Revelation 17:8

The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. BEAST ... WAS, AND, IS NOT - (cf. Revelation 17:11.) The time when the beast "is not" is during 'the deadly wound' (Revelation 13:1): the time of the seventh head's Christianity, when its beastlike character was suspended temporarily. The healing of its wound answers to its ascending out of the bottomless pit. The anti-Christian world-power returns worse than ever, with Satanic powers from hell ...

7-14 The beast on which the woman sat was, and is not, and yet is. It was a seat of idolatry and persecution, and is not; not in the ancient form, which was pagan: yet it is; it is truly the seat of idolatry and tyranny, though of another sort and form. It would deceive into stupid and blind submission all the inhabitants of the earth within its influence, except the remnant of the elect. This beast was seven heads, seven mountains, the seven hills on which Rome stands; and seven kings, seven sorts of government. Five were gone by when this prophecy was written; one was then in being; the other was yet to come. This beast, directed by the papacy, makes an eighth governor, and sets up idolatry again. It had ten horns, which are said to be ten kings who had as yet no kingdoms; they should not rise up till the Roman empire was broken; but should for a time be very zealous in her interest....

Verse Revelation 17:8. _THE BEAST THAT THOU SAWEST WAS, AND IS NOT; AND SHALL_ _ASCEND OUT OF THE BOTTOMLESS PIT, AND GO INTO PERDITION_] The beast is the Latin kingdom; (ηλατινηβασιλεια;) consequently the beast _was_, that is, was in existence previously to the time of St. John; (for Latinus was the first king of the Latins, and Numitor the last;) _is not_ now, because the Latin nation has ceased long ago to be an independent power, and is now under the dominion of the Romans; but _shall ascend out of the bottomless pit_, that is, the Latin kingdom, the antichristian power, or that which ascendeth out of the abyss or bottomless pit, is yet in futurity. But it is added:- _AND THEY THAT DWELL ON THE EARTH SHALL WONDER, WHOSE NAMES THERE_ NOT WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF LIFE FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD,

THE BEAST THAT THOU SAWEST WAS, AND IS NOT - In the close of the verse it is added, “and yet is” - “the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.” There are three things affirmed here: first, that there is a sense in which it might be said of the power here referred to, that it “was,” or that, before this, it had an existence; second, that there was a sense in which it might be said that it is “not,” that is, that it had become practically extinct; and third, that there is a sense in which that power would be so revived that it might be said that it “still is.” The “beast” here referred to is the same that is mentioned in Revelation 17:3, and in Revelation 13:1, Revelation 13:3,

EXPOSITION REVELATION 17:1 AND THERE CAME ONE OF THE SEVEN ANGELS WHICH HAD THE SEVEN VIALS, AND TALKED WITH ME, SAYING UNTO ME; _and spake with me, saying. _Omit "unto me." This and the following chapters (to Revelation 19:21) consist of visions which are really included under the seventh vial, but which, on account of their length and elaboration, may be considered apart from the other judgments of that vial. In the preceding chapters we have had placed before us a conspectus of three classes of ungodly people, and the three principles of evil in their abstract form, as represented by the world (the first beast), the flesh (the second beast), and the devil (the dragon). The personal final overthrow of the devil is described in...

THE BEAST WHICH THOU SAWEST WAS, AND IS NOT,.... It is added at the end of the verse where the same description is given, "and yet is"; this beast is to be understood not of the devil, who "was" the god of this world, "is not", being cast out by Christ, and yet is in being; for he, the dragon, is distinguished from this beast, and indeed from him the beast has his seat, power, and authority, Revelation 13:1 nor any particular emperor, as Domitian, a cruel and savage one, who was in power in Vespasian's time, when he was abroad, and then was out of it upon his return, and yet afterwards was in again, being as one sent from hell, and went at last into perdition; but the Roman empire itself is intended, as we have seen, which carried and supported the Papacy; and variously may this be interpreted; as that it was in the hands of the Romans originally, and long continued with them, but now ...

REVELATION 17:8 u`pa,gei {B} Orthographically u`pa,gei (A 1611 2053 _al_) differs very little from u`pa,gein (a P 046 051 1006 1854 _al_), for in Greek manuscripts final n is often represented merely by a horizontal stroke over the preceding letter. In the context the present indicative is the more difficult reading, which copyists would have been prone to alter to the infinitive after me,llei....

CHAPTER S 17-18 Babylon, the Harlot, and Her judgment _ 1. The description of the woman (Revelation 17:1)_ 2. The angel's interpretation (Revelation 17:7) 3. The desolation of the whore (Revelation 17:16) 4. The angelic announcement (Revelation 18:1) 5. The call to separation (Revelation 18:4) 6. Her pride and destruction (Revelation 18:6) 7. Lamentation and jubilation ...

REVELATION 17:1. HARLOT. WATERS: the description of Babylon in Jeremiah 51:13, thou that dwellest upon many waters, is here transferred to Rome. [Ultimately it goes back probably still further. The many waters refer to the watery chaos, the chaos monster, so that the beast on which the woman sits is really identical with the many waters on which she is said to sit in this verse. A. S. P.] Revelation 17:2. kings. fornication: the imagery is that of OT (_cf._ Isaiah 23:17). The sin of which these kings were guilty consisted in purchasing the favour of Rome by accepting her suzerainty and with it her vices and

THE GREAT HARLOT. The sixteenth chapter presents the series of historical events that lead to the overthrow of spiritual Babylon. Our interpretation of these has been for the most part determined by the facts of history which have already transpired. The sixth vial brings to the present date. Concerning what follows the seventh vial. speak with diffidence, as it is yet future, but of this we can be certain, that it foreshadows the final overthrow of the anti-Christian powers. In Chapter s XVII., XVIII. and XIX., the downfall of these powers, the overthrow of Rome, the triumph of the Word of God, and the victory of Armageddon, are described with greater detail. The limits to which. am confined will only permit me to outline these Chapter s. Chap. 17:1-6 describes spiritual Rome under the figure of. great harlot. The true Church is described throughout Revelation as. pure woman, the Bride...