Revelation 1:10 provides the period of time that the prophetic events occur that are found in the book of Revelation. The apostle John says that "by inspiration I came to be in the Lord's day." The apostle Paul gave insight into the "Lord's day" by expressing to the Corinthian congregation that Jesus Christ "will make you firm to the end, that you may be open to no accusation in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ."(1 Cor 1:8) He further told them that any man who commits fornication "to hand such a man over....for the destruction of the flesh, in order that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord."(1 Cor 5:5) Thus, the "Lord's day" was, from Paul's time, still far into the future.
The "Lord's day" begins with the opening of the first seal (Rev 6:1), in which a rider on "a white horse" is given "a crown" and he goes "forth conquering and to complete his conquest." Revelation 19 identifies who this rider is, as the "Word of God"(Rev 19:13), and of which the "armies that were in heaven were following him on white horses" ("white horses" pictures righteous warfare, Prov 21:31). Hence, Jesus is the rider on "the white horse" that receives "a crown" or kingship (Dan 7:13, 14), for he is the "Word of God" or God's chief spokesman.(John 1:1)
But when was Jesus given "a crown" so that he began ruling God's kingdom ? Revelation 6:3,4 gives a critical detail, saying that immediately following of his receiving "a crown", the "second seal" was opened, whereby "a fiery-colored horse" came forth, so that "the one seated upon it there was granted to take peace away from the earth so that they should slaughter one another; and a great sword was given him." What does this mean ?
That immediately following Jesus enthronement as king, global war broke out. When was the earth involved in global warfare for the first time in history, whereby ' peace was taken away from the earth, slaughtering one another ' ? With the outbreak of WWI in 1914. Thus, Jesus installment as king of God's kingdom in 1914 marked the beginning of "the Lord's day" and now provides the timeline for rest of the book of Revelation.
Now onto Revelation 17:8, which says that this "wild beast" that John "saw" previously is ridden upon by a "woman", a "harlot" called "Babylon the Great".(Rev 17:5) This "wild beast" is spoken of as a "scarlet-colored wild beast".(Rev 17:3) First, there is a need to identify what is meant by a "wild beast". Daniel 7 unlocks this by showing that the world empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome are likened to different "wild beasts". Thus, all human governments are under the umbrella of "a (composite) wild beast", acting like wild beasts, tearing, maiming and killing humans like a vicious wild beast.(Rev 13:2) The harlotrous "woman" of Babylon the Great is seen as riding "a scarlet-colored wild beast", which is a creation of the "wild beast", being given ruling authority (scarlet was a royal color, Matt 27:28) by this "wild beast" that people are awed by, for "those who dwell on the earth will wonder admiringly."("wonder admiringly", Greek thaumazo, Rev 17:8b)
Hence, what is the "scarlet-colored wild beast" that is given ruling authority by the "wild beast" of Revelation 13:1,2 or all the governments of the world as a composite unit ? What is this scarlet-colored "wild beast that....was, but is not and yet is about to ascend out of the abyss, and it is to go off into destruction" ?(Rev 17:8a) As WWI drew to a close in 1918, American president Woodrow Wilson and British prime minister David Lloyd George proposed a League of Nations. Its goal was to “achieve international peace and security” and thus keep the horror of such a war from ever occurring again. It came into existence on January 16, 1920 with a membership of 42 nations.
It is interesting to note who took this initiative. These two leaders were the heads of the two parts of the seventh world power of Bible history, the Anglo-American World Power.(Rev 17:10) This and other facts regarding the international peace and security organization fit, in an amazing way, what the Bible book of Revelation had said about a short-lived “eighth king” that would both rise and fall in our day. What were some of these interesting parallels ?(Rev 17:11)
The prophecy in Revelation revealed that a “beast” having “two horns like a lamb” would tell “those who dwell on the earth to make an image” to the wild beast (Rev 13:11, 14), which has been headed by the seven great world powers of Biblical history.This is exactly what the Anglo-American World Power did. It urged “those who dwell on the earth” to make a League that looked and acted the way great governments do (as an image does).
But really it was only “an image to the wild beast.” It had no power of its own, only what was given it by its member nations. It is not described as coming into power through some great military conquest, as world powers had done. Instead, it springs or comes from the seven world powers. It owes its existence not only to the seventh of them but also to other member nations that include remnants of the preceding six. Would this political image reach the high goals that its founders had hoped for, to "achieve international peace and security" ?(Rev 17:11.) No.
With the outbreak of WWII on September 1, 1939, the League became as "is not", defunct, going out of existence. It remained in a death-like state until it ' ascended out of the abyss' as the United Nations on October 24, 1945 (Rev 17:8a), with 192 members as of 2006. However, those who give admiration to this "scarlet-colored wild beast", their "names have not been written upon the scroll of life from the founding of the world."(Rev 17:8) Those who worship the composite "wild beast" or all the governments of the world as "one"(Rev 13:2), also worship the "image of the wild beast", the United Nations, with these ones names not having been "written upon the scroll of life."
