<p>17:7 <i>But the angel said to me: Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her</i>- John himself wrote: &quot;Marvel not if the world hate you&quot; (1 Jn. 3:13). Perhaps this is why he is gently rebuked for marvelling s.w. when he now sees the real dimensions of the world's hatred for the believers; for it is those who then dwell on the earth / land who will &quot;marvel&quot; whereas the Lord's people, armed with the book of Revelation, will not (:8). John &quot;wondered with great admiration&quot; at the scarlet beast (:6), just as the world had wondered after the sea beast (Rev. 13:3). And yet we can read John's &quot;marvel&quot; or wonder more positively. The fear or awe of the Lord, our wonder at Him, is the beginning of wisdom. Wonder isn't a kind of intellectual resignation, giving up on the study of God and retreating into numb feelings. Quite the opposite. True wonder leads to a more earnest seeking after wisdom. The Angel told John that John had 'wondered' in amazement at the visions so that God could now reveal the mystery to him (:6,7). In our wonder we sense we are at the beginning of things of infinite significance, we feel we are starting to grasp something ultimate. And we wish to go further. We will glory in the understanding and knowledge of God which that wonder stimulates us to search out (Jer. 9:22,23)</p>