Revelation 17:3
And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The vision shifts from the woman "sitting upon many waters" to now "riding on a scarlet beast," highlighting a dramatic shift. This isn't just a change of scenery; it signifies her deep reliance on and integration with a powerful, violent world system, moving from dominion over nations to a more parasitic, controlling relationship.
The angel carries John in a vision to a desolate place, a wilderness, to reveal a shocking scene. He sees a woman, identified in the previous verse as a "great harlot," riding on a fearsome scarlet beast that is covered in blasphemous titles and possesses seven heads and ten horns. This imagery immediately connects the woman to the beast previously described in chapter 13, highlighting their intertwined power and corrupt nature.
John is whisked away into a desolate wilderness. What does this stark, empty landscape signify for the dramatic vision that unfolds?
A Wilderness Setting
The angel carries John "away in the Spirit into a wilderness." This isn't just a random backdrop; it's deeply symbolic.
John sees a woman riding a scarlet beast covered in blasphemous names. What does this terrifying image represent?
A Symbol of Corrupt Power
The scarlet beast is a terrifying symbol of corrupted power, intimately connected to the woman it carries.
Understand the original words
pneuma · Greek Noun
A state of being under the direct influence and guidance of the Holy Spirit, often used in apocalyptic literature to describe the means by which prophets receive visions and access supernatural reality.
blasphēmos · Greek Adjective
A symbol of extreme defiance against God, involving speech or actions that claim divine prerogatives or heap insults upon the Creator and His holiness.
This vision depicts a corrupt religious system, symbolized by a woman adorned in scarlet and riding a powerful beast, dominating the political landscape. The 'wilderness' setting contrasts with her outward splendor, suggesting a spiritual desolation beneath the surface of her influence, particularly as the Roman Empire fractured and a new religious power center emerged.
c. 1st century AD
Roman Empire's Dominance
The Roman Empire, symbolized by the beast with seven heads and ten horns, was the dominant world power, influencing vast territories and peoples.
c. 1st-4th centuries AD
Early Church Persecution
The early Christian Church, often depicted as a woman (like in Revelation 12), faced persecution and was sometimes driven into desolate or hidden places, a 'wilderness'.
c. 4th-6th centuries AD
Rise of Papal Power
As the Western Roman Empire declined, the Bishop of Rome (the Pope) began to assert increasing spiritual and temporal authority, a new kind of 'head' emerging.
c. 6th-7th centuries AD
Rome's Decline and Transformation
The city of Rome experienced significant decline and desolation in some areas, a 'wilderness' state, even as the Church's power grew in its place.
This passage describes the dragon as red, creating a visual parallel with the scarlet beast the woman sits upon, suggesting a shared nature of evil or opposition to God.
Revelation 13:1This verse introduces the beast with seven heads and ten horns, directly linking it to the beast described in Revelation 17, and showing that the woman is now associated with this established power.
Daniel 7:24Daniel's vision describes ten horns arising from a beast, which are interpreted as ten kings who will follow. This provides a conceptual link to the ten horns seen on the beast in Revelation, representing political powers.
Jeremiah 51:7This Old Testament passage refers to Babylon as a 'golden cup' that made the nations drunk, paralleling the imagery of seduction and corruption associated with the woman in Revelation 17.
Luke 4:5-6Here, the devil shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, promising them to Him if He would worship him. This echoes the theme of worldly power and dominion being offered by a corrupt entity, as seen with the scarlet beast.
ellicottRevelation 17:3: "So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns."
(3) So he carried. . . . —Better, And he carried me away into a wilderness in spirit: and I saw a woman sitting upon a wild beast of scarlet colour, teeming with names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. We recognise the wild beast as that described in Revelation 13. Now the wild beast carries t…
barnesRevelation 17:3: "So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns."
So he carried me away in the spirit - In vision. He seemed to himself to be thus carried away; or the scene which he is about to describe was made to pass before him as if he were present. Into the wilderness - Into a desert. Compare the notes on Revelation 12:6. Why this scene is laid in a wilderness or de…
The vision shifts from the woman "sitting upon many waters" to now "riding on a scarlet beast," highlighting a dramatic shift. This isn't just a change of scenery; it signifies her deep reliance on and integration with a powerful, violent world system, moving from dominion over nations to a more parasitic, controlling relationship.
The angel carries John in a vision to a desolate place, a wilderness, to reveal a shocking scene. He sees a woman, identified in the previous verse as a "great harlot," riding on a fearsome scarlet beast that is covered in blasphemous titles and possesses seven heads and ten horns. This imagery immediately connects the woman to the beast previously described in chapter 13, highlighting their intertwined power and corrupt nature.
The angel carries John in a vision to a desolate place, a wilderness, to reveal a shocking scene. He sees a woman, identified in the previous verse as a "great harlot," riding on a fearsome scarlet beast that is covered in blasphemous titles and possesses seven heads and ten horns. This imagery immediately connects the woman to the beast previously described in chapter 13, highlighting their intertwined power and corrupt nature.
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Who is this mysterious woman, adorned in splendor yet seated on a beast in the wilderness? Her identity is crucial.
A False Religion or City
The woman is a stark symbol of corrupted religion or a city that embodies such corruption, intimately linked with the political beast.
c. 7th-14th centuries AD— this verse
The Woman Rides the Beast
This period saw the symbolic 'woman' (often interpreted as a corrupt religious system, specifically papal Rome) gain immense power by 'riding' and influencing the secular powers (the beast) that rose from the fallen Roman Empire.
c. 14th century onwards
The Reformation Era
The Reformation challenged the authority of the woman and her corruptions, highlighting her blasphemous claims and influence over kings.
"And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns." — The vision shifts from the woman "sitting upon many waters" to now "riding on a scarlet beast," highlighting a dramatic shift. This isn't just a change of scenery; it signifies her deep reliance on a…
