e 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.

9. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are
seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

10. 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.

11. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth,
and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

12. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which
have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one
hour with the beast.

13. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength
unto the beast.

14. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall
overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and
they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

The angel promises to explain "the mystery of the woman and of the beast
that carried her." The beast is the same as the secular beast with seven
heads and ten horns, described in chapter 13. An explanation of its
heads and horns has already been given. The expression "the seven heads
are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth, and there are seven
kings," requires further explanation. Many have understood the mountains
to signify the seven mountains on which the city of Rome is said to be
built; but that is adopting the literal mode of interpretation, and is
contrary to the laws of symbolic language. The more obvious meaning is
that the seven heads represent seven mountains and also seven kings; but
this probably is not the idea intended. The heads of a beast are not the
proper symbol of mountains. The fact, too, that the woman is represented
as sitting upon these mountains, shows that they are to be taken as a
symbol, as well as the woman, and not the object symbolized. They are,
then, the same as the heads and denote the seven kings or seven forms of
government under which the Roman empire subsisted.

The seventh and last head has not yet been identified. Before
considering it, however, I wish to call attention to another point that
has already been referred to. The beast that John here saw, with the
seven heads and ten horns, was Rome under the Papal power. Did new Rome
in reality have the seven heads? No. The dragon John saw in chapter 12
is rep