If you’ve been following this series along, you can see that we can link Islam through its historical origins to the worship of the Moon god of Babylon. But what about Daniel 9 and the Revived Roman Empire and the role of the burgeoning European Union in End Times events? Here’s one possible solution.
“And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.” (Rev 9:26)
The Scriptures seem clear. It’s the “people of the prince,” that destroy Jerusalem and level the second Temple. That occurred in 70 AD. Jesus himself had predicted it, telling his disciples “not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.” (Luke 21:6) And it happened just as he said. According to the ancient Historian Josephus, an eyewitness to events, as the Roman legions were conquering Jerusalem the legion sent to secure that area of Jerusalem set fire to the Temple against General Titus’ orders.[i] We covered earlier how in an effort to recover the melted gold, the Romans tore down the remains, stone by stone, until not one was “left on another.”[ii] There is no doubt that it was soldiers of the Roman Empire that destroyed Jerusalem and tore down the Temple. But here’s where it gets interesting. Rome was of course an empire, with many nationalities under its control. Specifically, it was Legion X that destroyed the Temple and occupied Jerusalem. This Legion however was not made up of Europeans but came instead from regions that would later become almost exclusively Muslim. Legion X was composed of 4 cohorts; – one each from Syria, Turkey, Arabia and Petra, – in Jordan. The Coming Prince then – in this scenario – is not Titus but Satan’s ultimate man; the “man of sin,” the Antichrist.[iii]
To get a better understanding we must go back to the statue of Daniel 2. The vision of the statue gave a prophetic picture of the Empires that would control the Middle East, – the known world at the time, – from Nebuchadnezzar’s day until the end of history. Each section of the statue represents an empire succeeded by the next one in history. Here’s how it lays out.
| Part of Statue | Ancient Fulfillment | Modern Nation / Region |
| Head | Babylon | Iraq |
| Chest / Arms | Persia | Iran |
| Belly / Thighs | Greece | Remains of Grecian Empire (Muslim) |
| Legs / Feet | Rome (East & West) | Europe/ North Africa & the Muslim |
It must be remembered here that the last empire is Rome as represented by the two legs of the statue. Many scholars see in this the Western & Eastern legs of the Empire centered in Rome & Constantinople which later became Istanbul, Turkey. Historically, the Western Empire was composed of Europe, – [about the current geographical extent of the expanded EU plus North Africa]; – While the Eastern half was composed of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, modern Israel / Palestine and the other countries of the Middle East etc. [This is somewhat analogous to Alexander’s Empire.] Note too that the peoples that composed Rome’s Legion X, – the one that destroyed Jerusalem, – were all from this Eastern leg of the Roman Empire. Daniel’s prophecy always pertains to this succession of empires that controlled the Promised Land and Jerusalem. That’s the criteria. The Bible is Jerusalem-centric in outlook.[iv]
The vision of Daniel 7 covers much of the same territory, – yet this time describing the struggle between some of these same nations for control and regional hegemony using animals as symbols for the various nations. “And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings.” (Daniel 7:3-4) That combo-beast, the winged lion, is the historical symbol of Babylon. The second beast was a “bear” (v 5) representing Medo-Persia. Then came this description of the remarkably swift armies of Alexander the Great and the division of his empire into four parts after his death. “After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.” (Daniel 7:6) Finally, Rome is described. In the earlier description of the legs of the statue, Daniel writes of the coming Roman power, “…the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others.” (Daniel 2:40) This time Daniel saw “a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.” (Daniel 7:7-8)
These are the very same Gentile world powers, described through the imagery of beasts. But pay attention to those beasts for what follows. Later in that same chapter, Daniel is given the interpretation of his vision. “Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.” (Daniel 7:7-8) Now let’s jump to Revelation chapter 13. In this passage John “saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns.” (Revelation 13:1) So there are the “ten horns” again, but look at the description of this Last Days Beast in verse 2. “Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.” Walid Shoebat calls this “The Combination Confederacy”. The “mouth of the lion” represents the Babylonian religion, the “bear” is Persian (Iranian) and the leopard of course refers to the nations of the Greek Empire. All today are Muslim, he points out. “Islam is simply a revival of a Babylonian religion”, says he.[v]
Next we’ll move to Revelation 17, a central passage of this study. John was shown “the judgment of the great harlot that sits on many waters.” (Rev 17:1) In verses 3 & 4 he writes “And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.” Again, we have the ten horns. And then in v 5-6 he gives the identity of the Harlot, – the key to understanding the End Time’s Religion. He calls her “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.”
Then in one big passage, Revelation 17: 9-18, Jesus reveals to John not only the interpretation of the vision, but the key to understanding the entire Last Days’ scenario. “Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition. “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.” Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.”
The key is right there! Jumping back to the beasts described in Daniel, we see one clue to the interpretation. “Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth.” (Daniel 7:17) The Prophet Jeremiah establishes that mountains represent kingdoms. God vows to “repay Babylon” calling that kingdom a “destroying mountain” from which no stone can be used for God’s kingdom. (Jeremiah 51:24-26) And Daniel 2 confirms the principal that the “mountains” of Daniel 17 are kingdoms. Daniel 2:44, “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed.” It is then a “stone” cut out of God’s Kingdom that smashes all these earthly ones, establishing Divine Rule. (Dan 2:45) So mountains are kingdoms are kings![vi] So the seven mountains on which the harlot sits are kingdoms. And then it gets really interesting.
Look at Revelation 17:10 again. “There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time.” The five that “have fallen” are Ancient Babylon, Assyria, a revived Babylon, Persia, and Greece. The “one is” is of course, the empire that ruled when John was writing; – Rome. From John’s perspective in the 1st century, – the seventh kingdom is yet to come. And then there is this: “The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven.” John’s telling us that the ‘Final Empire’ “will be a repeat of one of the seven”. Here’s the deal. In the history of these kingdoms, the preceding always fell to its successor; – its’ mantle of power being passed on to the next; – From Babylon to Persia to Greece to Rome.[vii] Now remember, Rome split into Eastern & Western halves in stages during the 3rd & 4th centuries. But the mantle of its political authority was passed to the Eastern capital of Constantinople which held out until 1453 when it was conquered by the Islamic power, the Ottoman Turks.[viii] To John, this is the seventh kingdom that “has not yet come.” This is the 7th Empire. In his book, Will Islam Be Our Future? – Joel Richardson agrees, pointing out that Rome was the 6th and not the 7th and therefore will not be the 8th. The Roman mantle eventually fell to the culmination of a series of Islamic Empires; – the Turkish Ottoman Empire that survived until the end of WWI.[ix]
Now check this! The great Harlot, – the woman that represents the False Religion, sits on the beast “having seven heads and ten horns.” This beast is the composite empire, the eighth empire that is “of the seven.” Remember, over time, it is a combination of the winged lion of Babylon, the Persian Bear and the Greek leopard. Revelation 17:11 seems to mitigate against this last manifestation of world (Middle East) empire being an exclusively Roman one. Again, from John’s perspective, – writing when Rome ruled the ‘world’: “And the beast that was,” – [so it couldn’t be Rome, – because from John’s point of view Rome ‘is’] – “and is not, is himself also the eighth” – [the Greek Empire? – it was the last before Rome] – “and is of the seven and going to perdition.” There is yet another Scriptural argument to be found that the Antichrist and his kingdom will have a basis in the Greek Empire rather than the Roman. Daniel 8 describes a struggle between a ram (representing Persia) and a one horned goat, (Alexander’s Greece). After the goat (Alexander vanquishes the ram (Persia), the goat’s “large horn was broken, and in place of it four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven.” (Daniel 8:8) These again are the four kingdoms that came out of Alexander’s empire after his death. Then Daniel 8:9 tells us that a “little horn” grew up among the four, [from the lands of the Greek Empire] and moved toward the “Glorious Land,” (Israel). Then in verses 10-11: “And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them. He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away.” Thus there is a direct line connecting this final kingdom with the empires that preceded John’s writings, – [ which are now the Muslim lands of Alexander’s Empire] – with Lucifer’s rebellious angels [“the stars” that fell “to the ground”] AND the Antichrist, – empowered by Satan himself. This is the outworking of the final phase of the revolt of demons and mankind against the Holy God Jehovah. As Walid Shoebat put it in Islam And The Final Beast, “The beast the woman rides is all the Empires past, present, and future.”
And the woman herself: She is the final form of the False Religion introduced by Nimrod in Babel, “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS… drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” Over the years Islam has distinguished itself as the executioner of countless numbers of Christian martyrs. Of course, it is the ultimate in false religions. Historically, it is derived from the pagan / satanic cult of Babylon. One of its central tenets is the explicit denial that Jesus is the Son of God come in the flesh. “Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.” (1John 1:22) It all comes together! At least, that’s one scenario.
[i] Josephus account taken from; The Romans Destroy the Temple at Jerusalem 70 AD,
Eye Witness To History, 2005
[ii] Mike Stine, Daniel’s 70 “Sevens” Explained, Spreading Light Ministries,
monitored May 2007
[iii] Walid Shoebat, from his presentation at the International Prophecy Conference 2007
[iv] Joel Richardson, Will Islam Be Our Future?, Chapter 10 – The Revived Islamic Empire of Antichrist
[v] Walid Shoebat, Islam And The Final Beast
[vi] Walid Shoebat, from his presentation at the International Prophecy Conference 2007
[vii] Walid Shoebat, Islam And The Final Beast
[viii] Dionysios Hatzopoulos, The Fall of Constantinople 1453, Greece.org
[ix] Joel Richardson, Will Islam Be Our Future?, Chapter 10 – The Revived Islamic Empire of Antichrist
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