Ten Reasons (6) Controlled by a Woman

One of the mysteries in the book of Revelation is the woman riding on the beast.

Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns (Rev 17:3-5).

John was surprised by the vision

Then the angel said to me: "Why are you astonished" (Rev 17:7).

John knew all about beasts. His world had been dominated by many great empires, and was currently controlled by the powerful Roman Empire. What was strange about his vision was the woman sitting on the beast. Sitting symbolizes control, so this terrible beast with seven heads and ten horns was being controlled by a woman. Her identify is the key to identifying the Beast.

The wilderness is a key to understanding the identity of the woman. An angel had carried John into the wilderness where he saw the woman controlling the kings of the nations. John knew who the identity of this woman, because he had seen her in Revelation 12. She gave birth to a child that was eventually caught up into heaven. The child was Jesus, so this woman was Israel.

After Jesus had ascended into heaven and defeated the spiritual powers of evil, they lost their place in heaven, so they attacked the woman.

She was scattered in the wilderness for the entirety of the Times of the Gentiles. The wilderness is the place that God prepared to keep the children of Israel safe during the time when they would continue to reject Jesus as their Messiah (Rev 12:14-16).

John was not surprised to see the woman in the wilderness. He already knew she was there. What surprised him was that she was riding on a powerful beast. He did not expect to see her controlling the Beast that controls the rulers of the nations. John had been Israel being exiled from Canaan, so he was amazed to see this same woman still in the wilderness (in exile from God) sitting on a terrible beast and controlling it.

The empires of the world had trampled Israel, so it was almost impossible to believe that it could control an empire greater than the Roman Empire. Instead of trusting God to keep them through their troubles, the chosen people have been seduced by political and military power. This is a false hope.

The identity of the woman was confirmed to John at the end of the vision.

The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth (Rev 17:18).

This great city had been described in the vision of the two prophets in Rev 11:8.

Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city-which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt-where also their Lord was crucified.

This city is called Egypt and Sodom and Babylon to indicate that it is opposed to the purposes of God, but it is actually the city where Jesus was crucified. Everyone knows where Jesus was crucified. The great city is Jerusalem. This means that the woman controlling the beast is the city of Jerusalem and the nation of Israel.

The vision of the woman on the Beast describes a season when the nation of Israel will control the most powerful empire the world has known. This vision seems to be being fulfilled in our own time. The United States is the most powerful empire ever known, with the strongest economy and military bases all over the world.

The dominant political force in the United States is the Israel lobby (AIPAC). A presidential candidate who rejected the demands of AIPAC will have difficulty being elected. Getting elected to congress is difficult without its support. Many members of congress are willing to place the security of the United States at risk in order to protect Israel, even when it engages in evil activities. When the Israeli resident visits the United States, the congress gives him a standing ovation, something it rarely does for a sitting US President. This strange power situation is perfectly described by a woman (Israel) sitting on a beast (United States).