From Many Nations To Few Nations
Currently (2006) the world is divided into many 'kingdoms' (large nations or groups of nations) as well as smaller independent nations. Some of these nations make weak alliances with one another; then, when they disagree on various points, they act separately. There are over 190 nations in the world today.
Over the course of time, in the future, the number of separate nations will diminish. It will diminish partly by one nation being added to another, partly by smaller nations joining together to form larger 'kingdoms,' and partly by one nation conquering another in war.
Consolidation of smaller nations with a larger nation, or with groups of nations, will occur due to a number of pressures. Economic pressures will make it increasingly difficult for a smaller nation to prosper without being part of a larger group. There is a danger that weapons of mass destruction may fall into the hands of one leader or another of various small nations; this will put pressure on larger nations to in turn pressure these smaller nations into consolidation. Groups of nations will have advantages in economics and in defense against war. Independent nations will no longer be able to stand alone.
Eventually, there will be only ten kingdoms in the entire world: ten groups of nations, with each kingdom led by one leader. But this situation does not occur until about the early 2300's.
From Holiness to Sinfulness
From the end of the great Catholic monarch's reign to the start of the time of the ten kings there will pass approximately two hundred years. During that time, the world will gradually become more and more sinful.
After the end of the great monarch's reign, the increase in sinfulness will be very apparent to devout and faithful Catholics. But still the world will be much holier than it was before the tribulation began (i.e. more holy than it is now in the first years of the 21st century).
As the generations pass, the world become more and more sinful. People become more and more attached to comforts and conveniences and entertaining distractions. The news and entertainment media play a part in leading people into selfishness. Crimes will increase as time passes, and eventually wars and other conflicts will resume.
Russia will fall back into its former sinful ways and do much harm conquering other nations. This will occur about the 22nd century (2100's A.D.). Still the world will pass into even greater sinfulness as even more time passes. Then, about the 23rd century (2200's A.D.) the areas of Africa (except for the northern part) and India and China and one other area in the East will unite economically and politically, so that four leaders will cooperate closely together. They will have much influence over the world economically and politically. Their military power will come from air power and technological advancements. At that time the world will be even more sinful.
The Church will retain more of its holiness than ever before, even as the world falls back into sinfulness. However, many who call themselves Christian will again be influenced by the world so as to fall into the sinfulness of the world. The Church will continue to grow in holiness, but some of its members will fall away to serious sin.
By the time that the world will have been consolidated into only ten kingdoms, about the late 23rd or early 24th century (the late 2200's or early 2300's A.D.), the world will have become more sinful than it had ever been before in the history of the human race. Then the devout members of the Church will be holier than ever before, but a large portion of those who call themselves Christian will be very sinful. Some will sin openly and without shame; others will have very grave secret sins. A significant percentage of the Bishop and priests and other leaders of the Church will be sinful and unfaithful. Yet amid this spiritual hardship, the holiness of those who are true to Christ will shine more than ever before in the history of the Church.
The Political Structure of the Ten Kingdoms
Even though the ten leaders are called 'kings,' few if any of them will be kings in the sense of having the inherited position of a monarch. Some will be elected leaders, such as a president, but with more power than such a position would hold today. Others will be dictators who will have obtained power by any means. Each of the ten kingdoms will have its political, military, and law enforcement power based on a centralized government, with one strong leader above all the other leaders. There will be little governmental decision-making at the local level. And though these kingdoms will have incorporated many smaller nations into them, those smaller nations will have lost most of their local power.
The kingdom of the North will be something of an exception to this rule. Power there will be shared at many levels of government. There will be one leader above them all, but he will depend on the support of other leaders to a much greater extent than in other kingdoms. That is why Scripture tells us that the Antichrist will, at first, be a little horn:
[Daniel]
{7:7} After this, I watched in the vision of the night, and behold, a fourth beast, terrible yet wondrous, and exceedingly strong; it had great iron teeth, eating yet crushing, and trampling down the remainder with his feet, but it was unlike the other beasts, which I had seen before it, and it had ten horns.
{7:8} I considered the horns, and behold, another little horn rose out of the midst of them....
The fourth beast is the kingdom of the ten kings. Although these ten are very much ten separate kingdoms, they are viewed by Scripture as if they are one kingdom, because they all are very sinful and hostile to true religion. They are ten separate kingdoms, sometimes having conflicts between one another, but they all act very much in the same manner.
The political relationships between the ten kingdoms will be strained. Scripture describes the ten kingdoms as one kingdom with ten horns, because each separate kingdom will behave in the same sinful manner and because they will have close (but distrusting) relations with one another. The situation is comparable to a group of ten criminals, who must cooperate with one another in order to gain power and money; yet they never trust one another and are not united as true brothers.
Religion in the Ten Kingdoms
Some of the ten kingdoms will, by that time, have outlawed religion or will have devised a set of laws such that practicing any religion faithfully will be very difficult. At that time in the world, there will be only three major religions: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Islam will be the most widespread of the three, because they will have accommodated their beliefs to modern society more than the other two. Since Islam lacks the dependable anchors of Tradition, Scripture, and Magisterium, they will more easily drift with the changing tides of the times. Judaism will be a distant second in terms of the number of practicing Jews at that time, but they will be somewhat influential (perhaps more so with non-practicing Jews) in the kingdom of the North. Therefore, it is said about the Antichrist:
[Daniel]
{11:23} And, after making friends, he will trick him, and he will go up and will overcome with a small people.
The small people is the Jews. They will support the Antichrist, at first, for the sake of political power. Later, they will be fooled, for a time, into thinking that he is the Messiah. Finally, in the end, they will convert and believe in Jesus the true Christ.
Christianity, during the time of the ten kings, will be a distant third among the three religions still practiced in the world. (Hinduism, Buddhism, and other religions will have all but disappeared during the reign of the great monarch.) In some kingdoms Christianity will be an outlawed or virtually outlawed religion. In other kingdoms, although worship will be permitted, Christians will be oppressed and ridiculed by society, and they will be greatly disadvantaged by the laws. It will be very difficult to be a practicing Christian at that time. And in that time, Christianity will be the same as Catholicism.
The preeminent religion in the kingdom of the ten kings will be that of irreligion: selfishness, hedonism, technology, money, power, sex, and every kind of self-indulgence will be like a religion to most of the world's inhabitants. The secular and impious people of the world, along with their various groups and organizations (from news and entertainment companies to political and social groups) will ridicule and openly despise religion and belief in God.
The kingdom of the South, which includes the Holy Land, will be no exception to the rule that most people will be impious and will be contemptuous of religious belief and practice. However, Islam, Judaism, and even Christianity will be legal and will have the protection of the laws. Now many unwise and sinful laws will still make it difficult for individuals to be true Christians, but Christianity will be permitted and protected (to some degree) by law. There will be more true believing and practicing Muslims, Jews, and Christians in the kingdom of the South than anywhere else. And they will tend to support one another's freedom of worship. Christians will be in the minority, but the more numerous Muslims and Jews will give them some help to be able to worship God.
At that time, the kingdom of the South will represent the last bastion of security for the Christian faith. The city of Jerusalem will be the center of worship in the Catholic Church. The city of Rome will still be the center of authority in the Catholic Church, but the kingdom of the North will be much more hostile to Christianity than the South. The North will permit Christians to worship, but their laws and customs will make the true practice of the Faith very difficult.
Most persons in the world will not believe in God at all. In the present day (2006), most people believe in God, even though they might not go to church, or do much to act upon that belief. At that time, most people will not believe in God at all. Some will have various odd belief systems, in which they change at a whim what they believe from one day to the next; they will be less constant in these invented beliefs than even the pagans of Old Testament times. Not only will they believe every manner of false doctrine, but they will not adhere to even their own incorrect ideas for even a brief time. They will be like leaves blown around by the wind, going from one false doctrine to the next for the slightest reason.
Although the vast majority of people at that time will lack belief in any true religion, they will tend to be very superstitious. Some will examine Judaism, Christianity, and Islam with the intent of finding support for their own superstitious beliefs. For Scripture says:
[1 Maccabees]
{3:48} And they laid open the books of the law, in which the Gentiles searched for the likeness of their idols.
In this way, some copies of the Scriptures will be preserved, which would otherwise have been destroyed. It is a strange contradiction that the people of that time will hate true religion and reject true beliefs, yet use some of the books of religion to support their own irreligious ideas.
Economics, Laws, and Customs
The economies of the ten kingdoms will be unjust. The government will tax the people heavily. Where religious groups are permitted, they will be taxed heavily. Wealthy individuals, groups, and companies will be very wealthy, and the poor will be oppressed. The poor will have access to some modern technologies, but other modern technologies will be within their view and out of their reach. And they will not have power or much disposable income.
The use and exchange of money will be closely monitored by the governments of the world. Cash will not be in general use. The use of a cashless system will permit the governments to control and to tax the people more easily. Also, it will prevent those who oppose the unjust acts of these governments from effectively acting against the governments (in even a peaceful manner), because they will be unable to buy or sell anything without the government being able to track it.
The laws of each of the ten kingdoms will be very unjust. Many sinful acts will be permitted and protected by law, including sexual sins, abortion, contraception, artificial procreation, and various kinds of unjust acts against one's neighbor. In the kingdom of the South, there will also be very sinful laws, but there will remain some legal protections for those who practice Islam, Judaism, and Christianity.
Daily life for the average person in any of the ten kingdoms will be closely tied to the use of technology, even for the poor. Technology will have conquered the world, even in rural areas. This over-dependence on technology will be one way that the governments will control the people and maintain their power. The need for expensive items of modern technology will be one force driving economic and social life.
Sinful activities will be a part of daily life for the average person living in the time of the ten kings. Society, in its laws and customs, will not distinguish between good and evil. The governments will enforce law based on the threat of severe punishment, not on the basis that the laws are just and are salutary for the people. Immodesty and sexual sins will be so common as to go unnoticed within daily life. People will treat one another the way that the government treats them: seeking power over one another and treating one another abusively, whenever it is permitted by law. Law abiding citizens will be very sinful, because what is outlawed and what is wrong will be almost unrelated.
“And because iniquity has abounded, the charity of many will grow cold. (Mt 24:12).
People will have friends and family, but their will be little love among them. The concept of family will be all but destroyed by modern society. People will share living space out of necessity or out of personal interest, not out of love for family or true friendship. Most marriages will be very unholy, selfish alliances, without honesty or true affection. Without God, who is Love, love among men and women and children will fade and die.
Children will become more and more like adults, acting like adults from a younger and younger age. And when they act like adults, it will not be those few adults who are still good examples of humanity. They will become very sinful at a younger and younger age. Society will treat children almost the same as it treats adults.
Science and Technology
In the present day, people have access to technology and to the ideas of scientists (for better or worse). But as governments become more sinful and more desirous of power and more willing to act unjustly to gain and keep power, they will understand that technology is one means to power. Governments will watch over the research and development efforts of universities and companies, and will take away from them any insights or technology, or the fruits thereof, which the government might be able to use for its military or its law enforcement or for information about the activities of its citizens. Governments will also maintain their own very extensive research and development facilities, and their discoveries will not be made public. Devices based on their discoveries will be kept secret.
Thus, over the course of generations, governments will develop and use technological resources unavailable and unknown to the general public. This technological development will also be fueled by competition among the ten kingdoms. Each kingdom will want to dominate another kingdom, because the economic and military benefits of gaining control over even one kingdom will be great. So the various kingdoms will strive to exceed one another in the development of new technologies that can be used for warfare, law enforcement, spying, etc. And each government will keep secret from the public and from the other governments the fruits of this research.
Later, the Antichrist will obtain these secrets and the technology that has been developed; this is part of the meaning of the saying that the Antichrist will obtain the hidden treasures of the world. Thus, he will obtain not only financial resources, but resources of technology and information, including military technology. However, one particular military technology, an effective weapon against the defenses of ships, will elude him; this will be used against him in the middle of his reign: “And the Greek warships and the Romans will come upon him, and he will be pierced, and will retreat....” (Dan 11:30). This weapon can pierce his defenses, yet it will remain hidden from him until the time of Daniel 11:30, when it is used against him.
The News and Entertainment Media
Entertainment in various forms of media (presented using various types of advanced technology during that future time) will be very sinful. They will not even acknowledge any true difference between good and evil, between wrong and right. Yet at the same time they will promote all kinds of ideas, accepting every kind of sin as if it were good or right. The few faithful souls on earth will have to avoid most forms of entertainment, in order to avoid being influenced toward sin.
The news media, in the time of the ten kings, will be strictly limited by the various governments. Yet at the same time, they will be free to commit various sinful errors, as much as they choose and in the manner that they choose. But the governments will not permit the new media to have political influence or an independent voice on matters of state. This control over the media will be seen as necessary for political stability.
The news media during that future time will not be trustworthy on any subject. They will distort and exaggerate; they will omit truths and add in lies. They will not be concerned at all about truth or justice, but only about entertainment and self-aggrandizement and ratings and money. They will be particularly contemptuous, in an unveiled and unrestrained manner, toward Catholic Christianity.
Truth
There will be so much dishonesty in that future society, that one will not be able to trust the claims made by governments, the news media, or text books, or other forms of media.
Most individuals will be very dishonest, lying whenever it suits their purpose, to friends and family just as much as to enemies and competitors. They will be so practiced at lying that even a close friend will not be able to discern a true statement from a false one. Even many members of the Church and many of its leaders will have this thorough dishonesty.
War and False Peace
It has often been said that a false peace will precede the Return of Christ. During the time of the ten kings, there will be a false peace in the world. The false peace is an external peace, achieved by unjust use of law enforcement, unjust courts, unjust laws, the deprivation of most freedoms and rights, excessive force, intrusive government powers, and unjust treaties between nations. There will be little crime, but those accused of crimes will have few rights and will quickly be overwhelmed by unjust law enforcement and unjust courts. People will have traded their rights and freedoms for security.
Many serious sins will be permitted by law. So the reduction in crime occurs partly by making some serious offenses legal. It occurs by severities in law, law enforcement, and judicial action. And it also occurs by keeping the people occupied with self-indulgences and sinful entertainment, as well as with sufficient basic necessities ('bread and circuses').
The time of false peace is not completely without war. But most wars will be avoided in the following ways. Larger nations and groups of nations will have compelled smaller nations (by military force and economic pressures) to join with them and to submit to their authority. Thus, there will be only ten kingdoms in the world. Since the smaller nations that have been absorbed into these kingdoms do not have control of government or military resources, they cannot go to war. And the kingdoms themselves avoid war by making unjust agreements, such as agreeing to subdue any smaller groups (or even fairly large groups) which protest against the actions or policies of any of the other kingdoms.
Despite the term 'false peace,' there will be recurring brief but intense wars, only between the kingdoms of the North and the South, during this time period (the 2300's). The kingdom of the North (Europe) and the kingdom of the South (northern Africa, Israel, Middle East) will be at war, off and on, for several generations. Each war will be brief and intense. Sometimes one side will win, and sometimes the other side will win, but neither will be able to maintain control over the other for long. See Daniel 11:6-20.
The other kingdoms will avoid direct involvement in these conflicts; they will not want to upset the stability of the status quo. However, when either defeats the other, they will work to restore the independence of the one that has been defeated. It is in their best interest, economically and politically, to keep any two kingdoms from being united as one, for that would produce a kingdom that might dominate or conquer them. But war between the kingdoms of the North and South will still occur (despite pressures toward stability), because, since the time of the division of the great monarch's kingdom into four parts, the Southern most part will have been at odds with the North over issues of religion, morality, economics, and politics. This longstanding conflict carries over even into the time of the ten kings and the false peace.
As a result of these constant brief and intense wars, the kingdoms of the North and of the South will have developed the two most powerful militaries in the world, and they will have the most advanced military technology for communication, for information, for spying, for offense, and for defense. The eventual uniting of these two kingdoms under the Antichrist (in the early 2400's) will result in the most powerful kingdom in the world, worrying the other eight kingdoms.
The next two most powerful kingdoms of the ten are the kingdom of Africa (excepting the northern part) and of the East (based in China). During the 2200's, prior to the development of the ten kingdoms, there will be a kingdom consisting of Africa (except the northern part), India, China, and one other area, united by close agreement but retaining one leader for each of the four areas, which will dominate the world militarily and economically. So, during the time of the kingdom of the ten kings, the areas of Africa (except for the northern part) and China will have the next most powerful militaries, after those of the North and South. When the Antichrist finally arrives in the early 2400's, after taking control of the North, and then the South, he will obtain these two other kingdoms, so that he will then have control of the four most powerful kingdoms of the ten.
Church leaders
The 23rd chapter of Matthew's Gospel is, to a great extent, about the 2300's in the Church. The Scribes and the Pharisees are many of the theologians, priests, and Bishops of that time. Very many Church leaders will go astray during that time. Some will go astray by committing serious sins in secret; but in public they will say the right words, so as to appear as if faithful to Christ. Others will begin to undermine the teaching of the Church, the example of the Saints, and the wisdom of the faithful throughout the history of the Church. Beware of wolves in sheep's clothing, especially during that time! The Shepherd does not require the sheep to be obedient to wolves.
Now despite the many Church leaders who will have gone astray during that time, there will always be some holy Bishops and priests, and some holy members of the faithful, who have not gone astray. Also, the true teachings of infallible Sacred Tradition and infallible Sacred Scripture and the infallible Sacred Magisterium will not be lost. But beware of those leaders who will claim that the Church teaches otherwise than what it does teach. For many will be led astray.
There will still be some holy Church leaders during that difficult time for the Church; these will be very holy, but very much outnumbered by the unfaithful leaders combined with the mediocre leaders (ones who are lukewarm in the faith and are more administrators than Apostles).
The Saints and the First Fruits
During the time of the ten kings, the world will be extraordinarily sinful, and there will be much sin among the members and leaders of the Church. For, until the Return of Christ, there will always be some Judas' and some wolves in sheep's clothing, and some insincere Christians. However, in every age there are also persons who truly believe and practice the Catholic faith with sincerity and intelligence and holiness. Then, as the Church continues on its pilgrim journey through Time, the faithful will increase in holiness. So even during that time when the world will be more sinful than it ever has been before, the faithful will be holier than ever before.
And among the faithful, during the time of the ten kings, as the time draws near for the Return of Jesus Christ, there shall be some faithful persons in the Church on earth who are so holy that they equal the holiness of John the Baptist. These are the first fruits described in the Book of Revelation. They will be chaste and pure virgins; none of them will ever marry (unless it is a celibate marriage). They will have original sin, but they will never commit even the slightest personal sin throughout their entire lives. Their understanding of the faith will be more profound than the Saints, Fathers, and Doctors of the Church. They will be sure guideposts for their fellow Catholic Christians on earth during that dark time.
How amazing it is that these, the holiest of the followers of Christ, after Mary, grow up in the darkest time in human history! I have no idea how these persons, the first fruits, become so holy while living in such a sinful world. It is a mystery of God's Grace and Providence.
The first fruits are called by the number 144,000 (Revelation 14). Thus there will be thousands of first fruits (the exact number is unknown, but it is not literally 144,000). They will have the seal of God on their foreheads (Rev 14:1), but these are not the same persons, nor is it the same time period as those who receive the seal during the first part of the tribulation (Rev 7:3) in the 2030's. The seal of God is given as a mark of faithfulness to God, along with blessings of grace and providence needed during the tribulation; that is why it is given twice, once during the latter portion of the first part of the tribulation, and again during the latter portion of the kingdom of the ten kings, for the second part of the tribulation.
Also, there are some differences between the seal given during the first part of the tribulation, and the seal given during the reign of the ten kings and the second part of the tribulation. The first seal is given even to those with personal sin, as long as they are truly faithful to Christ. The second seal is given only to the first fruits, who are entirely without any personal sin (but have original sin). The first seal consists of a visible sign on the forehead, and invisible interior grace from God, and the protection of God's Providence. The second seal will be visible on some persons at some times, but it may also be hidden at times (for holy persons must sometimes hide their holiness from an evil world), but it will include an even greater level of grace and providence from God, because those who receive it live in even more difficult times and are even holier. (The Antichrist puts his mark on the foreheads of his followers in perverse imitation of the first fruits, who have the mark of God on their foreheads.)
In addition to the first fruits, there will also be very many Saints during that time. These are not entirely without personal sin, but they have the holiness of the Saints found within the Church in every age.
Which Groups of Nations?
All the nations of the world will be divided into ten kingdoms only. But which nations will be grouped together? I can only give a rough outline of this division, based partly on Scripture and partly on
The ten kingdoms, in my limited understanding, will be more or less the following:
1. The North - part of Europe (northern part of great monarch's kingdom)
2. The South - actually the northern Africa and Middle East (which used to be the southernmost part of the great monarch's kingdom; also called “the strength” in the Book of Daniel, because it will be the last bastion of Christianity and because it will include the holy land)
3. The West - North America (the United States, Canada, Mexico, and a few small nations)
4. The East - based in China (represented under the figure of a leopard in the Book of Daniel)
5. The Meridian - most of Africa, but not including the northern part of Africa
6. The Bear - Russia and associated nations (represented under the figure of a bear in the Book of Daniel)
7. India and associated nations
8. South America
9. The Islands - Australia and nearby island nations
10. unknown
Conclusion
The kingdom of the ten kings must occur before the Antichrist can arrive and take power, for his kingdom is built from their kingdom. Both the kingdom of the ten kings and the subsequent kingdom of the Antichrist are predicted by Sacred Scripture and so they cannot fail to occur. It is all the sinfulness of the world that brings about these sinful kingdoms, yet God will bring good out of this evil, through His grace and providence, by preparing a holy people within His Church to preach and to convert the world, before and after the Return of Christ.
by Ronald L. Conte Jr.
July 25, 2006
