Chapter 19 – THE EIGHTH KING

At the risk of being repetitive, it is often said that prophecy cannot be understood until it is fulfilled. But isn’t that a back-handed admission that would-be interpreters lack insight and discernment to see what lies ahead? And just because certain spiritual authorities insist that this and that have already been fulfilled, it does not make them true.

Up to this point, the case has been made that an operation of Satan has targeted Christians with a false parousia, using every powerful work, lying signs, and every unrighteous deception. The creation of the League of Nations and the existence of the United Nations have been used by the Devil as a decoy—a lying sign to deceive Jehovah’s Witnesses into believing that the eighth king has begun his “one hour” rule.

In view of this irrefutable truth, it is more timely than ever to consider the 13th and 17th chapters of Revelation, as well as the prophecy of Daniel, as both are complementary and which preview the sudden and unexpected deaths of the present political powers. Specifically, Revelation 13:3 reads: “I saw that one of its heads seemed to have been fatally wounded, but its mortal wound had been healed, and all the earth followed the wild beast with admiration.”

The Watchtower has identified the seventh head of the wild beast as the Anglo-American dual world power. This is surely true, especially in view of what the angel told John at Revelation 17:10. It reads: “And there are seven kings: Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet arrived; but when he does arrive, he must remain a short while.”

The five kings who fell before Revelation was written are those mentioned in the Bible that have dominated God’s people in the past, namely: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece, in that order. The one who “is” was the Roman king who was in power when John received the Revelation. The Roman king exerted domination through the Roman Catholic Church far beyond the time historians mark as the fall of the formal Roman Empire. Finally, as a former Roman outpost, England gradually emerged in the place of the Roman king. And with the ascendancy of the British Empire in the late 1700s, London held that position up to the beginning of the 20th Century. The king that had “not yet arrived” (from John’s perspective) has proven to be the Anglo-American dual world power.

But the question to consider is whether the prophecy that calls for one of the heads of the wild beast to receive a mortal wound and then revive has been fulfilled yet.

The 1988 book Revelation’s Grand Climax claims the prophecy was fulfilled during the First World War. According to the Watchtower’s commentary, WWI was so devastating with its appalling loss of life and destruction of resources, it was as if the old order came to an end and then miraculously came back to life again. But is that really true? Is it really in accord with the facts of history? Moreover, does it harmonize with prophecy? And can the answer be definitively determined?

Without question, World War I was a colossal disaster for the nations of Europe, but was it the actual fulfillment of the prophecy that calls for the leading power of the world to suffer a catastrophic, death-like experience?

Decidedly, the First World War was largely fought in the trenches of France. Unlike during the Second World War, civilian population centers and government seats were not directly targeted. Unlike during the Vietnam War, there were no anti-war protesters marching in the streets, threatening to overturn the government. There was no social instability of any consequence in either London or Washington during or even after the Great War. The only European government that received anything comparable to what might be termed a death-stroke was Tsarist Russia, and the House of Habsburg and the Ottoman Empire, except that those empires did not come back from extinction. Certainly, America was not shaken by its brief involvement in the war in Europe.

Frankly, there is simply no historical evidence that would justify the Watchtower’s interpretation of the prophecy. The only reason Jehovah’s Witnesses believe it is because the Watchtower says it’s true.

THE WILD BEAST THAT ASCENDS OUT OF THE ABYSS

Consider Revelation 11:7, which reads: “And when they have finished their witnessing, the wild beast that ascends out of the abyss will wage war with them and conquer them and kill them.”

According to the Watchtower’s explanation, the beast that ascends from the abyss is the entire political system, which supposedly returned to life after being put into a death-like state by the Great War of 1914. Similarly, Revelation 17:8 foretells that a wild beast will ascend from an abyss. Inexplicably, the Watchtower offers an entirely different interpretation of what the scarlet-colored wild beast symbolizes that emerges from the abyss. That symbolic monstrosity is said to be the League of Nations, which purportedly fulfilled the prophecy when it was plunged into a death-like state during WWII, only to reemerge after the Second World War as the United Nations.

But is it reasonable that God intended the beast that emerges from the abyss to symbolize two different political entities that are put into a death-like state on two separate occasions? Are there really two different seven-headed wild beasts? Or is it not rather the case that the Watchtower has offered a private interpretation and violated the natural harmony that exists in God’s prophetic word?

This is an extremely important issue, for during the Lord’s day, when the vision is fulfilled, the eternal destiny of every living soul on this planet will be determined by whether they admire and worship the resurrected wild beast or its image. Such is the nature of judgment day. By contrast, regarding the salvation accorded to the anointed sons of God, Revelation 15:2 refers to “…those who are victorious over the wild beast and its image and the number of its name… ”

Also, Revelation 20:4b speaks of those who are martyred, “executed for the witness they gave about Jesus and for speaking about God, and those who had not worshipped the wild beast or its image and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand.”

Those judged adversely regard the resurrected beast with adoring admiration. Revelation 13:8 says of them: “And those who dwell on the earth will worship it; the name of not one of them stands written in the scroll of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered, from the founding of the world.”

Revelation 14:9-10 is even more to the point. It reads as follows: “Another angel, a third, followed them, saying in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the wild beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he will also drink of the wine of the anger of God that is poured out undiluted into the cup of His wrath, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of the Lamb.”

Also, Revelation 17:8b issues the very same judgment concerning the scarlet-colored beast from the abyss, saying: “And the inhabitants of the earth—those whose names have not been written in the scroll of life from the founding of the world—will be amazed when they see how the wild beast was, but is not, and yet will be present.”

The Scriptures teach that anyone who accepts “the mark” of the beast is disqualified from receiving salvation when the Kingdom of God replaces man’s satanic political system. It is evident that the mark of the beast is intended to represent Jehovah’s irreversible condemnation. God’s condemnatory judgment is final. It cannot be nullified by any means. Revelation also expresses that judgment in another way by saying that their names are excluded from the symbolic book of life.

The judgment will result in mankind being separated into two distinct camps. Those with the mark of the beast are doomed. It is as if everyone who compromises with the resurrected political beast receives an irremovable tattoo that identifies them in the eyes of God as deserving of permanent death. That is evident from the judgment of God that calls for “a hurtful and malignant ulcer” to afflict “the people who had the mark of the wild beast and who were worshipping its image.” (Revelation 16:2)

With the foregoing in mind, the question is—when does this judgment take place? Has it already begun, as Jehovah’s Witnesses have been led to believe? Regarding the verse above, the commentary on Revelation’s Grand Climax states that the nations have already been put under compulsion to worship the beast and that mankind has been cursed since 1922 and again in 1945, when the UN was established. But if either date is correct, the real question is—why is God so capricious?

Does the impartial Judge of all the earth callously blot a person’s name out of the book of life simply because they were once casual supporters of an impotent institution like the League of Nations? Moreover, is it reasonable that everlasting damnation should come upon those who might have approved of the political system in the aftermath of WWI, or that some may have praised the creation of the United Nations since 1945?

If the Watchtower’s interpretations are correct, it would mean that everyone who has supported the League of Nations or the United Nations since 1945 has already been doomed to everlasting death! It means that bygone generations have forfeited any possibility of a resurrection for no other reason than they may have gone along with the political arrangement 100 years ago! And if a political partnership with the United Nations means permanent death, then the leaders of the Watchtower have already had their names deleted from Jehovah’s book of life.

In reality, the Watchtower’s teaching is blasphemous for the reason that it makes Jehovah’s judgments arbitrary and petty. But as Paul might say: Never may that happen! Given that the symbolic mark of the beast is permanent, it is not possible for anyone with the mark of the beast to ever repent and gain Jehovah’s approval. If it were otherwise, what is the purpose of the marking?

Jehovah is the God of justice. His judgments are not random. His judicial decision decrees the sentence of the second death for every person who worships the wild beast or its image after the point at which the beast revives, and its image miraculously comes to life and begins to speak, because doing so at that time will demonstrate an unequivocal rejection of Christ as ruler. That is the basis for the judgment to come.

The notion that the Anglo-American head of the beast suffered the prophetic fatal stroke during the First World War is simply not based in reality. It is a fiction—worse, a delusion. Likewise, the Watchtower’s assertion that the mere formation of the United Nations after WWII was somehow the beginning of the awesome judgment of Jehovah is sheer nonsense.

Here are a few questions: Did the League of Nations ever compel everyone in the world to do anything? Has the UN? Have all those who refuse to pledge their allegiance been prevented from buying and selling? Has the image put to death the holy ones for their refusal to worship the beast? The answers are obvious. It simply requires honesty on your part to acknowledge what even Satan himself must surely know to be true.

With reference to the coming day of judgment for mankind, Revelation 17:8a reads as follows: “The wild beast that you saw was, but is not, and yet is about to ascend out of the abyss, and it is to go off into destruction. And the inhabitants of the earth—those whose names have not been written in the scroll of life from the founding of the world—will be amazed when they see how the wild beast was, but is not, and yet will be present.”

The cryptic expression above uses three different tenses of time—past, present, and future. The point at which the prophecy speaks in the present tense is during the beginning of the Lord’s day, during the brief interlude when the beast “is not”—immediately before it ascends out of the abyss. Since nothing in history matches what Revelation describes, it should be apparent that we are facing the catastrophic collapse of the Anglo-American-dominated system—a calamity with no precedent in ancient or modern history.

Doubtless, the downfall of America will rock the world to its very foundations and call into question whether the present global civilization can continue to exist at all. The terrible death stroke upon the seemingly permanent Anglo-American system may perhaps seem as if civilization is coming to an immediate end. This unique and terrifying phenomenon is described in prophecy by the unsealing of the sixth seal: “And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and a great earthquake occurred; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the entire moon became as blood, and the stars of heaven fell to the earth as when a fig tree shaken by a high wind drops its unripe figs. And the heaven departed as a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and every island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the high officials, the military commanders, the rich, the strong, every slave, and every free person hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they keep saying to the mountains and to the rocks: ‘Fall over us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’” (Revelation 6:12-17)

The Watchtower has acknowledged that it is reasonable that the scroll with seven seals is unsealed in rapid succession. The problem that confronts Jehovah’s Witnesses’ antiquated 1914-centric interpretations is that it is obvious that the apocalyptic events unleashed by the opening of the sixth seal have not yet taken place. Nevertheless, the Watchtower’s commentary on Revelation diminishes the uniqueness of the events betokened by the unsealing of the sixth seal by insisting that the prophecy has been partially fulfilled by literal earthquakes and metaphorical tremors in society since 1914. It is another example of an artfully contrived false story.

Since Satan himself is depicted in Revelation as a seven-headed dragon, it is evident that his invisible cosmocracy has been manifest through the corresponding seven heads of the beast-like political apparatus on earth. And although it has already been stated in the previous chapter, it seems worth repeating here: The seventh head that is slaughtered to death is merely a reflection of the blow that Satan himself will receive as a result of Christ ousting him and his angels from heaven.

No doubt the Devil’s wrath will provoke the use of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. Apparently, it is at the stage when all seems lost, and civilization is poised to simply unravel and cease to exist, that Jehovah will intervene, cut short the tribulation, and permit the seemingly fatally wounded beast to recover, so as to appear as the savior of the world.

“IT PUTS UNDER COMPULSION ALL PEOPLE”

Prophecy indicates that a conflict between the world’s foremost nuclear powers is inevitable. The coming crash of the present system will serve as the pretext for implementing an earth-wide totalitarian regime. Ultimately, that will be the final act of the ongoing conflict between the serpent and the Christ. The 13th chapter of Revelation foretells that after the beast is revived from its sword-stroke, the image of the beast will come alive and begin to speak, so as to “cause to be killed all those who refuse to worship the image of the wild beast.”

To date, none of Jehovah’s Witnesses, nor anyone else for that matter, has been executed or persecuted for refusing to bow before the United Nations. Clearly, neither the Anglo-American power nor the United Nations has sought to coerce all of mankind into recognizing their authority—although, admittedly, Leviathan seems to be stirring.

At some point, however, under critical circumstances far beyond the scope of any previous crisis, the United Nations stands poised to become the eighth king of prophecy; imposing its rule to the extent that, “It puts under compulsion all people—the small and the great, the rich and the poor, the free and the slaves—that these should be marked on their right hand or on their forehead, and that nobody can buy or sell except a person having the mark, the name of the wild beast or the number of its name.”

The British Empire has a long and shameful history of weaponizing food. Millions of Indians were intentionally starved to death in what has been called the Victorian Holocaust. The Irish were intentionally starved, too, as have countless African nations under the boot of colonialism. Now, a handful of food cartels hold the fate of mankind in their hands. But the Devil does not intend to deprive everyone of life’s basic provisions—only those who refuse to bow to the beast. Locking one out of the system is a means of coercion.

There is an instance in the sacred record when Satan tried to coerce the Hebrew princes into bowing before Nebuchanezzar’s golden image. The penalty for refusing to bow before the idol was death in a blazing furnace. You know the story. The fact that Revelation refers to the 666 mark of the beast as a man’s number suggests that Nebuchadnezzar is the man. Certainly, the issue of worship will be the same.

No doubt the inauguration of the image of the beast will come with much pomp and circumstance, as was Nebuchadnezzar’s image, and the beast will require all citizens of the world to make some sort of pledge of allegiance—perhaps digitally.

Contrary to the rapturist’s speculation about implanted microchips, that is not even necessary. Besides, the mark of the beast, like the beast itself, is symbolic. The mark need not be something visible to others. The next chapter of Revelation contrasts the mark on people’s hands or foreheads with the 144,000 who stand with Christ and have his name and the name of Jehovah on their foreheads. It is symbolism. The 666 is from Jehovah’s standpoint. God will know if we have even secretly given a pledge of loyalty to Satan’s beast, so that we may be permitted to buy provisions.

Keep in mind that the image will come to life after God intervenes to save mankind from extinction. Needless to say, the Devil’s godless spokesmen on earth will never acknowledge Jehovah God as mankind’s Savior. More than likely, men will give credit to the beast for saving the world. This may be reflected in their saying, “Who is like the wild beast, and who can do battle with it?”

Why, though, does Revelation say that the image comes to life and begins to speak? Speech is a gift from God. All human governments have representatives who speak to the people. So what is so noteworthy about the image that speaks?

Technology has reached the stage where Artificial General Intelligence is in the final stages of development. What is AGI? It is defined differently, but it is generally understood to mean a superintelligence that surpasses collective human intelligence and can “think.”

Most of us are becoming aware of AI’s power. It is already capable of mimicking human intelligence. It can compose music and art, write a book, and speak in any voice or language. But it is limited, at least for now.

Since the invention of computers, computing capacity has doubled every two years. Now corporations and nations are racing to build data centers and power generation to create a network of supercomputers. And AI is “learning” at an even more accelerated rate. Some experts claim that AGI will be a reality in the next few months.

A HORN WITH EYES LIKE HUMAN EYES

How might AGI be employed? We are only limited by our own imagination. But we are already living in a surveillance state.  Edward Snowden exposed the capabilities of the surveillance state, and that was years ago. Artificial General Intelligence coupled with quantum computing can go beyond anything we have known. 

Imagine a machine that can instantly access all information on any topic—instantly read millions of pages of history, medical records, or technology, emails, or whatever, analyze it in a nanosecond, and then present that knowledge in a way that no human has ever considered. AGI will be able to solve unsolvable problems. It will be able to crack any code instantaneously. Everything will be exposed. Didn’t Jesus say that there is nothing hidden that will not come to light? Our every word and movement will be observed and analysed. The machine will become a god, superior to the mere humans who invented it.

Without doubt, that evil genius, Satan the Devil—the god of this world—already is the superintelligence behind the artificial intelligence. That explains why the beast will open its mouth in shocking blasphemies against God and Christ. When Satan is hurled down to the earth and subjects the world to his great anger and goes to war against the holy ones, the remaining ones, the sons of the Kingdom, Revelation says that the image of the beast will cause to be killed those who refuse to worship the image.

Now consider what Daniel stated in the seventh chapter concerning the unusually ferocious wild beast with ten horns that he saw in vision: “While I considered the horns, look! another horn, a small one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were plucked up from before it. And look! there were eyes like human eyes in this horn, and there was a mouth speaking arrogantly.” (verse 8)

There is no reason to debunk the Watchtower’s nonsensical claim that the horns began to be plucked out in 1588, when a few wooden ships in the Spanish Armada were sunk, mostly by the gales of the North Atlantic. What is noteworthy is that the little horn that grows greater and greater has human eyes and a mouth speaking arrogantly. The 13th chapter of Revelation likewise depicts the revived beast from the abyss as being given a mouth and speaking great blasphemies against God and even against those who reside in heaven. (Interestingly, the first resurrection will have begun by then, which means the beast will blaspheme the 144,000 who will be standing with Christ then.)

So, the three horns that are uprooted by the newly emergent little horn must coincide with the death-stroke of the head of the beast. And the little horn that grows bigger and bigger must represent the last king, the eighth king. The three horns most likely represent America, Great Britain, and France, the three foremost allies and victors of both world wars, and three-fifths of the permanent members of the UN’s Security Council. It is most noteworthy that the little horn emerges among the ten horns, just as the seven-headed beast of Revelation has ten horns. But after the little horn plucks out the three, there are only seven horns. And it can be said then that the little horn springs from the seven, just as does the eighth king.

What about the horn having human-like eyes? It must be significant; otherwise, why would God have caused Daniel to see it in the vision?

The horn’s human-like eyes must symbolize the beast’s ability to see everything and surveil everyone. It can accomplish this with AGI. Of course, we are already being surveilled. That is nothing new. Our personal devices can spy on us and reveal our location and private matters. But AGI will be able to react to what it “sees” and “hears” in real time. That is why Revelation says the image will come alive and speak.

A word needs to be said about Palantir Technologies. Apparently, the company is named after a mythical device in The Lord of the Rings called The Palantír of Minas, one of seven seeing eyes in the dark, demonic Lord of the Rings trilogy. It is a fitting name for a software company that has become the core of the surveillance state. Apparently, it is tied into the Five Eyes that make up the heart of the British Empire’s intelligence. In 2025, President Trump tapped Palatir to collect data on every American.

It is most interesting that the secret coven of bankers who own the money that the world uses intends to seize everything by crashing the system. The Great Reset is a euphemism for the crash. This coven symbolizes their intended new world order with the mystic eye of Horus within the hovering capstone of an Egyptian pyramid. This symbol, called the Eye of Providence, is depicted on the back of the Federal Reserve Note. Presumably, the hovering capstone represents the last kingdom. Interestingly, the first empire in Bible prophecy was Egypt, which the pyramid aptly depicts. So, Satan’s magic-practing priest—his enlightened one—whom some call the Illuminati, depicted in the 14th chapter of Isaiah as the shining one, has more insight into prophecy at this time than the sons of the Kingdom.

Satan knows he will be enthroned on earth after he has been cast down. Thus, the Eye of Providence really symbolizes the Devil.

Although Daniel was informed that the little horn “will intend to change times and law,” the Devil and the eighth king will only be allowed “one-hour” —42 months.

During that hour of test, what if, for example, in the aftermath of the crash, the revived beast provides everyone with a monthly stipend sent to their smartphone accounts? No smartphone? No problem. The beast will provide you with one free of charge. But what if in order to purchase necessities, such as food, medicine, and fuel, you had to give some worshipful acknowledgment to the beast and its image? Failure to do so would result in being locked out. Just one little click, that’s all. Who would know?

Revelation, though, also informs us that not only will contrarians be prevented from buying or selling, they will be killed.

When Christians were put into the arena with ferocious lions, the Tempter provided a convenient way out for them. There was a little altar in the arena with a burning flame. All a Christian had to do to escape their horrible fate was deny Christ by taking a pinch of incense and sprinkling it on the flame. However, although seemingly a small thing, it constituted an act of worship, since Roman emperors were regarded as gods. Just one pinch. Just one click.

How might the beast kill those who refuse the mark? Let me count the ways. An assassin drone could be immediately dispatched, programmed with facial recognition and our exact coordinates. This technology exists now. It is not science fiction. Try and run—try and hide—orbiting satellites and spy drones will find you. Unless, of course, you are given sanctuary in the secret place of the Most High.

Here is another scenario, as discussed in The Pandemic: what if another designer bio-weapon is released worldwide, and there is only one antidote? And the same beastly men who created the killer microbe also created the cure.

And what if one could obtain the cure only through that one, little, compromising click? We have already seen that kind of jack-booted tyranny with COVID. And we are informed by the tyrants themselves that the pandemic was merely a test run to determine how pliable society might be to their demands.

“THE TREACHEROUS HAVE ACTED TREACHEROUSLY”

That this dire calamity will befall the chosen is verified by Isaiah. Referring to Christ as the Righteous One and his second coming being proclaimed worldwide, the beast will target the remaining ones: “From the ends of the earth we hear songs: ‘Glory to the Righteous One!” But I say: “I am wasting away, I am wasting away! Woe to me! The treacherous have acted treacherously; with treachery the treacherous have acted treacherously.” Terror and pits and traps await you, inhabitant of the land. Anyone fleeing from the sound of terror will fall into the pit, and anyone coming up from the pit will be caught in the trap. For the floodgates above will be opened, and the foundations of the land will quake.” – Isaiah 24:16-18

How do we know this prophecy will find fulfillment during the “one-hour” reign of the eighth king? Simply read the concluding span of verse in the 24th chapter. For your convenience, here is what it says: “In that day Jehovah will turn his attention to the army of the heights above and to the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they will be gathered together like prisoners gathered into a pit, and they will be shut up in the dungeon; after many days they will be given attention. The full moon will be abashed, and the shining sun will be ashamed, for Jehovah of armies has become King in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, glorious before the elders of his people.”

Isaiah reads like Revelation. The floodgates that will be opened coincides with the dragon disgorging a flood to drown the covenanted woman. “The army of the heights above” is the Devil and his angels. They will be cast into an abyss and shut up in a dungeon for 1,000 years. They will be given attention after many days, when they will be hurled into the lake of fire. Jehovah becomes King when all of the 144,000 are sealed. He will become glorious before the 24 elders in heavenly Mount Zion.

But speaking for those sealed sons on earth who must bear the brunt of Satan’s rampage, Isaiah says he is wasting away and “woe to me”! Indeed, woe for the earth and sea when the Devil comes down in great anger.

Speaking of the treacherous ones acting with treachery, the man of lawlessness, otherwise known as the son of destruction—a designation Christ gave to Judas—will surely betray the anointed sons, just as the treacherous apostle—Judas—betrayed Jesus to death.

We know that Bethel keeps records of every person who partakes of the emblems at every memorial. They keep files with the names, addresses, and phone numbers of every publisher. It would be surprising if the evil slaves did not turn that information over to the beast when the hour of darkness arrives, so as to set the trap.