And so we come to remaining three of the seven kingdoms explained by the angel. History reveals to us that when Alexander the Great died, his empire was split up into four separate kingdoms and one of those four kingdoms was called the Seleucid Empire, which succeeded the Grecian Empire in the year 312 BC and ended in the year 141 BC[1]. Babylon continued to be a central location of the Seleucid Empire, because history teaches us that Seleucus who was the first ruler of the empire named after him, established himself in Babylon in 312 BC, the year used as the foundation date of the Seleucid Empire. This empire had a relatively long lifespan of 171 years. It is important to note that the map of the Seleucid Empire shown below incorporates the geographic location of the city of Babylon. At the time that the angel explained the seven kingdoms to John, this was also one of the five which no longer existed. And so we see that the fifth of the seven kingdoms was the Seleucid Empire.
Map of the Seleucid Empire (312 BC – 141 BC)
History teaches us that the Parthian Empire succeeded the Seleucid Empire in the year 141 BC and ended in the year 224 AD[2]. The Parthian Empire also encompassed the city of Babylon. By that time however, the city of Babylon had begun to decline quite dramatically in stature, but nevertheless the city remained part of the empire. Similar to the Seleucid Empire before it, the Parthian Empire had a relatively long lifespan of 365 years. It is important to note that the map of the Parthian Empire shown below incorporates the geographic location of the city of Babylon. When the angel explained the seven kingdoms to John, this was the one which was in existence at that time, for John received his vision in the year 96 AD. And so we see that the sixth of the seven kingdoms was the Parthian Empire.
Map of the Parthian Empire (141 BC – 224 AD)
History teaches us that the Sasanian Empire succeeded the Parthian Empire in the year 224 AD and ended in the year 650 AD[3]. This was the last kingdom to reign over the city of Babylon. Under the Parthian Empire the city of Babylon had steadily fallen into ruin, and even though it experienced a brief revival under the Sasanian Empire, it never approached its former greatness. It is important to note that the map of the Sasanian Empire shown below incorporates the geographic location of the city of Babylon. Of the seven kingdoms mentioned by the angel, the Sasanian Empire had the longest lifespan, spanning 426 years. When the angel explained the seven kingdoms to John, this was the one which had not yet come into existence, for as I have already mentioned, John received his vision in the year 96 AD. And so we see that the seventh of the seven kingdoms was the Sasanian Empire.
Map of the Sasanian Empire (224 AD – 650 AD)
Michael E.B. Maher
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seleucid_Empire
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthian_Empire
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sasanian_Empire
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