Friday, Jan. 20, was the 200th anniversary of the dissolution of a remarkable institution that had dominated Europe for over a thousand years.

The Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation traced its origins back to the time of Charlemagne (Karl Der Grosse in German), crowned by the pope on Dec. 25, A.D. 800. It ended with Napoleon's victory at the Battle of Austerlitz, the Battle of the Three Emperors, when the empires of Russia and Austria were defeated. The Austrian Emperor Francis was forced to renounce the title of Holy Roman emperor, thereby formally ending an empire that had lasted a thousand years.

The coronation of Charlemagne was a deliberate act on the part of Pope Leo III. In crowning Charlemagne emperor, the pope was effectively declaring the rebirth of the western Roman Empire, which had collapsed in the fifth century.

The only Roman emperor in the year 800 was the ruler of Byzantium, the eastern Roman Empire, who ruled from Constantinople. To the Byzantines there could be only one "Imperator Romanorum" (Roman emperor). An earlier attempt to revive the western empire had been led by an eastern emperor, Justinian, in the sixth century. Pope Leo's crowning of Charlemagne, in their minds, was an illegal act and a deliberately provocative one.

Charlemagne's elevation to emperor was "the result of Charlemagne having defended the pope against the rebellious inhabitants of Rome, which initiated the notion of the Reich being the protector of the Church" (wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Roman_Empire).

Reich is the German word for empire. The Holy Roman Empire was the First Reich.

The French philosopher Voltaire in the 18th century famously said that the Holy Roman Empire was "neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire."

Unique nature of the Holy Roman Empire

It's difficult for people to understand the nature of the Holy Roman Empire because it was so unlike any other empire. It was unique in world history, and it bears no resemblance to nation-states like England or France. The Holy Roman Empire was more of an ideal than an ethnic grouping. At times that ideal could galvanize armies from various kingdoms and ethnic groups to create muscle for the emperor's goals.

In European history, whereas a king ruled over a single nation, an emperor ruled over a vast territory made up of many nations or ethnic groups. The Hapsburg emperors of Austria, for example, right up until well into the 20th century ruled over 11 distinct nations. And this was when they were in decline.

Charles V, one of the more famous emperors in the 16th century at the time of the Protestant Reformation, ruled over the Austrian Empire, the Spanish Empire (including Portugal), the Netherlands, foreign dominions including South America and the southwestern part of what is now the United States. He was also Holy Roman emperor and, like Charlemagne, crowned by the pope.

In fact, "until 1508, German Kings were not considered Emperors of the Reich until the Pope had formally crowned them as such" (ibid.). The reich was always considered the ultimate protector of the church based in Rome.

Although most of the empire's rulers and subjects were of German ethnicity, many ethnic groups constituted the empire, whose borders fluctuated down through the centuries. At its height the following countries were a part of the empire: "Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Czech Republic and Slovenia, as well as eastern France, northern Italy and western Poland" (ibid.). It was never Roman as was the original Roman Empire.

What made the empire unique was the fact that the various parts of the empire had a different connection to the center, to the emperor himself. The emperor was elected by seven electors. One of them, the elector of Hanover, became the British monarch in 1714, although England was never a part of the empire. "Numerous secular and ecclesiastical princes, prelates, counts, imperial knights, and free cities" constituted the empire, which made it rather unwieldy (ibid.).

It was a secular power, but one with strong ecclesiastical connections. It had a major role in being the protector of the church.

Church-state association

This church-state relationship was prophesied in the biblical book of Revelation. Whereas the Roman Empire, foreseen by Daniel almost six centuries before the time of Jesus Christ, was described as a "beast" in Daniel 7, Revelation describes the church as "the image of the beast" (Revelation 13:15). British historian Paul Johnson put it another way, describing the Roman Church as the continuation of the empire: "The Roman Church still spoke for the Empire" ( The Offshore Islanders, 1972, p. 57.)

The church, however, needed a military power to defend its interests. Charlemagne provided that in the late eighth century and was rewarded with his coronation by the pope, the beginning of a close relationship between the reich and the church.

This ecclesiastical connection is the reason the empire carried the prefix holy . "The support of powerful kings was needed for the disciplining of local churches and the support of missionary enterprise" (J.M. Roberts, A Short History of the World, 1997, p. 227).

Relations were not always easy, however. "Papal power ebbed and flowed as the centuries went by" (p. 227). "The emperors were bound to find themselves in conflict with the Papacy sooner or later" (p. 233). In the late 11th century, the clash between the church and the emperor reached its climax with the humiliation of Emperor Henry IV who "waited in the snow barefoot until [Pope] Gregory [VII] would receive his penance" (p. 233).

This helps us understand how the church was the most powerful institution of the Middle Ages. From the fall of the Roman Empire until the Protestant Reformation, the church remained the one constant in Western Europe.

The relationship between church and state is described in the Scriptures as one of "fornication" (Revelation 17:2). Unlike marriage where two people give themselves to each other, a relationship of fornication between a man and a woman is a selfish one, with each trying to get from the other. This is exactly how the relationship has been between the church and the secular European leaders down through history, each seeking its own advantage over the other.

"The inhabitants of the earth [have been] made drunk with the wine of her fornication" (Revelation 17:2)—the people have been deceived by this false religious system that has been backed up for most of its existence by the secular authority. Between them, the emperors and the popes kept the people under control for well over a thousand years, until the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century.

Significance for today

The same chapter 17 of the book of Revelation says that the church (pictured by a woman) would sit on "seven mountains" (great nations or empires, verses 3 and 9). The coming Kingdom of God is described as a mountain that "shall be established on the top of the mountains [other great powers], and shall be exalted above the hills [lesser nations]" (Micah 4:1).

Revelation 17:9-10 says, "The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. There are also seven kings..." This prophecy takes us down through the last two millennia, from the time of the apostle John who wrote these words until the second coming of Jesus Christ, which is still ahead of us. It's a prophecy about the fourth beast of Daniel 7—the Roman Empire, the Roman Church and subsequent resurrections of the Roman Empire, among which was the Holy Roman Empire.

The Holy Roman Empire was the First Reich of the German Nation. It lasted for a thousand years. The Second Reich did not last as long, but led the world into the terrible global conflict of World War I (1914-18). Fifteen years later, the Third Reich began. It soon caused World War II, which devastated the continent of Europe and killed tens of millions of people, mostly civilians.

These three reichs are among the heads and the mountains prophesied in your Bible.

These same passages of Scripture tell us that another revival of the Roman Empire is to come immediately prior to the second coming of Jesus Christ. Revelation 17 tells us that a final union of 10 kings (leaders) will come together and "will make war with the Lamb [Jesus Christ, at His return]" (verses 12-14).

Revelation 17 implies that the church will be involved in the coming together of this powerful European Union, just as it has been down through the ages. However, this time, the church-state relationship will rapidly deteriorate. "The ten horns [kings or leaders] which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot [the church that has sold herself spiritually for temporal gain], make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire" (verse 16).

Fourth Reich already begun

This Fourth Reich, another attempt to revive the Roman Empire, is already in existence in embryonic form. It's called the European Union, currently a union of 25 European countries that increasingly resembles the Holy Roman Empire.

All member countries are pledged to work toward "an ever closer union." When outsiders look at this attempt at unity, they imagine a "United States of Europe" similar to the United States of America—not the Holy Roman Empire.

But Europe is not going to be another United States. The relationship between the different members that constitute the EU and their respective relationships with the center is naturally affected by historical precedent. That precedent is the Holy Roman Empire, a motley assortment of nations that owed a common allegiance to an emperor, whose title was the same as the Roman emperors of antiquity.

In this republican age, the new leader is unlikely to have the title "emperor," but his role will be similar and the union itself will likely resemble the Holy Roman Empire.

The Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation was centered around Germany, which remains strategically placed in the middle of Europe. Germany is the number one trading partner of all the other EU members with the exception of Britain, which does equal trade with the United States. When the 10 kings come together to form the revived Beast power, it is likely that Germany, already the world's biggest exporting nation and third biggest single economy, will again be at the head of the next reich.

Following the rejection of the new federal European constitution by Dutch and French voters in 2005, British historian Niall Ferguson wrote the following observation: "Without the new constitution, Europe will look less like the United States and more like the Holy Roman Empire...with a bewildering agglomeration of overlapping institutions and jurisdictions... Rather than a single, strong executive arm, it will have multiple, overlapping tentacles" ("Federalist Style," The New Republic, June 20, 2005). WNP

Bible prophecy clearly shows that Jesus Christ will return to establish the Kingdom of God, a literal world-ruling kingdom, on earth. This hope is so fundamental that Jesus instructed Christians to regularly pray, "Your kingdom come" (Matthew 6:10; Luke 11:2). Prophecies throughout the Bible give many details about Christ's return and conditions in the world leading up to that event.

However, one little—understood fact prophetically highlighted in the Bible is that a new superpower will emerge on the world scene shortly before His return. It will, in fact, fight Jesus Christ at His return, only to be destroyed—but not before this superpower reshapes today's geopolitical landscape in ways that will shock and surprise the entire world.

Understanding of future empires revealed

The rise of this final world superpower is foretold primarily in the biblical books of Daniel and Revelation. We'll begin with what God revealed to the prophet Daniel in Old Testament times.

Daniel 2 records that the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream of a gigantic image of a man, with different parts of the image composed of different metals—gold, silver, bronze, iron, and iron mixed with clay. None of the king's astrologers, advisors or wise men could interpret the meaning of the dream until Daniel, to whom God had revealed its meaning, stepped forward.

Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that "there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets" and that He had made known to the king what would happen in the future (Daniel 2:28-29). Daniel then went on to explain that a series of empires would arise to dominate the Holy Land and much of the known world of their day.

The image's head of gold, Daniel explained, represented Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian Empire: "You are this head of gold" (Daniel 2:38). After Babylon, "another kingdom inferior to yours," Daniel told the king, would arise, followed by a "third kingdom of bronze," and finally a fourth kingdom "as strong as iron," which would "break in pieces and crush all the others" (Daniel 2:39-40).

From history we know that these next three kingdoms after Babylon were the Persian Empire, the Greek Empire of Alexander the Great and his successors, and the Roman Empire.

All were the superpowers of their day. Rome indeed broke in pieces and crushed all its competitors in building the greatest empire the world had ever seen up until that time. (Although we won't go into it for lack of space, Daniel 7 contains a similar prophecy of these four empires, symbolized by beasts described as being like a lion, a bear, a leopard and a fourth beast unlike the others.)

Fast-forward to the end time

The feet and toes of the image Nebuchadnezzar saw were composed "partly of potter's clay and partly of iron," meaning "the kingdom shall be divided...partly strong and partly fragile." This means it would be made up of people who "will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay" (Daniel 2:41-43).

The timeline represented by this image began with the head in Nebuchadnezzar's day. Continuing that timeline from head to toes, the image represented, after Babylon, the Persian, Greek and Roman Empires that would follow, each in its own era. But regarding the last of these great empires drawing to a close, we see another dramatic symbol introduced into the vision.

Describing the time represented by the feet of iron mixed with clay, Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar: "While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them...The rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth" (Daniel 2:34-35, New International Version, emphasis added throughout unless otherwise noted).

What does this mean?

Daniel went on to explain this symbolism: "In the time of those kings [the leaders of the mixture of people represented by the iron and clay], the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands" (Daniel 2:44-45, NIV).

This "kingdom that will never be destroyed," we know from many other prophecies, is the Kingdom of God, which Jesus Christ will establish on earth at His return. This is confirmed by the triumphant announcement that accompanies His return as recorded in Revelation 11:15: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever" (NIV).

We see here that, odd as it may sound, Daniel's prophecy reveals that the fourth empire—the Roman Empire—will exist in some form and be destroyed at Christ's return to earth! As we will see, a comparison of several Bible prophecies with secular history will show how astoundingly accurate those prophecies have proved to be!

More details in the book of Revelation

Revelation, the final prophetic book of the Bible, reveals more details about this fourth and final empire. In Revelation 13, John records a vision he saw of "a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns" (Revelation 13:1). This beast, representing a final empire or geopolitical superpower, has characteristics of a leopard, bear and lion (verse 2)—showing continuity with the ancient gentile empires of Babylon, Persia and Greece, symbolized by these same animals in Daniel's vision found in Daniel 7.

As Rome had swallowed up and incorporated characteristics of these earlier empires, so does this final great empire, represented by a beast in John's vision, incorporate characteristics of the creatures that represented these earlier empires as seen by Daniel.

Why is this final empire represented as a beast? It's because ultimately its actions are more like a powerful and vicious animal than a human being. Whereas a person can be open to the guidance of God and exercise qualities such as compassion, care and concern for others, an animal is driven primarily by the motivations of self-preservation, power and control.

And indeed we see that these have been the motivations of most human governments throughout history. Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome and countless other kingdoms, empires and governments have wielded their power to attack, oppress and enslave others so they could preserve their power and control. So a "beast" is indeed a fitting symbol for a world empire—particularly one such as this.

"The dragon"—Satan the devil (see Revelation 12:9)—is the unseen supernatural influence at work behind the scenes in this final world superpower (Revelation 13:2). And it will wield enormous influence over the world in the end time. All the world will marvel and follow it (Revelation 13:3). People will say: "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" (Revelation 13:4). It will appear invincible and unstoppable.

With Satan behind it, this power will "make war against the saints"—killing and persecuting the faithful servants of God. So great will be the dominance of this beast that it will have "authority over every tribe, people, language and nation" and "all inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast" (Revelation 13:7-8, NIV).

Centuries of history bear record of man's unjust rule without the guidance of God. Like its ancient predecessor, this end-time system will set itself against God, ruthlessly suppressing His truth and attacking those who faithfully serve Him.

All signs point to Rome

Do other signs lead us to identify this final world superpower as a modern-day incarnation of the Roman Empire? In addition to what we have seen above, many other Bible indicators point in that direction.

One is found in verses 3 and 12, where it is stated that this beast has a "deadly wound" that is healed. Prophetically, what does this mean?

After years of decline, the Roman Empire indeed received a "deadly wound" in A.D. 476 when Rome's Emperor Romulus Augustulus was deposed by Germanic tribes led by Odoacer. But that was not the end of the Roman Empire. As we will see, that "wound" was indeed healed and the empire would rise again—and again and again through history.

In Revelation 17 this beast appears again, in another form, here linked with a powerful and influential church called a "great harlot" (verse 1). (To learn more, see "Europe: A New Superpower on the Rise.") This fallen woman, representing a great false church, sits on "seven hills" (Revelation 17:9, NIV). Rome, of course, is famously known as "the City of Seven Hills."

Bible prophecy sometimes has dual meanings. Hills or mountains are also prophetically symbolic of governments or kingdoms, as is the case here.

We see that verse 10 speaks of seven kings—leaders of governments or kingdoms—of which "five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come," who will "continue a short time." Allied with this final seventh king will be 10 other leaders or rulers who will "receive authority for one hour [symbolic of a short time] as kings with the beast" and "give their power and authority to the beast" (Revelation 17:12-13).

Crucial to understanding the time frame of these final events is Revelation 17:14 : "These [the 10 allied rulers or leaders] will make war with the Lamb [Jesus Christ], and the Lamb will overcome them..." As with Daniel's prophecy discussed earlier, we see that this final empire, characterized as a beast, exists at the time of Jesus Christ's return and is destroyed by Him.

A study of history shows the fulfillment of these remarkable prophecies. After Rome's "deadly wound" of A.D. 476, that wound was indeed healed. Following that would come seven "kings" or leaders of revivals of the Roman Empire in cooperation with the Roman church. Let's see how this was fulfilled in recorded history and what lies ahead yet to be fulfilled.

Justinian's Imperial Restoration

After Emperor Romulus Augustulus was deposed, less than a century passed before Justinian, the Eastern Roman or Byzantine emperor, ruling from Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), committed himself to restoring the empire in the West, launching what would be known to history as the "Imperial Restoration."

William Langer's An Encyclopedia of World History states, "Justinian's whole policy was directed toward the establishment of the absolute power of the emperor and toward the revival of a universal, Christian Roman Empire" (1960, p. 172). This same work refers to Justinian's "grandiose reconstruction of the Roman empire."

The Roman church hierarchy played a key role in this revival. As historian Will Durant points out, "In 554 Justinian promulgated a decree requiring that ‘fit and proper persons, able to administer local government, be chosen as governors of the provinces by the bishops and chief persons of each province'" (The Story of Civilization, Vol. 4: The Age of Faith, 1950, pp. 519-520, emphasis in original). 

The Roman Empire was alive again, having experienced its first of several revivals in league with the church. However, in the process of time, this imperial revival waned and gradually fell apart. Six more revivals were to follow Justinian's restoration. 

Charlemagne, Holy Roman emperor

The second of these prophesied revivals or resurrections of the Roman Empire occurred at the time of Charlemagne—Charles the Great—who was crowned by Pope Leo III in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome in A.D. 800. This act was indicative of the power and influence the Roman church would hold over the empire in future years, when emperors would receive the title Holy Roman emperor.

Langer's Encyclopedia of World History refers to this time as the "Revival of the Roman Empire in the West" (p. 155), adding that "Charlemagne's rule was a theocracy."

If there is any doubt that the Roman Empire was very much alive through Charlemagne's revival, he adopted as his official title, "Charles, the most serene Augustus, crowned by God, great and pacific emperor, governing the Roman Empire." 

Otto I, "the Great Emperor"

After Charlemagne's death, his empire was divided among his grandsons, and although the imperial title continued, the empire disintegrated and remained weak and divided until the time of Otto the Great.

The new emperor of the German nation united the imperial realm mostly by conquest. He received the title of Roman emperor in A.D. 962 when he was crowned by Pope John XII. This marked the third of seven prophesied revivals or resurrections of the original Roman Empire.

According to Langer's Encyclopedia of World History, Otto's "coronation by the pope as Roman Emperor marked the revival of the Roman Empire" (p. 216). His Latin-inscribed seal read Otto Imperator Augustus—"Otto the Great Emperor."

The German newsmagazine Der Spiegel, in a 2007 special edition on history, made the following observation about the German emperor: "Otto called himself...ruler of the Roman Empire, even though it came to an end a few centuries earlier. Charlemagne had already carried such a title.

"A belief spread about by Christians was that the Roman Empire would last until the end of the world. The prophet Daniel from the Old Testament prophesied of four world empires; then the anti-Christ would come. According to the configuration of the time, the Roman Empire would be the fourth empire. According to this interpretation, Otto saved the people and as such highlighted the claim to be over all other rulers in Europe" (p. 28).

Although the medieval concept of prophetic events as noted here was somewhat muddled, it does show that the idea of the Roman Empire as a contemporary power, and one that would exist at the time of the end of this age, was a well-established concept.

Charles V, on whose empire the sun never set

Although Otto passed from the scene, his empire lasted for almost three centuries before being divided by rival factions.

This was followed, after nearly two decades without an emperor, by Rudolph I of the Habsburg family becoming "King of the Romans" in 1273—this distinction being used for those assuming the imperial throne without official coronation in Rome by the pope (as circumstances often prevented this from happening right away or at all). This title gave way in 1508 to Elected Emperor of the Romans, and emperors ceased making the journey to Rome. Only one was crowned by the pope—Charles V of the house of Habsburg in 1530 (all the elected emperors between 1438 and 1740 being of this royal family).  

From his father, Charles inherited the vast Habsburg possessions of Central Europe, Germany and Italy. From his mother, daughter of the famed Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, he inherited Spain and its American possessions. Ruling over an empire on which the sun never set—an empire even larger than ancient Rome's—he was the most powerful man in the world.

Determined to realize the age-old dream of a unified Europe, Charles V's reign was the pinnacle of the fourth prophesied revival of the Roman Empire. "One of the greatest of the kings of Spain and Holy Roman emperor, [Charles V] was perhaps the last emperor to attempt to realize the medieval idea of a unified empire embracing the entire Christian world" (The Encyclopaedia Britannica, 15th edition, Micropaedia, Vol. 2, "Charles V").

However, major challenges thwarted his vision. In the course of his reign he fought against France, the Ottoman Empire of Suleiman the Magnificent, Protestants, and even forces of the pope. He eventually abdicated in 1556, leaving his Spanish possessions to his son Philip II and his Central European holdings to his brother Ferdinand.

Napoleon, rival of Charlemagne and Alexander

One of history's most famous figures, Napoleon Bonaparte, was to lead the fifth prophesied attempt to resurrect the Roman Empire with the endorsement of the Roman church. As Will Durant observed, Napoleon "dreamt of rivaling Charlemagne and uniting Western Europe . . . then of following Constantine . . . to the capture of Constantinople . . . and proposed to rival Alexander by conquering India" (The Story of Civilization, Vol. 11: The Age of Napoleon, 1975, pp. 242-243). At the height of his power he ruled 70 million subjects across the European continent.

Born on the Mediterranean island of Corsica, Napoleon began to make a name for himself in the aftermath of the French Revolution. Having received a military education in France, he quickly proved himself a military genius in campaign after campaign.

But military power wasn't enough to satisfy his ambitions. In 1799 Napoleon maneuvered himself into France's top political position. In 1804 he crowned himself emperor of France, and later that year was crowned Emperor Napoleon I by Pope Pius II at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Before long his military conquests led him to rule Europe from the Elbe River to the Atlantic Ocean, as well as over Spanish and French territories in the New World—the greater part of the Americas.

Looking to Rome and Charlemagne for inspiration, Napoleon determined to unify Europe under his reign. However, his great ambitions proved his undoing. Plans to invade Britain fell apart after his navy was defeated by Admiral Lord Nelson at Trafalgar in 1805. In 1812 his invasion of Russia proved disastrous, with the loss of more than half a million men. Forced to abdicate his throne, he was sent into exile in 1814.

With this, the fifth revival of the Roman Empire drew to a close. But this was not the end of imperialist attempts to unify Europe.

German and Italian dreams

Germany as we know it is a relatively modern creation. Before Napoleon, there were literally hundreds of small German states, each ruled by its own prince, duke or king. Austria and Prussia were the most dominant. In the 19th century Otto von Bismarck managed to unite most German territories under the Prussian Hohenzollern dynasty, with others allied with Austria.

In 1870 both groups of German states fought together against France, and in 1871 Prussia's King William (or Wilhelm) was proclaimed emperor of Germany in the French palace of Versailles. His title, kaiser, harkened back to the Roman title caesar (as did the Russian title czar). Centuries earlier Otto the Great had established the first great German empire—the First Reich. Now Germany had its Second Reich.

German dreams of a greater empire inevitably led to more war. In 1914 the First World War broke out, a conflagration that took the lives of millions and transformed the face of Europe. But when it ended four years later, major problems remained. In the coming years two new strongmen would arise with new dreams to unite Europe and expand beyond—Benito Mussolini in Italy and Adolf Hitler in Germany. Both these men signed agreements with the Roman church that gave legitimacy to their fascist regimes.

Declaring the reappearance of the Roman Empire, Mussolini formed an alliance with Hitler, bringing about the Rome-Berlin Axis. Adolf Hitler proudly proclaimed Germany's Third Reich, envisioning a new German empire that would rival the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation established by Otto the Great. The sixth of the seven imperial revivals foretold in Revelation 17 was under way.

From 1939 until 1945 the Allied and Axis powers fought the Second World War, battling and bloodying each other across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Germany's dream of a Europe united under a new empire almost succeeded, and at a horrendous cost. As in World War I, millions perished and Europe was again left in ruins.

Back to the future

In the devastated aftermath of World War II, it seemed unimaginable that Europe could rise again. Its cities had been bombed and battered to rubble, its infrastructure had been shattered, its economy was in shambles and millions of its citizens were dead or maimed.

Yet Europe has risen. The 27-member European Union has grown to become the world's largest economy and its biggest trading power. The EU has its own president and foreign minister. It is quickly developing global political power to match its economic clout. Military power will surely follow its expanding economic and political might.

But it is not yet as it will be.

Returning to Revelation 17, we see that John "marveled with great amazement" at the vision he had seen of the woman and the beast (Revelation 17:6). An angel then explained to John that "the beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit..." When they see it, people "will marvel... when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is" (verse 8).

What does such unusual wording mean?

Having gone through this historical background, we can now understand how an empire could once exist, then disappear, then reappear in a somewhat different form. The fact that this beast, symbolic of an empire, "was, and is not, and yet is" tells us that the Roman Empire, which does not exist at this time as such, will be restored yet again in the near future.

It "was," meaning it existed in the past, it currently "is not," meaning it doesn't exist at this moment, and "yet is," for it remains an undercurrent in European politics, and "will ascend out of the bottomless pit"—meaning it is destined to rise yet again.

Revelation 17:10 prophesies that there would be seven kings or rulers who would lead resurrections of the Roman Empire in cooperation with the Roman church. History shows that this development has occurred six times in the past. A final revival, linked in prophecy to God's intervention in human affairs with Christ's return, lies ahead.

In 1957 six Western European nations—West Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium—came together to create the European Economic Community through the Treaty of Rome. These groundbreaking steps toward European unification were taken in the ancient capital city of the Roman Empire and home to one of the world's oldest and major religions.

Paul Henri Spaak, former secretary-general of NATO, later remarked on that signing in a BBC documentary: "We felt like Romans on that day... we were consciously recreating the Roman Empire once more."

Europe's long dream of unity retains its hold on European leaders. Although slow to come together, and certainly not yet in its final form, that union will emerge as a global superpower that will stun and shock the world.

Again, Revelation 17:12-13 tells us of an alliance of 10 "kings"—which today could refer to presidents, premiers or prime ministers—who "will give their power and authority to the beast" in a final union of nations. Little do they know how monstrously evil their creation will become, ultimately plunging the world into catastrophe.

The next verse clearly states the time setting for this prophecy: "These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them..." The Lamb, of course, is Jesus Christ. He will not return until this prophecy of 10 rulers who form an end-time superpower is fulfilled. Yet all indications are that His return must be soon—and the appearance of this empire will of course be even sooner.

As history shows, the Roman Empire has fallen, risen and fallen several times in the past. Be assured that it will rise once more, yet soon afterward will be destroyed and replaced by the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, which will never be destroyed!

This is what Bible prophecy reveals regarding the end time as it focuses on events in Europe. The foundation is laid, the structure is being built, and the time for the final revival of the Roman Empire draws ever closer.

Will you be ready to face these events that are destined to transform the world?

The prophet Daniel, receiving a vision from God, 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 7:8).

The "fourth beast" of Daniel 7:7 is described as a great military power that was to be "dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong...[with] huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet." As explained in part 2 of this series (June 2008), this prophecy is fulfilled in the Roman Empire. Many students of prophecy recognize that the historic world-ruling kingdoms of Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome were pictured by the great beasts in this vision. In contrast now we read of another "horn," again symbolizing royal power and authority, whose strength is not in military might, but in its "mouth speaking pompous words."

Later in this chapter we read more detail of this horn.

"Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet; and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows. I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them" (verses 19-21).

Again, we see here that the military power comes first. The Roman Empire began in the pre-Christian era. But again we read that this other nonmilitary horn comes out of the Roman Empire. It's described as "a mouth which spoke pompous words." We are also told that it would make "war against the saints," the true followers of God.

Continuing in verse 25, we read that "he shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law." Who could this be talking about? Who could have changed "times and law"?

The answer to this is found in history. Remember, Daniel was writing hundreds of years before these events were to happen. Even skeptics who don't believe the book of Daniel was written in the sixth century B.C. have to admit that it was in existence at least one or two centuries before Christ because that's the accepted dating for the Dead Sea Scrolls, which include the book of Daniel. So this prophecy clearly long predated the events it describes here.

Verse 25 ends with these chilling words: "Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time." The true followers of God were to be persecuted for a long period of time by this little horn.

In the book of Revelation, written six and a half centuries after Daniel, we read again of this persecution of God's true servants. Again, it's in the context of the Beast powers.

The book of Revelation is the "Revelation of Jesus Christ" to the apostle John (Revelation 1:1).

John writes: "Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 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" (Revelation 13:1-2).

In this vision, John sees a composite of the first three beasts of Daniel chapter 7, the lion, bear and leopard, reflecting that the Babylonian, Medo-Persian and Greco-Macedonian empires rapidly succeeded one another and that they had similar characteristics. Could it be that they all shared a common source of their power? Notice, "The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority" (Revelation 13:2). Satan is the great dragon who deceives the whole world (Revelation 12:9). He is also the "god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4) who wields great power over human affairs.

John continues: "I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast" (Revelation 13:3). The Western Roman Empire suffered an apparent mortal wound when it fell in A.D 476. But unlike most powers that fall and disappear, its "deadly wound was healed" and it would be resurrected. Notice in verse 4 the religious dimension: "So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, 'Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?' And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.

"It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (verses 4-8).

In verse 11 John sees "another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon." Jesus Christ is described as the Lamb of God, while Satan is a dragon. So this Beast with "two horns like a lamb" is a tool of Satan trying to pass as a representation of Jesus Christ. "And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14).

Here we see described a false religious system, which comes out of the fourth beast and tries to pass itself off as Christian. It is a counterfeit form of Christianity. As Daniel 7:25 says, it would "change times and law." A study of church history reveals that in the first four centuries after Christ died, doctrinal upheavals occurred in the Christian church that centered on changing the God-given day of worship from the Sabbath to Sunday (changing times) and teaching that the law of God was done away (changing laws).

Jesus Christ did not teach either of these things. Rather, He said: "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill [that is, to live to the full, thereby setting an example for all people]" (Matthew 5:17).

In Revelation chapter 12, we read that the false religious system, inspired by Satan, "went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus" (Revelation 12:17). This points to an end-time continuation of a centuries-old tactic. History shows us that the true Christian apostolic Church was nearly wiped out by this false form of Christianity that became the official church of the Roman Empire in the early fourth century.

In Revelation 13:15 "the image of the beast" is associated with worship and with religious persecution of those who will not worship in that way. It should be apparent that this image is a religious organization allied with the political power of the Beast. This religious power is brought to life by the one who "exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed" (verse 12).

The image, that is, the religious institution reflecting the power of the state, was to coexist with the empire from the conversion of Emperor Constantine until the fall of the Western Empire almost two centuries later.

Who is the little horn?

"The true successor of the Western Empire was the Papacy." These words were written by L. Elliott Binns in an introduction to his definitive work The Decline and Fall of the Medieval Papacy (p. v).

Binns' book cover states: "Not only was the Papacy the true successor to the Roman Empire; it was also the Empire's mirror image."

Writing of events that occurred in the latter half of the seventh century, historian Paul Johnson observed: "The Roman Church still spoke for the Empire" (The Offshore Islanders, 1972, p. 57). "Politics and religion were inseparable" (ibid., p. 49). Does the papacy fit the Bible description of "the image of the beast" (Revelation 13:15)?

Notice the similarities between the empire and the successor church.

"Though the administrative centre of the Empire had been transferred to Byzantium, the state religion was still centrally conducted from Rome. Already indeed its chain of command, and its contacts with outlying regions such as Britain, were maintained in a more regular fashion than the political and military functions of the Empire. Christianity still had a working international infrastructure.

"This religion, by its very nature, was centralized, universalist, authoritarian and anti-regional. It was run by a disciplined priestly caste, commanded by bishops based on the imperial urban centres, under the ultimate authority of the Bishop of Rome itself, the spiritual voice of the western Empire. Its doctrines were absolutist, preaching unthinking submission to divine authority: the Emperor and his high priest, the Bishop of Rome, in this world, and a unitary god, who appointed the Emperor, in the next" (ibid., pp. 29-30).

There was, however, a difference.

"Under the pagan Empire the centre of unity had been political, the paramount authority that of the Emperor himself; so long as the supremacy of the state was recognized men might hold many different kinds of creeds and philosophies. The middle ages developed along exactly opposite lines; its centre of unity was religious, the Roman Church; whilst alongside this religious unity there might go any number of political variations" (Binns, p. 3).

In other words, religious freedom was nonexistent throughout the Middle Ages, the period between the fall of the Roman Empire and the modern age at the end of the 15th century.

Church and state—an uneasy relationship

In Revelation chapter 17 we read a prophecy of the false religious system and its relationship with the governments of this world, a relationship that was to dominate the period from the giving of the Revelation to the apostle John, all the way to the second coming of Jesus Christ.

This relationship is starkly described: "With whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication" (Revelation 17:2). When people are drunk, they don't know what they are doing. False religion is like that. Humanity is ignorant of the fact that Satan "deceives the whole world" (Revelation 12:9).

When you look back at the history of the last two millennia, no institution has so dominated the world for such a long period of time as that of the papacy.

If the Church of Rome is the "image of the beast," then that church is mentioned fairly extensively because of its political role—a role made more formidable by the Vatican being a state as well as the headquarters of a universal church. Despite the fact that Jesus Christ said that His Kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36), here is a church that has played a major political role for two millennia. This false church is described as a "harlot" (Revelation 17:1), selling herself for temporal gain.

The ascendancy of the church began with Emperor Constantine (see part 3, August 2008), but the church really began rising to power when the Empire in the West fell. "When there was no longer an Emperor in the West and the link with the East was but slender, papal Rome took the place of imperial Rome" (Binns, p. 11).

The relationship between the church and the state dominated European politics right down until modern times. Even today, some European countries still maintain a close tie between the established church and the state.

The relationship has not always been an easy one, which is exactly what prophecy said would be the case. "Fornication" (Revelation 17:2) is never an easy relationship. Whereas the physical relationship between a husband and wife is based on love and commitment, two people fornicating temporarily use each other, each seeking what he or she can get from the other.

That's the way it has been with the church-state relationship throughout history. At various times, the two have come together for mutual benefit, but much of the time they have struggled for preeminence over each other.

In verse 7 of Revelation 17, we see a description of the false church, pictured by a woman, and the "beast that carries her." Again, the analogy here is an appropriate one. Anybody who has ridden a horse knows that the rider is not always in control. The church may think it can control the power of the state, but it often loses control. This Beast the woman rides is described as having "seven heads and ten horns." In verse 9 we see that "the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits."

In the Bible, a "mountain" is symbolic of a great nation or empire, compared with smaller nations depicted as hills. For example, in Isaiah 2:2 we see the coming Kingdom of God depicted as a mountain that "shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills." The government of God will eventually be over all the great nations as well as the smaller ones.

Since the Beast the woman rides would correspond to the Roman Empire, its seven heads or mountains would be revivals of the Roman Empire. The papacy was to continue the Roman system down through the centuries, often taking a political role, but also heavily involved in attempts to revive the Roman Empire, "the seven heads…on which the woman sits" (Revelation 17:9).

But before that, three kingdoms not controlled by the false church would be uprooted (see "Three of the First Horns Plucked Out by the Roots").

Remember, the little horn of Daniel 7:8 has "eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words." This little horn wields enough power to pluck up kingdoms, yet is not described as a true political power. It is a religious power, also described as "the image of the beast." Almost 2,000 years of history shows the consistent presence of a great Roman church allied with the various revivals of the Roman Empire. WNP

See print or PDF versions for "A Partial Chart of Prophecies of World Empires."