The Woman of Revelation 17 rides the same seven-headed, ten-horned Beast described in Revelation 13, and riding signifies control, much as a rider controls a horse. Though the Beast is built from the strongest parts of a leopard, bear, and lion, the Woman is greater, more powerful, and more influential than it at this point in the prophecy. Both belong to the same general Babylonish system, yet they are separate entities with distinct personalities and approaches. The Woman is not part of the Beast's internal politics, economics, religion, or military. She exerts external power over it, while the Catholic Church, by contrast, has always been part of the Beast and influences it from within. The Woman is another city and nation, a political, economic, and military powerhouse that epitomizes Babylon. Their relationship is one of cooperation mixed with competition, each seeking world domination. Jesus' principle that a divided house cannot stand applies: the self-interest of competitors eventually drives them against each other. Revelation 17:16 confirms it, for the ten horns of the Beast will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. At that point all cooperation and competition between them ends.

In Revelation, the Beast is depicted with seven heads and ten horns, a formidable entity composed of the strongest parts of a leopard, bear, and lion, symbolizing vicious and powerful wild beasts. A woman, identified as Mystery, Babylon the Great, is shown riding this Beast, indicating a position of control, much like a rider on a horse. This imagery suggests a relationship between the two, as they are part of the same general Babylonish system, yet God portrays them with distinctly different characteristics and approaches within that system. Despite the Beast's apparent overwhelming strength, the woman, at this point in the prophecy, holds a position of superiority, appearing greater, more powerful, and more influential than the Beast itself. The prophecy further elaborates that the woman sits on seven mountains, which symbolize a complete sequence of seven kings or kingdoms, understood as the last seven revivals of the Roman Empire. She is shown riding the Beast during the days of the sixth revival, and it is clear she will also ride the eighth Beast, which has its roots in the previous seven. This positioning underscores her dominance and influence over the Beast across these significant periods of revival.

In the intricate web of prophecy, the relationship between the Beast and the Woman, identified as the great harlot, emerges as a symbol of profound influence and authority. The Woman, representing a powerful and unified entity, is depicted sitting upon the scarlet Beast, which is full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. This imagery conveys her dominance, as sitting symbolizes authority and power over others in biblical language. She also sits on many waters and seven mountains, further illustrating the extensive scope of her control over numerous nations and peoples. The Beast, in contrast, is composed of diverse multitudes, nations, and tongues, lacking the unity that characterizes the Woman. This disparity suggests that the Woman holds a unique position of influence, capable of directing the Beast and making it serve her purposes. Her ability to hold sway over such a fragmented entity underscores her significant political, economic, and military power, positioning her as a formidable force in the prophetic landscape until the time appointed by God for her humbling.

In Revelation 17 and 18, God portrays end-time Israel as the Great Harlot, in close relationship with the Beast, exerting strong influence and even control over it. This Woman, primarily represented by the Joseph tribes of America (Manasseh) and Britain (Ephraim), with America possibly being the most prominent due to its significant influence, guides and coerces the Beast, a formidable entity composed of diverse peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. The Woman's power is vast, as she sits upon many waters, the Beast, and seven mountains, symbolizing her authority over nations and her ability to teach, persuade, or force others to submit to her will. Despite the Beast's ferocious nature, depicted with the strongest parts of vicious animals, the Woman remains a unified entity, distinct from the Beast's diverse composition, suggesting that she represents one people, Israel, in intimate association with it. This relationship reflects a dynamic of support and dominance, evident in the political, trade, and military entwinements between the nations of Israel and Europe, particularly through the leading Joseph tribes. However, as Revelation 17:16-17 indicates, a time will come when events take a dramatic turn, altering this dynamic.

The woman in Revelation 17 represents the Babylonian cultural system of religion, business, education, government, and daily conduct that continues to dominate the Western world even though the ancient nation of Babylon no longer exists. This system is pictured as riding upon and directing the beast with seven heads and ten horns. The heads and horns symbolize successive nations and their rulers who adopt and enforce the woman's manipulative, self-centered practices. The beast therefore carries the woman, allowing her seductive influence to shape the policies and commerce of those nations while she in turn provides the unifying mindset that keeps the rulers aligned with one another. As events progress toward the end time, the same beast that has supported the woman turns against her, destroys the system she embodies, and replaces it with its own order. This betrayal occurs because God places the purpose in the hearts of the ten kings to give their authority to the beast until His words are fulfilled. The relationship thus illustrates both the pervasive reach of Babylon's anti-God way of life and its eventual removal by the very powers it once controlled. The account connects directly to the command to come out of her, showing that believers must separate themselves spiritually from the system the woman represents while remaining physically in place until God Himself signals any literal relocation. Because the woman rides the beast until the moment of her destruction, the faithful are to prepare by rejecting her influence in every area of life so that they stand ready for whatever role God assigns when the beast acts against her.