Charles Ellicott Commentary Revelation 17:11

"And the beast that was, and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is of the seven; and he goeth into perdition." — Revelation 17:11 (ASV)

And the beast . . .—Better, And the wild beast which was, and is not, even he himself is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into destruction. The wild beast himself, forming, as it were, an eighth, must be reckoned with.

There are seven heads; when these fall, no eighth head will rise. Instead, the wild beast, whose vitality has been seen in these successive heads, forms, as it were, an eighth. This eighth is “out of the seven”—not one of them, but one rising out of them.

No eighth empire will rise; rather, the wild beast, now smitten in all the seven heads of his power, will, in the convulsive death throe, seem an eighth power, in which the ebbing life of all the seven finds expression.

The wild beast linked itself with seven great empires in succession: these all fell, and the wild beast is left as an eighth. Then “the wild beast goes into destruction.” As an illustration, we may recall her whom the seven brothers had as wife; last of all the woman, the eighth, who was of the seven, died also.

It has been noticed that the wild beast does not “fall” like the others, but “goes into destruction.” There are no more world-powers like those who have fallen. Instead, the wild beast is left, a last power reserved for destruction, a final antichrist, the lawless one whom the Lord will destroy with the brightness of His coming (2 Thessalonians 2:3). This fierce and last flickering up of the doomed power of evil is dwelt on again in Revelation 20:7-10.