Revelation 17:6b-8 – When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. 7 Then the angel said to me: “Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the Beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns. 8 The Beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the Beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come.
“The Beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction.” The Beast is the Antichrist. Yet the Beast can refer to either the person or the kingdom of the Beast. Whether the person or the kingdom, they are merely the tools Satan uses to advance his hatred and his work.
The expression that the Beast “once was, now is not and yet will come” is likely a given comparison and also an expression of who he is, contrary to whom he wants to convince the world he is. The statement about the beast draws us back to the statement of Jesus in Revelation 1:4 “Grace and peace to you from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come.” This verse is speaking of Jesus. Here we see that the Antichrist is a poor counterfeit of Jesus. The devil would like all to believe that he and his henchman the Antichrist have the same power and eternality as our Triune God. Yet the comparison is missing something of vital importance. Jesus is the eternal pre-existing One. He has no beginning. He has always existed, He exists now and He will forever exist. Jesus was God in the flesh and He has never stopped to exist as He remains at the right hand of the Father. Whereas the devil, the Antichrist whom he uses, and the False Prophet are all created beings. They have a beginning. Now God gave them life (which they, of their own free will perverted) and so we can mark their beginning. The devil has existed since his creation, he does exist and he will continue to exist, but not to live. Eternal life, in biblical terms, is a wonderful life that never ceases to be with God. The devil however will exist, but shall not forever have access to the presence of God. In fact, the Word notes that He was thrown out of Heaven never to return (Revelation 12:12, Luke 10:18). So the devil dies, yet he exists. This is no great mystery as all of mankind have eternal souls. All of mankind shall forever exist. Mankind faces two deaths. As is manifest to any sensible mind, one inevitable fact of life on earth is that it ends. The ceasing of life in our bodies is the first death, the death of the flesh (Hebrews 9:27). The death of our bodies is a milestone, but is not the end of us. Our souls live forever (Psalm 23:6, 49:7-9, Ecclesiastes 12:7, Daniel 12:2-3). If our souls live forever what is the second death? It is spiritual death. The second death is when a soul is eternally separated from God. That soul is sent to its requested place in eternity, the Lake of Fire, that will forever burn, but not consume its inhabitants (Matthew 25:46). The Christian has no second death (Matthew 25:46). The eternal soul of the Christian, and only of the Christian, lives forever with God (John 11:26). Praise God! So all continue to exist, but not all continue to live. Those who come to God through Jesus will live forever with Him. For all who belong to Jesus eternity is not merely existing, but living. Oh praise God!
The Antichrist once was, meaning he previously existed, but he at some point ceased to exist. Then, in the End Times we see he comes out of the Abyss and is sent to destruction. It is interesting to note that the “go” is used rather than “goes” when speaking of the Antichrist’s inevitable path to destruction. While not an absolute rule, it is common to use “goes” when referring to the singular. So it would seem that “goes” would be used, instead of “go” when speaking of the Beast alone. Now this is not an absolute rule but in context, it certain avails one to consider that it not only the Beast of the End Times that is being considered, but all those who have been of the same spirit as the Antichrist of the end times. Certainly the Word says that the Antichrist spirit has been active at least since the time of the Apostles (1 John 4:3). Certainly there have been those who people thought may be the Antichrist. Among those who people have thought were the Antichrist, and some may still think were, are Nero Caesar, Napoleon, and Hitler. As we consider these previously accused, we see those who committed great evil and who had a desire to conquer the world, and these are also traits of the End Times Antichrist. However, we know from history itself, and from our present day world existence as it is, that none of these were “the” End Times Antichrist. Though certainly it is possible that they had the “antichrist spirit.”
Bringing us back to “go” vs. “goes,” is it possible that this End Times Antichrist is a singular spirit that existed in all who previously had within them the Antichrist spirit. Since it is the same spirit they all shared, all those who previously walked in the Antichrist spirit, including all those who even now will not acknowledge Jesus is from and is God (1 John 4:3), are all spirits that exist together within the singular Antichrist spirit? They certainly all share the same fate (Matthew 25:41).
Again referring to the “go” vs “goes,” this could also mean to include the devil, the Beast, and the False Prophet. However it is unlikely that the devil would be included as he has never stopped existing. Even the devil in the form of evil never truly goes away. Evil may lurk in the shadows of the campfire but it exists nevertheless and always, to date, returns. The devil, evil, never gives up.
V8 states of the Beast that it comes from the Abyss (meaning a deep hole…let’s not get started on that!). The antichrist is not merely a man, but comes from deep evil. V8 also states that the Beast is going to its destruction. He will have his moment where he seems invincible and eternal, but in the right time, he will be destroyed physically and sent to eternal destruction. Why? Because God has said so and so it will be. Just as everything God says will happen will happen. God is God and there is no other (1 Corinthians 8:6). All who oppose the divinity of Jesus have the Antichrist spirit. They are one, at least in work if no other, with the Antichrist. All who, though they may appear nice, or kind, or generous, yet deny Jesus, are all of the same Antichrist spirit. They all do evil because they deceive people and lead them away from the sole Savior, Jesus Christ. Again, for the evil who reject Jesus, the End Times are scary and cause the pre-existing anger and hatred to rise. Yet for those who are called by His name, it is time of triumph and the receiving of promises of eternal life. Praise God who remembers all His own and who blesses all of His in due time. Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.