeding “kingdoms” come OUT OF A KINGDOM. This alone makes it plain to us that this “beast” is not some church that is yet to come.
And since the word “king” in these prophecies stands for a kingdom, it follows that these ten horns are ten succeeding kingdoms (as the LORD God sees kingdoms) growing out of this fourth kingdom, which was to rule the world.
A Dream of Kingdoms
In Daniel chapter 2 we read of an amazing dream. A dream dreamed by King Nebuchadnezzar II. A very troubling dream.
Again, these same four world-ruling Gentile empires are described for us in the second chapter of Daniel. King Nebuchadnezzar II of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, who had taken into captivity the kingdom of Judah, had a troubling dream, and the interpretation of which the LORD God gave unto the prophet Daniel.
The dream is described for us in verses 31-35. The king saw in his dream a great image. “This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.”
Eventually, a “stone” ── cut out without hands ── struck the image upon its feet and toes. Breaking into “pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold ── the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this.” Then, the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
“’ This is the dream,’” the prophet Daniel was told, “’ Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. 37) You, O king, are a king of kings. … 38) … you are this head of gold. 39) But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. 40) And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others.’” – Daniel 2:36-40.
Then, notice verse 44 – “And IN THE DAYS OF THESE KINGS the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.”
This stone is our Lord Jesus Christ and His world-ruling kingdom. The proper understanding of this stone is spoken in many different places throughout His living word. As an example ── “let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, … This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’” – Acts 4:10, 11.
So, this great and troubling dream, symbolically, is FOUR WORLD-RULING EMPIRES. It begins with King Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom ── the Neo-Babylonian Empire, which took the Jews captured to Babylon (597 BC). And as the LORD God revealed to the prophet Daniel, it was God who had allowed this world-ruling empire to become a succession of Gentile empires to come. And these carry to the glorious and powerful Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and the establishment of the kingdom of God──that will fill the whole earth.
The Fourth Beast As Strong As Iron
So, Daniel 2 describes for us the same FOUR WORLD-RULING EMPIRES that are described by the prophet Daniel’s dream of four beasts. Again, this dream begins with King Nebuchadnezzar II's kingdom ── the Neo-Babylonian Empire called “Babylon” after the name of its capital city (606-538 BC).
The second empire, that followed, and we know this from world history, was the great Medo/Persian Empire (538 – 331 BC). It was composed of Medes and Persians.
The third empire was the Greco/Macedonian Empire under King Alexander the Great (331 – 63 BC), he conquered the Persian Empire (334 BC). However, King Alexander only lived a few short years after his blitzkrieg conquest, and his FOUR GENERALS divided the empire into four separate regions──Macedonia and Greece, Thrace and Western Asia, Syria and the territory east to the Indus River, and Egypt. So, symbolically, this represents the FOUR HEADS of the third beast of the prophet Daniel’s dream of Daniel 7.
Then, the fourth empire, which developed into what is known as the Roman Empire (27 BC – 1453 AD), spread out and eventually absorbed one after another these four separate regions ── “dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong.” The ROMAN EMPIRE!
So, this fourth beast was truly unlike anything else that had come along on the earth. It was stronger, greater, and more terrible than any other kingdom before.
This is why the apostle John, in Revelation 13, in vision sees one mighty beast.
So, these ten horns are Ten kingdoms (again, as God sees kingdoms) that shall arise out of the fourth beast (the fourth kingdom) ── the Roman Empire. These kingdoms continue from A.D. 476 until the glorious and powerful Return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 13:1 – “And I [John] stood on the sand of the sea.” Now, he’s seeing a vision also, much like Daniel. “And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name.”
Now, these “seven heads” represent the seven resurrections of the “Holy” Roman Empire. And those ‘ten horns’ are the ten kings or the ten kingdoms that make up the final installment of the “Holy” Roman Empire. The same thing as we saw back in Daniel – the ‘ten horns.’
Seven Resurrections of the “Holy” Roman Empire
1. King Charlemagne – or Charles the Great of France. Pope Leo III – He had been driven from Rome by his enemies. He appealed to Charlemagne for help. Charlemagne reinstated the pope, stayed on in Rome to protect Leo III, and on Christmas day 800 AD, the pope placed the imperial crown on Charlemagne’s head, and hailed him as “Augustus.” And once again, the West had an emperor.
2. Otto the Great – a German of 962 AD. He was the great leader of – what the history books call – a German Roman Empire. He was crowned emperor in 962 by the pope, and Otto as successor to Charlemagne, thought of himself as the leader of the Christian West and the protector of the papacy.
3. Frederick Barbarossa of about 1152 AD – or Frederick I of Germany. He became the first – of what history calls – the Hohenstaufen emperors. And they were Germans. And this very Frederick Barbarossa drowned while on a crusade in Asia Minor in 1190. Then King Henry VI – Frederick Barbarossa’s son. Then Frederick II. He was made emperor by Pope Innocent III.
What an ironic name, Pope Innocent III. This man was responsible for the persecution of the Waldensians. Followers of Peter Waldo. We believe that the Waldensians were members of the Church of God who were hiding up in the mountains. Also, another group, the Albigensians in southern France. And this vile Pope Innocent III persecuted them until they were literally annihilated. He developed a new court called ‘the Inquisition.’ You’ve all heard about that. And this Inquisition accepted neighborhood rumor as a basis for accusation and it used torture to secure confessions. And when we read Revelation 18, where the apostle John wrote, “ ...’ for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. 24) And in her ...’” – which chapter 17 of the Book of Revelation calls ‘the great whore’ – and “... ‘in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.’” A powerful legacy. And, that court of ‘the Inquisition’ – you know who the most recent holder of this office was? Pope Benedict XVI. He held the office of ‘the Inquisition.’ They changed the title because that old title had a pretty bad name. But that theme has continued throughout history.
4. The House of Hapsburg. It actually had two branches. One which controlled Austria and Hungary – actually had influence there for five- hundred years, beginning in 1438. And also another branch of the Hapsburg family controlled Spain from 1516 until 1698. Now, most of that is considered ‘Spain’s golden age.’ Where their main desire was to export the Catholic faith to the New World. This is why if you go to Mexico, the predominant church is the Catholic Church.
5. NapolΓ©on Bonaparte. A man who was on the scene a very short time, but really had a massive effect on European history. Born on the island of Corsica, and by the age of 9, he was at a military school. By age 24 he became a brigadier general. In 1801 he concluded an agreement with Pope Pius VII which recognized that the majority of French were to be Roman Catholic. And then from 1805 to 1807 he had a series of victories, gained control over the whole continent, and he was the master of Europe. And he was looked upon as the emperor. Rumor says he crowned himself “Holy” Roman Emperor. Just grabbed the crown from the pope, put it on his own head, and said, “I am the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire!”
6. Adolf Hitler from Germany and Benito Mussolini of Italy. Mussolini seized power in 1922. Hitler came to power in 1933, and immediately he began the persecution of the Jews, and with help from Germany and Italy, General Francisco Franco gained control of Spain. And then, we know about World War II.
The next revival has not yet occurred, but folks it’s not too far down the road! And the question comes, What will cause this empire to come about? What coalesces Europe to become this United Europe? You think about Europe right now as a secular state, they’re Socialist in their tendencies, and leftist in their policies. They really aren’t that united, they squabble a lot. And yet something is going to happen that will cause all of Europe to gravitate around a great “holy” man and a great religious leader.
A Deadly Wound
Notice again the description of the beast in Revelation 13.
“And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. 4) So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, … 5) And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.” – Revelation 13:3-4, 5.
This mighty beast symbolizes the royal splendor and kingly power of the mouth of the lion (Babylon); the great strength of the feet of the bear (Medo/Persia), the blitzkrieg speed and cunning cruelty of the leopard (the Greco/Macedonian Empire).
One of its “heads” was “mortally wounded.” This was the SEVENTH HEAD of the Roman Empire ── the head out of which grew ten horns (A.D. 476). This deadly wound was the one administered to the Roman Empire, during its last decaying stages, when the last Roman emperor, Romulus Augustus, was deposed by the Germanic king Odoacer. Ending, officially, the Roman Empire.
Notice that a dragon “who gave authority” to this beast. Who is this dragon? A great many believe that it's “pagan Rome.” But again, let us be led by God’s Spirit, the Holy Bible interprets its own symbols. The dragon represents Satan the Devil.
“So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old [speaking of Genesis 3:1; the enchanting whisperer], called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; …” – Revelation 12: 9. Also notice vs. 13.
“So they worshiped the beast; …” – Revelation 13:4. Sadly, a great many conclude that the beast must be the Roman Catholic Church. Yet, don’t forget that the people worshiped the emperors of the Roman Empire!
Now, when the seventh head of this great and powerful beast received its deadly wound in AD 476, was that the final end?
No. Notice that God’s living word says, “and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. … and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.” – vs. 3, 5.
Again, the Ten Horns represent 10 successive kingdoms to come out of this fourth kingdom ── the Roman Kingdom (27 BC – 476 AD).
One of his heads was “mortally wounded.” The Roman Empire in Northern Africa was overcome by the Vandals. The Vandals were a Germanic people was sacked Rome and founded a kingdom in North Africa that flourished for about a century.
In 476 AD, the barbarian soldier and statesman from the Middle Danube, Odoacer, set up his government in Rome. And, although Jordanes writes of Odoacer as invading Italy “as leader of the Sciri, the Heruli, and allies of various races”, modern writers describe him as being part of the Roman military establishment, based on John of Antioch's statement that Odoacer was on the side of Ricimer at the beginning of his battle with the emperor Anthemius in 472. 1
But this did not heal the deadly wound ── this was only an established government set up in Rome.
Then there was the kingdom of the Ostrogoths. A Roman-era Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Gothic kingdoms within the Western Roman Empire. But they were eventually driven out of Italy and were lost to history.
Three successive kingdoms.
The prophet Daniel also saw in vision “another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom THREE of the horns were plucked out by the roots.” – Daniel 7:8.
So, this “little horn” of Daniel 7, “coming up among the other horns” ── that “in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words” is the Roman Catholic Church which dominated completely all the horns that follow.
That leaves seven horns.
In 527 AD, Justinian I, emperor of the East, from Constantinople, set up his government. His reign was marked by the ambitious but only partly realized renovatio imperii, or “Restoration of the Empire.” It was this fourth kingdom, succeeding the fall of the Empire in 476 that HEALED the deadly wound. Justinian the Great, was the Roman emperor from 527 to 565 AD.
This healed beast was to continue for 1,260 years – cf. Ezekiel 4:4-6; Numbers 14:34. Each day represents a year.
In succession came Charles the Great of France, a German Roman Empire, the Hohenstaufen emperors, the House of Hapsburg, and NapolΓ©on Bonaparte. But when Napoleon was defeated in 1815, and then subsequently died in exile in 1825 on the island of St. Helena ── the healed beast continued no longer.
Note that from 556 to 1825 AD., the duration of the “healed wound,” was roughly 1, 260 years!
Then, at that moment in time ── eight of the horns having appeared, then gone, the mighty and powerful beast went into the “bottomless pit.” – cf. Revelation 17:8.
But then, in July 1870, Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi, an Italian general, revolutionary and republican. On 7 September 1870, within three days of the revolution in Paris that ended the Empire, he wrote to the Movimento of Genoa, “Yesterday I said to you: war to the death to Bonaparte. Today I say to you: rescue the French Republic by every means.” It would culminate in the Fascist rule of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.
At the time the apostle John saw the beast, “five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come” – Revelation 17:10.
The five that have fallen are the five that were during the roughly 1,260 years in which power was given by the dragon ── by the Roman Catholic Church ── for the healed beast to continue.
The one that “is,” is the kingdom that extended from Garibaldi on down to the fall of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.
The SEVENTH HEAD, with its Ten Horns ── in the 17th chapter of Revelation ── will be the resurrected “Holy” Roman Empire, “out of the bottomless pit” by a ‘United States of Europe,’ a confederation of ten European nations (as God sees kingdoms) centered within the bounds of the old Roman Empire – Revelation 17:12-18.
We’re still waiting for this seventh revival. □
1 Jordanes (1915). The Gothic History of Jordanes. Translated by Charles C. Mierow. London: Oxford University Press
