Revelation 17: The Kingdoms of Bible Prophecy: 666
The kingdoms of world history are NOT the kingdoms of Bible Prophecy.
If they were we would have to begin with Egypt, Assyria and Israel which were independent kingdoms before Nebuchadnezzar's Neo-Babylon. While we are considering the "kingdoms of Bible Prophecy" in Rev. 17, carefully note the numerical order of the kingdoms.
Rev. 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness:
"Wilderness" = 1260 years papal rule from 538 to 1798, cf. Rev. 12:6.
Rev. 17:10 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.
John's position at end of "wilderness" time period.
|
|----------------------------5 are Fallen-----------------538<->1798
Babylon Medo-Persia Greece Pagan Rome Papal Rome
|
One "is"
#6 = USA 1776---------------
|
| "Other" is not yet come
| #7 = U.N. "ten kings"
|
Rev. 17:11 And the beast that WAS, and is not (Papal Rome)
...even he is the eighth ("healed" Modern Rome), and is of the seven. #8 = Modern Rome
Notice that from John's vantage point at 1798 and looking onward, there are three kingdoms before the end of the world, and those last three "kingdoms" exist together, forming a One-World Government. Since the three of them are all coexisting and cooperating together at the end of the world, we could number them thus:
1) Babylon, 2) Medo-Persia, 3) Greece, 4) Pagan Rome, 5) Papal Rome, 6) United States
6) Catholicism
6) United Nations
Rev. 13:18 "Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number [is] Six hundred threescore [and] six."
666 = Modern Babylon in 3 Parts