The beast that thou sawest; this beast was the Roman empire, the scarlet coloured beast which carried the whore, Revelation 17:3. Was, and is not; was of old, in Rome's pagan state, and is not, not in that form, not now pagan; and yet is (as is said in the close of the verse) the same in another form, idolatrous and persecuting. And shall ascend out of the bottomless pit; either, out of the sea, which signifies a multitude of people; or, from hell; the word signifies both. And go into perdition; and shall certainly be destroyed. And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, &c.: but before he goes into perdition he shall so cheat the world, that the generality of the people shall wonder at the beast, \see Revelation 8:8\ setting aside those who are chosen of God to eternal salvation; the one hundred and forty-four thousand, mentioned Revelation 14:3. I conceive that which hath made interpreters so divided in their notions about this beast is, because those words, and yet is, are not added in the beginning of the verse, which being understood, there appears no difficulty considerable; for it is certain the Roman empire was from before Christ, and continued pagan till the year 310; then was not pagan, but Christian, yet after some years was again as idolatrous and bloody against Christians, as the old pagan empire was; especially when swallowed up by the pope, the beast with two horns like a lamb. This is the beast with seven heads and ten horns, Revelation 13:1.
Related Commentaries of Revelation 17:8
Revelation 17:8
8 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.