After the ructions that took place with Jesus crucifixion and the preaching of his resurrection, John (the writer of the book of The Revelation) was exiled on the island of Patmos.
It would seem this was an entirely sensible thing for the authorities to do (from a Roman imperial perspective). The Revelation is a profoundly subversive text that dares to indicate an entirely alternate structure of power and meaning.
For us today, as people shaped by centuries of Christian infused Western culture, the starkness of the challenge to assumed structures of meaning and power may not be obvious. Think about it for a moment...
According to The Revelation, the greatest expression of power and authority in all of creation is a lamb! Seriously!?!
