13. Who is the eighth who will restore the beast status to the Roman Catholic Church anew?

To answer this question we need first to note the origin of the eighth: “The beast that thou sawest was [the Catholic Church was once a beast until 1798] and is not [during her wilderness experience], and shall ascend [after the fall of Benedict XVI, the eighth will restore her beast status] out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition.” Revelation 17:8.

From this verse we can conclude the following:

1. Only one more king will come after Benedict XVI, and he will be the eighth. And this king will restore the beast status to the Roman Catholic Church – for during his reign persecution of God's people will resume again, just as it was in the Middle Ages.
2. That the eighth king will ascend from the "bottomless pit", and in due course will "go into perdition."

14. What is the bottomless pit from which the eighth will ascend?

Once again, we go only to the Bible to answer this valid question. The Greek word translated ‘bottomless pit’ is abussos which has the English counterpart, ‘an abyss’. The following verses will unfold what is the abussos.

“...a certain man, which had devils long time…30 And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. 31 And they besought Him that He would not command them to go out into the deep (abussos)… 33 Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine...” Luke 8:27, 30, 31, 33.

From the above Bible passage we learn that the Greek abussos (in the Bible translated ‘deep’ or ‘bottomless pit’) is a certain location (not known to man) where some of the fallen evil angels are confined. Not all the evil angels are permitted to leave the abussos, which is not a very pleasant place to be in, even for the evil angels. One can imagine the pandemonium and the constant jostling that goes on at the abussos among the rebellious evil angels. The legion of devils, who were tormenting a certain man in the above story, dreaded that Christ would command them to go to the abussos. And they begged Him not to command them to go to the deep (abussos). They find much happiness in tormenting people and animals than to be in the company of others of their kind.

To summarize, the bottomless pit is a certain location that serves as a confined habitation for some of the evil angels (devils).

15. This does not make sense! How can the eighth come from the abussos? How can the eighth be a devil?

What we have been learning thus far will make more sense when we focus on the following verse: "And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition." Revelation 17:11. God is clarifying that the eighth is really one of the seven kings. Combining this important key with the fact that the eighth will be an evil angel (devil) from the bottomless pit, we can begin to comprehend what will soon sway the whole world into unprecedented capitulation.

The eighth will be a devil from the abussos impersonating one of the 7 kings. When the eighth will appear on the scene, he will rapidly spearhead the coming of the Roman Catholic Church out of her wilderness experience into a full-fledged beast.

It is not difficult at all to visualize this prophesied dramatic transformation of the Roman Catholic Church (out of her wilderness status and into a full beast status) once we identify the king (out of the seven) who will be impersonated by a devil who ascends from the bottomless pit.

16. Which of the seven popes will be impersonated by a devil from the abussos?

From the study of Revelation 13 & 17, we can conclude only one who constitutes the best personality for achieving Satan's end-time agenda: it is John Paul II the Great. Below are the reasons:

1. Out of the seven kings, he is the only one that fulfills the prophesied statement: “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” Revelation 13:3. John Paul II is the only king of the seven who experienced a deadly wound in 1981, when he was nearly assassinated. Thereafter, the whole world, as prophesied, wondered after him.
2. Remember the divine hint: "five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come." Revelation 17:10. When Apostle John was taken in a vision to the future, he was taken to the time of the reign of the sixth king (John Paul II).

   

3. Now the most important reason: Which of the 7 kings is most known, loved and respected in today's generation? If Satan would want to lead the world into imposing universal laws for exalting his false Sabbath (Sunday), who would be the most effective personality other than John Paul II? Who would be more effective than him who called on Christians to "ensure that civil legislation respects their duty to keep Sunday holy…refraining from work and activities which are incompatible with the sanctification of the Lord's Day." [Apostolic Letter, Des Domini of John Paul II, dated May 31, 1998]? Again, no one is better suited for carrying the agenda of Satan than John Paul II. Hence, impersonating him makes the most sense for Satan, who is intent on deceiving the whole world.

17. How will a devil impersonate John Paul II?

"And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." 2 Corinthians 11:14. God has not shed light through His written Word as to how the impersonation will take place. Nonetheless, Apostle Paul has warned us that the coming back of the beast in the last days will be "after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness" 2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10. The elements which Satan will use to deceive the whole world and hold it captive to his instrument, the Roman Catholic Church, are: (1) all power, (2) signs, (3) lying wonders, and (4) all deceivableness.

The impersonation of John Paul II by a devil will be followed by other impersonations of known personalities climaxing with the impersonation of Jesus Christ by Satan. He will make it appear to the whole world that God is distinctly honoring and blessing the Roman Catholic Church with unprecedented divine manifestations and miracles. Satan will make it appear that heaven has favored earth when it brought "back to life" the world's most beloved personality, and that he has come back with a divine agenda which should become the primary occupation of world leaders. And it certainly will become. Click here for Bible teaching on State of the Dead.