THE SEVEN KINGS OF REVELATION 17:10

Rev 17:10 And²⁵³² there are¹⁵²⁶ seven²⁰³³ kings:⁹³⁵ five⁴⁰⁰² are fallen,⁴⁰⁹⁸ and²⁵³² one¹⁵²⁰ is,²⁰⁷⁶ and the³⁵⁸⁸ other²⁴³ is not yet³⁷⁶⁸ come;²⁰⁶⁴ and²⁵³² when³⁷⁵² he cometh,²⁰⁶⁴ he⁸⁴⁶ must¹¹⁶³ continue³³⁰⁶ a short space.³⁶⁴¹

Tuesday, October 7th, 2008 (written in summer 2007 and revisited on October 7th, 2008)

Blessings be upon you and peace from Jesus Christ and our Father in which we have communion thru Him. Dear friends, here is another observation concerning the 7 kings of Rev 17:10; the address is set forth to bring truth and perhaps further wisdom to open our spiritual eyes.

…Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea…

These city descriptions are from the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia.

EPHESUS

…Ephesus and Pergamos, the capital of Asia, were the two great rival cities of the province. Though Pergamos was the center of the Roman religion and of the government, Ephesus was the more accessible, the commercial center and the home of the native goddess Diana; and because of its wealth and situation it gradually became the chief city of the province. It is to the temple of Diana, however, that its great wealth and prominence are largely due…

Note: Ephesus is the shadow of England (UK) and Pergamos is the shadow of Italy (as we will see later on); this enmity and rivalry between them refers to their religious differences (England is protestant and Italy is Catholic). In this passage we read that Ephesus was a commercial center (England is today “The Center” for commerce in Europe) and Ephesus was the home of the Goddess Diana (England is the home of Princess Diana). The “temple of Diana” refers to the Buckingham Palace. Notice also that Princess Diana who died in France in August 31^st, 1997 at age 36 (3 x 12) was and still is honored as a “Goddess”.

…Like the city, it dates from the time of the Amazons, yet what the early temple was like we now have no means of knowing, and of its history we know little except that it was seven times destroyed by fire and rebuilt, each time on a scale larger and grander than before. The wealthy king Croesus supplied it with many of its stone columns, and the pilgrims from all the oriental world brought it of their wealth. In time the temple possessed valuable lands; it controlled the fishcries; its priests were the bankers of its enormous revenues. Because of its strength the people stored there their money for safe-keeping; and it became to the ancient world practically all that the Bank of England is to the modern world…

Note: Buckingham Palace was indeed destroyed by fire several times and rebuilt even greater afterward. Ephesus as England had property in the Oriental world (England had colonies in Asia as part of its global British Empire). Ephesus as England is known for being a location where bankers prospered from their professions. Notice also that both names (Ephesus and England) have the same number of letters (7).

England is associated with the Anglican Church.

SMYRNA

…In Roman times, Smyrna was considered the most brilliant city of Asia Minor, successfully rivaling Pergamos and Ephesus. Its streets were wide and paved. Its system of coinage was old, and now about the city coins of every period are found. It was celebrated for its schools of science and medicine, and for its handsome buildings. Among them was the Homerium, for Smyrna was one of several places which claimed to be the birthplace of the poet…

Note: Smyrna was considered the most brilliant city of Asia Minor exactly like Paris, France which is called “The city of lights”. France is by essence the country of intellectuals and the place of many handsome ancient buildings. The Homerium (8 letters) refers to a location in Paris called “Panthéon” (8 letters) which is surrounded by the famous University of Paris 1 (Panthéon-Sorbonne) and University Paris 2 (Panthéon-Assas). France is known to be The birthplace of artists (including poets and writers).

…Modern Smyrna is still the largest city in Asia Minor, with a population of about 250,000, of whom half are Greek and less than one-fourth are Mohammedans. Its modern name, Ismir, is but a Turkish corruption of the ancient name…

Note: the current population of France is 65.4 million, half of it is 32.7 million and ¼ of 32.7 is 8.175 million (the population of Mohammedans in France is between 5 to 7 millions). “Ismir” (5 letters) might refers to Paris (5 letters) itself.

France is associated with the Presbyterian movement.

PERGAMOS

…There were beautiful temples to the four great gods Zeus, Dionysus, Athena and Asklepios. To the temple of the latter, invalids from all parts of Asia flocked, and there, while they were sleeping in the court, the god revealed to the priests and physicians by means of dreams the remedies which were necessary to heal their maladies. Thus opportunities of deception were numerous. There was a school of medicine in connection with the temple. Pergamos was chiefly a religious center of the province…

Note: Pergamos (8 letters) is the shadow of the Vatican (Vaticano_ 8 letters) and by extension Italy.

…Upon the death of Attalus II (Philadelphus), king of Pergamos, it was bequeathed to the Roman Empire; and in 190, when the Roman province of Asia was formed, it became a part of it. Ephesus and Pergamos, the capital of Asia, were the two great rival cities of the province. Though Pergamos was the center of the Roman religion and of the government…

Note: Pergamos was the center of the Roman religion as it is indeed today with the Vatican (The center of the Roman Catholic Church).

The Vatican is associated with the Roman Catholic Church.

THYATIRA

…Thyatira was a wealthy town in the northern part of Lydia of the Roman province of Asia, on the river Lycus. It stood so near to the borders of Mysia, that some of the early writers have regarded it as belonging to that country. Its early history is not well known, for until it was refounded by Seleucus Nicator (301-281 BC) it was a small, insignificant town…

Note: Thyatira is the shadow of the state of Israel; Mysia is the shadow of the Middle East especially referring to Palestine in this case. Seleucus Nicator is the picture of United Nations.

…It stood on none of the Greek trade routes, but upon the lesser road between Pergamos and Sardis, and derived its wealth from the Lycus valley in which it rapidly became a commercial center, but never a metropolis. The name "Thyatira" means "the castle of Thya." Other names which it has borne are Pelopia and Semiramis. Before the time of Nicator the place was regarded as a holy city, for there stood the temple of the ancient Lydian sun-god, Tyrimnos; about it games were held in his honor. Upon the early coins of Thyatira this Asiatic god is represented as a horseman, bearing a double-headed battle-ax, similar to those represented on the sculptures of the Hittites. A goddess associated with him was Boreatene, a deity of less importance. Another temple at Thyatira was dedicated to Sambethe, and at this shrine was a prophetess, by some supposed to represent the Jezebel of Rev 2:20, who uttered the sayings which this deity would impart to the worshippers…

Note: Pergamos is the shadow of Italy and Sardis is the shadow of Kuwait (as we will see later on). Lycus valley is the picture of what we call in our modern day “Silicon Valley” referring to the fact that Israel hosts the second-largest number of startup companies in the world (after the United States) and the largest number of NASDAQ-listed companies outside North America. Pelopia (7 letters) is the picture of the Arabic appellation for Jerusalem “Al-Quds” (7 letters) and Semiramis (9 letters) is the picture of Jerusalem (9 letters). “The castle of Thya” refers to “the City of David” which is the other name given to the City of Jerusalem.

…Thyatira was specially noted for the trade guilds which were probably more completely organized there than in any other ancient city. Every artisan belonged to a guild, and every guild, which was an incorporated organization, possessed property in its own name, made contracts for great constructions, and wielded a wide influence. Powerful among them was the guild of coppersmiths; another was the guild of the dyers, who, it is believed, made use of the madder-root instead of shell-fish for making the purple dyestuffs. A member of this guild seems to have been Lydia of Thyatira, who, according to Acts 16:14, sold her dyes in Philippi. The color obtained by the use of this dye is now called Turkish red. The guilds were closely connected with the Asiatic religion of the place. Pagan feasts, with which immoral practices were associated, were held, and therefore the nature of the guilds was such that they were opposed to Christianity…

Note: this guild is defined in the essence of being Jewish and in keeping the tradition of their Fathers. The guilds were associated with the Asiatic religion of the place; and indeed, nowadays Judaism has totally embedded itself with the diverse traditions of the countries the Jews were to live in (the Jews of Tunisia and Morocco are a blatant example of it) who held the same customs than the locals. Hand forth, this situation is associated with Lydia of Thyatira which can be understood in this context as “Arab of Israel (Arab-Jews_ Mizrahi Jews)”.

…It was taught by many of the early church that no Christian might belong to one of the guilds, and thus the greatest opposition to Christianity was presented.
Thyatira is now represented by the modern town of Ak-Hissar on a branch line of the Manisa-Soma Railroad, and on the old Rom road 9 hours from Sardis. Ak-Hissar is Turkish for "white castle," and near the modern town may be seen the ruins of the castle from which the name was derived…

Note: as in the guilds in Thyatira, Judaism does not accept Christ or Christians. Ak-Hissar is the picture of the Washington DC (White House).

Israel is associated with Judaism.

SARDIS

It was moreover one of the oldest and most important cities of Asia Minor, and until 549 BC, the capital of the kingdom of Lydia. It stood on the northern slope of Mt. Tmolus; its acropolis occupied one of the spurs of the mountain. At the base flowed the river Pactolus which served as a moat, rendering the city practically impregnable

Note: Sardis was the capital of the kingdom of Lydia, Kuwait also was the center of interest in the Middle East (Kingdom of Lydia refers to the Arabic Kingdom). Pactolus (in French "pactole") means “source of riches”, and it is referring to the underground oil rich country of Kuwait.

Kuwait is associated with Islam.

PHILADELPHIA

…Philadelphia is not so ancient as many of the other cities of Asia Minor, for it was founded after 189 BC on one of the highways which led to the interior…

Note: the ancient city of Philadelphia was not so ancient compare to the other cities of Asia Minor; likewise, United States is not very old just about 233 years (declared independence from England in July 4^th, 1776).

…Its modern name, Ala-shehir, is considered by some to be a corruption of the Turkish words Allah-shehir, "the city of God," but more likely it is a name given it from the reddish color of the soil. In addition to all of these names it sometimes bore the title of "Little Athens" because of the magnificence of the temples and other public buildings which adorned it.

Note: Allah-Shehir, “the city of God” refers to United States modern city of Los Angeles which means “City of Angels” (from John 10:34-36 we know that the word Angels or messengers can be substituted for the word “gods”). All across the US you can see magnificent religious temples and public buildings that cannot be seen anywhere else in the world (example: Los Angeles and New York City).

Ala-shehir is still a Christian town; one-fourth of its modern population is Greek, and a Greek bishop still makes his home there. One of the chief modern industries is a liquorice factory; in the fields about the city the natives dig for the roots.

Note: United States just like Philadelphia is in essence The Christian Country of the world and the place of many who call themselves Christians. One-fourth of its modern population is Greek (Greek in our modern context might refers to foreigners) and indeed the global population of United States is 305,349,000; so ¼ of 305,349,000 = 76,337,250 (the population of foreigners in the US is actually about one-fourth; it is actually 26 % of the global population).

United States is associated with the Evangelic Movement.

LAODICEA

…A city of Asia Minor situated in the Lycos valley in the province of Phrygia, and the home of one of the Seven Churches of Rev (1:11). Distinguished from several other cities of that name by the appellation Ad Lycum…

Note: South Korea is indeed a top country leader in technology with leading companies like Samsung, LG and Daewoo. South Korea is distinguished by its own initial (KR Korea_7 letters) from North Korea (KP Korea_ 7 letters); compare with Ad Lycum (7 letters)

Little is known of the early history of Christianity there; Timothy, Mark and Epaphras (Col 1:7) seem to have been the first to introduce it.

Note: like Laodicea, little is known about the birth of Christianity in Korea.

Korea is associated with the Charismatic Movement.

In this matter of events we can identify those 7 Kingdoms (nations in this context) which are also Kings (religious institutions in this context):

1. Ephesus = England (kingdom) = Anglicans (Christian kings)
2. Smyrna = France (kingdom) = Presbyterians (Christian Kings)
3. Pergamos = Vatican (kingdom) = Catholics (Christian Kings)
4. Thyatira = Israel (kingdom) = Jews (Jewish Kings)
5. Sardis = Kuwait (Kingdom) = Muslims (Muslim Kings)
6. Philadelphia = USA (Kingdom) = Evangelists (Christian Kings)
7. Loadicea = Korea (Kingdom) = Charismatic Christians (Christian Kings)
   

CONCLUSION:

To conclude, let us first give glory to the Son Jesus Christ our Lord and most of all also to His own Father (LORD) for having hidden this mystery before our eyes only to be revealed in this time where the book of Revelation (and the Bible as a whole) is unsealed for a solely reason:

Ecclesiastes 1:9 The thing⁴¹⁰⁰ that hath been,^{7945, 1961} it¹⁹³¹ is that which shall be;^{7945, 1961} and that⁴¹⁰⁰ which is done^{7945, 6213} is that¹⁹³¹ which shall be done:^{7945, 6213} and there is no^{369, 3605} new²³¹⁹ thing under⁸⁴⁷⁸ the sun.⁸¹²¹

Hebrews 11:3 Through faith⁴¹⁰² we understand³⁵³⁹ that the^3588165 worlds⁵³¹⁶ were framed²⁶⁷⁵ by the word⁴⁴⁸⁷ of God,²³¹⁶ so that things which are seen⁹⁹¹ were not³³⁶¹ made¹⁰⁹⁶ of¹⁵³⁷ things which do appear.

Revelation 1:20 The³⁵⁸⁸ mystery³⁴⁶⁶ of the³⁵⁸⁸ seven²⁰³³ stars⁷⁹² which³⁷³⁹ thou sawest¹⁴⁹² in¹⁹⁰⁹ my³⁴⁵⁰ right hand,¹¹⁸⁸ and²⁵³² the³⁵⁸⁸ seven²⁰³³ golden⁵⁵⁵² candlesticks.³⁰⁸⁷ The³⁵⁸⁸ seven²⁰³³ stars⁷⁹² are¹⁵²⁶ the angels³² of the³⁵⁸⁸ seven²⁰³³ churches:¹⁵⁷⁷ and²⁵³² the³⁵⁸⁸ seven²⁰³³ candlesticks³⁰⁸⁷ which³⁷³⁹ thou sawest¹⁴⁹² are¹⁵²⁶ the seven²⁰³³ churches.¹⁵⁷⁷

P.S: You can find these applications in their proper context in the Book of Revelation. To find out, just click on the following link here.