This beast “will ascend out of the bottomless pit.” That is, when Antichrist resurrects from “death” he will be bodily possessed by Satan. The man who once ascended from the womb of a woman will now ascend from hell and therein transform from the man that was into the most vile and evil human being that has ever lived.
In due course the beast will “go to perdition” the angel says (corresponding with the ultimate encounter Antichrist faces when Jesus removes him from this planet and casts him into eternal damnation; Rev.19:20). But before that “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”. In other words, there will be a time of deception surrounding this man before his destruction that will be so absolute that every non-believer will stand in awe of him.
v.9-11 “Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. And the beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eight, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.”
“Here is the mind which has wisdom”. This terminology is similar to that given about the number of the beast (Rev.13:8). Namely, that it is a clue that might not be understood initially but can be discerned upon closer inspection.
The beast has seven heads upon which the woman sits. Some commentators interpret this to be a reference to the literal city of Rome because it sits upon seven hills. This leads them to suggest that the woman in the image is the Catholic Church because the Vatican is located in Rome, and hence (from their interpretation) sitting upon the seven “heads” of the beast.
But I don’t agree with that interpretation.
The prophecy concerns mountains (not hills) and a “mountain” is frequently used in Scripture figuratively to mean a “kingdom”. The kingdom of the Messiah for example is figured by a mountain (Dan.2:35), as is the ancient Babylonian kingdom (Jer.51:25). Moreover, this passage says there are “also seven kings” making it more logical to consider these as “mountains of kingdoms” and not literal mountains.
Okay, let’s consider the kings. But bear in mind that they represent more than large and influential kingdoms, but in particular, kingdoms that did severely persecute Israel.
At the time of John five such kingdoms had indeed fallen: Assyria, Egypt, Babylon, Media-Persia, and Greece. Rome (a sixth kingdom) was presently in power, whereas a seventh king (the man Antichrist) had “not yet come”. The woman sits upon these seven kingdoms to show her presiding as queen over these kingdoms; each a kingdom full of her abominations and wickedness and opposition to God and His people.
But then we’re told of an eight king that is of the seven but distinct from the seven in that he is described as “the beast” that was, and is not, is himself also the eight, and is going to perdition. As we just saw (v.8) this beast is the Antichrist in his final form—the devil incarnate. The seventh king (the man Antichrist) “must continue a short time” (the first three and a half years of Tribulation). Then as the eight (the devil incarnate) he continues for the second half of the Tribulation.
Okay, but the idea that Antichrist (the seventh king) also becomes the eighth king seems redundant. After all, if he is already the seventh king of an empire why would he supplant himself and become an eight king?
During the first half of the Tribulation Antichrist is king over a confederation of European states only (not over the entire world). Moreover, though revered, he is not worshiped as a god. During the second half of the Tribulation, however, once possessed by Satan and given the full power, authority and seat of Satan, he becomes the eight as the incarnation of Satan who subsequently rules (not merely as a man) but as the devil who will be worshiped as god throughout the entire world.