As far as I am aware of, no one - Christian or otherwise - has ever successfully identified the eight kings of Revelation 17:10. Many have tried, including many of the Early Church Fathers. Because of the dominance of the Imperial Roman Empire in the first century A.D., many of those same Church Fathers tried to find the answer in successive Roman Emperors, usually beginning with the tyrant Nero.
The study of eschatology or end-time prophecy came to an end within the Western Church around the fourth century A.D. when St Augustine determined that it was beyond understanding, and even dangerous. The study of eschatological prophecies was renewed with the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century A.D. The early Reformers, and those that followed them, usually picked up where the Early Church Fathers left off since they were well acquainted with their writings and saw, as a result, various Imperial Roman Emperors as the fulfillment of the prophecy. That there were literally hundreds of Imperial Roman Emperors didn't seem to be enough to deter most interpreters; they simply picked the Emperors who they believed better fit their paradigm, then named those specific emperors as the fulfillment of the prophecy of the eight kings.
Regardless of the sincerity of the various theologians and apologists who have attempted, over the centuries, to interpret the prophecy, sadly, error usually begets error, and by the early nineteenth century A.D. a quasi-Revised Roman Empire had grown out of the attempts to force Imperial Roman Emperors into the fulfillment of the prophecy which is Revelation 17:10. This led directly to other misinterpretations of other eschatological prophecies. The end result, sadly, has been the Church as a whole has been misled and, as a result, "can not see the forrest for the errors." Today the Church, especially in America, looks for an eschatological paradigm where some form of a quasi-Revised Roman Empire (the Fourth Beast of Daniel 7) becomes the vehicle which allows the Antichrist to come to power; usually through the United Nations. Gog, of the land of MaGog is, in many of these same paradigms, is usually the Russians (formerly the atheistic Soviet Union), and in extreme Protestant circles the Roman Catholic Church becomes "Mystery Babylon" of Revelation 17, the heretical religion of the great Beast which is the Kingdom (Empire) of the Antichrist, etc.
Any eschatological paradigm can - and must! - be tested. Just as scientific theories must be tested before they are accepted as truth, eschatological paradigms must also be tested before they are ever accepted as truth. And the way to test any eschatological paradigm is simple - all eschatological prophecies from both the Old and New Testaments must fit into the new paradigm without being forced. For example, one can not attempt to trace the migration of the ancient people known as the Scythians throughout the many centuries, which is virtually impossible since the history of their migrations is incomplete, simply because one believes that the Scythians were the original inhabitants of "The Land of MaGog" and, over the centuries, eventually migrated into Russia. Thus, Russia, of their preconceived beliefs, must be "the Land of Magog."
Moreover, any eschatological paradigm must also solve any of what I like to term 'mysteries' of eschatological prophecies. And again, it must do so in a convincing fashion, not forced as the eight emperors (kings) of the hundreds of Imperial Roman Emperors which where chosen, were chosen simply to be forced into the prophecy which is Revelation 17:10 in order to come up with an answer to the mystery which is the literal fulfillment of the prophecy.
That brings us to the purpose of this article - to correctly answer, for the first time in Church history, the mystery of who the eight kings of Revelation 17:10 are. In doing so the paradigm, as I understand it, easily answers the prophecy which is Revelation 17:10. "This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a little while. The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction" Rev. 17:10-11.
The "Five who have fallen" can be none other than the only five Caliphs (kings) the Islamic Empire has ever known since its inception in the sixth century A.D. 1. Muhammad, 2. Abu Bakr, 3. Omar, 4. Umar and 5. Ali.
Because the Islamic Empire, since the death of the last Caliph, Ali, and the ensuring civil war, which is known to history as The War of the Camels, has been a divided empire (Sunni and Shiite), Islam has not known a sixth caliph for nearly fourteen hundred years. Under Islamic tradition, there can not be a sixth caliph until the empire is first reunited.
The sixth Caliph (king), then, is "Gog, of the land of MaGog" (Ezek. 38, 39) who reunites the Islamic Empire (the Fourth Beast/Empire of Daniel 7) in an attempt to annihilate the modern Jewish state of Israel (Ezek. 37).
Gog, and his coalition force (empire) is defeated by God, and Gog dies "on the mountains of Israel" (Ezek. 39:2). This is the "mortal head wound" suffered by the first beast of Revelation 13:3. The "first beast" of Revelation 13 is the Islamic Caliphate, but more on this in a minute. The death of "Gog," "on the mountains of Israel" opens the way for the seventh king (Caliph), known to Scripture as The False Prophet, but known to Islam as al-Mahdi (the Mahdi) of Islamic eschatological anticipations.
al Mahdi of Islamic eschatological anticipations is a forerunner - a sort of John the Baptist to "Jesus, son of Mary" of Islamic eschatological anticipation. (This is not the place to go into a detailed explanation of who, exactly, "Jesus, son of Mary" is in Islamic eschatology, or how they will perceive him. But it is enough here to say that "Jesus, son of Mary" is the Antichrist (Greek anti = imitation of). Thus, as is foretold in the Hadith (Traditions) of Islam, al Mahdi will welcome "Jesus, son of Mary" as Caliph, and even abdicates (must remain for a little while) his power and position to "Jesus, son of Mary." Thus, making "Jesus, son of Mary," who is the Antichrist, the eighth and final king (caliph).
As we alluded to earlier, "The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction" (Rev. 17:11). "He belongs to the seven" simply means that the eighth king (Caliph) belongs to the Caliphate (the seven) which preceded him. This Caliphate, then, is the "beast" "coming out of the sea [of humanity]. He had ten horns [the ten kingdoms of Ezekiel 38 which make up the empire/beast of Daniel 7] and seven heads {the Caliphate]....Rev 13:1.
The study of eschatology or end-time prophecy came to an end within the Western Church around the fourth century A.D. when St Augustine determined that it was beyond understanding, and even dangerous. The study of eschatological prophecies was renewed with the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century A.D. The early Reformers, and those that followed them, usually picked up where the Early Church Fathers left off since they were well acquainted with their writings and saw, as a result, various Imperial Roman Emperors as the fulfillment of the prophecy. That there were literally hundreds of Imperial Roman Emperors didn't seem to be enough to deter most interpreters; they simply picked the Emperors who they believed better fit their paradigm, then named those specific emperors as the fulfillment of the prophecy of the eight kings.
Regardless of the sincerity of the various theologians and apologists who have attempted, over the centuries, to interpret the prophecy, sadly, error usually begets error, and by the early nineteenth century A.D. a quasi-Revised Roman Empire had grown out of the attempts to force Imperial Roman Emperors into the fulfillment of the prophecy which is Revelation 17:10. This led directly to other misinterpretations of other eschatological prophecies. The end result, sadly, has been the Church as a whole has been misled and, as a result, "can not see the forrest for the errors." Today the Church, especially in America, looks for an eschatological paradigm where some form of a quasi-Revised Roman Empire (the Fourth Beast of Daniel 7) becomes the vehicle which allows the Antichrist to come to power; usually through the United Nations. Gog, of the land of MaGog is, in many of these same paradigms, is usually the Russians (formerly the atheistic Soviet Union), and in extreme Protestant circles the Roman Catholic Church becomes "Mystery Babylon" of Revelation 17, the heretical religion of the great Beast which is the Kingdom (Empire) of the Antichrist, etc.
Any eschatological paradigm can - and must! - be tested. Just as scientific theories must be tested before they are accepted as truth, eschatological paradigms must also be tested before they are ever accepted as truth. And the way to test any eschatological paradigm is simple - all eschatological prophecies from both the Old and New Testaments must fit into the new paradigm without being forced. For example, one can not attempt to trace the migration of the ancient people known as the Scythians throughout the many centuries, which is virtually impossible since the history of their migrations is incomplete, simply because one believes that the Scythians were the original inhabitants of "The Land of MaGog" and, over the centuries, eventually migrated into Russia. Thus, Russia, of their preconceived beliefs, must be "the Land of Magog."
Moreover, any eschatological paradigm must also solve any of what I like to term 'mysteries' of eschatological prophecies. And again, it must do so in a convincing fashion, not forced as the eight emperors (kings) of the hundreds of Imperial Roman Emperors which where chosen, were chosen simply to be forced into the prophecy which is Revelation 17:10 in order to come up with an answer to the mystery which is the literal fulfillment of the prophecy.
That brings us to the purpose of this article - to correctly answer, for the first time in Church history, the mystery of who the eight kings of Revelation 17:10 are. In doing so the paradigm, as I understand it, easily answers the prophecy which is Revelation 17:10. "This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a little while. The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction" Rev. 17:10-11.
The "Five who have fallen" can be none other than the only five Caliphs (kings) the Islamic Empire has ever known since its inception in the sixth century A.D. 1. Muhammad, 2. Abu Bakr, 3. Omar, 4. Umar and 5. Ali.
Because the Islamic Empire, since the death of the last Caliph, Ali, and the ensuring civil war, which is known to history as The War of the Camels, has been a divided empire (Sunni and Shiite), Islam has not known a sixth caliph for nearly fourteen hundred years. Under Islamic tradition, there can not be a sixth caliph until the empire is first reunited.
The sixth Caliph (king), then, is "Gog, of the land of MaGog" (Ezek. 38, 39) who reunites the Islamic Empire (the Fourth Beast/Empire of Daniel 7) in an attempt to annihilate the modern Jewish state of Israel (Ezek. 37).
Gog, and his coalition force (empire) is defeated by God, and Gog dies "on the mountains of Israel" (Ezek. 39:2). This is the "mortal head wound" suffered by the first beast of Revelation 13:3. The "first beast" of Revelation 13 is the Islamic Caliphate, but more on this in a minute. The death of "Gog," "on the mountains of Israel" opens the way for the seventh king (Caliph), known to Scripture as The False Prophet, but known to Islam as al-Mahdi (the Mahdi) of Islamic eschatological anticipations.
al Mahdi of Islamic eschatological anticipations is a forerunner - a sort of John the Baptist to "Jesus, son of Mary" of Islamic eschatological anticipation. (This is not the place to go into a detailed explanation of who, exactly, "Jesus, son of Mary" is in Islamic eschatology, or how they will perceive him. But it is enough here to say that "Jesus, son of Mary" is the Antichrist (Greek anti = imitation of). Thus, as is foretold in the Hadith (Traditions) of Islam, al Mahdi will welcome "Jesus, son of Mary" as Caliph, and even abdicates (must remain for a little while) his power and position to "Jesus, son of Mary." Thus, making "Jesus, son of Mary," who is the Antichrist, the eighth and final king (caliph).
As we alluded to earlier, "The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction" (Rev. 17:11). "He belongs to the seven" simply means that the eighth king (Caliph) belongs to the Caliphate (the seven) which preceded him. This Caliphate, then, is the "beast" "coming out of the sea [of humanity]. He had ten horns [the ten kingdoms of Ezekiel 38 which make up the empire/beast of Daniel 7] and seven heads {the Caliphate]....Rev 13:1.
- [background=rgb(222, 222, 222)]0[/background]
