What does Revelation 17:11 mean by "the beast that was, and is not"? Text “The beast that was, and is not, is himself an eighth king who belongs to the seven and is going to destruction.” (Revelation 17:11) Immediate Literary Context Chapter 17 explains the judgment of “Babylon the Great,” personified as a harlot riding a scarlet beast. Verses 8–14 interpret the vision. Verse 8: “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction” . Verse 11 repeats and sharpens the riddle by calling this same beast an “eighth king.” The wording echoes God’s title, “who is, and who was, and who is to come” (Revelation 1:8), presenting the beast as a diabolical counterfeit. Symbolic Identity of the Beast 1. Personal—Antichrist: Later in the passage “they will make war on the Lamb” (17:14), language used of a personal world ruler (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:3–4). 2. Imperial—Revived Empire: The seven heads are “seven mountains” (17:9) and “seven kings” (17:10). In John’s day Rome was famous for its seven-hilled topography and imperial line of Caesars; the symbolism therefore links the beast with Rome yet stretches beyond a single monarch. 3. Spiritual—Satanic Power: “The dragon gave the beast his power” (13:2). The beast integrates political, military, and religious rebellion under satanic energizing. Historical Precedent: “was” Rome (“the fourth kingdom” of Daniel 7:23) had already dominated Israel, crucified Christ, and destroyed the Temple in AD 70—events fixed on a Ussher-style timeline as roughly 4000 AM (Anno Mundi). First-century readers could say the empire “was.” Archaeological layers in Jerusalem (e.g., the “Burnt House” and Titus’ triumphal arch relief in Rome) verify Rome’s devastating presence, exactly as Jesus foretold (Luke 19:43–44). The Present Gap: “is not” By the mid-90s AD when John wrote, Domitian’s Rome unquestionably still existed, yet the Spirit says “is not.” The phrase therefore views Rome’s career from a prophetic vantage beyond John’s century: the empire will decline, fragment, and for a time cease to exist as a unified superpower. That long dissolution is documented by historians from Edward Gibbon to modern numismatic studies tracing the debasement of Roman coinage. Future Re-Emergence and Perdition “Is about to come up out of the abyss” (17:8). The abyss denotes a demonic origin (cf. Luke 8:31; Revelation 9:1–11). A final world coalition, culturally Roman yet spiritually empowered by hell, will resurface. It will manifest under one man, “the lawless one” (2 Thessalonians 2:8), who will reign only “one hour” with the ten kings (17:12)—a short, defined period (cf. Daniel 7:25; 12:7). Revelation fixes his doom: he “goes to destruction,” a phrase matched in 19:20 when the beast is cast alive into the lake of fire. Seven Heads and an Eighth King Verse 10: “Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come.” A conservative schematic: • Five fallen—Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece. • One that “is”—Rome of John’s lifetime. • One yet to come—final revived Roman stage. The beast himself then becomes an “eighth,” i.e., the culminating embodiment of all previous godless empires. He “belongs to the seven” because he recapitulates their blasphemous traits (cf. the leopard, bear, and lion features in 13:2 echoing Daniel 7). Connection to Danielic Prophecy Daniel 2’s fourth iron kingdom and Daniel 7’s fourth terrifying beast both extend to the eschaton (Daniel 2:44; 7:26–27). The ten toes (Daniel 2) and ten horns (Daniel 7) correspond to Revelation 17’s ten kings. The little horn who “was, and is not” mirrors the beast that reappears, confirming prophetic continuity across Testaments. Typological Echoes in Scripture • Babel (Genesis 11) inaugurates human empire building against God; Babylon the Great consummates it. • Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Antiochus IV, and Caesar each preview the coming Antichrist. • God identifies Himself as the eternally existent “I AM”; the beast mimics eternal being but is bracketed by “was” and “is not,” emphasizing his creaturely limits. Theological Significance: God’s Sovereignty Over Evil The beast’s entire career is bounded by divine passive verbs: “was given” authority (13:5) and “goes to destruction” (17:11). Evil’s rise, hiatus, and resurgence unfold only within God’s sovereign timetable, assuring believers of ultimate victory (17:14). Pastoral and Practical Applications 1. Discern Counterfeits: The beast apes God’s attributes; believers must test ideologies and leaders against Scripture. 2. Persevere Amid Hostility: Temporary “is not” periods remind the church that persecutions ebb and flow under providence. 3. Evangelize Urgently: The beast’s final appearance is brief; the gospel window remains open today (2 Corinthians 6:2). Archaeological and Historical Corroboration • The Arch of Titus (AD 81) and the Colosseum’s dedicatory inscription attest Rome’s ruthlessness and persecution, paralleling Revelation’s beastly portrait. • Dead Sea Scroll fragments (e.g., 4QDaniel) authenticate pre-Christian Daniel, rebutting critical claims of vaticinium ex eventu and buttressing the cross-testament prophetic framework linking Daniel with Revelation. • Inscriptions from Pergamum—“where Satan’s throne is” (Revelation 2:13)—verify the imperial cult’s prominence, clarifying why Revelation casts Rome in spiritual terms. Conclusion “The beast that was, and is not” represents the Roman-rooted, Satan-energized world system: historically real, presently restrained in unified form, yet destined to revive briefly under Antichrist before Christ annihilates it. The phrase magnifies God’s sovereignty, warns of eschatological deception, and assures believers that the Lamb already has “called and chosen and faithful” followers who will share His victory forever (Revelation 17:14). |
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