Home › Timeline › The Seat Moves to the Bench › The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom
Hong Xiuquan, influenced by Christian teaching, came to believe he was the son of God and younger brother of Jesus and in 1851 proclaimed the Taiping Tianguo, the 'Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace'; his movement preached shared property, banned opium, foot-binding and slavery, grew to over a million soldiers and held Nanjing from 1853 to 1864. The rebellion ravaged 17 provinces and took an estimated 20 to 30 million lives, most from famine and disease; the figures are speculative and disputed, and some estimates run higher.
Set beside it, Matthew 24:4–5 (PARTLY IN PLACE): “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.”
If it has started, it needs: People claiming to be Christ, with followings
The record on 19 September 2026: Claimants, one at a time
The mechanism
CUSTODY OF THE WORD
How it was checked
- EvidenceT5 INDEPENDENT SECULAR; Status: ADDED 2026-09-19
- Letter eraTHE SEAT MOVES TO THE BENCH 1713 to 1945
- SourcesRECORD — Britannica, 'Taiping Rebellion' · checked 19 September: Britannica (read in a browser; WebFetch is refused by the site), 'Taiping Rebellion'; Wikipedia, 'Taiping Rebellion' (range of death-toll estimates)
The whole timelineThe Seat Moves to the BenchThe historical recordAll eras