The 7th King

Revelation 17:10
Post 199

(For this post, please read the footnote as you go. It will help with your understanding.)

“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.” Revelation 17:10

So who was the king of the 7th Gentile GDE?

Could this last part of the verse be identifying Mohammad himself as the “king” that founded the Islamic Caliphate? I don’t think so.
Mohammad lived from 569-632 which is 63 years (*1). That is not short enough to allow scripture to use the brevity as an identifier and in fact appears to be longer than the average man of his day.
But Isn’t Mohammad the great “king” or “power” of the 7th kingdom we now know to be the Islamic Caliphate? Many would assume so since he is the founder, and is believed to be the direct prophet of Allah very nearly deified. All the following rulers called Caliphs (*2), apparently are required to follow that which was set down by Mohammad and therefore are beneath the authority of Mohammad which is apparent by their required declaration of the faith: “There is no God but Allah and Mohammad is his messenger.”
This seems to present a conundrum in our verse of question.... until we come to the 12th Imam.
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Caliph, Imam, 12th, Mahdi:
Now while a Caliph is the Islamic political leader which unifies the many factions of Islam, an Imam (*3) is the name of any of many simultaneous Islamic religious leaders (*4).
But there is only one divinely guided Imam in every age, (Think of this one Imam as the Pope, and the others as priests, and the Caliph as President and the Caliphate like the union of the United States through the Federal government.)
According to Islam doctrine there are only 12 ages, thus 12 Pope-like Imams until the world rests in peace under the rule of the 12th (*5,6) (After of course the Muslims kill or subjugate all unbelievers, [but wait for a bit before you start screaming foul, I have a surprise for you later].)
There have been 11 such Imams already come and go, and the twelfth followed the eleventh as expected.... But then suddenly disappeared; arguably hidden away by Allah to reemerge at the proper time.

“According to Twelver Shi'ite doctrine, he is an actual historical personality and is the current Imam [though still hidden] and the promised Mahdi, a messianic figure who will return with Christ. He will reestablish the rightful governance of Islam and replete the earth with justice and peace.” - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Imams

I have heard more than one newscast of declarations by powerful men including the president of Iran, that the 12th Imam is now present and active. And I confess I have reason to believe that is plausible (*7), But what does this have to do with the second half of Revelation 17:10?
“…and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.”

Because the 12th Imam is expected to be of the lineage of Mohammad, father to son (or daughter?).
It is declared that the 12th Imam was a small boy named Muhammad ibn al-Hasan of the most direct line of Mohammad as the son of the 11th imam. But the boy disappeared (arguably into a well of Qom, Iran) at the age of five (*6) (this is important later).
The difficulty they face with the appearance of the 12th now, is the same problem we face expecting Jesus to fulfill the promise that king David would not lack a son to sit on the throne. But I digress.

Since the 12th Imam was the prophesied Messiah promised to bring peace to Islam and the world, This Imam has an unusual affinity with Allah as “the guided one” and therefore it must be concluded he is greater than Mohammad who did not bring peace. Whereas Mohammad (the first Adam?) began the Caliphate, it is Al-Mahdi (*9) (the second Adam?) that brings it to a fulfillment. It is this Imam who is the Al-Mahdi that is the ultimate long hoped for authority of the Caliphate Empire that continues to empower the Caliphate, though he disappeared at the age of five.
THIS 12th Imam was to be the greatest king of Revelation's 7th kingdom of the Islamic Caliphate, but he didn’t stay (continue) long; “and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.”
His early departure seemed to end all the hopes of Islam, and the Islamic empire broke up and eventually fell without seeing the promised end of peace under their promised Al-Mahdi (*8,9).
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What does it all mean to us?
All this research and doctrine of Islam shows us that the five year old 12th Imam was the king referenced in Revelation 17:10, the king of the 7th Gentile GDE; the Islamic Caliphate (*10).

But that one fell and is gone…. Right?
Well not quite (more in following posts).
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All that to say; The second half of Revelation 17:10 is speaking of the child Muhammad ibn al-Hasan as the 7th king that continued a short space… who will miraculously return as Al Mahdi in the next few verses of our scripture in discussion as the 8th!

But the complexities have just begun. There is still more involved regarding “the beast” that I will attempt to decipher in the following posts.
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I know this post is short, but there is alot of research here I urge you to read and digest. We will continue the thought in the next post, this is profound information when viewed by our prophecy and has great significance to our further study.
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(*1) Lifespan of Mohammad:
17 June 569 A.D - 632 A.D.
Total lifespan: 63 years +0 month+4days+6 hours or total 22330 days or total 535924 hours - http://informations-islam.blogspot.com/2010/09/muhammad-sallaho-alehy-wassalam.html

(*2) Caliph:
“When Muhammad died in 632, he left a political organization that was entirely centered around him. He was a political and military leader and he was the source of revelation. When political or social difficulties came up, not only would they center on Muhammad, but sometimes through revelation be mediated by Allah himself.
The central role of Muhammad left the growing Islamic polity with several difficulties. The first was the status of revelation itself—this became settled with the establishment of the definitive Qur'an . A more serious problem, though, involved the political and military succession to Muhammad. The only working model was an individual leader, but that leader had the authority of God behind him.
No-one seems to have thought very much about the succession to Muhammad before his death. No-one regarded Muhammad as divine or immortal, but no-one really considered what would happen after his death. The solution was cobbled together by the most powerful followers of Muhammad. There was disagreement—in fact, violent disagreement—between the Meccan followers of Muhammad who had emigrated with him in 622 (the Muhajirun, or "Emigrants") and the Medinans who had become followers (the Ansar, or "Helpers"). In the end, however, Muhammad's father-in-law, Abu Bakr, was named the khalifa or "Successor" of Muhammad. A new religion and a new circumstance had formed a new, untried political formation: the caliphate.” - Caliphate

“The Caliph (Turkish: Halife) is the head of State in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari’ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word Khalifah which means "successor" or "representative". Following Muhammad’s death in 632, the early leaders of the Muslim nation were called "Khalifat Rasul Allah", the political successors to the messenger of God (referring to Muhammad). Some academics prefer to transliterate the term as Khalfah.
Caliphs were often also referred to as Amir al-Mu’minin “Commander of the Faithful” Imam al-Ummah, Imam al-Mu’minn, or more colloquially, leader of the Muslims. After the first four caliphs (Abu Bakr, Umar ibn al-Khattab, Uthman ibn Affan, and Ali ibn Abi Talib), the title was claimed by the Umayyads, the Abbasids, the Fatimids, and the Ottomans, and at times, by competing dynasties in Spain, Northern Africa, and Egypt. Most historical Muslim governors were called Sultans or Emirs, and gave allegiance to a caliph, but this caliph at times had very little real authority. The title has been defunct since the Republic of Turkey abolished the Ottoman Caliphate in 1924, although some individuals and groups have called for its restoration. (Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca and King of Hejaz, claimed the title briefly in 1924, and the Imams of Yemen had been using the title for centuries and continued to use the title until 1962.)” - Caliph

(*3) Imam:
“Arabic Imam, (“leader,” “pattern”), the head of the Muslim community; the title is used in the Qur’an several times to refer to leaders and to Abraham. The origin and basis of the office of imam was conceived differently by various sections of the Muslim community, this difference providing part of the political and religious basis for the split into Sunnite and Shi’ite Islam. Among Sunnites, imam was synonymous with caliph (khalifah), designating the successor of Muhammad, who assumed his administrative and political, but not religious, functions.” - Imam

(*4) Twelve Imams:
“The Twelve Imams are the spiritual and political successors to Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, in the Twelver or Ithna-‘ashariyyah branch of Shiah Islam. According to the theology of Twelvers, the successor of Muhammad is an infallible human individual who not only rules over the community with justice, but also is able to keep and interpret the Divine Law and its esoteric meaning. The Prophet and Imams' words and deeds are a guide and model for the community to follow; as a result, they must be free from error and sin, and must be chosen by divine decree, or nass, through the Prophet. It is believed by Twelver Shi'a Muslims that the Twelve Imams were foretold in the Hadith of the Twelve Successors.
It is believed in Twelver and Ismaili Shi’ah Islam that ‘aql, divine wisdom, was the source of the souls of the Prophets and Imams and gave them esoteric knowledge called hikmah and that their sufferings were a means of divine grace to their devotees. Although the Imam was not the recipient of a divine revelation, he had a close relationship with God, through which God guides him, and the Imam in turn guides the people. The Imam was also guided by secret texts in his possession, such as al-Jafr and al-Jamia. Imamate, or belief in the divine guide is a fundamental belief in the Twelver and Ismaili Shi’i branches and is based on the concept that God would not leave humanity without access to divine guidance.
According to Twelvers, there is always an Imam of the Age, who is the divinely appointed authority on all matters of faith and law in the Muslim community. ‘Ali was the first Imam of this line, and in the Twelvers' view, the rightful successor to the Prophet of Islam, followed by male descendants of Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah Zahra. Each Imam was the son of the previous Imam, with the exception of Husayn ibn Ali, who was the brother of Hasan ibn Ali. The twelfth and final Imam is Muhammad al-Mahdi, who is believed by the Twelvers to be currently alive, and hidden until he retruns to bring justice to the world.” - the Twelve Imams

(*5) The 12th Imam of the past:
“The Mahdi in Shi’ite and Sunni (the two main sects of Islam) traditions are somewhat different as to the exact identity of al-Mahdi. The Shi'ites believe that al-Mahdi was the 12th Imam (leader) of the Shi'ite sect (the fourth Caliph, Ali, was considered the first Shi'ite Imam, followed by his sons Hasan, Hussein, and their descendents, etc). This 12th Imam, who was then a small boy, was said to have disappeared and went into occultation around 260 A.H. (874 A.D.). The Shi'ites believed that in the Last Days, he will reappear and rule the earth. In contrast, the Sunnis believe al-Mahdi to be someone to appear in the future, and do not necessarily have any special connection to the 12th Imam of the Shi'ites. Nevertheless, this is not important in our study, as our focus is on the Mahdi that is to appear and his characteristics and exploits. In this respect, there is essentially no difference in Sunni and Shi'ite versions of what he will be and what he will do.” - al-Mahdi

(*6) The 12th Imam of the past and future:
“Muhammad ibn al-Hasen al-Mahdi (born c. July 29, 869; 15 Sha’ban 255 AH) is believed by Twelver Shi’a Muslims to be the Mahdi, an ultimate savior of humankind and the final Imam of the Twelve Imams. Twelver Shi‘a believe that al-Mahdi was born in 869 and did not die but rather was hidden by God (this is referred to as the Occulation) and will later emerge with Isa (Jesus Christ) in order to fulfill their mission of bringing peace and justice to the world. He assumed the Imamate at 5 years of age. Some Shi‘ite schools do not consider ibn-al-Hasan to be the Mahdi, though the mainstream sect Twelvers do.” - Muhammad al-mahdi

“What your looking at in Tunisia, in Egypt, in Yemen, in Jordan, in Libya, in Bahrain, and soon, very soon in all the nations of the world, and even sooner to take place in America… is a sign that the great Mahdi that the Muslim world has been looking for is present in the world. That the Christ that you hoped for… God is stimulating the rise of the masses, and soon it will come to these shores, indeed it has already begun.”
- Lewis Farcon public speech before 18,000 people February 27, 2011 (transcribed from video of speech now scrubbed from the internet.)

(*7) Mahdi here now?
We are now hearing an ever growing number of clerics declaring that the Mahdi is now here (*7b). The fact that he is or is not, is not proven by the rise of Muslims around the world, or the many nations now falling, though these events lend to the plausibility that he is now here. My curiosity lies in another place, his first arrival;
“And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.” Revelation 12:3
This verse means nothing but strange metaphors until we learn the meaning of the previous two verses;
“And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars; and she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.” Revelation 12:1-2
We have long accepted that this passage somehow represented the birth of Jesus the messiah. But only recently was it discovered by using star charting programs, that this passage describes the positioning of the stars in heaven at the time of Jesus conception, (see Post 144 "Christmas Star 2" http://when-did-reason-die.blogspot.com/2011/01/christmas-star.html).
Therefore we can use the one wonder in heaven to project meaning to the other;
Satan’s man, the Islamic Messiah, the man who came as a child but was taken away before he could complete his great work, That man the Mahdi like our messiah Jesus the Christ was granted the same kind of sign which Jesus got.
Why?
Because since the beginning Lucifer has wanted to be like God;
“For thou hast said in thine heart, …I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” Isaiah 14:13-14
God then in fairness will grant Satan all the equal opportunity to try and be like God.
In Job we saw Satan complain to God for not giving him a fair try in bringing down Job;
“Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side?... But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power…” Job 1:10-12a
We see the nature of Satan is to whine about unfairness, and the nature of God to remove the obstacles in the assurance that Satan’s failure will be his own.
Satan is attempting to be like God, and he has his own version of a messiah in his Mahdi. He was granted an arrival and early departure, and a second arrival after many years, Just like Jesus. He is granted to do miracles and have prophecies, and any other comparable events he desires to ensure Jesus the Christ did not get some unfair advantage in his claim to be the King of mankind.
This is why I believe the Revelation 12:3 passage is prophesying a sign in the stars declaring the arrival of the Mahdi at his own conception back in about November 868AD [8/29/14 miscalculation corrected from 870AD] (nine months before his birth in late July 869AD, just as the stars of Revelation 12:1 declared the coming of God’s Messiah. - “The Star of Bethlehem” DVD by Rick Larson - a must have!
But we must remember; these stars of the prophesied sign came nine months before Jesus was born, and many years before his public work, and nobody was aware of them until now!
Therefore because of the timing of today’s events, I believe the signs declaring the arrival of the Mahdi have already come, but they too have been missed.
Having no star charting software I wait for someone to do the research and find the signs declared in Revelation 12:3 as I expect it to be a flaming red comet near the month of November 868, (yes I know this imagry describes a real event).

(*7b) “WASHINGTON - While most of the reporting and analysis of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech at the U.N. focused on what he had to say about the West and specifically the U.S., his chilling closing remarks were lost on most listeners - and apparently all reporters...
The last two paragraphs of his remarks revealed his steadfast and driving conviction, as previously reported in WND, that a messianic figure, known as the "Mahdi" to Muslims, is poised to reveal himself after an apocalyptic holocaust on Earth that leaves most of the world's population dead. (Iran leader's U.N. finale reveals apocalyptic view, World Net Daily, Sept 21, 2006)” - Islam’s coming world leader


(*8) Mahdi:
“In Shia and Sunni eschatology, the Mahdi (Arabic: ISO 233: mahdi / English: Guided One), also Mehdi ( English: One of the Moon) is the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will stay on Earth for seven, nine or nineteen years (according to various interpretations) before the Day of Judgment (yawm al-qiyamah / literally, the Day of Resurrection) and, alongside Jesus, will rid the world of wrongdoing, injustice and tyranny.
In Shia Islam, the belief in the Mahdi is a "powerful and central religious idea" and closely related to the Twelfth Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, whose return from occultation is deemed analogous with the coming of the Mahdi.
In Sunni traditions, there are several hadiths referring to the Mahdi.” - Mahdi

(*9) Al-Mahdi:
A bit confusing but the long awaited Al-Mahdi is the Islamic Messiah and not to be confused with the former Caliph also named Al-Mahdi 775-785 who followed Al-Mansure and preceding Al-Hadi; though my research has revealed confusing contradictions and factional variations; “Historically, there have been many Muslims who have claimed to be al-Mahdi.”
“Al-Mahdi is considered a Major Sign of the Qiyamah. This title means "the Guided One," i.e., he will be guided by Allah. It can also mean "the Gifted One," obviously in reference to the various gifts he will possess. There are many hadiths recording Muhammad's teachings about al-Mahdi. Many Muslims have also written about al-Mahdi and the accompanying signs of his coming. On the internet, one can find many articles related to his coming.
In essense, the hadiths speak of al-Mahdi as a character that is expected to appear in the Last Days, unite the Muslims and with the help of Isa (Muslim version of Jesus), conduct jihad (lit. struggle, more commonly, referring to warfare in Allah's cause) against the rest of the world. He is expected to be victorious and to usher in a new era of Islamic Caliphate. The Caliphate is the jurisdiction of the Caliph. Muslims expect this Islamic Caliphate to eventually cover the entire world as the entire world comes under Islam. He will rule for seven years, bringing in an era of "justice and equity". This is an age that many Muslims look fondly towards:” - wikipedia Al-Mahdi

(*10) Who is whacko?
We learned that the majority of Muslims are not as religiously whacked as the minority Shi’ite Twelvers who believe this guy will actually come back after hundreds of years, (as if that’s possible!) The majority are more realistically looking for their next leader whoever he turns out to be. But while we might be prone to mock them for their impossible beliefs, don’t we “serious” Christians believe the same thing of our Messiah? So the confusion continues to escalate!
Be very careful not to mock the faith you do not follow lest you find yourself mocking your own. The truth in reality will become evident in its own time, but until then we should use reason to address the issues for the purpose of challenging the perceptions of the earnest but misguided.
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[Hassane, Thank you for your comment, Please see my answer on Post 288 "A Reply" (http://when-did-reason-die.blogspot.com/2013/02/a-reply_1.html).]
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