nero
Shalom Juri--,
May I offer a different opinion? Rev17 does indeed hold key verses. Your interpertation of the '7 kings', could be flawed.
It makes more since to think of them as the 7 heads, or kingdoms, on the dragon. The dragon is a symbol of Satan's kingdom, in the heavenlies. On on earth, there is a mirrowed image consisting of 7 kingdoms.
The verses in Rev 17 would then be understood like so: 5 have fallen, one is. This 'one is', would be Rome; seeing Revelation was written during this time.
'One is not yet come. And the beast you saw which was, and is not' This refers back to Rev 13, and the beast with the deadly wound; it was, then was not, and yet was to be. It, therefore, could not be Rome, but rather one of the five which preceeded it.
There has Ever, been only one nation to have been dead, and then has come back to life. This is of course Israel. In 1948, Israel's 'deadly wound' of 70AD was healed by the UN, and Israel rose from the sea of the nations. It was, as it were, in Sheol, the grave.
This returned Israel is, if you want to put a person's name to it, Herod's Israel. Was it not through this beast, Satan sat at the feet of the woman waiting to destroy her child? Was it not through this beast Satan was given power to 'bruise His heel'? Was it not in this beast, the Lord 'crushed his head'?
AntiChrist, who claims to be the seed of David, will come to power through this revived Israel, to once again confront Messiah.
Thus Israel, who became the 5th head of the dragon when God turned Israel over to Babylon (symbolic of the Dragon), is that beast who was, and when John wrote Revelation, 'was not', is that beast who shall be!
In His Name,
habag