What is the book of Revelation? It is the prophetic critique of the Roman Empire, and as such it is the divine critique of all empires. Empires are rich and powerful nations that believe they have a divine right to rule the nations and a manifest destiny to shape world according to their will and are willing to use the means of death to do so. God is opposed to these empires. What they claim for themselves, God claims for his Son Jesus Christ. The book of Revelation is a counter-text to the dominant text of empire. The worship depicted in Revelation is subversion of civil religion -- it seeks to create a people faithful to God as they are drawn into the anthem of the Lamb.