Revelation 17:8 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. In this verse the angel showed John the mystery of the beast, which he described to John, first, in his three-fold state and time, he was, is not, and yet is. Here is the mind that hath wisdom, \ to unfold the mystery of these three particular characters of the beast, was, is not, and yet is. First, the beast which thou sawest was; that is to say, the Roman state and kingdom was formerly (and even in St. John’ s time) that fourth monarchy and kingdom which was ordained of God, \ unto which Roman power, our blessed Saviour and his apostles and disciples were subject in all their civil sanction and authority for conscience sake, as being God’ s ordinance. Read Mr 12:17; Acts 25:10-11; Romans 13:3-7; 1 Peter 2:13-15; Titus 3:1. And is not God’ s ordinance of magistracy, for after the Roman pagan kingdom was broken, not only into two parts, the east and west empires, but divided into ten kingdoms or crowned horns; then the dragon, that old serpent, gave the beast his throne, power, and great authority, See KNOLLYS: Revelation 13:1 and See KNOLLYS: Revelation 13:2 so that the beast had his power, throne, and authority, from the devil, and not from God; and those ten kings gave their power, strength and kingdom to the beast, \ and in this respect the beast is not God’ s ordinance of Magistry: Again, the beast is not; that is to say, he was not in being as the seventh head in John’ s time, \ for the Roman pagan Caesars (the sixth head) governed the empire when John writ this book. So that he is not, with respect of his kingship, as one of the seven heads or kings in John’ s time, for he was not yet come, but was to rise out of the bottomless pit, \ and is to go into perdition; and \ Therefore he is called the Son of Perdition, and the Antichrist, \ And yet he is of the seven heads or kings; that is to say, he is the seventh head or king; and he is also the eighth, \ as he is described Revelation 13:11 with two horns, that is, two fold kingly and supreme power, political and ecclesiastical. The Popes of Rome, with respect of their imperial and magisterial power over the emperors and kings of the Roman kingdom, are the seventh head or king: And the eighth head or king, with respect of their hierarchical and pontifical power. See my Treatise called Mystical Babylon unveiled, Printed 1679. Pg. 5-10. And they that dwell on the earth, etc. See KNOLLYS: Revelation 8:13 and See KNOLLYS on Revelation 13:8" - See KNOLLYS: Revelation 13:7