Resisting Trump with Revelation (07)
trANSFIGURATION 1 (1:12-20) Revelation, writes Paul Spilsbury, “wants us to take its world to be even more real than the one we commonly refer to as ‘the real world.’ In fact, Revelation is out to undermine our confidence in the evidence of our own eyes.” [1] And the Roman Emperor was the biggest, baddest figure in the world of that time. His rule was very, very real. He held the lives of his people in his hands. If is it right to date Revelation during the latter part of Domitian’s reign, we know this Emperor wanted himself called and worshiped as “Lord and God.” Asia Minor was replete was temples and centers for Emperor worship. The Emperor and the Empire were inescapable realites. Richard Baukham [2] writes: In such a context the strongest possible counter-images to imperial propaganda were required. Thus the vivid and to us bizarre and lurid imagery that pervades the vision. They may not readily communicate to us 21 st century readers but...