The beast that you saw 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. (Revelation 17:8 KJ2000)

The beast that “was and is not” when John saw his vision now IS.  To see this, though, we must understand what Scripture means by a “beast.”  Daniel tells us in chapter 7 of his book.  There God gives him a vision of four successive beasts which would rule the world.  We know this for certain because Daniel asks this specific question of an angel standing nearby during his vision and the angel tells him, “These four beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth.” These four beasts, or kings, correspond to the four kingdoms described by Daniel when he interpreted the great image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. See Daniel 2.  Almost all Biblical scholars and prophecy writers interpret these four kingdoms as being Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome. The question is, what are the other three kingdoms, or four when you consider the beast that was and is not.

First, though, understand this. When the Bible speaks of a beast rising from the sea, it speaks of a government, a kingdom, arising from among men. Throughout the Scripture God consistently uses the word “sea” to describe mankind.  “The roaring of the sea,” for example, describes man’s railing against God.  Therefore when John sees a beast “rising out of the sea” in Revelation 13 he does not mean that a monstrous literal beast will someday come up out of one of earth’s oceans. He paints a picture of man’s final world government forming itself from the children of men.

The Bible speaks of seven, even eight, world kingdoms. I believe they are, in order of appearance, these: 1) Babel, 2) Egypt, 3) Assyria, 4) Babylon, 5) Media-Persia, 6) Greece, 7) Rome, and 8) ?.

Man’s first kingdom began when all mankind came together to build a tower of might in the land of Shinar, the land of the Chaldeans, shortly after the great Flood. Here they established their first world government. Here they said, “Come, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:4 KJ2000) Here they sought to set their throne above the Most-High and here God set the pattern for all future world kingdoms.

For you have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the farthest sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet you shall be brought down to sheol, to the sides of the pit. (Isaiah 14:13-15 KJ2000)

Men who refuse to submit to God will will instead work to raise themselves “above his throne.” This means that they become a law unto themselves and that they ultimately desire to sit as God in the throne of God. Such men are antichrist. Now that men publicly say they alone determine law, time, and reality, Paul’s prophecy is fulfilled and we know we have the reached the time of the Day of the LORD:

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come the falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 KJ2000)

Babel thus establishes this pattern with respect to the beast kingdoms which arise from the sea (mankind) throughout history. When we study the leaders of the succeeding kingdoms we always find that they wanted to be worshiped as “God.” This explains why God judged Nebuchadnezzar when he said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30 ESV)

So, what is the eighth kingdom of men? The angel told John, “As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to its destruction.” (Rev. 17:11 ESV) Understand, then, that the beast with seven heads we see in Revelation 13:1 and 17:3 speaks of all the beast kingdoms of men, from the Tower of Babel to the last kingdom of men. The eighth kingdom is one of the seven, but which? We do not have to speculate. Too many Christian teachers (and I include myself) have speculated often and we have harmed the credibility of Christ by doing so. He told us over and over again not to add to or take away from his written word. This word tells us the identity of the eighth kingdom.

Behold the land of the Chaldeans. This is the people that was not. (Is 23:13, ESV)

The “land of the Chaldeans” is the land of Babylon, the land of ancient Babel. John calls this kingdom a mystery and names her “Babylon the Great” in Revelation 17:5. She is man’s final kingdom. When John wrote his book she “was.” She had indeed been a kingdom in the past, but she “is not” while he lived. Yet, she would be again in the future. And, yes, she would be “of” the kingdoms which preceeded her. Thus “Mystery Babylon,” or “Babylon the Great” is the eighth and final kingdom of man which seeks to raise his throne above God’s. It is no coincidence that Babylon (Babel) appears as the first, middle (4th), and final kingdom of men on earth. Finally, we see there exist only six kingdoms in man’s history, for six is the number of man and antichrist man, known by God as 666, can never and will never ascend to or beyond the throne of God.

For many articles and insights on Mystery Babylon click here.