Translation
Herein is a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains
and the woman sits on them.
Paraphrase
Here is where a mind with wisdom is required. The complete array of leadership is positioned at all the strongholds, and the woman controls all of them.
WHAT DOES THE PROSTITUE REPRESENT?
We cannot be sure, but it appears that she represents sinful desires and the people who give themselves over to them unchecked, especially those in leadership who can influence others to follow their sinful ways. It appears that this woman controls the Beast Revelation 17:3, Revelation 17:5, Revelation 17:9 , and that the Beast controls the woman Revelation 17:17. It is obvious that both of them control the hearts of a large segment of the human population.
Take a minute and think about the things which would be considered “strongholds,” key points of advantage, or culture-shapers, in our society today.
Now compare your list to that of someone who has listed seven of the most impactful influencers in most cultures as follows: All forms of media, government, entertainment, education, business, religion, and the family (there may be others too).
How many of these does Satan have a high level of control over? I think many would agree that, to a large degree, the first three are used by Satan for his ends. Education and business are somewhat in the middle; they offer some good things to the society, but they are not completely honorable; they have their faults and sometimes those faults are very destructive. I would not say that Satan controls religion all over the world, but I would say that organized religion is not meeting the needs of the common people and many are confused and frustrated. The individual bears some of the blame and the organized church bears some of the blame. Then there is family; Satan has wreaked havoc on far too many families. Functional, peaceful, wholesome family units are becoming a rarity in many parts of the world. Yet there are glimmers of hope amid the darkness.
Our situation is not too far removed from that of the early Christians who were the original recipients of John’s letter.