Revelation 17:11

11 The beast that was once alive, but is not alive now, is also an eighth king. He belongs to the first seven kings, and he will go away to be destroyed.

Revelation 17:11 Meaning and Commentary

Revelation 17:11

And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth,
&c.] That was in embryo in John's time, and yet was not come to its power and grandeur, is the eighth king; and this is the Papacy, which takes the name of the beast, because it is the head of the beast, and the only surviving head of the beast, or Roman empire, now become Papal:

and is of the seven;
one of the seven heads, and the last of them, and is an idolatrous one, as the rest were, requiring and encouraging the worship of angels, of the virgin Mary, and saints parted: the pope of Rome is the eighth king, and seventh head, the latter with respect to his temporal power, and the former with respect to his ecclesiastical authority; for his government is quite of a different sort from the rest, being of a mixed kind, partly civil, and partly ecclesiastical, and therefore is signified by two beasts in the thirteenth chapter:

and goes into perdition;
being the son of perdition, and is justly deserving of it; (See Gill on Revelation 17:8).

Revelation 17:11 In-Context

9 "You need a wise mind to understand this. The seven heads on the beast are seven mountains where the woman sits.
10 And they are seven kings. Five of the kings have already been destroyed, one of the kings lives now, and another has not yet come. When he comes, he must stay a short time.
11 The beast that was once alive, but is not alive now, is also an eighth king. He belongs to the first seven kings, and he will go away to be destroyed.
12 "The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet begun to rule, but they will receive power to rule with the beast for one hour.
13 All ten of these kings have the same purpose, and they will give their power and authority to the beast.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.