Footnote

a The political scene today is quite different from that of John’s day. Very few member nations of the UN even existed back then. Hence, it is true to say that they had “not yet received a kingdom.” There are a few exceptions, such as Egypt. But even in these lands, the power structure has changed so much over the centuries that the angel’s comment is still true: The governments now in power had “not yet received a kingdom” in John’s day.