The beast that thou sawest 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.
That beast you saw? It used to exist, then it didn't, and it's going to come back up from the pit of destruction before heading to its final doom. Everyone on earth whose names aren't written in God's book of life, the one he's been keeping since the world began, they're going to be completely amazed when they see this beast that was here, then wasn't, but somehow still is.
Evil might seem to disappear and come back, but only those truly connected to God won't be fooled by the show.
📚 Historical Context
The Book of Revelation was written by the Apostle John around 95 AD during the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian, a period of intense persecution against Christians who were often forced to worship the emperor as a god. In this verse, the beast symbolizes evil empires or forces that oppose God, drawing from Old Testament imagery like the sea monsters in Daniel to depict their temporary rise and inevitable downfall. This apocalyptic language was intended to encourage early believers to remain faithful despite suffering.
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