Revelation Chapter 17

VERSE 8 continued “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.“

And Is Not

“Is not” refers to the period of time during the “time of the end” (Dan 12:9) when the papal beast was first shorn of its temporal power. Napoleon took away the Papal States to all practical purposes in Rome’s sixth head or condition, and in 1870 Papacy lost its last vestige of temporal power under the Victor Emmanuel dynasty, the seventh head or condition. In other words, the beast remains in the “is not” condition during the sixth and seventh heads. The beast of Verses 3 and 8, which passes into a nonexistent state, is the same beast that in Rev 13:3, 12 is slain in death.

The beast of Revelation 13 can in no sense represent Pagan Rome, for in the same chapter and the same setting, the dragon, a separate symbolic entity, is seen giving the beast full cooperation and authority. In Revelation 17 one of the beast’s heads (the fifth) goes into the darkness of oblivion; in Revelation 13 one of its heads (the fifth) enters death. In reality, therefore, the two beasts are but the one: Papal Rome. It bears repeating: the beast represents Papacy wherever it is found in the Apocalypse.

And (Yet) Shall Ascend

It is stated simply and unequivocally that the temporal dominion of the beast would at some time in the future—that is, future from the standpoint of one living during the sixth head or condition—be restored from the “bottomless pit.”

The pit is called “bottomless” because of its apparent unlimited capacity to swallow an infinite number of corpses and still be able to accommodate infinity more, thereby implying a seeming impossibility of any hope of retrieval of even one of its victims. Verse 8 also indicates that not until the beast descended into AND ascended from the grave would it then descend with no hope whatsoever of a second restoration, but it would go into everlasting destruction and oblivion, namely, “into perdition.”

Dwellers on Earth Shall Wonder

Those wholly submissive to the influence of orthodoxy will “wonder” when they witness in Europe not merely the restoration of Papacy to its power of yore but, more astonishingly, the exercise again of its former abusive and persecuting role. In contrast, those whose names, at that time, are found written in the book of life of the Lamb (Rev 13:8) will not wonder as others.

Jehovah’s book or scroll covenanting life to an elect number was prepared before the “foundation of the world” in the person of father Adam (1 Pet 1:20; Eph 1:4; Psa 139:16). However, the Lamb’s book of life must be understood to include the names of those individuals who have presented themselves in consecration, coming under the terms of the divine call, since the first Advent of Christ, since the founding of the new creation or the new cosmos of this dispensation (Phil 4:3; Rev 3:5; 13:8).

And who are those whose names are “written in heaven” (Luke 10:20), whose names are found written in the Lamb’s book of life?

Answer: The Very Elect and the Great Company class.

Many of the Great Company will at first be surprised, but when they witness the revival to power of the papal beast in the near future as a historic fact, they will quickly cease former pretensions. There are those who have either long taught others or who have been taught themselves to believe that such an occurrence was an impossibility. Yea, many all along have been at least superficially familiar with, but not sufficiently interested in, the teaching of other brethren who have  endeavored to enlighten them on events to be fulfilled before their very eyes. However, when these unprepared ones perceive their understanding of prophecy being shattered, they will quickly adjust to the situation at hand, fully realizing their inadequacy, and will retrieve their steps with alacrity.

The names of this secondary group, if faithful as over-comers, will not be blotted out of the Lamb’s book of life; the difference is that the Master will not profess their names in laudable manner before the Father and His angels. This book, it is reasonable to think, will be compartmentalized into various categories, and the names of the Very Elect will be found in the honorarium roster or preface.” (“The Keys of Revelation”, Pages 444-446)

We will take a look at another view point in our next post.