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Is the woman in the wilderness as described in Revelation 12, the same woman as the one described in Revelation 17?
The short answer would be “no!†Rev. 12:1 “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: 2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.†This here describes the church in the days of Jesus being born in Israel. Rev. 12:4 “And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. 5And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.†Here we see Herod portrayed as the agent of Satan, trying to kill the baby boys after Jesus was born. It confirms his ascension to being in heaven after being crucified on Earth. Matt. 2:17 “Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying: 18“A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted, Because they are no more.†19 Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.†Rev.12:14 “And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. 15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. 16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.†We see the woman here as a typifying the true church. The lady dressed in white represents the pure church with pure doctrine who was protected from the harlot, who is the apostate church from 538 AD to 1798. This depicts the 1260 years of the dark middle ages ruled by the lady dressed in scarlet, drinking the wine of Babilon that is the false doctrines as changed by the Roman Catholic system of the Middle Ages. This we read of as the woman of Revelation 17. Rev. 17:1 “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: 2 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. 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.4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: 5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.†This portrays another woman and, in the Bible, a “woman†is typified as a church. What we see described above clearly points to a religious system dictating to the political system the direction things should go. We are presently aware that the papacy is continually guiding and influencing the secular powers on how to think about climate change, and based on this, how and when to worship in the future. These are the two choices at the end of time: the small pure group adhering to the Bible, and the larger group adapting their theology, minds, and allegiances with the alternative group so as to suit all but God.