Who are the kings who receive power for one hour in Revelation?

Caller: Pastor Doug, can you explain to me Revelation 17:12?

Pastor Doug: Revelation 17:12.

Caller: 17:12

Pastor Doug: Ok. I'd like to invite our callers, if you've got your Bibles, if you're driving in your truck, I'll read it for you: 'And the ten horns which you sawest are ten kings that have received no kingdom as yet, but received power as kings one hour with the beast.'

Now Revelation 17 - to jump right into this - I probably ought to give a little background: Revelation 17 begins by describing a woman sitting upon a scarlet-colored beast and the beast has got seven heads and ten horns. And later it tells us the seven heads, in the same chapter, are the seven mountains on which the woman sits.

This woman represents Babylon, the mother of harlots, false religion or apostate Christianity. Seven heads it says are seven mountains. It's a church that sits among seven hills. And then it says ten horns. These ten horns are the ten divisions of the Roman Empire that represent the nations of the world today. Just like in Daniel chapter 2, the last part of that, you've got the ten toes of the image -you've got the ten divisions of that Empire.

Then it said there in verse 12 again, '...the ten horns you saw are ten kings.' Now the word kings there means kings or kingdoms - we can get this from Daniel 7 - '...which have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive power as kings one hour with the beast.' Evidently, there's going to be a short time Dennis, near the end of time - and I think this is a prophecy that is speaking in a special way of the end of time - where this beast power is going to allow these different nations to have authority as long as they direct their people and the worship back to this religious institution that's going to be formed but it's temporary.

You read on then in Revelation 18 and it talks about the fall of Babylon and these other kings of the earth are bewailing and lamenting her destruction. So for a brief period of time just before the plagues are poured out, the divisions of the Roman Empire are going to once again direct their authority back to the beast.

We have a lesson Dennis that goes into this in great detail that will do a much more thorough job than I have time for on the program. Would you like us to send you that?

Caller: Sure. Not a problem. That'll be good.

Pastor Doug: All you've got to do is make a phone call. I can't do that for you. Call our resource number, there are operators that are waiting, it's 800-835-6747 and I think you want to ask for the lesson on - one we've called The Mark of the Beast. The other is called America in Prophecy. These are advanced study guides, very serious material. You tell them you're listening to Bible Answers Live/Amazing Facts and they'll send that to you.

Caller: Ok that'll be good. Now when this speaks of one hour with the beast, taking a day for a year in prophetic time -

Pastor Doug: ...that would be 15 days. By going by Jewish year, 360 days in the Jewish year, 1/24th of 360 is 15.

Caller: Fifteen, now is this 15 days, that goes back to 15, no that can't be - that would be actual days.

Pastor Doug: I think it might be actual days.

Caller: Yup so that's a short time. Ok that explains it. Thank you.

Pastor Doug: All right thank you very much.

Co-Host: Thanks for the call Dennis. Again that resource line number is 800-835-6747. For anyone who would like those lessons, call and tell them you're listening to Bible Answers Live. That's 800-835-6747.