Realization of Prophetic Visions
By Philip Mark Ames
Eighth King
After having told John that
the beast's seven heads are seven mountains, the angel goes on to reveal the
existence of seven kings. According to the wording of the original Greek, the angel
need not have been referring to the seven-heads of the beast when he said,
"and kings seven are." (Rev. 17:10, translated literally) Stated
according to English grammar, this could read: "And seven kings
exist." But if the "seven kings" are not identical with the
seven heads of the beast, who are they?
In actuality, the angel was
referring to the seven Devil Kings which are identified with the heads of the
dragon. Concerning these, the angel elaborates: "The five fell; the one
is; the other has not yet come, and whenever he should come he is bound to
remain for a little while." They have been explained in my preceding
chapter.
The angel next tells John
that the wild beast itself is the eighth king. That is, though it is not one of
the seven Satanic spirit rulers of the world, yet it is given authority to act
in the same capacity as one of them. It becomes the successor to the wicked
spirit prince who had led Genghis Khan and the Mongols to world power. So,
after having ruled the world directly for several thousand years, the seven
Devil Kings turn the throne over to man. They have confidence in human nature.
And, judging from the world's present condition, man's system of rule has not
been disappointing to the dragon. He couldn't have done worse himself!
The will of the people is
seldom the same as the will of God. Man's mind rebels against God and His moral
laws. And any rebellion against God is obedience to the devil, worship of the
dragon. Satan once told Jesus that he would give him rulership of all the
kingdoms of the world as a reward for one act of worship. Jesus refused, but
man has accepted that offer. Having rejected God's will, men have received
authority from the dragon to rule themselves. The democratic ideology is
inspired by the seven Devil Kings; it comes from them. That is why the angel
told John that the eighth king is "out of the seven." (Rev 17:11,
literal Greek) The wild beast is not one of the "seven kings";
rather, it is "out of" them. It exists because of them; it was
created at their instance, under their direction and in their image. Its power
and throne and great authority is from them.
Written by: Philip Mark
Ames - - - © 1975 Philip Mark Ames. All rights reserved.