Jamin Bradley

For as long as I’ve been alive, Christians have been using Revelation to call attention to modern politics and politicians—except, curiously, during the Trump era. For reasons I can’t understand, all of the spiritual conspiracy theorists seem to go silent in their reflection upon him, despite the fact that one doesn’t have to try too hard to connect him to Revelation. I imagine such conspiracies go silent around Trump because he matches the depiction of the beast a bit too easily.

I know, now I sound like the Revelation nut. But I don’t think of the beast in the same way that conspirators do. Bear with me if you can, because I hope to help us see how the world we are currently living in is the kind of thing John was trying to get at with Revelation. Indeed, it’s because of John’s message that I persistently urge the church to address our current political situation.

To understand what I believe John is getting at in Revelation, we need to set aside conspiracy. Honestly, I sometimes feel we would almost do better to read Revelation like we would read The Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia. For John, Tolkien, and Lewis, all hoped to use stories, images, and overarching themes to teach us about the ways in which the physical realm intertwines with the spiritual realm. This peek behind the veil is for our benefit, for once the truth has been revealed to us, we can better discern the movements of the spiritual realm and our participation in it.

John’s Scripturally-infused visions led him to recognize a cycle of darkness deeply embedded throughout history. While this cycle had already played out before his time in the nation of Babylon, it was happening again in his time in the nation of Rome. While it was a movement of a different time and place, the spiritual substance of the movements was the same. Nations have a consistent tendency to give themselves over to sin and oppression to find prestige and power, giving space to the dark cycle of Babylon to rise up once again.

And no Babylon is complete without its own beast. As the cycle progresses, a beastly and haughty leader who embodies the mindset of the dark spiritual forces of Babylon emerges alongside it. It is a political force to be reckoned with, for it has given its authority over to the darkness.

This beast is partnered with a second beast that attempts to resemble Jesus in appearance, but sounds just like a monster. This second beast becomes the religious force around the political force, calling people to come and worship it. In time, people all across the socio-economic spectrum of Babylon give themselves over to the dark spiritual movement, which affords them a particular ease in society that the resistors don’t have.

John needs to communicate this message because the church needs to know the kind of thing it’s up against. After all, Christians are supposed to be the light of the world, so this cycle of darkness is ultimately going to come to snuff them out. They must learn how to be prophetic and faithful when it’s easier to run away. They must not get sucked up into the force of Babylon.

You’d think this could never happen, as all Christians should be able to discern pretty easily between Jesus the lamb and Satan the dragon, but when Babylonian movements happen, even Christians fall for the ol’ dragon-in-lamb’s-clothing trick. For example, most of the church went right along with the Babylonian movement of Nazi Germany. It was only the Christians who stood up to the dark cycle that were martyred. Those who remained silent lived decent lives.

John’s message is intended to jolt us awake before we become ensnared in the spiritual haze that seeks to capture our hearts, minds, and souls. Because we are born into Babylon and raised under Babylonian teaching by Babylonian leaders, it takes real intentionality to break free from beastly mindsets and become true citizens of Heaven, taught by the Holy Spirit what faithful service to King Jesus looks like.

For John, Revelation was in part about Rome and Nero. For us, it’s about America, Trump, and Christian Nationalism, as Christian Nationalism wants the Kingdom of God to be made manifest through the power-hungry means of the beast-in-lambs-clothing. This movement has proved itself to be willing to set aside all Christian values and all the teachings of Jesus for the sake of power. It is a religion willing to put up with anything and defend anything, each moment setting a lower standard than the last. I know that sounds intense, but I’ve actually watered down the severity of John’s message in hopes that a few more might hear it.

May we receive what the voice of Heaven declares in Revelation 18:4.

“Come out of Babylon, my people,
    lest you take part in her sins,
lest you share in her plagues.”

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Want to meditate on these themes for yourself? Read Revelation 12-13; 16:17-18:24. The best resource on Revelation that I’ve come across is N.T. Wright’s simple devotional, Revelation For Everyone, which I highly recommend reading.