733.启17:8.“你所看见的兽，先前有，如今没有”表他们虽承认圣言为神圣，却不是真地承认。“兽”表示圣言（723节）。“先前有，如今没有”表示圣言虽被承认为神圣，然而却不是真地被承认。人们都知道，圣言曾在他们当中，现在也在，然而却又不在。圣言的确被承认为神圣，因为它论述了主和祂对教会并天堂的权柄，还论述了彼得及其钥匙；然而，它又未得到承认，因为人们没有读它，他们被阻止读经，圣言从他们那里被拿走，甚至被修道士们以种种借口禁止，只保存在图书馆和修道院中，在那里也没什么人读它，更不用说注意其中的任何真实事物了；相反，他们只关注教皇的命令，教皇所说的话同样神圣。事实上，当教皇发自内心说话时，他们却诋毁并亵渎圣言。从这些事明显可知，“所看见的兽，先前有，如今没有”表示他们虽承认圣言为神圣，却不是真地承认。
733. 17:8 "The beast that you saw was, and is not." This symbolizes the Word among them acknowledged as holy, and yet really not acknowledged.
The beast symbolizes the Word (see no. 723 above). That it was and is not means symbolically that it is acknowledged, and yet really not acknowledged.
That the Word existed among Roman Catholics, and still does, and yet does not, is something people know. Roman Catholics acknowledge the Word, indeed, as holy, because it tells about the Lord and about His authority over the church and heaven, and about Peter and his keys. 1But still they do not acknowledge it, for the people do not read it, because they are kept from reading it, and monks by various fictions withhold it. Indeed even reading it is prohibited, and it is preserved only in libraries and monasteries, where also few read it, much less attend to any truth in it. They attend instead only to papal decrees, which they say possess the same holiness. In fact, when they speak from the heart, they find fault with the Word and blaspheme it.
It can be seen from this that the beast which was and is not symbolizes the Word among Roman Catholics, acknowledged as holy, and yet really not acknowledged.
Footnotes:
1. The Lord said to His disciples, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon-bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:15-19)
733. [verse 8] 'The beast that thou hast seen, was and is not' signifies the Word with them acknowledged as holy, and yet in reality not acknowledged. That by 'the beast' is signified the Word, may be seen above (723). By 'was and is not' is signified the same acknowledged as holy, and yet in reality not acknowledged. That the Word has been with them, and also is, and that yet it is not, is known. It is indeed acknowledged as holy because it treats of the Lord, and of his authority over the Church and over heaven, and of Peter and his keys; but still it is not acknowledged, for it is not read by the people because they are kept back from reading it, and it is taken away, indeed, even prohibited, under various pretences devised by monks, and is kept solely in the libraries and monasteries, where also few read it, much less pay attention to anything true therein. But they pay attention only to the dictates of the Pope, which they say are likewise holy; indeed, when they are speaking from the heart they disparage and blaspheme the Word. From these things it can be established that by 'the beast that was and is not' is signified the Word with them acknowledged as holy, and yet in reality not acknowledged.
733. Verse 8. The beast that thou sawest, was and is not, signifies the Word with them acknowledged as holy, and yet in reality not acknowledged. That by "the beast" is signified the Word, may be seen above, (723). By "was, and is not," is signified that it was acknowledged to be holy, and yet in reality was not acknowledged. That the Word was with them, and also is, and yet is not, is known. It is acknowledged indeed to be holy, because it treats of the Lord, and of His authority over the church, and over heaven, and of Peter and his keys; but yet it is not acknowledged, for it is not read by the people, because they are withheld from reading it, and it is taken away from them, yea, even prohibited under various pretenses of the monks, being kept only in libraries and monasteries, where few read it, much less attend to anything true that is in it; but only to the dictates of the Pope, which they say are in like manner holy. Yea when they speak from their hearts, they vituperate and blaspheme the Word. From these things it may appear, that by "the beast which was, and is not," is signified the Word acknowledged with them as holy, and yet in reality not acknowledged.
733. (Vers. 8.) "Bestia, quam vidisti, erat et non est,", significat Verbum apud illos pro sancto agnitum, et tamen realiter non agnitum. -Quod per "Bestiam" significetur Verbum, videatur supra (723); per "erat et non est," significatur illud pro sancto agnitum, et tamen realiter non agnitum. Quod Verbum apud illos fuerit, et quoque sit, et tamen quod non sit, notum est: agnoscitur quidem pro sancto, quia agit de Domino, et de Ipsius potestate super Ecclesiam et super Caelum, ac de Petro et ejus clavibus; sed usque non agnoscitur, non enim legitur a populo, quia ab illo legendo detinetur, et per varia a Monachis figmenta abducitur, imo etiam prohibetur; et solummodo custoditur in bibliothecis, et monasteriis, ubi etiam pauci id legunt, minus ad aliquod verum inibi attendunt; sed modo ad dictata Papae, quae dicunt in simili sanctitate esse: imo quando ex corde loquuntur, vituperant et blasphemant Verbum. Ex his constare potest, quod per "Bestiam quae erat et non est" significetur Verbum apud illos pro sancto agnitum, et tamen realiter non agnitum.