In Scripture a woman predominantly symbolizes a city, and a city in turn stands for a nation. Ezekiel 16 uses a woman for Jerusalem and Israel, Ezekiel 23 makes Oholah the city of Samaria and Oholibah Jerusalem, Isaiah 47 uses a woman for pagan Babylon, and Lamentations 1 uses feminine figures (widow, princess, Zion, daughter of Zion) for Jerusalem and Judah. In none of these does the woman represent a church. The Old Testament never calls Israel a church, since no church existed then. Only in the New Testament is a woman weakly suggested to symbolize the church (Galatians 4; II Corinthians 11:2), and that is limited to the true church, the Israel of God, itself called "Jerusalem above" and a "holy nation." The woman symbol is never used for a false church. Revelation 17:18 interprets its own symbol: the Woman is "that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth." Terms such as sons, daughters, and harlots are collective, including both sexes, so the "mother of harlots" is a city whose inhabitants all share her character. Revelation 18 describes global commerce, manufacturing, and political power, not a church. Because the Woman rides the Beast from outside it, she is a separate city and nation that embodies the Babylonish system and controls the Beast.

In the context of end-time prophecies, God addresses Israel through Ezekiel, revealing how the nation's conduct mirrors its ancient past. Israel is harshly judged as Sodom, Egypt, and Babylon due to its spiritual adultery and failure to adhere to God's commands. This judgment reflects Israel's fickle discontentment and disastrous curiosity, seeking variety over the truth of God's Word. Instead of trusting in God's providence, Israel pursued different experiences, ignoring His desire for uniformity in worship and life. This drive for variety persists within the Israelitish people, leading them to become a great whore through stubbornness and alliances with foreign nations, contrary to God's explicit instructions to remain separate and faithful to His way.

In biblical prophecy, the symbol of a woman often represents a physical city or nation, rather than a church, though caution and honesty in context are essential when interpreting this symbol. Specifically, the woman in Revelation 12:1 is identified as the physical nation of Israel by comparing the symbols with Joseph's dream in Genesis 37:9-10. This identification is reinforced in Revelation 12:5, where the same woman, Israel, gives birth to the Child who is to rule all nations, whom the Dragon, satan, attempts to kill. However, in Revelation 12:6, the woman appears to transform into the Israel of God, suggesting a shift in symbolism that requires careful consideration of context. Additionally, in Revelation 17, the woman is depicted as the great harlot, Mystery, Babylon the Great, riding the Beast with seven heads and ten horns, indicating a position of control and superiority over the Beast. This imagery suggests a relationship within the same Babylonish system, yet God distinguishes the woman and the Beast as having different characteristics or approaches. The woman sits on seven mountains, symbolizing a complete sequence of seven kings or kingdoms, understood as the last seven revivals of the Roman Empire, with the prophecy showing her riding during the sixth revival and continuing to influence the eighth Beast that emerges from the seven.

In the exploration of prophetic symbols within Revelation, the Woman emerges as a powerful representation of a nation, specifically identified with Israel and Jerusalem. God describes His unique covenant relationship with this Woman, portraying an intimacy akin to marriage, where He favored her with unparalleled gifts and revelations of Himself and His purpose. Despite these blessings, her faithlessness and deviance from God's laws mark her as the preeminent harlot of the Bible, a theme that persists into the end times. Revelation 17 and 18 depict this Woman, named Mystery, Babylon the Great, not as a religious entity but as a city or nation wielding immense political, economic, and military influence. She holds a position of global dominance, controlling vast wealth and capable of influencing worldwide trade to the extent that her downfall would cause economic panic. Her power is so significant that she can restrain the Beast, making it largely subject to her will until God's appointed time for her humbling. Further, Revelation 17 illustrates her authority through the imagery of sitting upon many waters, the Beast, and seven mountains, symbolizing her control over numerous nations. The waters, defined as peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues, highlight the Beast's diverse composition, contrasting with the Woman's depiction as a singular, unified entity. This suggests that God views her as a distinct, powerful people with wide-ranging influence, capable of overshadowing the fragmented strength of the Beast's diverse components. Her greatness, however, is tainted by her whoredoms, religious confusion, and failure to uphold her responsibility to God, marking her as both influential and deviant in the prophetic narrative.