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.
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Interpretation
The beast on which the woman sat was, and is not, and yet is. It was a seat of idolatry and persecution, and is not; not in the ancient form, which was pagan: yet it is; it is truly the seat of idolatry and tyranny, though of another sort and form.
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This thought runs through Revelation 17:8-12.