Revelation 17:8; The Beast that Thou Sawest Was, and Is Not… (2)

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. 

We would have expected the angel to say something about the woman first and then discuss the beast. But the beast is more important than the woman, even if she sits on his back. Satan, alias the dragon, gave him his power, throne, and authority (Revelation 12:9; 13:2).

Revelation 12:9  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 

Revelation 13:2  And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. 

This is the beast that was mortally wounded, but whose wound was healed and he lived (Revelation 13:3, 12, 14).

Revelation 13:3  And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 

Revelation 13:12  And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 

Revelation 13:14  And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 

The beast strives to be like God, “which is, and which was, and which is to come” (Revelation 1:4, 8; 4:8; 11:17; 16:5).

Revelation 1:4  John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; 

Revelation 1:8  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. 

Revelation 4:8  And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. 

Revelation 11:17  Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. 

Revelation 16:5  And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. 

This expression can be applied to both God and Christ. The beast is similarly described as the one that once was, and is not, and is about to go up from the bottomless pit and go to his destruction. He is the one who “was and is not and will come” (compare v. 11). Once again we see a satanic parody: the Antichrist trying to take the place of Christ.

Revelation 17:11  And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. 

The beast controlled the nations and kingdoms of the world. God had chosen Israel as his own people out of all the nations, while Satan ruled all the others. The devil tempted Jesus by offering him all the kingdoms of the world if he would worship him (Luke 4:5–7), but Jesus refused.

Luke 4:5-7  And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. 

When the Lord was about to ascend to heaven, he uttered his enthronement speech by saying, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matt. 28:18). With these words, he indicated that Satan had lost the battle and that Jesus rules supreme. In this battle, one of the beast’s heads was fatally wounded, but it had healed (Revelation 13:3, 12, 14). After Pentecost, the unstoppable gospel of Christ went forth from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. This gospel is proclaimed in every nation, and Satan is unable to restrain it. Until Pentecost, the beast as Satan’s representative had power over the nations, Israel excepted, but now his authority belongs to the past. This does not mean that Satan is powerless. On the contrary, he is the roaring lion who seeks to devour anyone in his path (1 Pet. 5:8).

1 Peter 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 

The beast today is not. What is the meaning of this enigmatic expression? God revealed Himself as the “I am” (Exodus 3:14) Who is without beginning and without end. But Satan is a creature with a beginning whose end is perdition. He can never be the “I am” (John 8:58), even though his stated goal is to occupy God’s place (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

2 Thessalonians 2:4  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 

This beast is about to come up from the Abyss and go to his destruction (compare Rev. 11:7).

Revelation 11:7  And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 

The home of Satan is the Abyss as the exact opposite of heaven, which is the place where God dwells. The one who comes up out of the Abyss is the Antichrist, who receives authority from Satan and brings his evil acts to a climax just before the consummation. Satan is always in the background, while the beast is working for him. The Antichrist comes up from Satan’s residence with the express purpose of destroying everyone and everything that promotes the cause of Christ. Ironically in the process of destroying others he himself walks the path of self-destruction. While Christ grants His followers life eternal, Satan confers death and destruction on his captives.

 Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Book of Revelation (Vol. 20, pp. 468–470). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.