The Eighth Beast

This is part two following “Biblical End Time Players of Revelation.” In this post I wish to deal with “the eighth beast.”

In seeking to understand the meaning of this prophetic symbol the “Beast,” it is impossible to find a higher authority than God’s own scriptures birthed by the Holy Ghost’s inspiration and consequently must serve as its own interpreter. Therefore, what is understood by the term “Beast” in one prophetic vision is most likely the same intent when the term is utilized elsewhere in similar passages of Scriptures. What adds certainty to the intent is when God has employed His holy messengers to bring absolute clarity to the visions God has given unto His prophets. As we can see by the angel’s interpretation of Daniel’s four beasts, there is no room left for speculation as to what the vision symbolized.

Daniel, in chapter seven, having been desirous to “know the truth of the fourth beast which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, and of the ten horns that were on his head,” was enlightened by an angel who interpreted the vision for Daniel. “The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms . . .” The angel plainly declares that the four beasts in Daniel’s vision are four civil, or municipal, kingdoms and hence the term “Beast” is used as a prophetic symbol for earthly civil kingdoms. 

Daniel 7:15 – I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.
16 I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.
17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.

Likewise, in the beginning of Revelation chapter 13 when we see the Apostle John stating, “I saw a beast coming up out of the sea,” here too we should seek to allow scripture to interpret scripture. Because John’s vision was an apocalyptic vision, we need to understand that every part of John’s vision had significance. Fortunately here, as in Daniel, God uses His holy messengers to bring clarity to certain parts of the vision, like with the “sea” and its significance as revealed by an angel. -

Revelation 17:7 The angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. 
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

Let’s look at other passages where the Holy Spirit utilized “waters” to represent nations or people;

Isaiah 8:7 Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks:

Isaiah 17:12 Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters! 13 The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind. 

Jeremiah 47: 2 Thus saith the LORD; Behold, waters rise up out of the north, and shall be an overflowing flood, and shall overflow the land, and all that is therein; the city, and them that dwell therein: then the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall howl.

In Revelation chapter 12 we are given a indication of the constant hostility which the dragon, “the old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan” has always maintained toward God’s people and is evident towards the “church in the wilderness” (Acts 7:38) represented in Revelation as “a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.” Re 12:17 declares that his purpose is to make war on the seed of the woman, “which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” This hostility has throughout history been channeled through several different “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues” which here is represented by the beast’s heads and its various forms. In Revelations 13 we are again reminded of those historic beasts mentioned by Daniel as the seven-headed beast of John’s vision has some parts and aspects of all those beasts.

Therefore, the prophetic intent of the beast in John’s vision is to remind God’s people of these historical “nations, and tongues,” through which “the dragon” has historically carried on his warfare, that by clearly acknowledging the rise and fall of each we may come to the final and Eighth Beast. With its seven heads and ten horns, the “beast” bears the old dragon mark (Re 12:3) and therefore every aspect of the beast serves as a manifestation of the same power.

Again, I feel it must be clarified that the overall image of the beast is a multi-faceted prophetic symbol. While in its totality does not just represent one thing and one thing only. However, that doesn’t mean in places in Revelations it isn’t meant to particular thing, like in Revelation 12 as the the Dragon, or Satan. Likewise, in chapter thirteen as it rises out of the sea it represents the rise of a particular kingdom, referred to as the “eighth . . . is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.” Nonetheless, the overall prophetic image of the beast contains multiple symbols representing other varyious participants in end time events.

A good example of this is how in chapter thirteen the beast rises out of the sea by its self, while later in chapter seventeen the beast is pictured with a woman sitting upon it “arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” This woman represents all the false religious systems of the world which has taken identity under all faiths, including puesdo-christianity as well.

As I mentioned in my previous post  Biblical End Times Players of Revelation, the absence of the woman in Revelation 13 would seem to indicate that at the time of the arising of the eighth beast there was a separation between it, the “scarlet colored beast,” and the “woman.” Yet prior to the eighth kingdom’s foretold destruction, a merger of mutual consent appears to have happen between this eighth beast civil power and an apostate religious institutional power.

Since the prophetic purpose of the seven heads is to represent a progression of seven kingdoms in order to lead us to this eighth and final beast I believe the ten horns are meant to represent a consolidation of end time nations. I must clarify, that with the “ten horns” I am not persuaded it is an absolute numerical definer of the number of end time nations that will consolidate, as much as the “ten horns” clarifying an already historic biblical region, such as the Europe and/or the Middle East.

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 . . . (Revelation 13:2a)

And “the beast . . . was like unto” is a consolidated beast which displays attributes of the four beasts seen by Daniel, plus others not mentioned there, (Dan. 7:1-7). All the animals in Daniel are cruel and terrible beasts of prey, but here in Rev. 13:2 they are but part of the beast that will be an end time amazement and terror to mankind, not only because of its power and wealth, but also because of its deceptions.

Revelation 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast . . . 

. . . and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. (Revelation 13:2b)

This part of the verse everyone seems to agree on, till we get to the conclusion of who the eighth beast is. Regardless, by this part of the verse we can see that this eighth beast was ultimately called forth to further the dragon’s work and therefore acts by the dragon’s authority. Remember, Satan claimed he had all power over the civil kingdoms of the world, and asserted that he could give them to whomsoever he pleased. While this claim of Satan is true, it is only true to the extent of the permissive sovereignty of God, for what God prohibits cannot continue.

Luke 4:5 And the devil, taking Him up into an high mountain, shewed unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said unto Him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

 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. (Revelation 13:3) 

I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death. The Greek says “slain.” This wound to one of the heads represents what was intended to be a deadly wound to the beast itself. This wound was given by the sword; that is, by war. Re 13:14 suggested that the beast was restored, or fully recovered from the wound by the ruling efforts of “another beast” first mentioned in Re 13:11. The symbolism implies that a mortal wound was intended to be inflicted on the civil power represented by the first beast, and while it appeared to be ready to perish, its power was restored due to the authority or leadership of a second beast. As I mentioned in my earlier post, while this second beast looks like he is for peace because “he had two horns like a lamb,” his motives are really to the contrary, because “he spake as a dragon.”

 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? (Revelation 13:4)

Verse 3 stated that, “All the world wondered after the beast” and verse 4 “who is able to make war with him.” This is because the second beast has authority and power to do ”great wonders” so that  ”he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.” It is this great fire that falls to the earth from the heavens that “deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles [never before accomplished] which he had power to do in the sight of the beast.” It was this method of retaliation upon those who delivered the initial blow to the beast that enabled this leader to not only cause a full recovery of the beast “which had the wound by a sword, and [yet] did live,” but also to catapult the eighth beast into a position of global supremacy, (Re 13:14). It was this never before accomplished “fire” which came “down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men” that caused “all the world”say “who is able to make war with him?”

The entire world wondered . . . Just who is this Beast?

In studying the Beast of Revelation we need to remember the order of events the Apostle John is witnessing. John sees the beast rise up out of the sea in chapter 13 and rise to a place of global admiration because it’s miraculous power andvictory in war. This beast eventually institutes a new system whereby “no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Finally, this civil system requires all, “both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads.”

This system infuriates God because humanity was created in the image of God and is to be the glory of God in the earth. Man was intended to be serving the LORD with gladness . . . [for] the LORD He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Yes, “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” But here we see this corrupt government wanting to take those who were created in the image of God, those whose very bodies were design to be the temple of God, and to desecrate them with a “mark” and oblige them to now serve/worship the beast.

I Cor. 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

The church we are told by Paul in I Cor. 7: 23, was “bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.” Yet this is the very thing the beast here in Revelations 13 is attempting to do to humanity, make us servants of men and therefore ultimately slave/servants of the dragon’s beast system. Later, in Chapter 14, the apostle John, “looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.” But as for those who were not sealed, but rather who took the mark of the beast, John saw the following;

Rev. 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.

In Revelation 15 we see “seven angels” come forth from heaven unto the beast “having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.” In chapter 16 the apostle “heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth . . . And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.”

Next in chapter 17 the apostle John now sees the introduction of a woman which is, like the beast itself, is “sitteth upon many waters.” Not only was this woman like the beast, via her influence upon many “nations and tongue,” she is now shown to John to be riding the beast. This represents an end time merger between the eighth beast (a final kingdom) and the mother whore (false religious system). This merger takes place before the final destruction of the eighth beast and the whore riding it. Yet this merger of theirs is only an attempt to deceive the nations and the true church, which “if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”

The driving force behind the woman is the same force behind the beast. It is the dragon which gives them both their power and seat, and authority. This deceitful force behind this ungodly union of “church and state” is the same force the apostle Paul warned the Church of Corinth about.

II Cor. 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Upon seeing this vision of the rise and fall of the eighth beast with its merger to the “great whore,” John is overwhelmed with amazement. What he has just witness has left him wondering just what it all meant, how does it all relate to him, the church, God’s plan? Therefore God has “one of the seven angels which had the seven vials” come and talk to John saying, “Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.”

Right here we can see that in Revelation chapter 17 the angel is about to explain who and what chapter’s 13-16 were all about. Up until the angel’s explanation to him, all John knew was what he had seen, but not what it had all meant. The angel clearly tells John two things. First, ” I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters,” and secondly, “I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.”

This “mystery” is something that God did not only want to reveal to John, it was something He was committing unto John to reveal to the whole church of Jesus Christ. We can be certain of this by the Angel’s statement that all “they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world.”

What we can gleam from that statement, and the scriptures listed below is that God wants and even expects His church to know and understand this “mystery.” If our names are in the Lamb’s book of life then we do not have to be, nor should we be left wondering about this mystery. If we are wondering, then perhaps we haven’t been truly obedient to the Lord by diligently seeking it out and proving it by both scripturally and historically.  But sadly like the Holy Spirit said, too many people in these “latter times” have swallowed fables by the likes of Tim Lahaye and other when they really should have been praying, studying and prayerfully listening to the Lord regarding these things. Some think it doesn’t matter because they feel God is going to rapture them out before the beast comes on the scene. God wants His people to know, we are to know. Now that doesn’t mean there won’t be some young believers who don’t know these things, but that should be because they have yet to learn these things line upon line and precept upon precept. Not because like so many others who are as Peter said are just willfully ignorant.

“I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.”

One of the main clues the angel told the apostle John is one that many seem to overlook. The angel told John, “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and [yet] shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition.” In another place the angel repeats it this way, “the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.”

Most people skip this clue and simply go to the part about the “seven mountains” where many are tempted to identify them as the seven “hills” of Rome in an effort to apply these verses to the Roman Catholic Church. My main question to those interpreting it that way is when did the Catholic Church cease to exist (and not just simply floundered under political oppression) and then revive? The phrase “was, and is not, and yet is,” irrefutably indicates something existed and then ceased to exist, and then came into being again.

But what else in Holy Scriptures and history besides the “beast” can we find that today would answer to that phrase? Answer; the very thing which the beasts of Daniel persecuted and that which the world today seems determined to align themselves together against – the nation of Israel. Israel “was” every since it conception in Egypt and it continued as a nation until 70 A.D. when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple and literally, the national structure of Israel. Rome was Daniel’s “fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces [Israel], and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it” because it did not just dominate Israel, it caused Israel to cease to exist, or as it says in Revelations, “is not.” So borrowing part of Revelation 17:8, “. . . that was, and is not, and yet is” which does actually refer to the beast, we can see a link between the empire referred to as the beast and the nation of Israel.

Revelation 17: 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.

The angels plainly say to John, “here is the mind which hath wisdom,” or perhaps, “here is wisdom for the mind,” regardless, he is committing unto John another clue. Remember, “The seven heads are seven mountains . . . there are seven kings, five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come.” What we can see woven in this phrase is exactly what we see in 17:8. The past, the present (or the duration of time between a past event and a future event), and the future.

The beast clearly has a past and a future, and according to scripture here also has an unknown time of “is not” in between . . .  and since the beast has seven heads that represent the seven mountains . . . and since there are seven kings, five of which “are fallen,” we can then confidently say that out of the “seven heads/seven mountains,” that five of the mountains/heads are also “fallen” as well. What does that simply mean? Five of the beast’s heads represent five mountains and five kings(doms) in John’s PAST.

Seeing we must apply this to the time of the PRESENT of the Apostle John’s time, (the time of the angelic discourse), if we were to of asked John if there was a king oppressing the nation of Israel, he would of definitively answer , “Yes, Caesar of Rome.”

Seven Mountains

Let’s look at just what is prophetically meant by the word “mountain.” Is there other references to mountains in scripture to which we can compare to gain understanding? Yes there are, let’s look at them -

Jeremiah 51: 24 And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith the LORD. 25 Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the LORD, which destroyest all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain. 

Zechariah 4: 7 Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. 

Da 2:35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. 

Da 2:45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

Am 4:1 Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink.

Am 6:1 Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!

So who are the “seven mountains?” We can know with certainty four of them from the book of Daniel. –

1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters. 
2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it. [Babylonian Empire]
5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. [Mede/Persia Empire]
6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. [Greek Empire] 
7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. [Roman Empire]

We know the sixth head was the one existing at the time John which would be Rome and we see above the three before Rome; which would be represented by heads numbers five, four and three. But since there are seven heads and we’ve only indentified four thus far, we are short identifying the three other heads. There are two before Babylon and one after Rome However, the key to understanding the seven headed beast is to remember the beast correlates with Israel.

The first head is easy since Israel as a nation was birth when Moses led them out of slavery in Egypt. It was in Egypt that the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, “increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them,” so much so that the Egyptians began to fear them.

Exodus 1:8 Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.
9 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:
10 Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.
11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.
12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. 
13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:
14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.

Egypt is therefore represented by the first head of the beast. But who is the second? Well before the Babylonian captivity the nation of Israel divided into two because Rehoboam had refused to eased the burden on the ten northern tribes. (See I King 12:2-20)

I Kings 12:2 And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, heard of it, (for he was fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt;)
3 That they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying,
4 Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.
5 And he said unto them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. And the people departed.
6 And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people?
7 And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever.
8 But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:
9 And he said unto them, What counsel give ye that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which thy father did put upon us lighter?
10 And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak unto this people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s loins.
11 And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had appointed, saying, Come to me again the third day.
13 And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men’s counsel that they gave him; 
14 And spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
15 Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was from the LORD, that he might perform his saying, which the LORD spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
16 So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents.
17 But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.
18 Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the tribute; and all Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. Therefore king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. 
19 So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day. 
20 And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel: there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.

Because Israel was now being divided with two separate kings, Jeroboam was afraid the hearts of the people would return toward Jerusalem and he would lose his control of them.

25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel.
26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:
27 If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.
28 Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
29 And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.
30 And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.
31 And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.
32 And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.
33 So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.

Because of this idolatry and their refusal to repent, God raised up Assyria to punish the ten northern tribes of Israel.

II Kings 17:18 Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.
23 Until the LORD removed Israel out of his sight, as he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day.

Therefore Assyria is represented by the second head of the beast. Let’s take a fresh look at the present order of those heads representing the beasts which we have clarified. First we have the five that are fallen at the time of the Apostle John’s vision -

1. Egypt
2. Assyria
3. Babylon
4. Mede/Persia
5. Greece

Then we have the “one is” which would be Rome, the sixth head represents the beast Daniel said “shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.” For that is what Rome did to Israel in 70 A.D. At that time, Jerusalem was destroyed according to the prediction of our Lord, and it was never again in the sole possession of the Jews until after the conclusion of World War II.

But who had possession of the land back then? Who had gain possession of it prior to Israel’s rebirth? The British Empire had it. It was said that “The sun never sets on the British Empire.” England had conquered so much that all around the world there were subdued provinces of the British Empire. It was in 1948 that Israel was “born again” on land that was part of the British Empire. It was also because of England that America sought to get involved in World War II. Plus, it was World War II that brought the sudden decline of the British Empire and gave America it’s occasion to rise to global supremacy.

So if we look at the whole list of those nations or empires which have had a direct relationship with Israel, either by taking her into captivity or having dominion over them and their land, it would be as follows:

1. Egypt
2. Assyria
3. Babylon
4. Mede/Persia
5. Greece
6. Rome

(Israel was not)

7. England

But look now what the scriptures says:

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.

Now, “the eighth” is either (1) a direct branch or decent from the seventh, or (2) it is a mixture of the seven being an end time conglomeration of multitudes, languages, nations and tongues, as a nation existing as an international melting pot, a land made up of immigrants.

Either way, America alone comfortably wears this Cinderella slipper.

Now, I know these things are hard for some to accept, and again, I welcome all questions (not that I promise an irrefutable answer to all submitted). I will still labor to answer all I can. I hope to have opportunity to work on the next part soon.

For other postings of mine on this subject you can link here.

Please also review the list of New Testament passages provided dealing with the persecution, hardship and tribulations of the saints of Jesus Christ.

Peace to those who love the Lord Jesus Christ.