Revelation 17: Prophecy of the Seven Kings - 8th King Identified!

Through the study of Revelation chapter 17, Yahuwah has led us to a most startling truth, confirming that we are nearer to the end of all things than ever imagined. We are prompted by our loving Eloah to share this prophecy, that none need be ensnared by the global events soon to transpire which will engulf the world in the grandest deception yet contrived by Satan.

World's Last Chance dares to declare this interpretation to the world because we adhere only to sound Biblical interpretation. This means we unlock Bible prophecy by using the Bible as its own interpreter. By doing so we are certain of the correctness of the revelation.

With the vivid realization that we are living in the age just prior to the second coming of Christ in the clouds of heaven, we pray Yahuwah will impress you with the shortness of time available before the fate of every living person is decided, and may His Spirit give you the discernment and wisdom needed as you undertake this solemn study. AMEN.

REVELATION 17 | Prophecy of Seven Kings

1. Which part of the Bible led you to reach this conclusion?

"And there came one of the seven angels... saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: 2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been 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 sit upon a scarlet-coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 And the woman was 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: 5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Yahushua: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. 7 And 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. 8 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. 12 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. 13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. 14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Master of masters, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. 15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. 16 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 Yahuwah hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of Yahuwah shall be fulfilled. 18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth". Revelation 17:1-18.

2. Give a short explanation of all this.

Briefly, John is shown the final judgment of the great whore due to her own course of action. This great whore, referred to as Babylon the great, was shown to John in the wilderness (v. 3). This is an important setting, as will be seen later.

The description of the whore is parallel to the first beast of Revelation 13 that also has seven heads and ten horns (v. 7) indicating that both symbols represent the same entity – that being the Roman Catholic papal system. Furthermore, the whore is described as sitting on seven mountains (v. 9). Rome has frequently been identified as the City of Seven Hills, from classical times down to contemporary time.

Whereas in Revelation 13 the union of church and state was blended in one symbol, in Revelation 17 Yahuwah has pictured them separately. A woman always symbolizes a church in the Bible, in this case the whore – an impure church. And a beast has always signified a kingdom or state that persecutes Yahuwah's people. So we have an impure woman sitting on (i.e. controlling) a scarlet-colored (a bloody) beast (state). This again reinforces the reality of the Catholic system being the only system that is a church and an earthly kingdom at the same time. This whore is described as being eminently rich, proud, and more importantly, very corrupt (v. 4, 5). Indeed, it represents Satan's final supreme instrument of deception.  (For more on the prophetic symbols: Prophetic Symbols)

The following verses are key verses: "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 the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition".Revelation 17:10, 11. Yahuwah elaborates on the seven heads of the beast, which are identified as seven kings. Significantly, the vision was viewed during the reign of the sixth king. He was to be followed by the seventh king, who will rule for a short time. However, the eighth king is going to be one of the previous seven kings, but that when he appears from the bottomless pit (v. 8), he will not only merely be a king (ruling power) but a beast (a persecuting power); finally, he will then go into perdition.

When one of the seven kings reappears from the bottomless pit as the eighth king but in the form of a beast, the ten kings of the earth (v. 12) (ten is an all-inclusive, universal number indicating that this includes all earthly rulers; cf. parable of ten virgins) will be greatly awed by the beast, and will willingly surrender their power to the beast for a short time (v. 12, 13). Both the beast and the ten kings will rule and war against Christ in the person of His followers for a short time, but will not overcome them (v. 14).

Just before the end of all things, the ten kings will discover that they have been ensnared and deceived by the beast (the eighth king from the bottomless pit) and they will turn with vengeance against the beast system, and destroy it (v. 16). For they will this time, though belatedly, be doing Yahuwah's will (v. 17).

3. Great whore sitting on the beast was viewed in the wilderness (Rev. 17:3).

This is important as it is not by happenstance that the "great whore who sitteth upon the scarlet beast" was seen in the wilderness. In Revelation 17, Yahuwah is indicating the time-period that the Roman Catholic Church is viewed in. To understand what will happen to the world when she comes out of her wilderness experience, we need to understand how the Roman Catholic Church entered this wilderness experience.

4. What does wilderness mean in Bible prophecy?

In the Book of Revelation we have another instance of a church that went into the wilderness. It was Yahuwah's true church during the Middle Ages, when the church was subject to papal persecution: "And the woman (church) fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of Yahuwah, that they should feed her there a thousand and two hundred and threescore days."Revelation 12:6. We know that this church was pure, for it is Yahuwah who led her to the wilderness, away from the papal persecution that raged for 1260 years from 538 A.D. until 1798 A.D. The dragon (Satan) was warring against the church during this period, using his earthly instrument, the Roman Catholic Church: "And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent." Revelation 12:14. The wilderness then, in Bible prophecy, is a figure of speech picturing the harsh conditions facing a church in a particular period in her history.

5. When did Yahuwah's true church come out of her wilderness experience?

The logical answer to this question would be, when the papal persecution ceased. This officially happened in 1798, when Napoleon Bonaparte sent to Rome where he exiled Pope Pius VI to Valence in France. At the same time Berthier declared an end to the temporal power over much of Europe that the Catholic Church had enjoyed up to that time. It was a most humiliating and abrupt end to a long rule of power that lasted 1260 years. Shortly after, Christian Bible Societies spread all over the world, with their work unhampered or threatened by papal constrictions. Thus, 1798 marks the date when Yahuwah's church ended her wilderness experience. Now Yahuwah's church was totally free to focus her energies on translating and printing the Bible in as many languages as possible and to conduct missionary activities all over the world.

6. Did the Catholic Church then enter her wilderness experience just as Yahuwah's true church came out of it?

This was exactly the case. In 1798 the Catholic Church not only lost her temporal power over the kings, dukes, and princes of much of Europe, but was in fact no longer free to carry her own ecclesiastical privileges, such as selecting a pope to succeed Pius VI. Her representatives needed the permission of Napoleon Bonaparte before they could appoint Pius VII in 1800 to succeed the pope who died in exile, a year earlier.

Furthermore, the wilderness experience for the Catholic Church came to bear on her in a most profound way from an entirely unexpected direction – from her own backyard, Italy. Here is the background for the harsh and arid realities of life that faced the Catholic Church in Italy in the nineteenth century.

After the second and final defeat of Napoleon in 1815, Italians found their peninsula divided into states, duchies, and Papal States. Metternich, the strong Austrian leader at the time, used to refer to Italy as a mere 'geographical expression', reflecting the absence of united country. This odd situation gave rise to nationalistic attempts to unify Italy into one country. However, these attempts were met with great suspicion and resistance from the Catholic Church. Over time, the conviction grew in the minds of these nationalistic leaders that the Catholic Church was indeed a serious obstacle to the fulfillment of their national aspirations.

However, the move to unite Italy and form a united nation passed an important milestone when the Papal States were usurped in 1860 by force. There remained one major obstacle, however, for the creation of one Italian nation. The Italians wanted Rome, the seat of the Roman Catholic Church and the last piece of property left for the Church, to serve as the capital of their united country. This Italian dream came about when Italian troops occupied Rome on September 20, 1870, during the reign of Pope Pius IX. Shortly after, the Kingdom of Italy was declared.

Understandably, the pope refused to recognize the new kingdom and went into voluntary captivity in protest. This unprecedented situation came to be known historically as the Roman Question. It remained unresolved for 59 years, during which time all succeeding popes confined themselves to movement within the few buildings in the Vatican in Rome, refusing to leave Rome. Indeed, the Catholic Church in the nineteenth century was engulfed in a very hostile wilderness setting.

In summary: we have seen thus far that from 1798 (when Pope Pius VI was banished to Valence by the French general) up to 1870 (when Rome was usurped by the Italian army), the Roman Catholic Church was entrenched in her wilderness experience – a far cry from the dominating beast status she had enjoyed during her 1260 years of supremacy when she was a global persecuting power which directly, or through her over-powering influence over European rulers, caused the martyrdom of close to one hundred million of Yahuwah's faithful followers.

7. How was the Roman Question between Italy and the Roman Catholic Church resolved in 1929?

It was incomprehensible for the Roman Pontiff to be the head of Catholics the world over, yet in his own country be subject to another head of state. The Catholic Church believed that by virtue of his calling, the pope had an inalienable right to a temporal sovereignty. Only then could he conduct fully and freely his duties as head of the universal Catholic Church. But this demand conflicted with the natural desire of the Italians for a united nation with Rome as its capital. Italians after 1870 found themselves torn between their allegiance to the Catholic Church as Catholics themselves, and their allegiance to their newly-established country. This unresolved tension between the two sides undermined the new country internationally as well as domestically. A solution for the Roman Question had to be found!

Both sides of the conflict were eager for an end to this lingering problem. In 1922, Benito Mussolini, the Duke, and Pope Pius XI came to power. And by 1929 they had at last found a solution to the thorny Roman Question that had lasted 59 years. On February 11, 1929, three sets of documents, known collectively as the Lateran Accords, were signed in Rome at the Lateran Palace by Cardinal Gasparri, representing Pope Pius XI, and Mussolini, representing King Victor Emanuel III.

8. Give a summary of the highlights of the 1929 Lateran Treaty between Italy and the Catholic Church of Rome.

1. The Italian State recognized the sovereignty of the Catholic Church, and regarded the Church as an independent member of the international community. By this agreement the Church obtained an independent state in Rome with an area of about 44 hectares.
2. The Italian State recognized the Roman Catholic Church as the official state religion, and the Catholic church recognised the independent Kingdom of Italy.
3. All anti-clerical laws passed by the Italian parliament since 1870 were annulled and made void.
4. Cash settlement was made to the Roman Catholic Church to compensate her for renouncing all legal claims to the City of Rome and the old Papal States.
5. The pope pledged to perpetual neutrality in international relations, and abstention from mediation in any controversy except when specifically requested by all concerned parties.

9. What is the significance of the Lateran Treaty of 1929 to the wilderness experience which the Roman Catholic Church was in since 1798?

What the Roman Catholic Church got in 1929 was its independence and sovereignty. The political independence means that now they had a monarchy, although on much reduced area of land, where the pope was the absolute ruler. The pope now was not only the supreme head of the Catholic Church universally, but also the indisputable temporal king over the State of Vatican City. He was no longer a prisoner of captivity.

Notwithstanding, the Roman Catholic Church did not, in 1929, even remotely regain the stature she had prior to 1798, when she was a beast power. As such, she did not, in 1929, yet come out of her wilderness experience. Although in 1929, and by virtue of the Lateran Treaty, the popes were now universally recognized as sovereign kings, the Lateran Treaty however stipulated that the popes must pledge to perpetual neutrality in international affairs. This restricting condition could not have been imagined to be agreed upon by any pope prior to 1798. The Catholic Church long believed that Christ is the Master of the whole world, and that at His departure He left His dominion to His representative, Peter, and to Peter's successors, the popes. Therefore, it is the stated position of the Catholic Church that true and genuine temporal power and dominion lie exclusively in the hands of the pope. Consequently, every earthly ruler or monarch possesses only so much power and area as the pope would deem appropriate and good.

In sum, while tangible gains were secured for the Catholic Church by the Lateran Treaty, it did not restore the primacy and power the Church had enjoyed globally up to 1798, which had enabled her to persecute her enemies, and hence was tagged in Bible prophecy as a beast power. Hence there is not much significance of the Lateran treaty of 1929 to the wilderness experience of the Roman Catholic Church, as she still remained in the wilderness, even after 1929.

10. What about the seven kings of the Roman Catholic Church during her wilderness period?

Now we come to the most important part of the whole chapter. Yahuwah has prophesied that there will be only seven kings: "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." Revelation 17:10. From this verse the following facts can be gleaned:

1. Seven kings in total. (7 kings)
   
2. John was taken in vision to the time of the sixth king: "five are fallen, and one is."He comes after the first five have fallen. Again, it is not coincidental that when taken in vision, John was taken to the time of the sixth king. It is a divine hint by which Yahuwah is guiding us to focus our attention on this particular king, as he will play a very important role in the end-time events.
3. The seventh king "must continue a short space."

11. So who are the seven kings/popes?

Pius XI was the first Roman Catholic pope (from February 6, 1922) who became king as well on February 11, 1929. He along with Mussolini, engineered the Lateran Treaty.

12. What is destined to take place after the prophesied short monarchy of Benedict XVI?

"And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition."Revelation 17:11. Here, we learn the following:

1. The Roman Catholic Church was once a beast (up to 1798), but now is not (as she has been in the wilderness experience since 1798); however, she will regain the beast status (meaning she will come out of her wilderness experience) after the fall of the seventh king, Benedict XVI.
2. The next one to come after Benedict XVI will be one of the other seven kings. But he will no longer be considered a mere king, but will be a beast as well; for with him the Roman Catholic Church will regain her former power to persecute her enemies.
3. The eighth, when he comes, will be the last; for he "goeth into perdition."

13. Who is the eighth who will restore the beast status to the Roman Catholic Church anew?

To answer this question we need first to note the origin of the eighth: "The beast that thou sawest was [the Catholic Church was once a beast until 1798] and is not [during her wilderness experience], and shall ascend [after the fall of Benedict XVI, the eighth will restore her beast status] out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition." Revelation 17:8.

From this verse we can conclude the following:

1. Only one more king will come after Benedict XVI, and he will be the eighth. And this king will restore the beast status to the Roman Catholic Church – for during his reign persecution of Yahuwah's people will resume again, just as it was in the Middle Ages.
2. That the eighth king will ascend from the "bottomless pit", and in due course will "go into perdition."

14. What is the bottomless pit from which the eighth will ascend?

Once again, we go only to the Bible to answer this valid question. The Greek word translated ‘bottomless pit’ is abussos which has the English counterpart, ‘an abyss’. The following verses will unfold what is the abussos.

"...a certain man, which had devils long time…30 And Yahushua asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. 31 And they besought Him that He would not command them to go out into the deep (abussos)… 33 Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine..."Luke 8:27, 30, 31, 33.

From the above Bible passage we learn that the Greek abussos (in the Bible translated ‘deep’ or ‘bottomless pit’) is a certain location (not known to man) where some of the fallen evil angels are confined. Not all the evil angels are permitted to leave the abussos, which is not a very pleasant place to be in, even for the evil angels. One can imagine the pandemonium and the constant jostling that goes on at the abussos among the rebellious evil angels. The legion of devils, who were tormenting a certain man in the above story, dreaded that Christ would command them to go to the abussos. And they begged Him not to command them to go to the deep (abussos). They find much happiness in tormenting people and animals than to be in the company of others of their kind.

To summarize, the bottomless pit is a certain location that serves as a confined habitation for some of the evil angels (devils).

15. This does not make sense! How can the eighth king come from the abussos? How can the eighth king be a devil?

What we have been learning thus far will make more sense when we focus on the following verse: "And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition." Revelation 17:11. Yahuwah is clarifying that the eighth is really one of the seven kings. Combining this important key with the fact that the eighth will be an evil angel (devil) from the bottomless pit, we can begin to comprehend what will soon sway the whole world into unprecedented capitulation.

The eighth king will be a devil from the abussos impersonating one of the 7 kings. When the eighth king will appear on the scene, he will rapidly spearhead the coming of the Roman Catholic Church out of her wilderness experience into a full-fledged beast.

It is not difficult at all to visualize this prophesied dramatic transformation of the Roman Catholic Church (out of her wilderness status and into a full beast status) once we identify the king (out of the seven) who will be impersonated by a devil who ascends from the bottomless pit.

16. Which of the seven popes will be impersonated by a devil from the abussos?

From the study of Revelation 13 & 17, we can conclude only one who constitutes the best personality for achieving Satan's end-time agenda: it is John Paul II the Great. Below are the reasons:

1. Out of the seven kings, he is the only one that fulfills the prophesied statement: "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. John Paul II is the only king of the seven who experienced a deadly wound in 1981, when he was nearly assassinated. Thereafter, the whole world, as prophesied, wondered after him.
2. Remember the divine hint: "five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come." Revelation 17:10. When Apostle John was taken in a vision to the future, he was taken to the time of the reign of the sixth king (John Paul II).
3. Now the most important reason: Which of the 7 kings is most known, loved and respected in today's generation? If Satan would want to lead the world into imposing universal laws for exalting his false Sabbath (Sunday), who would be the most effective personality other than John Paul II? Who would be more effective than him who called on Christians to "ensure that civil legislation respects their duty to keep Sunday holy…refraining from work and activities which are incompatible with the sanctification of the Lord's Day." [Apostolic Letter, Des Domini of John Paul II, dated May 31, 1998]? Again, no one is better suited for carrying the agenda of Satan than John Paul II. Hence, impersonating him makes the most sense for Satan, who is intent on deceiving the whole world.

17. How will a devil impersonate John Paul II?

18. How will the impersonation of John Paul II change the world as we know it today, and impact the eternal destiny of everyone alive?

The Bible prophesies that there will be most dramatic and eventful changes in the world once the Catholic Church regains her beast status, when she comes out of her wilderness experience with the next pope, the eighth king. Below is given a list of the most prominent changes that will take place, as foretold by our loving heavenly Father in His Word:

1. Satan will use the papacy (the beast power) and the USA to impose universal religious laws to exalt Sunday, the violation of which will deprive citizens of their basic rights of buying and selling: "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." Revelation 13:16, 17.
2. Yahuwah's people, who will persist in refusing to honor the beast and accept the false Sabbath, will be persecuted and killed: "The image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed." Revelation 13:15.

19. The end of all things is at hand. I want to be found ready to receive my Master Yahushua when He comes. What should I do?

The purpose of this study is to awaken beloved readers to the shortness of time between now and the end of all things. We have seen that we are living in the time of the seventh king, the last human pope. Yahuwah has informed us, in His written Word, that the eighth king will transform the Roman Catholic Church by bringing her out of her wilderness experience and back to her former persecuting-beast status. The eighth king, a devil impersonating John Paul II, will usher persecution for Yahuwah's people who obey His Sabbath day. The time of the eighth king/beast will witness hitherto unseen false miracles and signs, which will exalt the papacy in the eyes of all who are not written in the Book of Life: "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."Revelation 17:8.

In the near future you shall find that your only safety will be in the Bible: "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."Isaiah 8:20. That is why today the Bible must be our only infallible guide and rule. Yahuwah's word is our sole safeguard against the influence of false teachers and the delusive power of spirits of darkness that enshroud the world today. Satan can most readily control the minds of those who are unconscious of his influence. That is why the word of Yahuwah gives us so many examples of his malignant work, unveiling before us his secret forces, and thus placing us on our guard against his assaults. And that is why Satan employs every possible device to prevent men from obtaining true knowledge of the Bible, for its plain utterances reveal his deceptions. At every revival of Yahuwah's work the prince of evil is aroused to more intense activity; he is now putting forth his utmost efforts for a final struggle against Christ and His followers. The last great delusion is soon to open before us. Antichrist is to perform his marvelous works in our sight. So closely will the counterfeit resemble the true that it will be impossible to distinguish between them except by the Holy Scriptures. By their testimony every statement and every miracle must be tested.

Those who endeavor to obey all the commandments of Yahuwah will be opposed and derided. In order to endure the trial before them, they must understand the will of Yahuwah as revealed in His word; they can honor Him only as they have a right conception of His character, government, and purposes, and act in accordance with them. None but those who have fortified the mind with the truths of the Bible will stand through the last great conflict. To every soul will come the searching test: Shall I obey Yahuwah rather than men? The decisive hour is even now at hand. Are our feet planted on the rock of Yahuwah's immutable word? Are we prepared to stand firm in defense of the commandments of Yahuwah and the faith of Yahushua?

If you become alarmed for your own soul, if you seek Yahuwah diligently, He will be found of you; but He will accept no half-hearted repentance. If you will forsake your sins, He is ever ready to forgive. Won't you just now surrender to Him? Won't you look to Calvary and inquire: "Did Yahushua make this sacrifice for me? Did He endure humiliation, shame, and reproach, and suffer the cruel death of the cross because He desired to save me from the sufferings of guilt and the horror of despair, and make me unspeakably happy in His kingdom?" Look upon Him whom your sins have pierced, and resolve: "Yahuwah shall have the service of my life. I will no longer unite with His enemies; I will no longer lend my influence to the rebels against His government. All I have and am is too little to devote to Him who so loved me that He gave His life for me – His whole divine self for one so sinful and erring." Separate from the world, be wholly on Yahuwah's side, press the battle to the gates, and you will win glorious victories. Will you resolve to obey Him, as of this very minute, no matter what the price for such obedience? Will you resolve to share this light with others, so that we can truly hasten our Master's second coming?

Blessed is he who heeds the words of eternal life. Guided by "the Spirit of truth", he will be led into all truth. Though he will not be loved, honored, and praised by the world, yet he will be precious in the sight of heaven: "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of Yahuwah: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not."I John 3:1.