Revelation of John 17:18

Common misinterpretations literalize the woman as a specific geographic city like Rome, Jerusalem, Mecca, or New York, fueling conspiratorial or dispensationalist end-times speculations; others reduce it to merely ancient paganism or any economic system, overlooking its primary symbolic representation of false religion allied with political power in rebellion against God, or allegorize it so broadly that it loses the chapter's apocalyptic warning against compromise with worldly authority.

This verse identifies the woman, previously described as the great harlot riding the beast, with the great city that reigns over the kings of the earth, symbolizing a powerful, corrupt entity—often understood as apostate religious or political Babylon—that dominates and influences world leaders through spiritual adultery, immorality, and idolatry, highlighting the antithesis to God's holy city and kingdom.