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One challenge in writing about the Millennium is the lack of text and commentary to draw upon. The Millennium is two steps forward in the Biblical timeline, and as a result most scholars focus on the Rapture and Tribulation, leaving the Millennium as a mere footnote. I found myself fascinated by it in 2015 and wrote The Millennium Bible Study. If you are unfamiliar with the subject, I encourage you to check it out.
Digging into Scripture for clues about the final rebellion at the end of the Millennium, I believe I have an interpretation of Revelation 17 that is both unique and doctrinally sound, surmising it is a Millennial prophecy. Most commentaries attribute the chapter to the Tribulation, understandable given the language, symbolism, and location in Scripture. However, a careful study reveals several key differences that set it apart.
The primary texts used in this study are: Daniel 2 & 7, Revelation 12, 13, 17, & 20.
I must admit after several years of writing novels, digging back into prophecy I was rusty. As such, a review of symbols and times became essential. With all the beasts rising, I found myself a bit cross-eyed, so here are some basic explanations of the terms:
- Beasts - Kingdoms but also the Tribulation Trinity of Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet
- Heads - Historical or coming kingdoms or kings
- Horns - Kings
- Diadems - Crowns
- Mountains - Kingdoms
- Seas/Waters - Multitudes of people, typically the unsaved Gentiles
Discerning the difference between Tribulation prophecy and Millennial prophecy required a study of beasts, heads, and diadems, which all denote Satanic Kingdoms, both past and future. A big shout out to the folks at Revelation Logic for doing a ton of the legwork for this post, and while some our our conclusions differ, their work is well thought out and organized.
Seven Kingdoms
We see in Scripture numerous references to the rise of evil kingdoms, both in the Old and New Testaments. Some are mentioned more frequently than others, but it is reasonable to extrapolate there will be seven Satanic kingdoms.
Revelation 12:3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.
Revelation 17:10 and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.
I believe Revelation 12:3 is a depiction of Satan at the beginning of the Tribulation and Revelation 17:10 depicts his rise at the end of the Millennium, and I will attempt to walk you through the logic.
To get started, here is a list of the kingdoms in order:
- Egypt
- Assyria
- Babylon
- Persia
- Greece
- Rome
- Tribulation Government
For my own edification, I mapped out the physical territory of the first six kingdoms, and while I am not a cartographer, the visual will give you the gist.
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| Egyptian Kingdom - First of the Five who have fallen |
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| Assyrian Kingdom - Second of the Five who have fallen |
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| Babylonian Kingdom - Third of the Five who have fallen |
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| Persian Empire - Fourth of the Five who have fallen |
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| Greek Empire - Fifth of the Five who have fallen |
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| Roman Empire - The Kingdom "that is" at the time John wrote Revelation |
Note, they become progressively larger. In Daniel 2, we begin with Babylon and the great statue of Nebuchadnezzar's dream:
- Babylon - Head of gold
- Persia - Chest and arms of silver
- Greece - Belly and thighs of bronze
- Rome - Legs of iron
- Tribulation - Feet of clay and iron
Jack Kelly notes, "While each metal is less valuable than its predecessor, indicating a decline in the quality of its rule, each one is also harder and therefore stronger, showing it to be more powerful than the kingdom it replaced."
In Daniel 7, we see the kingdoms through a vision God gives to Daniel.
- Babylon - First beast, a winged lion
- Persia - Second beast, a bear
- Greece - Third beast, a leopard
- Tribulation Government - Fourth beast, unlike the others, more terrible than any before it
In Daniel 8, we see two of the seven.
- Persia - The two horned Ram
- Greece - The fast Goat
You may note that Egypt and Assyria are not listed specifically, but if we can include them in this list because they fit the profile and because they meet the criteria of "five have fallen", which means they must have predated Rome.
What are the characteristics of a Satanic Kingdom?
- Harlotry - both sexual and in worship, seductive, leading many astray.
- Idolatry - worshipping beings or things as supreme other than God.
- Hostility toward the Jews - they ALWAYS occupy Israel.
- Great evil
- Military power and conquests
- Striking terror in the hearts of men
- For a time, they seem invincible but crumble under the weight of their own wickedness.
Egypt and Assyria meet the above criteria.
The Phrase that Caught My Attention
My first novel, M1-The Black Key, opens with Revelation 20. After editing for three years, listening to the Audiobook a dozen times, and creating videos that included the Scripture, I can recite it in my sleep. But when I came across similar wording in another verse, it grabbed my attention.
Revelation 17:10 and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.
Revelation 20:1-3 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.
Looking up the original Greek, we see that while the English is translated the same, the original text uses different words.
- Revelation 17:10 the word is Oligon, which translates to puny, neutered somewhat.
- Revelation 20:30 renders the phrase mikros chronos, which translates to small, little, brief period of time especially in view of a sequence or succession of moments.
It struck me that the Tribulation is well defined in dozens of places, from Daniel's 70th week onward, we have a precise calculation of dates, durations, and markers, yet the most cataclysmic period on Earth is never rendered as a "puny" or "neutered" event.
Missing Crowns
The next thing that struck me as different was the lack of "diadems" in Revelation 17.
Revelation 17:3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns.
Compare the above to the rise of Satan at the beginning of the Tribulation.
Revelation 12:3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.
In Revelation 12, his is the great red dragon and his kingdoms have crowns. In Revelation 17, he is the scarlet beast and has been stripped of his crowns.
Endurance of the Saints
The next clue that Revelation 17 might be describing the final Millennial rebellion and not the Tribulation was the outcome and the domination of Satan against God's people. Compare these passages:
Revelation 13:10 If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.
Revelation 17:14 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.
We know from Revelation 20:9 the final rebellion is not a long protracted war... "and they did go up over the breadth of the land, and did surround the camp of the saints, and the beloved city, and there came down fire from God out of the heaven, and devoured them."
Basically, at the end of the Millennium, the Lord runs out of patience for this nonsense.
Who Was, Is Not, About to Rise - The Eighth
Revelation 17:8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come.
The above text is quite definitive, and I believe provides the key to anchoring Revelation 17 at the end of the Millennium. "Who was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit," to a Millennial audience, Satan was once on the Earth, he has been banished (he is not), and is about to rise from the bottomless pit. Satan is bound in the bottomless pit during the Millennium, not before.
Revelation 17:11-12 As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast.
The above indicates that Satan attempts to establish a final kingdom, an eighth, but he is unable to attain former dominance and the ten kings give him power for "one hour" in the final rebellion. Compared to the Tribulation, we know exactly how long it will last. Using Daniel's 70 week timetable, one hour could be as little as 30 days.
It also appears that unlike the Ten Kings during the Tribulation, the Millennial Kings see the folly of their ways. Revelation 17:17 for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.
The Great Prostitute
It is quite interesting to note that the only "female" character in Revelation or Daniel is the Great Prostitute, Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations. And while neither she nor the scarlet beast wear a crown, she arrays herself in gold, jewels, pearls, and royal robes. Most scholars agree this character represents the false religions born out of Babylonian worship, and I agree with this interpretation.
Consider, of the seven kingdoms, six will fall to utter defeat, yet one endures, one survives, one morphs and changes: Rome.
In Revelation 17:10, it is the kingdom "that is", and in Revelation 17:18 John clearly identifies her, "And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth." Note the use of the present tense in the verse, not will have, has dominion.
Finally, we see her fate Revelation 17:16 And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire,
The kings AND the beast hate her and turn on her in the end because God has put it in their hearts to do so.
And Then The End
Revelation 20:7-10 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
A fitting end, don't you agree?
I would be remiss, not to invite you to visit my new website, Alanthia.com, if you are so inclined to go on an adventure, I promise you will not regret it.
Maranatha, my friends.
