One area that is of interest to me (since I am in the process of working on a commentary on the book of Revelation) is the area of study that in recent years has grown and come to be called “Empire Criticism” or some such specialized term. But long before these developments, Friedrich Engels, the partner of Karl Marx, once wrote that the Apocalypse was the easiest book in the New Testament to understand – another reason not to trust communists! He was only able to say such a thing because he viewed the book as a clear political treatise against oppressive authority. While there are elements worth studying in the book relative to political interaction such as the use of code language to hide political statements, it is probably overstatement to view the entire book through these kinds of lenses. Investigation is, however, warranted. I am considering working on this for the upcoming Council. If others would like to join me, we could bundle our discussions together.
Mike Stallard