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Begin wherever your curiosity leads. The studies will be here when you’re ready. When I shared my first Matthew study on Facebook today, I mentioned that I planned to post daily, though I might not share every post on Facebook. As I continue setting up this blog, I’ve realized that what matters most to me is making my past studies available for anyone who wants to explore them. For now, I’ll be adding posts to my heart’s content as I work through those studies. Some days that may mean one post; other days it may mean several. I’ll continue reading through and preparing each one before sharing it. There is no need to keep up with everything as it appears. This blog is becoming a place you can browse at your own pace—begin with a book, a question, or a study that interests you, and follow from there. The Bible Books page gathers studies by book, while Study Threads helps connect topics that travel through more than one book. The labels on individual posts also bring related material to...
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16. Babylon: The Woman and the Beast

Babylon Study • Connected to God’s Image and the Ten Commandments

We have examined Babylon’s appearance, claims, and invitations. Now we turn to the relationship between the woman and the beast carrying her. What happens to that relationship matters when we consider where she has placed her security.

The Woman and Her Bearer

John sees the woman seated on a scarlet beast. The angel distinguishes the woman from the beast carrying her. They belong to the same scene, but their roles are different. Read Revelation 17:3–7.

The ten horns are identified as ten kings. They share a purpose and give their power and authority to the beast. Their agreement includes opposition to the Lamb, who overcomes them. Agreement and shared power do not establish faithfulness to God. Read Revelation 17:12–14.

What Carries Her Turns Against Her

Verse 16 describes a reversal: the horns and the beast hate the harlot. They devastate her, strip her, consume her flesh, and burn her.

The beast that carries her participates in her destruction.

Verse 17 places these events within the fulfillment of God’s purpose and words. Her position cannot secure her against the judgment described. Read Revelation 17:16–18.

Compare How Christ Treats Her

Ephesians provides another relationship to examine:

“Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her”

— Ephesians 5:25, LSB, excerpt

Follow what he does for her. He gives himself, cleanses her through the washing of water with the word, and prepares her to be holy and blameless. He nourishes and cherishes her. Read Ephesians 5:25–29.

Placed alongside Revelation, these actions create a striking comparison: hatred and destruction beside love and care; consuming her flesh beside nourishing and cherishing.

We are comparing the relationships through their actions. Revelation calls the beast her bearer; Ephesians describes Christ’s loving relationship with her. The wording gives us details to examine without making the roles interchangeable.

What Am I Trusting?

These passages invite examination beyond appearances and promises:

  • Do I mistake influence, protection, or popularity for evidence of God’s approval?

  • Does the authority I trust encourage careful examination of Scripture, including questions that may challenge its position?

  • When someone becomes inconvenient, are they still treated with care?

  • Am I drawn toward those who nourish others, or those who use others to preserve their own power?

  • If a trusted relationship required disobedience to God, which allegiance would I choose?

Threads to Follow

  • Clothing and exposure: Continue comparing Babylon’s adornment and stripping with the Bride’s preparation.

  • Authority and allegiance: Examine what people surrender in exchange for belonging or protection.

  • Two women, two outcomes: Follow Babylon’s judgment alongside the announcement of the Lamb’s marriage.

The books were opened…

🌿 By Maria Emilia

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