Are the Women in Revelation 12 and 17 the Same?

Revelation 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.

7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

Revelation 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.

3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

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.

5 And 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.

6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

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.

No, the women in Revelation 12 and Revelation 17 represent two completely different and opposing religious entitiesARSH January 13, 1852, page 75.12+1. While a woman in Bible prophecy symbolizes a church, the character and destiny of these two figures provide a sharp contrast between God's faithful people and an apostate system4SP 233.1+1.

The Pure Woman of Revelation 12 ☀️

The woman in Revelation 12 represents the true church of Christ, characterized by her loyalty to God's lawChSa 173.3+1.

• Symbolism of Light: She is clothed with the sun, standing on the moon, and wearing a crown of twelve stars, representing the glory of the gospel dispensation and the authority of the twelve apostles Revelation 12:1USLP 23.1+1.

• The Man-Child: She brings forth a man-child, Jesus Christ, who was caught up to God’s throne after the dragon attempted to devour Him at birth Revelation 12:4-5ChSa 173.3.

• Persecuted and Faithful: This church was forced to flee into the wilderness for 1260 prophetic days (years) to escape the wrath of the dragon Revelation 12:6, 14EVRR398+1.

• The Remnant: Her "seed" in the last days is specifically identified as a remnant that keeps the commandments of God and possesses the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy Revelation 12:17+1PP 27.2+1.

The Apostate Woman of Revelation 17 🍷

In contrast, the woman in Revelation 17 represents a fallen, corrupt church system known as "Mystery, Babylon the Great"7BC 983.4+1.

• Illicit Unions: Unlike the pure church, she commits "fornication" by forming unlawful alliances with the kings of the earth, symbolizing the union of church and state Revelation 17:2TMR 48.1+1.

• Character of Pride: She is arrayed in purple and scarlet, decked with gold and precious stones, and holds a golden cup full of abominations Revelation 17:47BC 983.4+1.

• Drunken with Blood: This woman is not the one being persecuted; rather, she is the persecutor, drunken with the blood of the saints and martyrs of Jesus Revelation 17:64SP 63.2.

• The Mother of Harlots: She is described as a "mother" because she has harlot daughters—other religious bodies that follow her corrupt doctrines and worldly practices Revelation 17:5AMS September 7, 1893, page 274.9+2.

Summary of Differences ⚖️

The distinction between the two is a matter of character, timeframe, and relationship to powerARSH January 13, 1852, page 75.12.

• Church vs. Church: The conflict revealed in these chapters is church against church: the faithful bride of Christ versus the apostate harlot of BabylonECE 4.2+1.

• Position of Power: The pure woman is nourished by God in the wilderness to survive oppression, while the corrupt woman sits upon a scarlet-colored beast, guiding and directing civil and political powers for her own ends Revelation 17:3ADRE November 1850, page 66.5+2.

• Ultimate Fate: While the remnant of the woman's seed triumphs and stands on Mount Zion, Babylon faces a moral fall followed by total destruction under the seven last plagues Revelation 14:1+1EVRR655+2.

God calls His people to recognize the difference and to "come out" of the apostate system so they do not share in her sins or her plagues Revelation 18:4TMR 62.1+1.