Since I expect a major world-changing nuclear attack against the United States, I’ve given a lot of thought to what would follow. As with any scripted event – and that’s what the Apocalypse is – one of the first things to know is the cast of characters. In this coming production, I see a total of 144,014 named players, and I expect them to be revealed in the days, possibly months, following Day Zero. Here’s a profile of who I think will be the first on the stage, the conspirators symbolized in Revelation as ten horns on a beast.

I call them the Ten Conspirators. They are ten powerful businessmen who together direct the power of the United States economically and politically on a global level. Even though they are good at circumventing the will of the people, they despise the democratic power they hold. They probably see it as expensive and risky, since the fickle people won’t always vote the right way no matter how much they spend.

They probably have a deep sense of commitment to humanity, though most would consider their lofty ends justify the means mindset sinister. They don’t care. The people are dumb, and they will save them from their own self-destruction by stripping them of their democratic power and setting forth a new world order. These men know how to do big things, and tearing down the United States enough to effect a political coup while preserving it enough to recover its global dominance would be the biggest of things. Yet, that’s what they intend to do. And since God is on their side, albeit with completely different purposes and intents, they will do it.

When the time is right, a nuclear attack will devastate the United States, and probably effect a virtual decapitation of the federal government. It wouldn’t surprise me if other probably coastal cities get hit at the same time, especially New York. I’ve pondered a verse in Ezekiel that speaks of six angels being dispatched with their weapons of mass destruction and destroy and kill those who don’t distinguish themselves by speaking out against the sin around them. I honestly don’t know if that applies to the Day Zero of Revelation, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there’s six of something, perhaps targets, on that day.

Apparently, the ten conspirators will acquire official political power in the aftermath of the attack they will have orchestrated, though I doubt they’ll be seen as villains by most. Heroes is more likely. Some will recognized them as the ten would-be kings illustrated as uncrowned horns of the big red beast ruled by the woman called Babylon. When they rise to power, it will be as the ten crowned horns of a very different beast. Under them, it will no longer have a rider on its back, and it will bear the likeness of a dragon. The people will no longer be allowed to exercise their political power to screw things up. The devil will have free reign through his then-empowered minions, unchecked by even the small representation the people had given to the things of God before.

That covers ten of the 144,014 players, and the others will show up shortly thereafter.

I expect that it won’t be long before the 144,000 descendants of Israel (a.k.a. Jacob), the Elect, will be revealed. These will have their forehead marked by God’s angels (naturally visible or not, I don’t know) and be immune to radiation poisoning and probably a lot more. They will be targeted by the new government, but protected by God.

I figure the two witnesses will follow the model of Moses, Elijah, and John the Baptist and get in the face of government, beginning with, I expect, pointing the finger at the Ten Conspirators as the real culprits behind the attack on the U.S. If that doesn’t get any notice, the fact that anyone who tries to kill them will be miraculously killed will.

Lastly, to round out the cast of characters in this Apocalypse production, there are the so-called Antichrist and False Prophet.

The Antichrist or, biblically, the “son of perdition” and “man of sin,” will join the ranks of the Ten sometime after their big gambit. He will apparently oust three of them and ascend to leadership over the rest. He will be given total power for 42 months. I speculate this could be something like the remainder of a presidential term and coupled with a commitment to hold elections and restore regular constitutional order at the end of that term. That could be handled by a state-backed constitutional amendment.

Then there’s the Antichrist’s spiritual advisor (or something like that) called the False Prophet. He will no doubt be the leading voice against the Two Witnesses and the Elect and someone with a great deal of influence on the Antichrist and most other people. I wouldn’t be surprised if he spins a narrative that casts the two witnesses as the Antichrist and False Prophet, and possibly that he and the Antichrist are the two witnesses.

The stage is set, and every one of these roles have probably already been cast. We probably already know or know of those who will play the parts of the Antichrist, False Prophet, and Ten Conspirators. I know I have a few people in mind, but it doesn’t matter. We’ll know who they are when the curtain goes up. If we’re looking, that is.