Chapter 33 Seven Heads Students of prophecy have proposed several interpretations for the 7 heads of the beast of Rev 17, and thus the dragon of Rev 12 and the leopard beast of Rev 13 as well: Rev 17:9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. 10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. This is the second part of Revelation that elaborates on understanding an aspect of prophecy requiring wisdom. The other is the end of Rev 13. Students of prophecy have grappled with this riddle, and some have suggested that the 7 heads represent the 7 major powers that have persecuted God’s people. I was taught this at an Adventist College when I was a student, which is the following: The 7 persecuting nations were the four kingdoms of Dan 2, followed by the little horn, and those five preceded by two other nations: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and finally Papal Rome. The focus of this verse is on Rome when John wrote the Revelation. Papal Rome, the last of the seven, had not yet come but had to rule a short while still. The problem here is that Papal Rome dominated for 1260 years, longer than any of the other persecuting powers, so the short time does not make sense. For this reason another explanation needs to be found. Another interpretation that is proposed by some scholars is that the 7 kings are 7 Roman Emperors, starting with Julius Caesar. I am not elaborating on that interpretation since it is not held by many and makes the Roman Empire the beast of Rev 17. It will be hard to make the rest of Rev 17 make sense with that view. Revelation makes the most sense when contemporary interpretations are found for most of it with the exception of the first six of the seven churches. Let us find a contemporary interpretation for Rev 17’s beast and its 7 heads. Catholicism went into exile as it were when General Berthier of Napoleon took the Pope captive in 1798. Catholicism lost its political domination. They chose a successor to the pope, but that pope and those that took his place were the respective spiritual heads of a broken power. They were “mountains” (places of worship) but not kings (political leaders). Then in 1929 at the Lateran Treaty, the 108 acres of property in the heart of Rome was returned to the Papacy. The Papacy was again an independent state, and received back political power, be it very small. It was not a part of Italy anymore. The pope was again a king and a mountain. We begin counting popes from the one in power in 1929: • Pius XI – February 6, 1922 to February 10, 1939: Born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti in Italy, Pius XI was the first pontiff to become sovereign of the Vatican City State, which was created as an independent state in February 1929. He also despised Prime Minister Benito Mussolini, and the feeling was mutual. • Pius XII – March 2, 1939 to October 9, 1958: Born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli in Italy, he was the second pontiff to use the radio, delivering almost 200 broadcast speeches in different languages to promote peace and decry violence. • John XXIII – October 28, 1958 to June 3, 1963: Born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli in Italy, he is best known for convening the Second Vatican Council. • Paul VI – June 21, 1963 to August 6, 1978: Born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini in Italy, Paul VI notably continued the Second Vatican Council, implementing its numerous reforms before closing it in 1965. In 1970, he was the first Pope to visit Australia. • John Paul I – August 26, 1978 to September 28, 1978: Born Albino Luciani in Italy, John Paul I’s reign is among the shortest in papal history. He died aged 65 only 33 days after being named pope, ushering in the first year of the three popes since 1605. • John Paul II – October 16, 1978 to April 2, 2005: Born Karol Józef Wojtyła in Poland, John Paul II was the first non-Italian pope in 455 years. • Benedict XVI – April 19, 2005 to February 28, 2013: Born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger in Germany, Benedict XVI’s papacy came to an end with a resignation due to health issues. He died aged 95 on December 31, 2022. If these are the 7 kings and mountains that Rev 17 is referring to, what is the significance of the sixth pope John Paul II who is the focus of verse 10. Let us look at the life of John Paul II and the impact he had on the church, and the world: He was the longest reigning pope in the 20th century, and the third longest ever (the apostle Peter being the longest ever). He popularised Catholicism, visiting 129 countries. He modernised many of the doctrines of the church yet remained conservative. His ecumenical drive expanded the church’s influence in Eastern Orthodox churches, Judaism and Islam, as well as in Africa and Latin America. He stood up against communism and was in office when the Cold War ended. He was also against consumerism. He is considered by many as the most significant pope in history. The seven heads of the dragon and the leopard beast also represent the first 7 popes since Vatican I in 1929. We will consider another possible reason why John Paul II is the focus in Rev 17:10 in the next chapter. We certainly live in exciting times as we live through the fulfilment of prophecies.