Question 1

Who is the woman drunk with the blood of the saints in this vision?

Accepted Answer

The woman pictures a corrupt religious power that has turned from God and joined herself to worldly rulers. She looks rich and impressive, but she is called a harlot because she is unfaithful to God. Her being drunk with the blood of the saints and the martyrs of Jesus shows how much she has hated and hunted down faithful believers. She is not a single person, but a system centered in the great city on seven mountains, linked with Rome, that uses religion to support idolatry, cruelty, and the killing of God’s people.

Question 2

What does it mean that the beast was, and is not, and shall ascend?

Accepted Answer

The beast “was, and is not, and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit” points to a power that changes form but keeps the same evil heart. It once ruled openly in a pagan way, then that form passed, so it “is not” in that old shape. Yet it rises again in another form, still driven by hellish ideas, still against God and His people. Those whose names are not written in the book of life admire this power, but its end is to go into destruction under God’s judgment.

Question 3

What are the seven heads and seven mountains in this passage?

Accepted Answer

The angel says the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. This points to a city known for seven hills, which fits with Rome. The heads also picture seven kinds of rule that have risen in that city. By linking the woman to these mountains and rulers, the vision shows her deep tie to Roman power across its different stages. So the seven heads remind us both of a real place and of a long history of governments that have supported idolatry and opposed God’s truth.

Question 4

Who are the seven kings, and what does it mean that five are fallen?

Accepted Answer

The seven kings stand for seven forms of government that have ruled from the seven‑hilled city. Five were already past when this vision was given, one was then in power, and one was still to come and would last only a short time. This shows that human power changes hands again and again. None of these forms of rule are permanent. Even when they seem strong, they are passing. God knows their full number, their order, and their limits, and He allows them only for a set season.

Question 5

How can the beast be the eighth and yet be of the seven?

Accepted Answer

The wording here is difficult and has been read in more than one way. A plain reading is that the beast appears as an eighth ruler, yet it grows out of the earlier seven forms of rule. In other words, it is not something totally new, but the same old rebellion against God taking a fresh shape. It gathers up what was worst in the former powers and brings idolatry and persecution to a new height. Still, its end is sure: it “goes into perdition,” showing that God will finally judge it.

Question 6

Who are the ten horns and why do they receive power one hour with the beast?

Accepted Answer

The ten horns are ten kings who have not yet received their kingdoms at the time of the vision. They will later receive authority for a short season, pictured as “one hour,” together with the beast. They are united in purpose, having “one mind,” and they freely hand over their power and strength to support the beast’s cause. This shows how future rulers will join themselves to this corrupt system instead of to God. Their time of rule is brief and borrowed, and it ends with the beast in destruction.

Question 7

Why do earth dwellers wonder at the beast, while the book of life is mentioned?

Accepted Answer

People whose names are not written in the book of life are amazed when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. They are impressed by its power, its rise, and its apparent recovery. Their hearts are tied to what they can see on earth, so they admire this system even though it is against God. The mention of the book of life shows the difference between those who belong to God and those who do not. Those written in the book are kept from this blind admiration and share in God’s final victory.

Question 8

How should believers today respond to this picture of the woman and the beast?

Accepted Answer

This passage calls believers to be alert to false religion that joins with worldly power against God’s truth. It warns us not to be fooled by outward glory, wealth, or old traditions when they are used to support idolatry, compromise, and the persecution of the faithful. Instead, we should hold fast to Jesus, even when His true church seems weak and small. Knowing that these great powers rise from the pit and end in ruin helps us stay calm, refuse their sway, and trust that God will judge rightly in His time.

Revelation 17:6

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.

The Mystery Explained

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Revelation 17:6

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.

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The Mystery Explained

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