Revelation 17: 9 - 14

9 This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; 

1. The Bible records the unfolding of the Covenant of Grace in historical fashion.
2. These are: Edenic, Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic, Johnannine.  

10 they are also seven kings, 

1. These 7 covenants are the seven kings.  
2. Adam was king in the first & second, so, there are six literal kings, & because of Adam having served twice, there are 7 symbolic (6 literal) kings recorded as the Transitional Prophets : Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Samuel, John.   

five of whom have fallen, 

1. At the time of writing the Edenic through David Covenants had ended.   Ergo, from the perspective of the total number of covenants, 5, is symbolic.  
2. If we exclude the Edenic Covenant & opt for the perspective of the Covenant of Grace (apart from the Covenant of Works), the number is literal. 

one is, 

1. God’s covenantal system is singular, insofar as the Edenic Covenant (Covenant of Works) considered with every administration of the Covenant of Grace constitutes a single covenant we might call the Covenant of Life, Love, Happiness or Faith, Hope, Joy, Love, & Grace.  
2. Revelation was delivered to us during the Johannine Covenant.  Five covenants had fallen in the past.  The 6th administration of the Covenant of Grace was underway.   This sixth administration is also the 7th revealed covenant in the overall system. 

the other has not yet come, 

1. Prospectively, this prophesies the expansion of the Covenant before Christ’s return. 
2. Retrospectively, this describes the present state of affairs at any given time relative to the way the covenants historically progress & are related to one another as history unfolds.   
3. There is always an already/not yet relation with respect to the unfolding of Redemptive History as the covenantal system grows & progress. 

and when he does come he must remain only a little while. 

1. Considered as a covenant/covenant administration, the covenant arrives, sets up camp, and prophets, priests, & kings us for however long God intends.
2. Considered as a king who administers the 3fold uses of the Law & Gospel in the 3 spheres (individual, ecclesiastical, & civil) with the 3 sets of keys, that king rules in the name of God & Christ until its time for him to retire.   
3. Considered as Christ Himself, since each Transitional Prophet retrospectively, concurrently, & prospectively represents Christ, He too comes remains a little while.  
4. He also goes through phases.   The Gospels depict Christ living out the cycles of Israel’s general trajectory as a covenant community that was prophetic, priestly, & kingly. 

11 As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, 

1. The Beast is both the covenant in view & the Melchizedekian king who administers it in the name of Christ & God as well as Christ Himself.     
2. Consider the seven covenants from Eden to Johannine.   Each one its own beast & its own 8th & is perfectly perichoretic with the other just like the LORD’s own attributes.  
3. This also prophesies an 8th covenant that belongs to the symbolic 7 kings.   He is an instance of the 8th beast and belongs to the list of 7 kings as the 7th Transitional Melchizedekian Prophet-Priest-King,    

and it goes to destruction. 

1. This person, like his predecessors & his Christ (who rules them all) is constantly sifted.   
2. In a sense, he is God’s covenant personified.   In each covenant, the Melchizedekian Prophet-Priest-King parcletes the People as they contend with each other & the LORD in the Day of the LORD which prophets like Malachi & Zephaniah call destructive Days. 

12 And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. 

1. This applies to these Transitional Prophets & to Christ.
2. These also apply to the People in general via the Priesthood of Believers. 
3. This is true of office holders who are prophets, and/or priests, and/or kings.   These 10 as to the Transitional Prophets in Heaven & on Earth occupy all 3 offices during their tenure.  
4. These 10 as to everyone else are depicted throughout Scripture occupying two but not three offices & working together to exercise all 3 set of keys as they exercise dominion in all 3 spheres. 

13 These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. 

1. As people, these prophets (eventually) harmonize & channel their power & authority into & through the covenants they administer in the name of God & Christ. 
2. They also hand their authority & power to each other & to Christ & God. 
3. Rev. 4:10 They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being

14 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”

1. We have all made war on the LORD & each other & on Christ since the Fall.   Every covenant involves a conquest of the created order on the part of God & His People & the leaders.   
2. The good news is that the LORD will conquer us, & one day, when He takes away our inability to love God & each other & ourselves exhaustively & perfectly & in the correct order (God, others, then ourselves) we will conquer God by loving Him & enjoying Him and giving Him the love and ginormous joy that rightfully belongs to Him alone forever.