Revelation 17:7-11 When I saw her, I marveled greatly. 7 But the angel said to me, “Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. 9 This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; 10 they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. 11 As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction.
John marvels at the mystery of Babylon. The angel intervenes and explains this mystery to him. The angel’s explanation is not helpful for us today in the sense that it still seems mysterious. The point is not to give specific names, dates, or situations but a general warning of what the situation will be like when the Beast arises and what leads to its downfall. We should take warning of the general patterns described in this passage.
In verse 8, the description of the Beast compares to the Lamb: the Beast once was but is not more; the Lamb was, is, and always will be. This Beast has limited time of power, whereas the Lamb is eternal. Those not belonging to the Lamb marvel at this beast, BECAUSE he returns. They marvel because he was miraculously brought back to life.
Verses 9-10 explain the seven heads of the Beast. As readers, we must interpret this with care and wisdom. These heads are mountains and kings. The immediate reference is to the city of Rome which was built on seven hills. Rome was the power and personification of everything evil and against Christians for John. Verse 10 says that five kings have fallen. It is difficult to figure out exactly what John means here because Roman emperors do not fit this very easily. King six rules when John writes. King seven will come and rule for a while. The numbers could be symbolic. King six shows that the end is near, and king seven would be completeness.
Verse 11 describe the riddle of the Beast who is the eighth king. The context suggests that the Beast has not yet arisen (19:8, 11). He is similar to the seven kings but beyond them in power and authority.
This passage warns us at the broadest level about given undue sovereignty to anyone except God. We honor those in authority, but this honor only goes so far. They are not to us lords and masters. It has always bothered me to hear British history of calling certain people of power “Lord so and so.” I don’t think I could do that. I would find some other term. The words we use do not matter. What power do we allow these rulers to have in our lives? Christ calls us to freedom under his lordship.
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