Nearly all interpreters of Revelation recognize that the entire book is a critique and parody of the Roman Empire and of the cult of the emperor that was rampant in the Roman province of Asia in the second half of the first century. Although the word “Rome” does not appear in the document, Rome is portrayed symbolically as Babylon, that great enemy-city of God’s people.19 Revelation parodies and criticizes both the oppressive nature of imperial power and the blasphemous claims made about it. This twofold critique is directed in a focused way
