Power, Prosperity, and the Pull of Empire
What if the greatest threat to your faith isn't something obvious, but something you've learned to admire? Revelation isn't a roadmap to the end of the world; it's an unveiling of the powers, systems, and allegiances that quietly shape our lives. In this message from Robyn Elliott, we explore the beasts, the infamous 666, and John's startling warning that evil often disguises itself as success, security, prosperity, and even religion itself.
Discussion Questions:
When you hear "Revelation," what assumptions or images immediately come to mind? Where do you think those ideas came from?
Robyn suggested that reading Revelation primarily as a prediction of future events can become escapist. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
What does it mean to say that Revelation "comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable?"
Why do you think evil is often easier to recognize in individuals than in systems, institutions, or cultures?
The dragon, the beasts, and the prostitute all symbolize forces larger than any one person. What modern examples might fit those categories today?
How does John's portrayal of empire challenge the way we think about power, success, patriotism, economics, or influence?
Robyn's message describes evil as something that often masquerades as good. Can you think of examples where something beneficial or attractive can also become harmful or oppressive?
Revelation presents the slaughtered Lamb - not military strength - as God's answer to evil. Why is that vision so counterintuitive? What implications does it have for how Christians engage conflict today?
If the "mark of the beast" is less about a future technology and more about allegiance and participation in systems opposed to God's kingdom, how might that change the way we read the passage?
Looking honestly at your own life, where do you feel tension between the values of God's kingdom and the values of the surrounding culture?
SERIES RESOURCES:
- Bauckham, Richard, The Theology of the Book of Revelation
- Boyd, Greg, Crucifixion of the Warrior God, Vol. 1 & 2
- Duncan, Jeremy, Upside Down Apocalypse
- Gorman, Michael, Reading Revelation Responsibly
- Peterson, Eugene, Reversed Thunder
- McKnight, Scot, Revelation for the Rest of Us
- Peterson, Eugene, Reversed Thunder
- Sprinkle, Preston, Exiles
- Whitaker, Robyn, Revelation for Normal People
- Wood, Shane, Thinning the Veil
- Zahnd, Brian, Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God
- Zahnd, Brian, The Wood Between the Worlds
- Woodland Hills Church sermon series (Do Not Be Afraid)
- Whitaker, Robyn, Bible for Normal People podcast, Ep 259
- Witherington, Ben III, How to Read Revelation (Seven Minute Seminary Series)
- Wood, Shane, The Book of Revelation (Ozark Christian College Lectures)
- Wright, N. T., YouTube Lectures