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 (n. 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.