Who Are the 10 Kings in Daniel and Revelation?

And Where Do They Come From?

Some of the questions I’m most often asked involve the identity of the 10 kings mentioned in the Books of Daniel and Revelation. They’re not necessarily asking for the names or individual identities of the 10 kings, but rather more general aspects of their identities.

Are they tech oligarchs? Prime ministers? Actual kings? Will the world be divided into ten regions, and the 10 kings are U.N.-appointed regional governors? In all likelihood, the world won’t know until the events outlined in Daniel and Revelation play out in real time.

Nevertheless, we can speculate – as long as we realize that’s all it is, speculation. In this article, I’ll provide my thoughts on where these individuals will come from, what kind of people they will likely be (kings, prime ministers, regional governors, tech oligarchs, etc.), and how they will ultimately take power over the earth.

But know this, any speculations I make must be grounded in scripture. We need to first understand what the Bible clearly tells us. Because some things we don’t have to speculate about. We can know them for sure.

For example, one thing we know for sure is the 10 kings will part of a revived Roman Empire…

Revived Roman Empire

During the reign of King Belshazzar of Babylon, the prophet Daniel had a vision (Daniel 7:1). He saw four beasts – a lion with eagle’s wings, a bear, a four-headed leopard, and a terrifying beast with ten horns. At first, the vision confused Daniel. He didn’t know what to think. Then, an angel explained the vision. He said the four beasts represent four kingdoms (Daniel 7:17). We know from the benefit of hindsight these kingdoms were Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome.

Daniel paid particular attention to the fourth beast. He described it as different from all the others. Terrifying, it devoured and crushed its victims with iron teeth and bronze claws (Daniel 7:19). The angel told Daniel it will rule the earth (Daniel 7:23) and its ruler will change Israel’s sacred festivals during the second half of the Tribulation (Daniel 7:25). In the end, only the Second Coming of Jesus Christ Himself will put an end to this empire’s rule (Daniel 7:26-27).

History reveals this fourth beast was Rome. Only one problem. Rome didn’t devour the whole world. It only conquered part of it. Furthermore, the Second Coming didn’t put an end to the ancient Roman Empire. Was the Bible in error? No. Because the Roman Empire isn’t finished. It’s set to make a comeback in the end times.

The Bible tells us what this revived Roman Empire will look like. We don’t know every detail. But between Daniel and Revelation, we get a clear picture of what it will initially look like. It will be an empire:

1) Of 10 Kings or Ten Nations

The revived Roman Empire will be an alliance of ten nations/10 kings. In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the statue’s ten toes represent these ten nations (Daniel 2:41). We see the same alliance in both Daniel’s vision (Daniel 7:7) and John’s vision (Revelation 13:1). In those visions, horns represent the ten nations/10 kings instead of toes.

2) From Ancient Rome

These ten nations/10 kings will rise from the ashes of the ancient Roman Empire. The ruler of the revived Roman Empire (the Antichrist) will come from among the people whose armies destroyed the Temple (Daniel 9:26). History shows the Roman Empire destroyed the Temple in A.D. 70. In that year, the future emperor Titus led a Roman legion against Jerusalem. The Romans crushed all opposition and burned the Temple to the ground. So the leader of the revived Roman Empire will come from among the descendants of ancient Rome – those who live on the Italian peninsula today.

3) Composed of Weak and Strong Nations

The ten nations/10 kings that form the revived Roman Empire will be a mix of weak and strong nations (Daniel 2:42). When God revealed the meaning of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, he compared them to iron and clay. That means some of these nations will be large, and some will be small. Some will have large economies, and some will have small. Some will have powerful armed forces, and some will have weak. We don’t know the exact number of each type of nation. But we know the ten nation alliance will be a mix.

4) Formed from an Alliance

The purpose of these ten weak and strong nations coming together is clear. They’ll try to strengthen themselves through an alliance (Daniel 2:43). Apart, they’re just individual kingdoms. Together, they’re a world superpower. However, their path to strength will not be a smooth transition.

5) Volatile in Nature

The ten nation revived Roman Empire will be a volatile, unstable mix. In describing these nations, God said just as iron and clay don’t stick together, these nations will not hold together (Daniel 2:43). He also said the feet and toes of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue indicate the kingdoms will be divided (Daniel 2:41). This means the revived Roman Empire will be an unstable confederation of nations.

6) That Rules the Entire World

The revived Roman Empire will rule the whole world. Despite the friction between its weak and strong members, the ten nation alliance – and the 10 kings that lead it – will emerge as a global empire. It will consolidate power over itself, its neighbors, and the whole world. Exactly how this happens is unknown. The Bible mentions campaigns of diplomacy (Revelation 6:2), intrigue (Daniel 8:23), and war (Revelation 6:4). In all likelihood, it will be a combination of these. But regardless of how it comes to power, you can be sure it will. It will crush and devour every nation in the world (Daniel 7:23). It will rule over “every people, nation, tribe, and language” (Revelation 13:7). Its power will be so immense, no one will be able to buy or sell without its permission (Revelation 13:17). The people of the world will openly wonder who could possibly make war against it (Revelation 13:4), and it will be more powerful than any empire in human history.

7) One King Will Emerge

A king or ruler will lead each of the ten kingdoms in the ten nation alliance. But an eleventh king, who is not one of the ten, will emerge from them (Daniel 7:20). He’ll oppose three of the ten kings and take control for himself. When this happens, the volatile, ten nation alliance will become the greatest superpower the world has ever known. It will rule the entire world, and a single man will rule over it. In doing so, the Antichrist will be the most powerful dictator the world has ever known.

All the information above is fact. It’s what the Bible clearly tells us.

What follows are my speculations – just remember any speculation should fit within the parameters of what the Bible already tells us.

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Where Will the 10 Kings Come From?

My personal belief at the moment – and again, that’s all it is (a personal belief subject to change as new information comes to light) – is the 10 kings will come out of what is now known as the European Union.

Why do I think that?

Because the European Union currently fits all the aforementioned characteristics of the revived Roman Empire except one – we don’t see 10 kings or any sort of ten nation alliance present in the EU.

For many, this immediately disqualifies the EU as the revived Roman Empire. After all, the EU is currently composed of 27 nations, not ten. Therefore, it’s correct to conclude the EU in its present form is not the global empire foreseen in Daniel and Revelation.

However, this doesn’t mean it won’t become that empire. Most likely, the EU is an early stage of what will become the Antichrist’s global empire. Why do I say that? Again, the EU fits every one of the characteristics outlined above – with the exception of the 10 kings.

Today, the EU sits on the ashes of the ancient Roman Empire. Ancient Rome occupied nearly every part of the current EU member nations, including Italy – home to Rome itself.

Furthermore, the global empire Daniel described will be divided (Daniel 2:41). It will struggle to hold itself together, just as iron and clay struggle to hold themselves together (Daniel 2:43). Do we see this type of alliance when we look at the EU? Absolutely!

Since its inception, the EU has harbored an odd collection of politicians, governments, economies, currencies, and militaries. From the Schuman Declaration in 1950 to the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007, the rise of the EU has been marked by a struggle to agree on important issues, as well as seemingly trivial issues.

These include arguments over a single currency (the United Kingdom and Denmark opted out), disagreements over how to handle debt crises (the Greek bailouts), and disputes over open borders (the Syrian refugee crisis). Each step along the way, the EU struggled to survive.

Brexit is another example. Critics pointed to Brexit as evidence the EU is not the coming global empire. But the exact opposite is true. Brexit is a perfect example of the EU's struggle to stay together, "just as iron and clay don't hold together." Now, the EU’s dividing issue is how to deal with Russia. Arm Ukraine? To what extent? Ban Russian imports or pay for oil and gas in rubles? Issue conscription orders? Build an EU army? Yet again, EU member countries can’t agree on a unified policy. It’s just the latest example of the EU as a “divided alliance” (Daniel 2:41). It’s a union of weak and strong nations struggling to bond together (Daniel 2:43), and this is exactly how the Bible described the final world empire.

As I write this, the EU contains the world’s 3rd, 7th, and 8th largest economies (Germany, France, and Italy). The EU also contains the world’s 101st, 105th, and 119th largest economies (Estonia, Cyprus, and Malta).

When it comes to military spending, the EU contains the world’s 4th, 8th, and 12th largest militaries (Germany, France, and Italy). Yet, it also contains the world's 87th, 90th, and 126th largest militaries (Luxembourg, Cyprus, and Malta).

Alone, not a single EU nation is a world power. Together, they are the world's greatest economic power. Combined, their military spending is second only to the United States. And with military spending increasing throughout the EU in response to the perceived Russian threat and questions over the U.S. commitment to NATO, the EU could soon be number one in military spending.

Don’t doubt it – the EU is a superpower. It’s a major player on the world stage already. It's a revived Roman Empire made up of weak and strong nations. And this is precisely what the Bible says will exist just before Jesus returns.

Who Will the 10 Kings Be?

Traditionally, those who study bible prophecy have viewed the 10 kings as heads of state – whether actual kings, presidents, or prime ministers. But in recent times, people have begun to question this interpretation as we see new centers of global power emerge.

Tech Oligarchs?

For example, many people have begun to wonder if the 10 kings aren’t heads of state at all, but CEOs of powerful Silicon Valley technology companies (tech oligarchs). After all, companies like Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet (Google), Meta (Facebook), and Tesla have a global footprint, billions of dollars in annual profits, and unprecedented insight into the lives of individuals all over the globe.

We could write dozens of articles shining light on the data mining and surveillance capabilities of the Big Tech companies. They have access to an endless array of customer information. When fed into algorithms, this information can help them anticipate what you’re most likely to buy next. But those same algorithms can also be used to anticipate a wide range of customer behavior, even to the point of determining a person’s mood, health status, and current thoughts.

As I wrote in my 2019 article, "Alexa, Stop Listening!":

“Many people have long foreseen the rise of an intrusive government surveillance state. What many failed to foresee is the willingness of so many people to aid in their own surveillance. Of their own free will, people are placing eavesdropping devices in their own homes, sometimes in their own bedrooms – allowing corporations, governments, and hackers to record their everyday conversations. And this willingness to give up personal privacy isn’t limited to Amazon devices.

The latest doorbells record everyone who comes and goes from your house. Depending on their placement, they’re capable of recording everyone who comes and goes from every house in the entire neighborhood. On Facebook, people upload personal pictures, location data, lists of friends, and large amounts of other personal information. They might do it to share it with their friends, but corporations, governments, and hackers can see it as well. Even if you avoid Facebook, Alexa, Siri, and other such services and devices, you’ll find it hard to escape their watchful eye. Other people can upload pictures of you to Facebook. And even if they don’t tag or identify you, Facebook often will. Through its facial recognition technology, it automatically tags people. And even if you don’t have Alexa in your home, if you’re in someone else’s home or within earshot of an Alexa device, you’re at risk of being listened to and recorded. Do you trust all this personal and private information in the hands of a large corporation? Maybe you do. But what about your government? And what about foreign governments who will find it more than easy to hack into these home devices?

As technology advances, these devices will become smaller, cheaper, and far more powerful. Cameras and microphones will become ubiquitous. And ever powerful forms of AI will search those camera and audio feeds for patterns. A government in control of such a system will know everything you do and say.”

As the world’s corporations further develop these technologies, they set the table for a totalitarian global government. However, I believe that’s all these corporations are doing – simply setting the stage for the arrival of the 10 kings and the Antichrist. They’re putting the infrastructure in place for a global empire, rather than positioning themselves to oversee one.

Why do I think that? Because as powerful as some of these tech oligarchs are, their wealth and power pales in comparison to the police power of the state. Don’t take my word for it. Just ask Pavel Durov.

Who is Pavel Durov? He's the founder and CEO of Telegram, and he was only recently "allowed" to leave France - months after he was detained at a French airport and slapped with a number of criminal charges, involving his complicity "in facilitating organized fraud, illegal transactions, and the sharing of CSAM (child sexual abuse material) on the messaging and social platform." His real crime? He refused to give the EU backdoor access to Telegram so they could intercept Russian communications.

Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of Tesla and a host of other companies, seems to wield immense power in Washington, DC as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). But keep in mind, he serves at the pleasure of President Trump – who could take away Musk’s political power at any time.

Meanwhile, Musk is engaged in a constant struggle with the European Union regarding X (formerly Twitter) and its compliance with the Digital Services Act (DSA). The EU claims X is in violation of DSA, putting users at risk. The EU is expected to announce major penalties against X in the near future. The real crime? Musk refuses to give the EU the ability to censor the free speech of its citizens.

So who has the real power? The tech oligarchs or the state? I believe the answer is clear. Nation states have the police power to take what they want, and that includes the empires of the tech oligarchs. Therefore, I believe it’s more likely the 10 kings are heads of state, rather than tech oligarchs.

Regional Governors?

For decades, globalists have dreamed up plans which involve dividing the world into different regions. Some of those plans include ten specific regions, and this has led to speculation the 10 kings might be the appointed rulers of those ten regions – birthed as the result of a globalist plan to bring all the world’s nations under a single governmental authority.

However, I think this too is unlikely. First of all, while many people in the western world have embraced globalism, and some even view themselves as “global citizens,” much of the world still operates under a nationalistic, nation-state model. I don’t see nations such as Russia and China willingly ceding their sovereignty to a global authority without a fight.

Second, the Bible tells us there will be a fight. Revelation 6 involves a global war, and the global empire we read about in Daniel and Revelation appears in the aftermath of that war (Revelation 13:7). This seems to imply the world is not under a global government before that war takes place. Otherwise, who would the global government wage war on?

While it’s possible the war in Revelation 6 is the result of an internal struggle among the 10 kings (we know from Daniel 7:8 the Antichrist subdues 3 of the 10 kings), it’s unlikely we’ll see the war in Revelation 6 until the doctrine of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) becomes obsolete. And that will only occur following the development of molecular manufacturing. What is molecular manufacturing?

It’s one of the most powerful technologies ever devised, and unless it’s developed after a global empire already exists, its development will result in a global empire…

How Will the 10 Kings Take Power Over the Earth?

Imagine for a moment you have the ability to move and "stack" atoms the same way you can move and stack a set of blocks. You pick up an atom, and you move it from here to there. In very simple terms, that’s the promise of molecular manufacturing. And while it’s not quite that simple, the idea humanity will one day control the basic building blocks of nature on a mass scale is very real.

In fact, Ralph Merkle calls molecular manufacturing:

“The physical underpinning for the singularity.”

Molecular manufacturing will give unprecedented power to the individual or group which controls it.

And once humanity can build things with atomic precision, from the bottom up, rather than the top down, everything changes. Such a technology will radically alter the current world order. It will come with several unavoidable consequences. One of them is the ability to conquer the globe.

In 2017, Vladimir Putin pointed this out while addressing a group of college students. Referring specifically to artificial intelligence (but also the other advanced technologies it will help facilitate), he said:

“Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere will become the ruler of the world.”

According to Vladimir Putin, the leader in artificial intelligence will conquer the world. What he doesn’t state, but implies, is the end of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD). If MAD continues to reign, ruling the world through military conquest becomes impossible.

But Putin says with certainty a global empire is coming. He says one nation (or group of nations) will rule the world. He knows it. And other world leaders know it. This wasn’t an offhand remark.

It was a public admission of an ongoing race. It’s a race among world governments – not tech oligarchs. It’s a race to develop not just AI, but molecular manufacturing. In this race, there’s no silver medal. The second place nations get nothing. The first place nation gets the whole world.

Is it possible the 10 kings are ten heads of state who combine their efforts to launch a modern day Manhattan project – one dedicated to developing molecular manufacturing? If so, once successful, those 10 kings have no choice but to seize their first mover advantage and conquer the globe. The alternative – allowing a competing power to emerge – risks an inherently unstable arms race which will ultimately end in the annihilation of humanity. So whether for good or bad, whoever develops molecular manufacturing will use it to establish a global empire.

My Conclusion

While I’m not dogmatic about it, I believe the 10 kings in Daniel and Revelation are most likely ten heads of state. These 10 kings will emerge from within the current EU nation states or from some as-yet-to-be-created realignment of the EU. The development of molecular manufacturing will give them not only the ability, but the obligation, to conquer the world and establish a global empire. They will then give their power to the Antichrist – some willingly, some unwillingly – resulting in the global end times empire we read about in the Bible.

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