With all that context, it is easy to assume the great woman--the "mother" of Christ mentioned in Rev 12:1-2 & 5--is the Church, which is the heavenly Jerusalem located on mount Sion, which is "the mother of us all."
You wrote: >>>It is easy to assume? Be careful that your doctrine is not built on too many assumptions; you need to prove all things. <<<
Every interpretation of prophecy is based on assumptions. Do you deny that? Or are you merely assuming my assumptions outnumber your assumptions and therefore I have exceeded the allowable limit? LOL!
>>>When something doesn't fit there is a reason. If you can find the reason, that can make it fit, but more likely it just doesn’t fit.<<<
Or, it does fit, and you are reading too much into what I wrote (or not enough.)
>>>We're dealing with the work of God and we can expect perfection. Let me illustrate. Romans 5 says that Adam is a figure of Christ and goes on the point out some of the similarities as well as some differences and the allegory begins. God uses the natural man to teach about the spiritual man thus the invisible things of him are clearly seen. <<<
What does that have to do with what I wrote?
>>>Along the way, more symbols are added to give depth to our understanding but the natural man is always first. (1 Corinthians 15:46) Some confusion comes because the symbols can be use more than one way. For instance Esau is the natural man and Jacob is the spiritual man but when Jacob becomes Israel, he become the natural man and Israel is the second born. When the church comes into the picture, then Israel is the firstborn. Perhaps this is why there are no firstborn sons in Christ's genealogy.<<<
Perhaps? Is that a fact, or are you assuming?
>>>But back to Adam. Adam and Christ are the head of their respective races. Adam was not born physically and Christ is not born spiritually. Christ was created in Adam and Adam was created in Christ. An interesting metaphor God has wrought. You say that the church is spiritual. Does Christ have a spiritual mother? You make the same mistake the Catholic Church makes when it says Mary is the mother of God. You confuse natural things with spiritual things. Christ was not created in the church, it was the other way around. The church was created in Christ just as Eve was created in Adam. The church is the bride not the mother of Christ.<<<
So, you are saying that Christ was created in Adam, and Adam was created in Christ; but the Church cannot be both the mother and bride of Christ? LOL! Why not? Why one and not the other?
Let me try to explain it another way. Now the words of Christ are as follows:
"[The] Jerusalem which now is … is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all." (Gal 4:25-26 KJV)
Some might claim that Paul wrote that, but Paul was merely an instrument. Those are Christ's words, and Christ said, "Heavenly Jerusalem is the mother of us all."
For certain, that comparison is allegorical, in particular if Christ is included in the "us," as I am claiming; but we shouldn't discard it just because it doesn't fit our agendas. Let's put together everything we know so far: we know this "woman" is Zion:
"… as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children." (Isa 66:8 KJV)
Let's assume this is also referring to Zion because we know this woman is also travailing in birth:
"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: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered." (Rev 12:1-2 KJV)
Now the devil was waiting to devour her child (v.4,) but he failed. This is Zion's delivery of Christ, not as a baby, but as an adult; and possibly shortly before his ascension to God's throne (Rev 5:5ff):
"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." (Rev 12:5 KJV)
And this refers to her other children at that time:
"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." (Rev 12:17 KJV)
The early Christians had the testimony of Jesus Christ, and we know the devil went to war with them after Christ's ascension to God's throne.
So, we see one woman whose children consisted of both Christ and the early Christians. That can only be the woman in Gal 4:25-26, if she is the mother of us all. We also know the Church sits on mount Zion:
"But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant . . . " (Heb 12:22-24 KJV)
Therefore, as aforementioned, it is easy to assume that the great woman in Revelation 12 is the mother of us all, which is the Church.
Philip