I’ve Heard This Before

Back when I was a young believer, I read in the Bible about 10 leaders rising up to rule the world in the end times. It was based on two portions of Scripture, one in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament:

And as for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise; and another shall arise after them, and he shall be different from the former ones, and he shall subdue and put down three kings. (Dan 7:24, AMP)

Also the ten horns that you observed are ten rulers (kings) who have as yet received no royal dominion, but together they are to receive power and authority as rulers for a single hour, along with the beast. (Rev 17:12, AMPC)

My pastor preached about this and brought in prophecy teachers who also taught about it. And then there were the books on prophecy that I devoured page by page, authors like Hal Lindsey who brought it up over and over again. So, you see, I was intrigued by these 10 coming leaders and, along with others, wondered if they were in the world at the time. The first place we looked was the European Union (EU) at the time. It had 6 member countries, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, but then expanded to 9 on January 1, 1973, when it added Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. They were the logical choice to be what Bible prophecy mentions as they were numerically only one nation away. In 1981 Greece became the 10th member so then we thought for sure the Antichrist would come from one of these nations. That was until the EU added Spain, Portugal in 1986. Austria, Finland and Sweden were added in 1995 bringing the number to 15, but then it added even more countries with 10 in 2004 alone. By 2007 it burgeoned to 27 with three more countries considered. Basically, the EU fitting into Bible prophecy fell out of favor and for good reason. But is there a new theory out there?

You Betcha

Our good friend US President Donald Trump is creating a peace council in the Middle East. Some prophecy watchers have noted that a "Board of Peace" related to Trump's Middle East initiatives included ten international leaders from Arab and Western nations which of course is leading some to speculate that this group might mirror the ten-leader structure prophesied in Revelation. Of course, people who suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome or TDS then want us to see him as the Antichrist adding that he is brokering a peace deal with Israel. Such a covenant is seen in Daniel 9:27:

And he shall enter into a strong and firm covenant with the many for one week [seven years]. And in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and offering to cease [for the remaining three and one-half years]; and upon the wing or pinnacle of abominations [shall come] one who makes desolate, until the full determined end is poured out on the desolator. (AMPC)

To all that I suggest they slow their rolls and let things play out with the rest of the Bible. Anyway, I’ll entertain the notion that this 10 member council could be a foreshadow of what it yet to come and reference an article from Prophecy News Watch which does a good job of expanding on the notion:

History has a way of repeating itself--not always in identical form, but often in eerily familiar patterns. As reports emerge that President Donald Trump's administration is preparing to unveil a sweeping international "Board of Peace," Christians would be wise to pay close attention. Not with fear, not with sensationalism--but with discernment. The pieces now being placed on the global chessboard bear striking resemblance to patterns described long ago in the pages of Scripture.

They then give us more details on this group:

According to U.S. and regional officials, the Trump administration plans to announce the Board of Peace as early as next week, positioning it as a global body not only to guide postwar Gaza but eventually to assist in resolving conflicts worldwide. Confirmed participants reportedly include Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Germany--already a powerful and geographically diverse coalition. But perhaps most striking is the administration's consideration of filling remaining seats with the heads of major multinational institutions such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Economic Forum.

Kings Without Kingdoms

Now here is where the Bible and these leaders start to come into focus:

These institutions possess extraordinary influence but govern no land, command no armies, and answer to no electorate. These are leaders who do not wear crowns, yet their decisions shape economies, determine development paths, and exert leverage over sovereign governments. They are, in every meaningful sense, kings without kingdoms. This is where the Board of Peace could take on a distinctly new character. The presence of multinational institutional leaders would fundamentally transform the board from a gathering of national representatives into a technocratic ruling council. These figures do not negotiate treaties on behalf of citizens; they set conditions, control capital flows, and define the rules by which nations must operate to receive aid, investment, or legitimacy. Their inclusion signals a model of peace not rooted in reconciliation between peoples, but in compliance with global systems. Reconstruction funds, security cooperation, governance frameworks, and even leadership legitimacy could all be conditioned on adherence to standards defined by unelected global authorities. In this model, peace is no longer simply brokered--it is managed, enforced through economic incentives and institutional pressure.

If you need to see the connection, here it is:

For students of Scripture, the parallels are difficult to ignore. The Bible describes a future period in which authority is concentrated not solely in traditional kingdoms, but in a limited number of powerful figures who operate beyond national boundaries. Daniel speaks of rulers who arise suddenly, wield influence disproportionate to their origins, and play decisive roles in confirming agreements that directly impact Israel. Revelation later describes ten kings who rule briefly, not over historic empires, but through shared authority--leaders who ultimately "give their power" to one central figure.

The Blueprint Is There

Is this group what is mentioned in Bible prophecy? Probably not, but it shows us how this future group will work:

Again, this is not to claim fulfillment--but to recognize a familiar pattern. Power detached from geography. Authority divorced from accountability. Leaders who shape the fate of nations without ever standing for election.

And then this one is regional with the future one being global:

The immediate focus of the Board of Peace will be Gaza. The Trump administration has made clear it is committed to the return of Israel's remaining deceased hostage and to the disarmament of Hamas…The structure is unmistakable: layers of authority, none directly accountable to the people on the ground, all answerable to global stakeholders… It is a massive experiment--politically, militarily, and spiritually.

I’ll spare you the details of this phase of the Trump ceasefire, but I assure you it fits the prophetic model. And it shows us one possible way the Antichrist will rule the globe once he is on the scene:

What we are witnessing may not be the final picture--but it looks very much like pieces being laid out on the table. A peace guaranteed by outsiders. Power consolidated in elite hands. Decisions about Israel made far from Jerusalem. A world growing comfortable with governance by committee rather than covenant.

Putting The Pieces Together

As students of Bible prophecy, we know that so much of what is on the horizon if not all of it is out of our control. The information gleaned from its current and future fulfillment is meant to assure us that God is in control not worry about who is in control:

Scripture does not tell us to panic when global structures emerge. It tells us to watch. To understand the times. To recognize that the final system will look reasonable, humanitarian, and even noble at first. "For when they say, 'Peace and safety!' then sudden destruction comes upon them" (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

I’ve taught about this view of Bible prophecy before and it is still a good way to approach it:

For now, it is like a jigsaw puzzle--many pieces, no clear image yet. But Christians should not look away. The God who declared the end from the beginning has not been surprised by any of this. Our calling is not to speculate recklessly, but to remain anchored in truth, prayerful for Israel, and confident that even when the nations gather, the Lord still reigns.

In my video I also mention that the last day’s puzzle has one major difference from a standard puzzle and that is we have no picture of the completed picture to reference:

I think we need to see these prophecies more as a great puzzle with hundreds of pieces in a prophetic box. The pieces are all part of the picture, but only one piece at a time is being taken out and put on the table and at the time it is hard to see how it fits because, in this case, the box lid with the whole picture is unseen. If you’ve ever tried to put a jigsaw puzzle back together you know the whole process is infinitely more difficult if you can’t see the finished picture. I believe all of these prophets are being shown pieces of the big picture and it is up to us to let the Holy Spirit help us put the various common pieces together.

In that video from 2021 I referred to the modern prophets as well, but even the ones in the Bible fit this motif. I like how the article ends, though:

The stage may be forming--but the final word belongs to Him.

And that my friends is a good place for an Amen!