Q. In Revelation 17.9 it talks about the seven heads are seven mountains. What is this referring to?

A. The seven heads and seven mountains mean the same thing. The seven heads are seven kings and the seven mountains are seven kingdoms. Kings were often referred to by their kingdoms and vice versa. In v 10 it says “five have fallen” referring to Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, Medo-Persia and Greece, “one is” refers to Rome (the sixth), and the “other has not yet come” refers to a revived Rome( the seventh) in the last days and spoken about by Daniel the prophet. The “he’ in verse 10 is referring to the seventh kingdom. This kingdom will start out with ten kingdoms/kings but three will defect leaving seven. These are the ten toes of the statue Nebuchadnezzar saw in Daniel 2. But, in Rev 17.11 it talks about “the beast”, who is the false messiah, who is also “an eighth” and that means that this final configuration of seven kingdoms will have seven leaders, with the false messiah being the “eighth” or the one who rules over all seven. In Micah 5.5 there is a prophecy about these seven kings/kingdoms. It says that the Assyrian will invade Israel . Now, Assyria is a picture of the coming Russian invasion of Israel (Ezekiel 39-39). It then says “then we (Israel) will raise against him (Gog) seven shepherds (shepherds=kings) and eight leaders of men.” This refers to our passage in Revelation ,in that, there will be seven kingdoms/kings but one is “an eighth”, who is the false messiah ruling over these seven kingdoms/kings. So, Russia will invade Israel between Rosh ha Shana and Yom Kippur the third year of the Tribulation. Europe, led by seven nations with the false messiah (eighth leader of men –Rev 17.9, Micah 5.5)) will be called on to help due to the covenant they made for seven years back in Daniel 9.24-27, but they will be no help. God destroys the Russian army and the false messiah will be given credit for it by the world and lead his seven kingdoms/kings into Israel. Six months later he will declare himself to be God (2 Thes 2). So, this last kingdom is the eighth. But, in addition, the false messiah will also be” the eighth” which means that He will rule over the other seven kings, making him the “eighth” ruler.