Conclusion of Executing Babylon The Great

Rome's Eastern Empire, centered at Constantinople, endured in a somewhat uneasy relationship with the Western Empire. In the sixth century, Eastern emperor Justinian I was able to reconquer much of North Africa, and he also intervened in Spain and Italy. In the seventh century, Justinian II recovered for the Empire areas of Macedonia that had been conquered by Slavic tribesmen. By the eighth century, however, much of the former territory of ancient Rome in North Africa, Spain and Syria had come under the new empire of Islam and thus passed from the control of both Constantinople and Rome.

The city of Constantinople itself endured somewhat longer. It survived frequent attacks from Persians, Arabs, Bulgars and Russians until 1203 it finally fell-not to Muslims but to Crusaders from the West. In 1453, though, it came under the power of the Muslim Ottoman ruler Mehmed II and soon became capital of the Ottoman, or Turkish, Empire. Thus, although the city of Rome fell in 410 C.E., it took many more centuries for all traces of the political Roman Empire to pass from the world scene. And even then, its influence was still discernible in relgious empires based on the papacy of Rome and the Easter Orthodox churches.

By the 15th century, however, some countries were building brand-new empires. While some of these new imperial powers were found in the territory of former colonies of Rome, their empires were not mere continuations of the Roman Empire. Portugal, Spain, France and Holland all became seats of far-flung domains. But the most successful was Britain, which came to preside over a huge empire on which 'the sun never set.' This empire spread at different times over much of North America, Africa, India and Southeast Asia, as well as the expanse of the South Pacific.

By the 19th century, some of the colonies in North America had already broken away from Britain to form the independent United States of America. Politically, some conflict between the new nation and the former motherland continued. Nevertheless, the first world war forced both countries to recognize their common interests and cemented a special relationship between them. Thus, a kind of dual world power came to exist, made up of the United States of America, now the world's wealthiest nation, and Great Britain, seat of the world's largest empire. Here, then, is the seventh 'head,' or world power, that continues into the time of the end and in the territories of which the modern-day witnesses of Jehovah first got established. Compared with the long reign of the sixth head, the seventh remains only "a short while," God until God's Kingdom destroys all national entities.

Next time: Why Called An Eight King?