The eighth empire is a kingdom of the ten. It is a restored Europe of the ten, or perhaps a worldwide kingdom of ten power blocs with ten world leaders. The Roman Empire of the Emperors came to an end, but it is remaining in existence ‘underground’. Roman Catholic Christianity, as it is led from Rome, continued as a binding factor of the loose nation-states during the centuries to follow For instance as ‘das Heilige Römische Reich deutcher Nation’. The Holy Roman Empire was a multi-ethnic complex of territories in Western and Central Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. The largest territory of the empire after 962 was the Kingdom of Germany, though it also came to include the neighbouring Kingdom of Bohemia, the Kingdom of Burgundy, the Kingdom of Italy, and numerous other territories. On 25 December 800, Pope Leo III crowned the Frankish king Charlemagne as Emperor, reviving the title in Western Europe, more than three centuries after the fall of the earlier ancient Western Roman Empire in 476. It remains until today as a spiritual power, a binding factor that continues to play its role on the European political scene. It has always been sought after and ‘desired’, if not forced, by the European kings and emperors throughout the past two thousand years. It very often ‘rode’ like a woman on the political powers of these millennia. The eighth empire, which comes out of the seven, and which preserves everything that characterised the previous empires within it, could be a fully restored Roman empire. The European Union encompasses the borders of the old Roman Empire quite well. ‘Brexit’ is an abbreviation for “British exit,” referring to the U.K.’s decision in a June 23, 2016 referendum to leave the European Union (EU). Interesting to observe in our days of ‘Brexit’: England, Scotland and Wales were not much part of the Roman Empire – look at Hadrian’s Wall only half-way in England; some Eastern European did not belong to it but others did; and also Northern Africa and the Middle East – although consisting of relatively independent nations – were closely connected to it. The move towards a world power can be observed. For instance, a single European currency, the EURO, is already in use as the currency of the European Union. The ecumenism of the Christian churches in the World Council of Churches is developing slowly but surely, and one day it will indeed be necessary to connect with Rome, if the ideal of one Christianity is to be achieved. The Pope could become the chairman of Christianity and in turn, the chairman of a United World Religion, with Unity-in- Diversity among all the religions worldwide: a world religion!
There is more to the eighth empire however: a world empire, with power blocs—maybe ten, united in the United Nations with a covenant of religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Shintoism, Confucianism and others. The ten horns (like the ten toes of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue) are ten kings and/or kingships, or areas of power. We cannot speculate now as to which ten world leaders or power blocs they might be. Time will tell. It is clear that three of the ten are broken off, brought down to size, trampled underfoot, to make room for one little horn, the anti-Christ,1 The “Roman territory” could be the central territory of the central power of the central leader, the first among equals, the chairman of them all, the world leader. The ten will reign with the ‘beast’ (apparently referring here to the person of the anti-Christ) for one hour. They place at the ‘beast’s’ disposal what they have and hold unanimously, although three of them will have been forced to it – but they could also have done that also as ‘volunteers’! They surrender their power and positions to the ‘beast’. There then remain seven, plus the ‘beast’ as the eighth: powers and rulers who are all allied to the world dictator.
Ten is the number of human power. A human being has ten fingers and ten toes, which enable him to go wherever he wants and to make whatever he wants. Seven is the number of perfection (in the positive and the negative sense), and the eighth that comes thereafter, arises when the ‘new age’ dawns. In Judaism there are six days of Creation, each of one thousand years, followed by the seventh day, the Sabbath also one thousand years, a period of rest, and then the eighth day, eternity, with the ‘renewal of all things’. The ‘beast’ reigns in the end. The ‘false prophet’ along with his state-ideology that the media has made acceptable worldwide, has persuaded everyone on earth to follow the ‘beast’. The devil, the ‘dragon’, is their source of inspiration. The ‘whore’ is riding on the beast as the spiritual-religious- cultural-philosophical-scientific power of those days and is drunk with the blood of Jews and Christians, or any other spiritual resistance movement. The total victory of ‘evil’ now looks to be on its way and it has actually become inevitable. Who is able to resist it?
• The Lord Jesus says: “Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. I am coming soon. Do not let your crown be stolen from your head.”2 Or as NASB puts it: “I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.” Don’t forget: in just a short while the roles will be reversed.
• The ‘Holy Roman Empire’ never achieved the extent of political unification as was formed to the west in France, evolving instead into a decentralized, limited elective monarchy composed of hundreds of sub-units: kingdoms, principalities, duchies, counties, prince-bishoprics, Free Imperial Cities, and other domains.
• The power of the Emperor was limited, and while the various princes, lords, bishops, and cities of the empire were vassals who owed the Emperor their allegiance, they also possessed an extent of privileges that gave them de facto independence within their territories. Emperor Francis II dissolved the empire on 6 August 1806 following the creation of the Confederation of the Rhine by emperor Napoleon I the month before.
• Today we see the Roman Empire being revived around the Mediterranean Sea. Europe is on the rise – despite all kind of hiccups! The process is irreversible!
Bible References:
1.Daniel 7:8, 24 2.Revelation 3:11 NIV
