By Timothy Kitchen Jr

The Vatican Covenant, the Coming Beast Power, and the Prophecies of Daniel

Updated October 22, 2026

An Agreement Made in 2000 — And a Prophecy Yet to Be Fulfilled

In the year 2000, the Vatican and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) signed an agreement that deserves serious attention in light of what God revealed through the prophecies of Daniel, Jesus Christ, and the book of Revelation.

On February 15, 2000, the Holy See and the PLO signed the Basic Agreement between the Holy See and the Palestine Liberation Organization.

This was not merely a declaration of friendship. It established legal protections for the Catholic Church in Palestinian territory and addressed its future religious, educational, charitable, cultural, economic, and institutional activities.

The agreement followed the establishment of official relations between the Vatican and the PLO on October 26, 1994.

Notice Article 7:

Full effect will be given in Palestinian Law to the legal personality of the Catholic Church and of the canonical legal persons.

Article 5 recognized the Catholic Church’s freedom to exercise its religious and institutional functions.

Article 6 recognized its rights in economic, legal, and fiscal matters.

But there is something else.

The preamble called for a special statute for Jerusalem that would be internationally guaranteed.

Think about that!

An agreement between the Vatican and the Palestinian leadership concerning the Catholic Church’s position in a future Palestinian state, together with an internationally guaranteed arrangement for Jerusalem.

Who would guarantee such an arrangement?

Who would enforce it?

And what authority would stand behind those guarantees?

These questions become especially significant when we examine what God revealed concerning the coming Beast power.

The original agreement can be read here:

The Vatican — Basic Agreement, February 15, 2000

The Agreement Was Expanded in 2015

The agreement did not end in 2000.

On June 26, 2015, the Vatican and the State of Palestine signed a further Comprehensive Agreement.

This agreement expanded upon the earlier arrangement and addressed the Catholic Church’s legal position, institutional rights, and religious activities in Palestinian territory.

It contained 32 articles.

And on January 2, 2016, the Vatican announced that the agreement had entered into force.

Notice the progression.

In 1994, official relations were established.

In 2000, the Vatican secured a Basic Agreement with the PLO.

In 2015, it signed a Comprehensive Agreement with the State of Palestine.

In 2016, that agreement entered into force.

The Catholic Church’s legal position was being formally established through successive diplomatic arrangements.

And in June 2025, Vatican News commemorated the tenth anniversary of the Holy See’s recognition of the State of Palestine, again drawing attention to the importance of the 2015 agreement.

This is an ongoing diplomatic relationship, not an isolated agreement forgotten in the past.

Now consider Daniel 9:27.

Daniel 9:27 — He Shall Confirm the Covenant

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

— Daniel 9:27, KJV

Notice carefully.

HE SHALL CONFIRM THE COVENANT WITH MANY.

The prophecy speaks of confirming a covenant.

The Hebrew word translated confirm carries the sense of making strong or prevailing.

Now consider what has already happened.

An agreement was established in 2000.

It was followed by a more comprehensive agreement in 2015.

The agreements addressed the legal position of the Catholic Church in Palestinian territory, while the Vatican continued advocating international arrangements concerning Jerusalem.

Could this existing diplomatic framework become part of the covenant that the coming Beast power confirms?

That is the prophetic connection being examined.

The Vatican has already entered into agreements with the Palestinian leadership.

The question is whether a future European power will confirm and enforce a wider covenant concerning Palestine, Jerusalem, and the religious institutions located there.

And notice what follows in Daniel’s prophecy.

The sacrifice and oblation cease.

Desolation follows.

The prophecy moves beyond diplomacy into events involving the sanctuary and the exercise of power.

Daniel 11 tells us that armies will be involved.

Herbert W. Armstrong Warned That Rome Would Enter Jerusalem

Long before these Vatican–Palestinian agreements were signed, Herbert W. Armstrong and the Worldwide Church of God were warning about the final revival of the Roman Empire.

In The Middle East in Prophecy, Armstrong identified the final King of the North with a revived Roman Empire.

Concerning Daniel 11:45, he taught that the coming Roman Empire would establish its political and religious headquarters at Jerusalem.

He also connected the destruction of that power with Revelation 19:19–20 and the return of Jesus Christ.

This was not a prophecy Armstrong developed after the Vatican–PLO agreement.

It was being taught decades earlier.

In the January 1951 issue of The Plain Truth, Armstrong likewise connected the final Beast power, the false prophet, and the movement of a revived Roman system into Palestine.

The Church taught that the final revival of the Roman Empire would unite political and religious authority and that Jerusalem would become central to its final activities.

Now, more than seventy years after those early warnings, we have documented agreements between the Vatican and Palestinian authorities concerning the future of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land.

This makes the connection with Daniel worthy of careful attention.

Daniel 11:41–45 — The Beast Enters the Glorious Land

Daniel 11:41–45 declares:

41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.

42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.

43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.

44 But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.

45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.

Notice the movement.

The King of the North enters the glorious land.

He extends his authority over surrounding nations.

Egypt does not escape.

He gains control over wealth and resources.

Then he establishes his presence near the glorious holy mountain.

This is the coming Beast power entering the Holy Land.

But under what circumstances will that happen?

The nations of this world continually seek political solutions to the conflicts surrounding Israel, Palestine, and Jerusalem.

A future international agreement may be presented as a means of establishing peace and guaranteeing religious rights.

Could the Beast power enter under the authority of such an arrangement?

Could a European military force arrive to enforce an international agreement and establish itself as the governing authority?

This is where the Vatican agreements become significant.

They already provide a documented legal relationship between the Catholic Church and Palestinian authorities.

They also demonstrate the Vatican’s interest in internationally guaranteed arrangements concerning Jerusalem.

The prophecy describes the eventual arrival of a military power.

What begins as an international guarantee could become the occasion for the military intervention described in Daniel.

Daniel 11:31 — Armies Acting on His Behalf

And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.

— Daniel 11:31, KJV

Notice that armies act on his behalf.

The ruler does not personally carry out every action.

Military forces stand with him and act for him.

Now compare Daniel 9:26:

…and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

Notice again.

It is THE PEOPLE OF THE PRINCE who carry out the destruction.

The prophecy distinguishes the prince from the people acting on his behalf.

This is important when examining the relationship between political rulers, religious authorities, and military forces.

The Beast system described in Revelation involves more than one individual.

It is a political and religious system exercising authority over nations.

And Daniel shows armies carrying out its purposes.

Could an international military presence initially introduced to establish peace become the force that occupies Jerusalem?

The prophecy directs our attention to what that power ultimately does.

It pollutes the sanctuary.

It removes the daily sacrifice.

It places the abomination that makes desolate.

And it exercises authority over the Holy Land.

Luke 21:24 — Jerusalem Trodden Down by the Gentiles

Jesus Christ warned:

And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

— Luke 21:24, KJV

Christ describes Jerusalem under Gentile domination.

This is not merely a question of diplomatic recognition.

It concerns authority over the city.

Who will control Jerusalem?

Who will exercise military authority?

Who will govern its religious institutions and holy places?

The Vatican’s 2000 agreement specifically called for an internationally guaranteed special statute for Jerusalem.

The proposed guarantees included religious freedom, protection of holy places, and recognition of the city’s religious character.

Now consider the prophetic possibility.

If an international authority is eventually established over Jerusalem, and if a revived European power becomes the military force enforcing that authority, the circumstances could resemble those described in Daniel 11 and Luke 21.

The issue is not simply the establishment of a Palestinian state.

It is the authority that may eventually be established over Jerusalem through the international arrangements surrounding that state.

The Roman Empire Did Not Disappear From Prophecy

Herbert W. Armstrong taught that the Roman Empire would experience successive revivals.

The ancient empire did not cease to be significant in prophecy when its western political structure collapsed.

Daniel 2 describes successive world-ruling kingdoms, ending with a final divided system represented by the feet and toes of the great image.

Revelation 17 describes a Beast with ten horns and a woman riding upon it.

Armstrong connected these prophecies with a final revival of the Roman Empire involving ten rulers and a powerful religious system.

In The Middle East in Prophecy, he connected the final King of the North with that revival.

The historical Roman Empire influenced the religious and political development of Europe and the Mediterranean for centuries.

Its eastern continuation survived long after the western imperial structure fell.

The later development of European political and religious institutions provides important historical background for the prophetic framework taught by the Worldwide Church of God.

The Palestinian national movement also developed amid European imperial involvement in the Middle East.

The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the PLO each have histories involving political and religious struggles in the region.

For the final Roman revival, as taught by Armstrong, is not merely a matter of ancient history.

It is a future political and religious power.

And Daniel says that power will enter the glorious land.

Daniel 11:32–39 — Religious Deception and the Falling Away

Daniel continues:

32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.

33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.

34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.

35 And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.

36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.

37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.

38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.

39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.

Notice how these verses connect political power, religious authority, deception, and persecution.

Those who do wickedly against the covenant are corrupted through flatteries.

Those who know their God remain strong.

Those who understand instruct many.

And some suffer persecution and fall.

The prophecy concerns the condition of God’s people as well as the activities of the nations.

Now consider Paul’s warning.

2 Thessalonians 2 — The Man of Sin and the Falling Away

3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

— 2 Thessalonians 2:3–4, KJV

Paul speaks of a falling away.

Daniel describes those who are corrupted by flatteries and those who fall during a time of trial.

Both passages direct attention to spiritual deception.

The final Beast power will not merely possess armies.

It will be accompanied by religious authority and deception.

The Worldwide Church of God taught that the final Roman revival would involve a powerful religious system influencing political authority.

This is why the Church must watch more than military movements.

It must also watch religious developments.

A political authority may claim to establish peace.

A religious authority may claim to promote unity.

But the final question is whether the resulting system demands obedience contrary to the commandments of God.

For God’s people, obedience to God must come first.

Daniel 11:38–39 — The God of Forces and the Division of Land

Daniel 11:38 states:

But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.

The prophecy describes a ruler honoring military strength and a religious power.

Notice also the mention of gold, silver, and precious things.

God declares in Haggai 2:8:

The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.

The wealth and resources of this earth ultimately belong to God.

Yet the kingdoms of this world use wealth and power to establish their own authority.

Then Daniel 11:39 declares:

Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.

Notice the final expression.

HE SHALL DIVIDE THE LAND FOR GAIN.

Territory is involved.

Political authority is involved.

Military power is involved.

And religious authority is involved.

Now consider the political question surrounding Palestine and Jerusalem.

The establishment of a Palestinian state involves questions of borders, sovereignty, territory, and international recognition.

The Vatican’s 2015 agreement formed part of its diplomatic relationship with the State of Palestine, while the Holy See continued to advocate a negotiated two-state solution.

Could a future settlement involving the division or administration of land become part of the political circumstances surrounding the final Beast power?

The connection deserves attention because Daniel specifically describes a ruler dividing land while exercising extraordinary political and military authority.

Revelation 13 — The Mark of the Beast Will Be Enforced

Revelation 13:16–17 declares:

And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Herbert W. Armstrong taught that the mark of the Beast concerns enforced religious authority contrary to the commandments of God, particularly the Sabbath commandment.

The final Beast system will possess the power to compel compliance.

This is the distinction between religious influence and enforced religious authority.

The Vatican has already established diplomatic and legal relationships with Palestinian authorities.

Those agreements recognize Catholic institutions and their activities.

The prophetic question is whether a future Beast power could eventually use a broader political settlement in the Holy Land as part of its system of enforced authority.

The 2000 agreement does not itself establish the mark of the Beast.

Rather, it provides one documented development to examine as we watch the future relationship between religious institutions, international political authority, and Jerusalem.

Revelation describes the final outcome of a system that uses political and economic power to enforce religious allegiance.

And God’s people are warned not to worship the Beast or receive its mark.

Revelation 12 — The Woman, the Wilderness, and the Flood

Revelation 12:14–16 states:

14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

The Worldwide Church of God taught that the woman represents God’s Church.

She is given a place of protection.

She is nourished for a time, times, and half a time.

And the serpent sends a flood after her.

Now compare Daniel 9:26:

…and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

Both passages use the imagery of a flood.

Daniel describes destruction associated with the coming prince.

Revelation describes the serpent attempting to destroy the woman.

Could these descriptions concern related events in the final period of persecution?

The prophetic connection is especially significant when considered alongside the armies described in Daniel 11.

The Beast power will possess military strength.

God’s Church will face persecution.

Yet Revelation 12 also shows that God provides protection.

The serpent does not possess unlimited power.

God intervenes on behalf of the woman.

The Church must therefore keep its attention upon God rather than placing its trust in political powers.

The Palestinian State and the Coming International Authority

Consider the developments together.

The Vatican established official relations with the PLO in 1994.

It signed the Basic Agreement in 2000.

It signed the Comprehensive Agreement with the State of Palestine in 2015.

That agreement entered into force in 2016.

The Vatican has continued to support Palestinian statehood and international arrangements concerning Jerusalem.

These are documented developments.

At the same time, Herbert W. Armstrong and the Worldwide Church of God taught that the final revival of the Roman Empire would enter the Middle East and establish its political and religious presence in Jerusalem.

The question is how those developments might eventually converge.

Could the creation and international protection of a Palestinian state provide the political circumstances for the arrival of a European military power?

Could that power enter as an international guarantor of peace?

Could it confirm an existing covenant or a broader agreement incorporating earlier arrangements?

Could it then establish the authority described in Daniel 11?

This is the prophetic interpretation being examined.

The central issue is not the ethnicity or religion of the Palestinian population. It is the possible role of a future international political and religious system exercising authority over the Holy Land.

Daniel identifies the coming ruler by his actions.

He enters the glorious land.

He exercises military authority.

He becomes involved in the removal of sacrifice and the establishment of desolation.

And he ultimately comes to his end.

The Church Must Watch — But Also Hold Fast

Jesus Christ instructed His disciples:

Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

— Luke 21:36, KJV

The Worldwide Church of God taught the importance of watching world events in light of Bible prophecy.

But watching was never intended to replace spiritual preparation.

The Church must remain faithful to God.

The Church must hold fast to the truth it has received.

And the Church must not be deceived by the political or religious systems of this world.

Jesus Christ told Philadelphia:

Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell on the earth.

— Revelation 3:10, KJV

The woman of Revelation 12 is given protection.

The people who know their God in Daniel 11 remain strong.

And Christ promises to preserve those who faithfully keep His Word.

The prophecy is therefore not merely about the coming Beast power.

It is also about the faithfulness of God’s people.

Conclusion — Watch Jerusalem, the Covenant, and the Beast Power

The Vatican–PLO agreement of February 15, 2000, is real.

The Comprehensive Agreement between the Vatican and the State of Palestine in 2015 is real.

The Vatican’s continuing diplomatic interest in Palestinian statehood, Jerusalem, and the protection of Catholic institutions is documented.

And decades before these agreements, Herbert W. Armstrong and the Worldwide Church of God were warning about a final revival of the Roman Empire entering the Holy Land.

The prophetic possibility is that these agreements, or a future international settlement incorporating them, could become part of the covenant arrangement confirmed by the coming Beast power.

Daniel describes the covenant.

Daniel describes the armies.

Daniel describes the King of the North entering the glorious land.

Jesus Christ describes Jerusalem under Gentile domination.

Paul describes the falling away and the man of sin.

Revelation describes the Beast, enforced religious allegiance, and the persecution of God’s Church.

And Revelation also describes God’s protection of His people.

These prophecies must be examined together.

The world may seek peace through international agreements and political authority.

But lasting peace will not come through the kingdoms of this world.

It will come through Jesus Christ.

Daniel 11:45 declares concerning the final ruler:

…yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.

The Beast power will not endure.

The Kingdom of God will.

And Jesus Christ gives this instruction to Philadelphia:

Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

— Revelation 3:11, KJV

WATCH JERUSALEM.

WATCH THE COVENANT.

WATCH THE COMING BEAST POWER.

AND ABOVE ALL, HOLD FAST TO GOD!

Historical Documents and Worldwide Church of God Sources

The article presents a prophetic interpretation grounded in the cited Worldwide Church of God teachings. The historical agreements are documented events; their proposed identification with the covenant of Daniel 9:27 remains an interpretation.

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THE WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD

The Palestinian State: A Catholic Invasion of the Holy Land