[§287] Rev 17:9: The Seven Heads and Mountains of Ancient Rome

This podcast explains the imagery and symbolism used by John in Revelation 17:9-11. These verses state: “And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.” The mind which hath wisdom is similar to the saying found in each of the letters to the seven churches in Asia Minor, which state: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith.” Wisdom born of the Spirit is required to understand and apply the message concerning the woman of false religion who sits on the scarlet colored beast that has seven heads. The seven heads are also seven mountains that represent the hills upon which Rome was built. This means that the beast represents the Roman Empire.These verses also identify seven kings who represent the seven earthly kingdoms of Satan. The five fallen kingdoms are Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece. The Roman empire is the sixth kingdom that still is, as of the time of John’s vision in 96 AD. The seventh kingdom yet to come is the Second Beast from Revelation 13, and Babylon the Great (Modern Babylon) from Revelation 17:5. The seventh kingdom exists in the modern age beginning in the early 1830s at the same time the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth. The seventh kingdom continues a short space between 1830 and the Second Coming when Modern Babylon will fall.The beast in Revelation 17 also represents an eighth kingdom that will come during the little season after the millennium. At that time, the battle of Gog and Magog will be fought as both a spiritual and physical battle. Satan and his unembodied spirit sons of perdition will be defeated and cast into perdition by Michael and his heavenly host at the end of the earth.