The 7 Kings of Revelation 17 – Correcting the Misinterpretation

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Rev 17:10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

and one is, and the other is not yet come

What Kingdom has “not yet come”? Is it Pope Benedict who was the Seventh king? Is John Paul 2 the next Pope or Pope Peter as predicted by St. Malachi? Or is that a misinterpretation of God’s word. Let’s read the answer in verse 12.

Rev 17:12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, whichhave received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

One is “not yet come”(Verse10)….”No Kingdom as yet”(Verse12)(THIS IS IT THE TEN HORNS)
“Continue a short space”(Verse10)…”Power as Kings One Hour”(Verse12) (Again the Ten horns)

Unless Pope Benedict is the 10 horns, he is not the one which continues a short space. So that very popular prophecy does not fit if we allow the bible to interpret itself and is a misinterpretation and also a private interpretation.

Notice that the 10 kings, receive one “kingdom” and continue a short space, and have yet to receive their kingdom. They are the one that is to come. So they fit the 7th. And if we look with care, all of this will make much more sense.

Who are the “Five are Fallen” and “One Is”?

The 10 Kings that reign for 1 hour/short space. United Nations. The 7th Kingdom of Revelation 17.

The clues are given. If we read carefully we see the horns of the beast in this prophecy of Revelation 17 have No crowns, whereas in Revelation 13 it has 10 crowns. And in Revelation 12 it has 7 crowns. The time to which it has 10 crowns are during the 1260 day prophecy.

Rev 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

At which point the beast receives a “deadly wound”(verse 3) where it’s power and authority are taken from it. In other words “no more crowns”. This is significant when we look at the beast in Revelation 17 and figure out the time as to when the “one is, and the other is not yet come”.

If the beast in Revelation 17 has no crowns, then the time at which “one is” is when there is no power or Kingdom “as of yet” is given to the ten horns.(Rev 17:10, 12)

Notice the red dragon has 7 crowns before the 1260 day prophecy of Revelation 12.

Rev 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten red dragon
horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

The 7 crowns would signify that the time period referred to here is before the 1260 days. The beast in Revelation 13 did not conquer the 10thkingdom until 538AD when the final horn of Daniel 7 was uprooted. [The Ostrogoths]. See also the Justinian Code. This is when the beast of Revelation 13 with the 10 crowns received its power.

This prophecy is symbolic of the kingdoms that have reigned on the earth. The conglomerate beast lost the crowns at the end of the 1260 day prophecy when its kingdom was taken. Let’s examine this beast as there are clues to the other kingdoms before it and we will be able to find the 5 which are fallen.

Rev 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

Rev 13:2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

Rev 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

This beast has 10 crowns. It is given its power from the dragon which has 7 crowns.

“Whatever Roman elements the barbarians and Arians left … [came] under the protection of the Bishop of Rome, who was the chief person there after the emperor’s disappearance. The Roman Church in this way privily pushed itself into the place of the Roman World-Empire, of which it is the actual continuation.” Adolf Harnack, What is Christianity? (New York: Putnam, second edition, revised, 1901), pp. 269, 270.

“The mighty Catholic Church was little more than the Roman Empire baptized… The very capital of the old Roman Empire became the capital of the Christian empire. The office of pontifex Maximus was continued in that of the pope” (The Rise of the Medieval church, Alexander Clarence Flick.)

In other words, Pagan Rome(The Dragon) gave it’s power to Papal Rome(The Beast). These powers are seen in Daniel 7. But also there are 3 other beasts listed from Daniel 7 in this conglomerate beast. They are the lion, the bear, and the leopard. This gives us the clue as to who the first kingdoms in this prophecy in Revelation 17 are.

We see 5 beasts listed in these verses. Now consider carefully the 5 that are fallen. leopard beast bear lion dragon

  1. Lion = Babylon
  2. Bear = Medo Persia
  3. Leopard = Grecia
  4. Red Dragon 10 horns 7 crowns = Pagan Rome before 538 AD.
  5. Conglomerate beast of Revelation 13, has all characteristics of the above listed beasts. And is given its power by the red dragon. (Rev 13:2). Therefore this is the 5th kingdom. And it reigns for 1260 days until the crowns are taken. It has 10 crowns until it falls.

At which point the deadly wound occurs. The power is taken from this 5th Kingdom which ruled the world for 1260 years during the dark ages.

Rev 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

No Crowns. Clearly the time period referred to here is after 1798.

Now we’ll come back to this beast in Revelation 17 as well as the woman shortly. We’ll see who this woman is, and also who this beast is. God has not left us in the dark on these issues. This issue should become very clear shortly. But first before dealing with this beast under the woman, as well as the woman, and the 10 horns, let’s first look at the beast that comes up as the 6th or the “one is”(Rev 17:10)

“One Is”

 

The rule of the Papacy ended in 1798 exactly 1260 years after the destruction of the Ostrogoths and the implementation of the Justinian decree in 538AD. Pope Pius vi was taken captive by General Berthier of France. The destruction of the Papacy was thought to be sure when there were more than 1000 priests murdered at that day. This is well known as the deadly wound to the Papacy which is mentioned in Revelation 13.

At the time of the Pope going into captivity we see another beast rising out of the earth. beasttwo horns

Revelation 13:10-12 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
(11) And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
(12) And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
“In 1798 General Berthier made his entrance into Rome, abolished the papal government, and established a secular one.” -Encyclopedia Britannica 1941 edition

Right around the time that the Pope Pius was taken captive, we see another beast coming up out of the earth with 2 horns. No crowns on these horns. This beast was representative of America, the 2 horns symbolizing Republicanism and Protestantism. America was founded as a constitutional republic and had declared independence from King George and England in 1776.

This land was declared the land of the free. It came out of the earth like a lamb and thousands upon thousands sought its shores to escape the tyrannical governments overseas.

“And he had two horns like a lamb.” The lamblike horns indicate youth, innocence, and gentleness, fitly representing the character of the United States when presented to the prophet as “coming up” in 1798. Among the Christian exiles who first fled to America and sought an asylum from royal oppression and priestly intolerance were many who determined to establish a government upon the broad foundation of civil and religious liberty. Their views found place in the Declaration of Independence, which sets forth the great truth that “all men are created equal” and endowed with the inalienable right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” And the Constitution guarantees to the people the right of self-government, providing that representatives elected by the popular vote shall enact and administer the laws. Freedom of religious faith was also granted, every man being permitted to worship God according to the dictates of his conscience. Republicanism andProtestantism became the fundamental principles of the nation. These principles are the secret of its power and prosperity. The oppressed and downtrodden throughout Christendom have turned to this land with interest and hope. Millions have sought its shores, and the United States has risen to a place among the most powerful nations of the earth. (Ellen White Great Controversy Page 441)

It came up like a lamb, but it will eventually shed it’s principles found in the constitution, and it will stop protesting, and will speak like a dragon.
By the end of the 1260, the beast in Rev 17 has 0 crowns, no monarchy, and 5 are fallen. So the time when 5 are fallen is therefore when there is no monarchy or one world Kingdom reigning the earth as in the past.

1. Lion – Babylon
2. Bear – Medo Persia
3. Leopard – Greece
4. Dragon – Pagan Rome
5. Diverse Beast – Papal Rome Got power from Dragon(Rev 13″2)

“One is”….

6. America…Second Beast…Not a monarchy…No Crowns

“The other is not yet come”…

7. 10 Horns…These have one mind…Uni…United Nations. Reign for 1 hour as a Kingdom. They have yet to receive the monarchy and ruled as Kings at this point in time. The head being the woman or Papacy, and they are given power apostate Protestant America.

And the 8th which is of the 7 is the beast which was, is not and is.

Protestant America is the 6th. It begins to speak like a dragon, and finally gives its power to the Papacy. Quoting Ellen White on the ten horns we read the following.

“And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.Revelation 17:12, 13.

As we approach the last crisis, it is of vital moment that harmony and unity exist among the Lord’s instrumentalities. The world is filled with storm and war and variance. Yet under one head—the papal power—the people will unite to oppose God in the person of His witnesses.

What is it that gives its kingdom to this power? Protestantism, a power which, while professing to have the temper and woman riding red dragon 7 heads 10 horns 10 crowns spirit of a lamb and to be allied to Heaven, speaks with the voice of a dragon. It is moved by a power from beneath.

“These have one mind.” There will be a universal bond of union, one great harmony, a confederacy of Satan’s forces. “And shall give their power and strength unto the beast.” Thus is manifested the same arbitrary, oppressive power against religious liberty, freedom to worship God according to the dictates of conscience, as was manifested by the papacy, when in the past it persecuted those who dared to refuse to conform with the religious rites and ceremonies of Romanism.

In the warfare to be waged in the last days there will be united, in opposition to God’s people, all the corrupt powers that have apostatized from allegiance to the law of Jehovah. In this warfare the Sabbath of the fourth commandment will be the great point at issue; for in the Sabbath commandment the great Lawgiver identifies Himself as the Creator of the heavens and the earth.
Through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul and Sunday sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions. While the former lays the foundation of spiritualism, the latter creates a bond of sympathy with Rome. The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience. (Ellen White Maranatha Page 187)
So let’s note a few things from this quote.

1. The lamblike beast or Apostate Protestant America which speaks like a dragon gives it’s power to the Papacy,
2. The Papacy is the woman on the beast,
3. The ten horns when they receive ten crowns or their kingdom which is the seventh kingdom, these have one mind and give their power unto the beast. These eventually hate the whore.(Rev 17:16, 17)

Now who is the beast under the woman?

Woman = Church – Beast = Kingdom

In prophecy a woman represents a church. The Papacy lost its power. This woman being a whorish woman did not consider Christ as her king and thus she fornicated with the Kings of the earth. The mother of the child in Revelation 12 is seen here in the following passage.

Galatians 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Jerusalem is the mother of us all, and is a symbol of the church of the firstborn, God’s church, the woman in Revelation 12.

Heb 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

Babylon being the counterfeit and one which does not regard Jesus as her husband and King and has played the harlot with the kings of the earth. She trusts in the world rather than in God, however she tries to portray herself off as the true bride of Christ.

Rev 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

This woman likes power, and she also likes to rule and reign. She wants to rule like Jezebel using the kingly power to persecute Gods people.

Rev 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

Scarlet Beast = Red Dragon

Isa 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Is this another red beast? Or is this the same beast offering the woman the chance to rule?

Rev 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

The only difference I’ve noticed between the beast in Revelation 12 and 17 is the number of crowns.

Rev 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

This beast stood before the woman….Is it offering her a ride? In the following verse the woman stood before the beast.

Leviticus 18:23 Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.

Or in other words the Hebrew word for confusion in this instance is “Babel”.

Rev 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

The red or scarlet beast or dragon is standing before the woman. It is ready to give her a ride? And in Revelation 17 she drunken with the blood of the saints, and she ruled over the kingdoms of the world.

Jesus was also offered all the kingdoms of this world. Who could offer the kingdoms to him? “The great dragon… that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world”(Revelation 12:9)

Matthew 4:8-10 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
(9) And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
(10) Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Who is it that has power to give the Kingdoms of the world to the Church? The one in possession of them.

Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

The dragon can represent more kingdoms than just Pagan Rome. And Pagan Rome is a secondary application. In the same sense the dragon continues even to the end to make war with the saints. Therefore his dominion is not yet taken from him in 538AD.

“In the twelfth chapter of Revelation we have as a symbol a great red dragon. In the ninth verse of that chapter this symbol is explained as follows: “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world; he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Undoubtedly the dragon primarilyrepresents Satan. But Satan does not appear upon the earth in person; he works through agents. It was in the person of wicked men that he sought to destroy Jesus as soon as he was born. Wherever Satan has been able to control a government so fully that it would carry out his designs, that nation became, for the time, Satan’s representative. This was the case with all the great heathen nations. For instance, see Ezekiel 28, where Satan is represented as actual king of Tyre. This was because he fully controlled that government. In the first centuries of the Christian era, Rome, of all the pagan nations, was Satan’s chief agent in opposing the gospel, and was therefore represented by the dragon.” {Ellen White Great Controversy 1888 679.4}

Now in this last day, we know that the red dragon is still here, what agent does he work through today? He will work through America and finally through the United Nations. . Consider the following carefully understanding that the 6th beast was the beast that came out of the earth and the ones who have sought its shores for safety.

Revelation 12:16-17 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
(17) And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Now if the dragon was done reigning in 538AD, how then can it “make war with the remnant of her seed” after the 1260 day prophecy mentioned in Revelation 12:6 and 12:14? After the ten horns, the woman, and Apostate Protestantism give their power to this beast, we read that this beast is making war with the saints.

Rev 17:13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

The dragon makes war with the saints at the end. This explains the mystery of the beast which was, and is not, and yet is.

Revelation 17:8-11 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
(9) And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
(10) And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
(11) And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

The beast is not the Papacy, since the Papacy is the woman riding the beast. The beast is Satan, the horns represent the Kingdoms Satan has and is able to offer to the church. Satan here again is symbolically represented by a scarlet or red beast.

Was = Had Power(kingdoms, crowns)
Is Not = No Power(kingdoms, crowns)
Shall Ascend(future) = Given Power(Rev 17:13) (kingdoms, crowns)

Revelation 12 and 17 explain the 2 women, Babylon and Jerusalem, one which accepts the power and kingdoms Satan offers to her and she rides the beast.

And these horns will hate the whore or Papacy, and she will be burned with fire. Clearly the beast and the horns are not the Papacy or woman.

Revelation 17:16-17 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
(17) For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast,until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

In this passage, some careful notes must be taken. The beast which is also the eighth which is Satan is given the kingdom by the 10 horns after the whore is burned. This therefore is another confirmation that the beast is not the Papacy, neither are the 10 horns. The beast is symbolic of the people that the Papacy gets power over. The Papacy is the head of the State until the point at which the State burns her with fire.

Leviticus 21:9 And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.

After burning the whore and fulfilling God’s will for this woman, they then lament for her since she was their way of retaining riches and power.

Rev 18:9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

This is where Satans last great deception takes place.

The Personation of Christ

Some are teaching that Satan will come back as John Paul the 2nd and this is the fulfillment of the 8th which is of the 7. Jesus coming But clearly the 8th is the beast which the Papacy is sitting upon. Since the Papacy is burned with fire, this beast is a different power from the Papacy. And when Jesus comes we see the beast as well as the image or false prophet, but the Papacy is not there to make war.

Revelation 19:19-20 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
(20) And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Rev 17:11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

This beast clearly is not the Papacy as we’ve learned already. And therefore it is not John Paul the second resurrecting. However it does symbolize Satan, and Satan will personate someone at the end time. He will personate Christ, not John Paul the second. Let’s look at the prophecy.

“When Jesus LEAVES THE MOST HOLY, His restraining Spirit is withdrawn from rulers and people. They are left to the control of evil angels. THEN such LAWS will be made by the counsel and direction of Satan, that unless time should be very short, NO FLESH COULD BE SAVED.”(Testimonies Vol. One, p204)

When Jesus has left the Most Holy Place, then there is no place left to repent as there is no mediator in the sanctuary above. Some may question what point there is for any test now. But this is when Satan has that power. When this comes to pass, the saints then cry for deliverance.

“I saw that the four angels would hold the four winds until Jesus’ work was DONE in the sanctuary, and THEN will come the SEVEN LAST PLAGUES. These plagues enraged the wicked against the righteous; they thought that we had brought the judgments of God upon them, and that if they could rid the earth of us, the plagues would then be stayed. A DECREE went forth to SLAY THE SAINTS, which caused them to cry day and night for deliverance.” (Early Writings 36-37)

They then cry day and night as the plagues are falling, no place is found for deliverance for the wicked. Satan hears their cry. And what does he do when he hears the cry of the saints?

“Satan sees that he is about to LOSE HIS CASE. He cannot sweep in the whole world. He makes ONE LAST DESPERATE EFFORT to overcome the faithful by deception. He does this in personating Christ… One effort more, and then Satan’s last device is employed. He hears the UNCEASING CRY FOR CHRIST TO COME, FOR CHRIST TO DELIVER THEM. This last strategy is to PERSONATE CHRIST, and make them think their prayers are answered.” LDE 164-165

This is his last deception. His last and final effort. This occurs after Christ has left the most holy place, after probation is closed on the world, after the plagues have started to come down, and into the time of trouble such as never was. We see this briefly outlined in Matthew 24.

 

  1. Jesus leaves most Holy Place, Probation closed
  2. Plagues Fall
  3. Wicked enraged
  4. Decree made
  5. Causes Saints to Cry for Deliverance
  6. Satan hears Cry for Deliverance
  7. Satan Personates Christ

Time of Trouble and Personation of Christ in Scripture.

Matthew 24:21-23 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
(22) And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
(23) Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

The order of events here is clearly different than that which has been outlined in many of the videos that are proposing that Satan will personate the Pope John Paul the 2nd and resurrect. This is not sound biblical interpretation.

So let’s review what we’ve learned.

1. Lion – Babylon
2. Bear – Medo Persia
3. Leopard – Greece
4. Dragon – Pagan Rome
5. Diverse Beast – Papal Rome Got power from Dragon(Rev 13″2)

“One is”….

6. America…Second Beast…Not a monarchy…No Crowns

“The other is not yet come”…

7. 10 Horns…These have one mind…Uni…United Nations. Reign for 1 hour as a Kingdom. They have yet to receive the monarchy and ruled as Kings at this point in time. The head being the woman or Papacy, and they are given power from apostate Protestant America.
“Beast which was, is not, and is yet to come”

8. Satan or The Red or Scarlet Dragon, the beast which was, and is not and ascends out of the bottomless pit and can represent many kingdoms, not just pagan Rome, and is the 8th which is of the 7.

The Woman riding this beast = Papacy

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