The Beast that the woman rides is first mentioned in Revelation 11:7, but only briefly. The Beast is then discussed in detail in Chapter 13 – but, not the Beast Rider. It is only in Chapter 17 that we see the Great Whore, who sits on many waters.
( Click HERE for Part 1) – | – (Click HERE for Part 3)
As I asked yesterday, the question is about her identity.
Who IS the Beast Rider?
It is interesting to see that there are three different theories as to the identity of this woman:
- The Roman Catholic Church
- The United States of America
- Mecca – in Saudi Arabia
That last one was as much a surprise to me as it probably is to you. But, for those who have come out of Islam and embraced Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, it makes some sense.
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Beast Rider – Part Two
It is interesting that there is no mention of a Beast Rider until Chapter 17. But, when an angel speaks to John about her, he speaks in a way that indicates that John has already seen her – yet, WE haven’t been introduced to her.
Interesting.
Anyway, here’s the beginning of Revelation 17:
And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: – Revelation 17:1
The part in bold is what I’m talking about. Of course, the angel may have just assumed that John already knew about the great whore.
Now, verse two adds:
With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. – Revelation 17:2
Later on in Revelation 17, we learn what the ‘many waters’ are:
And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. – Revelation 17:15
So, the ‘many waters’ are peoples, crowds of people, national groups and languages.
It’s interesting to see that subdivision. Notice that there’s no mention of kings and kingdoms as a part of these ‘many waters’. Also, the word for nations is ethne – or, ethnics and not political boundaries.
Why Is The Beast Rider A Whore?
Now, why does God describe this woman as The Great Whore?
That name provides us with quite a bit of information. It indicates her gender. It tells us what she does, and why. And, it gives us something of a clue as to her origins.
Remember that God could have chosen a different symbol for John. But, He didn’t. He chose a woman.
A woman is NOT a symbol of physical power – otherwise, God would have chosen a man to represent the Beast Rider. Notice also what she is NOT doing.
Do you see any reins in the hands of this woman to exert direct control of The Beast?
No. You do not.
So, this woman has a passive role as the Beast Rider. Basically, The Beast can toss her off at any moment, and there is nothing that she can do about it. Nor can she make the Beast change direction or stop by tugging on any reins.
This means that the Beast Rider is in a precarious position and must cooperate with The Beast, or get thrown off and eaten.
The other part that I want us to take away is her identity as a whore, a prostitute. When you see that symbolism in the Bible, it is always in context with an origin. A whore never starts out as a prostitute. She always begins life in purity, before defiling herself.
By way of example, Israel started out in purity, before she prostituted herself and caused God to cast her out. Although, in Ezekiel 36 and Ezekiel 37, we see God forgiving her and bringing her back.
So, I believe that we can say that the Great Whore had pure beginnings. There is a strong element of betrayal in her – a betrayal of God, as well as a betrayal of her responsibilities. She is doing something OTHER than what she was made for.
The Beast, on the other hand, is doing EXACTLY what was intended for it. It came out of the Bottomless Pit and is behaving as designed. But,…
…the Beast Rider doesn’t come out of the Bottomless Pit.
She had holy beginnings – otherwise, God would not have called her a whore.
And, I find that thought to be interesting.
Lord willing, we’ll do Part Three, tomorrow.
I truly hope that you’ll be ready for this
(That’s a link. There’s not much time left.)
A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished. – Proverbs 22:3
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If you find a flaw in my reasoning, have a question, or wish to add your own viewpoint, leave a comment on the website. Your input is truly welcome.
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