God's dealings with His people, Israel, in the wilderness is described in Ezekiel 20:34-37

" And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out.
And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face.
Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord GOD.
And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant:"

In the wilderness, God meets the people left of the sword. There He is gracious to them and gives them His everlasting love.

...........................Jeremiah 31:2-3
"Thus saith the LORD, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.
The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee."

God's purpose for permitting the Woman to flee into the wilderness beside giving her protection is to chasten and refine her and to prepare the descendants of Jacob for the Millennium.

............................When the dark hour is over the powers of evil will be broken and Israel will be free forever.

The understanding of prophecy doesn't need our exact identification of 'the wilderness'; but evidence is strong that it refers to North America.

....................It is also likely that everywhere believers will attempt to flee in effort to escape the Antichrist, this would only be natural.

The 'wings of the eagle' no doubt have a spiritual meaning as they did in Exodus 19:4.
The symbolize Divine protection.
However, they may also symbolize the actual instrument used in the flight.

She was given the 'wings of an eagle' that she might flee. What nation is represented by the eagle?
The United States of America.
The jet now being built could carry hundreds of thousands of people across the ocean in a short time.

This shelter in the wilderness will save Israel from the Dragon as it pursues after the Woman in Revelation 12; just as God saved Israel from the Pharaoh of Egypt as he pursued them leaving Egypt.

..............................................God saved them as it were on "eagles wings" and Pharaoh perished as a victim of God's judgment.

.......................As God's people on earth will be the 'Church in the Wilderness' in the Great Tribulation just as Israel was called 'the Church in the Wilderness' when she fled from Pharaoh.
....................................Acts 7:38
"This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:. . ."

In the second prophecy the Woman was given the "wings of an eagle" to help her flight into the wilderness.

The "wilderness" is a refuge for God's people in time of testing and is spoken of in the Bible a number of times.

There are two different phases of the flight of the Woman which is the Church-Israel.

.........One....the flight of the Jews that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24:15-22
.........Two...a different flight of other 'saints' at the beginning of the Great Tribulation.

.....................................The flight of the Woman is mentioned twice in Revelation 12. Some think is was for emphasis, But it's not. Every sentence in the Book is significant. It's written twice because there are two phases to it.

One thing is for sure, the Lord has 'a place prepared of God', where the Beast's power cannot immediately have control.

.....................................................Right now, the only place that would fit this description would be North America. The last of the free world.

...................The Antichrist would quickly take over Europe, Africa and Asia; the saints living there would have no way to escape.

.................................They will have to give their lives or take the 'mark' of the Beast.

During the time of the Great Tribulation the people of God may be found grouped together in small communities around about in the mountains and remote places.

............................The general population may be forced to also because of the possibility of the cities being destroyed.

................While the new world would be the natural place of safety for those fleeing the Beast, it is likely that the Tribulation saints would flee to remote areas in any part of the world where they are living.

Plans are being made by the U.S. government to prepare for any event of atomic attack.

.............The vast countryside of America and Canada is such a great area that even atomic warfare would probably not depopulate it in the short period of three and a half years.

Atomic warfare could turn America into a wilderness if it were to happen.

...............................The military leaders say that an atomic war would produce it.

.................But it is believed that if the population were spread out over the open country, most of the people would survive, even though many would die from fall out.

In World War II, Canada and the United States took in many of the refuges of the war.

.............Britian was ready to send their women and children to Canada if needed.

...........................The concern of another deadly war in which the survival of civilization would be at stake, makes us wonder whether or not we might witness a massive evacuation.

At the time that John wrote the prophecy in Revelation, the New World was the great wilderness unknown to civilization. It definitely didn't come under the territory of the Roman empire.

Asia was known.
Europe was known.
Africa was known.
But the New World was unknown.

................After the New World was discovered, it became a refuge for multitudes of people who were persecuted for their religious beliefs.

The body of believers who go through the Great Tribulation "are of all nations, and kindreds and people and tongues" Revelation 7:9

.....................Many of these, of course, will die under the hand of the Antichrist; but not all of them.

............................................The Woman will be protected in the 'wilderness' during the three and a half years.

The Antichrist will control the prophetic world as known in Bible days and maybe more.

.......................It is common sense to understand that as long as there are nations opposing the Antichrist, he is not controling their territories.

Read Dan 11:40-41

The Antichrist will be too busy with other problems to pursue the Jews.

........He will be involved in terrible wars.

..........................The mountains are difficult for any army to move over but the Jews who have fled from Jerusalem will be safe.

...........................................But Jesus emphasized the need for haste in this flight because only a little time was allowed before the escape would be cut off.

The Godly Jews in the Great Tribulation,
who have come to believe in Christ as the Messiah
and who read the New Testament will take warning
and will flee into the mountains.