Identity of Five Fallen Kings in Revelation 17
Revelation 17:10 describes seven kings, stating, "Five have fallen, the one is, the other has not yet come. When he comes, he must continue a little while" [1]. This verse is part of a larger vision given to John, where an angel explains the mystery of a woman (Babylon) riding a scarlet beast with seven heads and ten horns [3, 4]. The seven heads are interpreted as both seven mountains and seven kings [4, 5].
The interpretation of these seven kings has been a subject of discussion among commentators. John Gill notes that the seven heads signify seven kings, representing a double meaning: first, seven mountains, and then seven kings [2]. The "five fallen" kings are generally understood to refer to powerful empires that had already passed by John's time [5]. Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown suggest these fallen empires include Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece [5]. The phrase "the one is" refers to the empire contemporary with John's writing, which is widely identified as Rome [5].
The "other has not yet come" refers to a future king or empire that will have a short duration [1, 4]. The beast itself is described as "the eighth" and "of the seven," indicating a close connection to the previous seven [4]. The ten horns on the beast are also interpreted as ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom but will receive power with the beast for a short time [4, 6]. These ten kings are understood to be contemporaries with the beast in its final form, often identified as Antichrist [6]. Matthew Henry describes a war between the beast and its followers and the Lamb and his followers, with the Lamb ultimately achieving victory [7].
Sources
- Revelation “They are seven kings. Five have fallen, the one is, the other has not yet come. When he comes, he must continue a little while. -- Revelation 17:10”
- Revelation (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Revelation 17:10: And there are seven kings,.... The Arabic version renders it, "who are seven kings"; and it should be rendered, as it is by the Vulgate Latin, Syriac and Ethiopic versions, "and they are seven kings"; that is, the seven heads signify seven kings also, for they have in them a double representation, first of seven mountains, and then of seven kings; by which are meant not seven ages of the world, as from Adam to Noah; from Noah to Abraham; from Abraham to David; from David to the Babylonish captivity; from the Babylonish captivity to Christ; from Christ to antichri”
- Revelation (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Revelation 17 (introduction): INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION 17 This chapter contains a vision of a beast, and a woman on it, and the interpretation of it; one of the seven angels that had the seven vials proposes to John to show him the whore of Babylon, the Jezabel before spoken of, who sits on many waters, with whom the kings and inhabitants of the earth have committed fornication, being intoxicated by her, Rev 17:1 in order to which he carries him into the wilderness, and there he sees a woman, who is described by the beast she sat on, of a scarlet colour, full of blasphemous na”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 5: Hippolytus, Cyprian, Caius, Novatian — TREATISE ON CHRIST AND ANTICHRIST.(1) (part 18): here is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not ye come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was and is not, (even he is the eighth,) and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one ”
- Revelation (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Revelation 17:10: there are--Translate, "they (the seven heads) are seven kings." five . . . one--Greek, "the five . . . the one"; the first five of the seven are fallen (a word applicable not to forms of government passing away, but to the fall of once powerful empires: Egypt, Eze. 29:1-30:26; Assyria and Nineveh, Nah. 3:1-19; Babylon, Rev 18:2; Jer. 50:1-51:64; Medo-Persia, Dan 8:3-7, Dan 8:20-22; Dan 10:13; Dan 11:2; Greece, Dan 11:4). Rome was "the one" existing in John's days. "Kings" is the Scripture phrase for kingdoms, because these kingdoms are generally”
- Revelation (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Revelation 17:12: ten kings . . . received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings . . . with the beast--Hence and from Rev 17:14, Rev 17:16, it seems that these ten kings or kingdoms, are to be contemporaries with the beast in its last or eighth form, namely, Antichrist. Compare Dan 2:34, Dan 2:44, "the stone smote the image upon his feet," that is, upon the ten toes, which are, in Dan 2:41-44, interpreted to be "kings." The ten kingdoms are not, therefore, ten which arose in the overthrow of Rome (heathen), but are to rise out of the last state of the fourt”
- Revelation (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Revelation 17:14: Here we have some account of the downfall of Babylon, to be more fully described in the following chapter. I. Here is a war begun between the beast and his followers, and the Lamb and his followers. The beast and his army, to an eye of sense, appear much stronger than the Lamb and his army: one would think an army with a lamb at the head of them could not stand before the great red dragon. But, II. Here is a victory gained by the Lamb: The Lamb shall overcome. Christ must reign till all enemies be put under his feet; he will be sure to meet with many enemies,”