What does a woman represent in Bible prophecy?

Woman = The Church

“And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17 NKJV).

Fitting the marriage metaphor, a woman (the bride) represents God’s church.

In Revelation 12, we see a pure woman represents a pure church, faithful to the covenant relationship keeping God’s commandments.

Revelation 17 describes an adulterous woman, or a prostitute. This is a tainted church, unfaithful to the covenant relationship, spreading false teachings (Revelation 17:1–5).This woman (a church) is being carried by a scarlet beast that speaks blasphemy. This woman (the church), is characterized by fornication, which means this is a church that is unfaithful to the marriage vows, a church that leaves the covenant relationship.