Revelation 17:9-11

The seven heads are seven hills. Note that both the beast and Babylon ARE IN EXISTENCE as John writes this! The seven hills clearly speak of Rome, as Revelation 17:18 also shows. Imperial Rome, center of the Empire. John sees this city filled with glamour, romance, appeal - all the things to attract kings and rulers. It was insane in its search for pleasure. Christians were torn to pieces to please the crowds. The prostitute was drunk with the blood of God's people (Revelation 17:6). They are also seven kings. The five who have fallen and the one who still rules can be fit into history. Old Babylonia, Assyria, New Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greco-Macedonia - have all fallen. Rome still ruled, as John wrote this. The seventh king/kingdom which will remain only a little while is not so easy to identify with history. Johnson thinks it was the Eastern Roman Empire as it was revived by Justinian in the early part of the sixth century. Others identify this with Constantine the Great; still others with the Germanic nations that conquered Rome. Perhaps this seventh king/kingdom is symbolic of all the anti-christian world powers that will oppress God's people until the time of the Second Coming. Is itself an eighth king. The beast itself is the final form of world power, who will be destroyed by Christ's Second Coming. Compare 2 Thessalonians 2:8. Again we say that the forms change but the substance stays the same. The beast seems to revive after every defeat (Revelation 17:8) but always goes off to be destroyed.