The Meaning of the Woman and the Beast Part A
Revelation 17:7-11 (NKJV) But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
9 “Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. 10 There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. 11 The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.
Please remember, Babylon is a city. The Scriptures plainly tell us so: Revelation 17:18 (NKJV) And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.”
V7 “But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.” This is the interpretation of verses 1-5.
Revelation 17:6 (Walvoord Prophecy Commentary) “The woman is pictured not only as the source of all evil in apostate Christendom, but also as actively engaged to the point of drunkenness in the persecution of the true saints. Here the primary reference is not to ancient Babylon, but to Babylon perpetuated in apostate Christendom, especially in its future form. The history of the church has demonstrated that apostate Christendom is unsparing in its persecution of those who attempt to maintain a true faith in Jesus Christ. What has been true in the past will be brought to its climax in this future time when the martyrs will be beyond number from every nation and language. The blood shed by the apostate church is exceeded only by that of the martyrs who refuse to worship the beast in the great tribulation.”
V8 “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.”
The woman controls and rides this beast. The beast existed, then didn’t exist, and will exist again. This probably is the revived Roman Empire with its system of laws and heritage from the Roman Empire existing when John received this revelation. The woman is the spiritual energy of false religion. There are only 2 religions—those who worship the authentic Jesus of the Gospels and others by whatever name it is. The head of Jesus’s is Jesus. The head of the other is satan.
Another opinion is offered by Precept Austin:
“This is an important verse because it gives us information concerning the four phases of the life of the Beast who eventually rules the seventh head at the time of the end:
- was – His original political appearance and rise (Dan. 9:26-27).
- is not – His death by a mortal wound (Zec. 11:17?; Rev. 13:3+).
- will ascend – His miraculous recovery (Rev. 13:3+).
4.bto perdition – His destruction at the hands of Christ at the Second Coming (Dan. 7:11; 11:45; Rev. 19:19+).
“At his ascent, he overthrows the two witnesses (Rev. 11:7+). His victory over them and his miraculous restoration result in his global worship (Rev. 13:3-4+).”
The beast is the world government (Revived Roman Empire) and the antiChrist. He is called “beast” because that is God’s opinion of him. This beast has been prophesied about in the past (Daniel 2 and 7). Compare Revelation 13:14. Ascending out of the bottomless pit (abyss) shows the origin of power, that is, the devil. People—those who have not believed in the Lord Jesus for salvation—are swayed by the antiChrist’s message, charisma, oratory, plans, etc. These unbelievers are those whose names are not in the Lamb’s Book of Life. All people who believe and trust in Jesus alone for salvation are written by God in His book—the Book of Life.
Keathley: “The beast is the personification of imperial power. “Was” refers to old Rome, the old Roman empire of John’s day; this is her past. “And is not” refers to the fall of Rome. From John’s standpoint and ours, Rome would fall and pass from the scene; this is her present condition. “And is about to come up…” refers to the revived Roman empire in its final form in the days of the Tribulation; this is her future. This future form is related to the abyss, to Satan (it has a demonic source), but also to destruction.”
Bible Knowledge commentary: “The angel explained the meaning of the woman and of the beast she was riding. The beast… will come up out of the Abyss, the home of Satan (Rev 11:7) and the place from which demons come (Rev 9:1-2, Rev 9:11). This indicates that the power behind the ruler is satanic (cf. Rev 13:4) and that Satan and the man he controls are closely identified. Their power is one. The fact that the beast was, now is not, and will come up in the future is another indication of what was introduced in Rev 13:3. The supernatural survival and revival of both the world ruler and his empire will impress the world as being supernatural and will lead to worship of the beast and Satan. (On the book of life see comments on 3: 5; 13:8. Also cf. Rev 20:12, Rev 20:15; Rev 21:27.)”
V9 “Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.” Seven = complete and full wickedness. The seven mountains have been explained as Rome, so then here it would be the revived Roman Empire with the character traits of Daniel 2 and 7. There are many interpretations of the seven mountains. Even more for the seven kings of verse 10.
V10 “There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time.” Kings suggest a kingdom. Are these 7 kings a sequel of kings, a coalition of kings of which 5 have died or been removed, or seven anti-god kings of history, namely Egypt (Exodus 1), Assyria (2 Kings 15), Babylon (2 Kings 25), Persia (especially related to wicked Haman), and Seleucid Empire (Daniel 8-12)—see Holman Commentary for more information.
V11 “The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.” The beast is most likely the antiChrist. He was, is not, is refers to the antiChrist, his death (Revelation 13:3 and Revelation 13:12), and his resurrection (Revelation 13:3). He is the eighth, which is an extension of the seventh kingdom.
From Precept Austin:
“Now the angel is speaking of the individual who will be the ruler of the kingdom yet to come. This phrase refers to the period of the reign of the Beast following his revival from his deadly wound. If his revival occurs near the midpoint of the 70th Week of Daniel, then this would refer to the last half of the week, the three and one-half years during which he is given authority: “he was given authority to continue for forty-two months” (Rev. 13:5+). This period is one of great turmoil since the Beast receives his power, throne, and authority from the dragon (Rev. 13:2+) and the dragon has great wrath “because he knows that he has a short time” (Rev. 12:12+). See Prophetic Year. See Events of the 70th Week of Daniel. See commentary on Revelation 17:8. He is an eighth kingdom in the sense that the seventh kingdom originally arrives as a global empire which shall “devour the whole earth.” Out of this seventh kingdom “ten horns . . . shall arise” (Dan. 7:23-24). The Beast himself “shall rise after them” (Dan. 7:25). After his revival, the ten horns give their authority to the Beast (Rev. 17:12-13+) and he reigns supreme and uncontested (Rev. 13:3+). In the final form of Gentile dominion, the self-rule of the Beast, he is an eighth king, but only hinted at as an eighth head here.”
You might enjoy Dr. Andy Woods (Sugar Land Bible Church) on the passage: https://www.andywoodsministries.org/media/qtfxtgn/revelation-056
We learn:
- The immensity of the antiChrist
- Some of his character traits
- God knows everything about him, and what he is doing and will do.