Revelation 17:8

“The beast which thou sawest was, and is not, etc.] It is added at the end of the verse where the same description is given, “and yet is”; this beast is to be understood not of the devil, who “was” the god of this world, “is not”, being cast out by Christ, and yet is in being; for he, the dragon, is distinguished from this beast, and indeed from him the beast has his seat, power, and authority, (<661301>Revelation 13:1,2) nor any particular emperor, as Domitian, a cruel and savage one, who was in power in Vespasian's time, when he was abroad, and then was out of it upon his return, and yet afterwards was in again, being as one sent from hell, and went at last into perdition; but the Roman…”

“beast . . . was, and is not--(Compare Rev 17:11). The time when the beast "is not" is the time during which it has "the deadly wound"; the time of the seventh head becoming Christian externally, when its beast-like character was put into suspension temporarily. The healing of its wound answers to its ascending out of the bottomless pit. The beast, or Antichristian world power, returns worse than ever, with satanic powers from hell (Rev 11:7), not merely from the sea of convulsed nations (Rev 13:1). Christian civilization gives the beast only a temporary wound, whence the deadly wound is always mentioned in connection with its being healed up the non-existence of the beast in connection with…”

“The beast that thou sawest was, and is not - In the close of the verse it is added, “and yet is” - “the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.” There are three things affirmed here: first, that there is a sense in which it might be said of the power here referred to, that it “was,” or that, before this, it had an existence; second, that there was a sense in which it might be said that it is “not,” that is, that it had become practically extinct; and third, that there is a sense in which that power would be so revived that it might be said that it “still is.” The “beast” here referred to is the same that is mentioned in Revelation 17:3, and in Revelation 13:1, Revelation 13:3,Revelation…”

“The beast which thou sawest (namely, Rev 17:3) was, &c. - This is a very observable and punctual description of the beast, Rev 17:8, Rev 17:10-11. His whole duration is here divided into three periods, which are expressed in a fourfold manner. He, 1. Was; 2 And is not; 3. And will ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition. He, 1. Was; 2. And is not; 3. And will be again. The seven heads are seven hills and seven kings: 1. Five are fallen; 2. One is; 3. The other is not come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. He, 1. Was; 2. And is not; 3 Even he is the eighth, and is one of the seven, and goeth into perdition. The first of these three is described in Rev.…”

“17:8-11 The destruction within this vision contrasts with the destiny of the people of God in the new heaven and earth (see 21:1-4). 17:8 The beast . . . was once alive but isn’t now . . . will soon come up: When Domitian became emperor (AD 81–96), he was as evil as Nero (both were fierce persecutors of the church), and many thought he was the embodiment of Nero’s spirit, if not Nero himself (perhaps similar to the way that John the Baptist was considered to embody Elijah’s spirit; see Mal 4:5; Matt 11:14; Luke 1:17; John 1:21). • you saw: The past tense indicates that the angel’s interpretation took place after John’s vision. • was once alive but isn’t now: This contrasts with God, “who is,…”

“beast that thou: The Roman empire was the beast, or idolatrous persecuting power, when under the Pagan emperors; it ceased to be so when it became Christian; and became so again under the Roman pontiffs, and shall "go into perdition." Rev 9:2, Rev 11:7, Rev 13:1-11 go: Rev 17:11, Rev 14:8-20, 16:1-18:24, Rev 19:15-21, Rev 20:10; Dan 7:11, Dan 7:26, Dan 11:45; Th2 2:3-8 shall wonder: Rev 13:3, Rev 13:4 whose: Rev 13:8, Rev 20:12, Rev 20:15 from: Mat 25:34; Joh 17:24; Act 15:18; Eph 1:4; Tit 1:2; Pe1 1:20 the beast that was: Rev 13:1-4, Rev 13:11, Rev 13:12 Revelation 17:9”