SOURCE: deSilva, David A. “The Revelation to John: A Case Study in Apocalyptic Propaganda and the Maintenance of Sectarian Identity.” Sociological Analysis 53, no. 4 (winter 1992): 375-95.

In the following essay, deSilva interprets Revelation as having been a call for Christian revolution against Rome and its ideology.

The phenomenon of the apocalyptic movement continues to picque the interest and challenge the understanding of the sociologist of religion, both in its contemporary and historical occurrences. Careful study may be impeded, however, by certain presuppositions about the rise of apocalpyticism and its function in a given situation. These presuppositions are gradually coming under examination, and it is toward the furtherance of this examination and the formation of a new understanding of apocalyptic that this present study is offered. As the canonical book of Revelation provides modern millenarian groups with the starting point for their rallying, an investigation into its historical situation and...