Extracts and comments from Revelation Chp. 17:9 & 10
17.9
(a)Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
(a) “Seven heads are seven mountains”; (see V.10, 11 & 12).
17.10
(a)And they are seven kings: five are fallen, one is, (b)and the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space.
(a)Remembering that the criterion in prophecy in our opinion is when Israel is affected, and not "Lo-Ammi", Daniel 7 gives the likely understanding of the 7 kings listed;
— 1) Babylon, (Lion ) (one king).
— 2) Medes &Persians, (Bear ) (two kings).
— 3) Greece, (Leopard ) ( 2 kings), 330B.C.-167B.C. Ptolemies & Seleucids, 167B.C. - 63B.C. Hasmoneans & Maccabees.
— 4) Rev. 17:10, "one is", Rome, (one king). This at the time of John's writing.
(b)"The other is not yet come"; this seventh king cannot exist in power until Israel is again "Ammi", in the sense of Divine Prophecy, i.e. at the "Covenant" stage of Dan. 9:27.
Charles Welch, in his book ‘This Prophecy’ page 206; points to Dan. 7, and the above empires. There, Greece is shown to have ‘four heads,’ (Dan. 7:6), and Medo – Persia one.
That therefore shows the Ptolemies and Seleucids as two; and the Hasmoreans and Maccabees as two, which corresponds with the split of Alexander’s empire into four, after his death, (see: 13:8 and notes).
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