The Devil's Party
by Anthony Oliveira
THE APOCALYPSE IS HERE!! Explore the key works of Christian literature through a queer scholarly and pop culture lens!Join award-winning writer, literature PhD, and dumpster raccoon Anthony Oliveira as they delve into these mega-influential texts and their religious and cultural afterlives without all the clutter and dogma that so often obscures their meaning - tackling Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, the Gospels of Mark and John, and now THE REVELATION OF JOHN!www.anthonyoliveira.com("Pair of Dice Tossed" music theme by Matthew Willcott; Podcast art by Andy Bennett)
Episodes
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The Devil's Party: The Revelation of John - 22 - Amen
The end of the end! The architecture and community of the celestial city is delineated, and our author sends us out with his benediction - and his curse! What is the authorial status of these epilogues? And what, finally, did we learn from this weird, wonderful, and upsetting book?
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Reading: The Revelation of John - 22 - Amen
And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the...
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The Devil's Party: The Revelation of John - 21 - The New City
The new heaven and new earth are come - and from out of the sky comes...the weirdest thing you've ever seen. It's the HAPPY ENDING of Revelations, and it seems that ending is gonna be...a big square in the sky? What are we to make of the New Jerusalem? What does it tell us about John of Patmos's...
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Reading: The Revelation of John - 21 - The New City
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven...
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The Devil's Party: The Revelation of John - 20 - Gog and Magog
It's the end of the world! Sort of. Actually we have to hang around for 1000 years under the...personal kingship of Jesus? And his martyrs? A baffling theological conundrum rears its head! What are its stakes and provenances? And who ARE Gog and Magog?
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Reading: The Revelation of John - 20 - Gog and Magog
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3 and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal...
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The Devil's Party: The Revelation of John - 19 - The Lake of Fire
The Hallelujah Chorus! The Wedding of the Lamb! The White Rider! A passage full of weird, wild imagery that explodes like a series of fireworks towards the end of Revelations projects...yet calls back to several key moments in Jewish apocalypticism.
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Reading: The Revelation of John - 19 - The Lake of Fire
And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: 2 for true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath...
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The Devil's Party: The Revelation of John - 18 - Lament for the Whore
The Book of Revelations pauses for a devastating, eerie 11 o'clock number, as our revelator sings a dirge for the Whore of Babylon. But as this book moves to its close, what is behind this passage's strange, mournful effect?
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Reading: The Revelation of John - 18 - Lament for the Whore
And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit,...
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The Devil's Party: The Revelation of John - 17 - The Whore of Babylon
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the Many Waters...ENTER THE WHORE OF BABYLON! A late addition to the text, this remarkable and memorable character has left a significant dent on the Christian imagination! Who is she, and how do we read this strange figure? Questions? Comments?...
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Reading: The Revelation of John - 17 - The Whore of Babylon
And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: 2 with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth...
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The Devil's Party: The Revelation of John - 16 - Pouring Forth the Vials
God sent his plagues, but I'm BACK baby! The divine temper tantrum reaches its climax and everything ends. It's pretty spooky! A rehearsal of the ten plagues of Egypt takes on some fascinating new features, and a few weird mysteries develop. And what the heck is "Armageddon"?
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The Revelation of John - 16 - Pouring Forth the Vials
And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. 2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast…
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The Devil's Party: The Revelation of John - 15 - The Seven Plagues
Reading Revelations 15, providentially landing during Passover, which John magisterially sweeps into his own cosmic drama. This week's reading is short, but full to bursting with magnificent poetry - and a glimpse of horrors to come. DAYSPRING is available now! Support the podcast (and access our...
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The Revelation of John: 15 - The Seven Plagues
And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. 2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and...
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The Devil's Party: The Revelation of John - 14 - The Winepress of the Wrath of God
One of Revelation's most visceral and weird images drops, along with a stage suddenly swollen with the return of several figures from earlier in the text. Can we coordinate any new meanings among these reassembled figures - and what IS a virgin, anyway??? Support our work and join in our…
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The Revelation of John: 14 - The Winepress of the Wrath of God
And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers…
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The Devil's Party: The Revelation of John - 13 - 666
This week, the dragon is flung to Earth, and summons up his TWO BEASTS to wreak his vengeance on the children of the lamb!! Who are these nefarious creatures, and what can we glean from their confused and horrific iconography? and what, at last, is the NUMBER OF THE BEAST?? Want more content AND…
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Reading: The Revelation of John - 13 - 666
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as…
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The Devil's Party - The Revelation of John: 12 - The Woman Clothed with the Sun
This week, we come between the dragon and his wroth! One of Revelations's most famous and infamous passages as the woman clothed in the sun flees the great red dragon - but under the pop culture and theological barnacles, what is this passage really about?
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Reading: The Revelation of John - 12 - The Woman Clothed with the Sun
And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: 2 and she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. 3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great…
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The Devil's Party: The Revelation of John - 11 - The Two Prophets
Our narrator recounts the strange episode of the two witnesses who testify for time, and times, and half a time (that's fancy-talk for three and a half years). Who are these mysterious figures supposed to be, and how can they be folded into the larger narrative of Revelations? Support us on…
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Reading: The Revelation of John - 11 - The Two Prophets
And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. 2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they...
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The Devil's Party: The Revelation of John - 10 - Time No Longer
Before the last trumpet sounds (hey there's where that comes from!) an angel appears to our narrator with a strange (and kind of sexy?) request. Is this an interlude - or the key moment of understanding for the text itself?
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Reading: The Revelation of John - 10 - Time No Longer
And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: 2 and he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, 3...
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The Devil's Party: The Revelation of John - 9:13-21 - The Second Woe
The Dungeons & Dragons monster handbook of Revelations continues! This week, a cavalry monster with a LOT bigger lethality than the locust monster from last time! Learn about its hit-points, special attacks, and kicky little outfit HERE!
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Reading: The Revelation of John - 9:13-21 - The Second Woe
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. 15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an...
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The Devil's Party: The Revelation of John - 9:1-12 - The Bottomless Pit
This week, all Hell breaks loose! Turns out it's mostly full of bugs. But WHAT kind of bugs are these - is there a way to coordinate any meaning amid this chaos of features? And what's up with their intensely spooky boss, Apollyon, John of Patmos's (kind of) OC DO NOT STEAL!
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Reading: The Revelation of John - 9:1-12 - The Bottomless Pit
And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the...
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Interview: Michael Kiggins on AND THE TRAIN KEPT MOVING
In a special interview, I chat with author and longtime Devil's Party contributor Michael Kiggins about his debut novel, AND THE TRAIN KEPT MOVING! Capturing a slice of queer life in the early 2000s, Kiggins's novel follows a protagonist spiralling towards a deadly confrontation as he tries to…
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The Devil's Party: The Revelation of John - 8 - The Seventh Seal
An eerie silence falls over Heaven as the Lamb opens the seventh seal...and then all Hell (er, Heaven) breaks loose. Boom and bombast abound as the four heavenly calamities befall the Earth. But who are the angels who unleash this nightmare? And what real life ecological catastrophes could they...
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Reading: The Revelation of John - 8 - The Seventh Seal
And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him…
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Interview: Theodore McCombs on URANIANS
In a very special episode, I chat with spec-fic author (and longtime Devil's Party commenter!) Theodore McCombs about his new short story collection, URANIANS! What does queerness look like as we turn to the future, and turn to the stars? Does Christianity still have anything to teach us? And…
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The Devil's Party: The Revelation of John - 7 - 144000
This week, God throws a towel on the field to make some quick adjustments to the players. What are we to make of his weird math, and weirder lists? Who are the 144,000 he marks? And what has been the consequence of this for world geo-politics thereafter?
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Reading: The Revelation of John - 7 - 144000
And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. 2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried...
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The Devil's Party: The Revelation of John - 6 - The Four Horsemen
The most famous moment in the Book of Revelation is here - but as so often happens, it's much WILDER and WEIRDER than we think!!! WHO ARE the four horsemen?? And why have we been getting at least two of them completely wrong??? PLUS: the sky rolls up like an old newspaper. No big deal.
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Reading: The Revelation of John - 6 - The Four Horsemen
And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. 2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. 3 And...
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The Devil's Party: The Revelation of John - 5 - The Lamb Who Was Slain
He was a seven-eyed, seven-horned undead sacred people-redeemer... Our good buddy Jesus is back, and OH BOY, if you thought he looked weird LAST TIME, wait'll you see his new avatar!!!
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Reading: The Revelation of John - 5 - The Lamb Who Was Slain
And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? 3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither…
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The Devil's Party: The Revelation of John - 4 - The Vision Before the Throne
This week, our plucky hero meets God! His decor is a little funky though, as the Almighty's throne room seems to dazzle with precious gems, 24 weird dudes, a sea of endless glass, and four extremely weird pets. What are we to make of this bizarre imagery? Can it be made to cohere into anything...
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Reading: The Revelation of John - 4 - The Vision Before the Throne
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. 2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in...
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The Devil's Party: The Revelation of John - 3 - Unto the Churches II
John's letters to the last three churches - Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea - close out the circuit of communities in Asia Minor. But is there a deeper narrative that unfolds when we do as he asks, and listen to what the Lord is saying to the churches? When we read the specific history against...
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Reading: The Revelation of John - 3 - Unto the Churches II
And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. 2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not…
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The Devil's Party: The Revelation of John - 2 - Unto the Churches I
This week, we FINALLY meet someone who hates the "apostle" Paul as much as we do, and it's Jesus's boyfriend! The letters to the churches of Asia Minor begin, and they are coming in HOT with condemnations and graphic sexual imagery!! Also, some, err, lengthy discussion of my penis (sorry!).
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Reading: The Revelation of John - 2 - Unto the Churches I
Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; 2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast…
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The Devil's Party: The Revelation of John - 1:12-20 - The Alpha and Omega
The Alpha and Omega, first and the last, one who was dead and now is alive shows up. And he doesn't look a thing like Jesus... What do we make of this wild imagery for Christ? And what does poor, baffled John think when he encounters his ex in Super Saiyan mode?
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Reading: The Revelation of John - 1:12-20 - The Alpha and Omega
12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13 and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14 His head and his hairs were...
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The Devil's Party: The Revelation of John - 1:1-11 - The Time Is At Hand
BEHOLD HE COMETH WITH THE CLOUDS!!! The Revelation of John kicks off with some wild imagery and wilder christology - but who wrote this astonishing text? What can we say with certainty about its author, its audience, and its provenance? And what can we expect as we begin our journey into its...
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Reading: The Revelation of John - 1:1-11 - The Time Is At Hand
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: 2 who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 3...
About this show
THE APOCALYPSE IS HERE!! Explore the key works of Christian literature through a queer scholarly and pop culture lens!Join award-winning writer, literature PhD, and dumpster raccoon Anthony Oliveira as they delve into these mega-influential texts and their religious and cultural afterlives without all the clutter and dogma that so often obscures their meaning - tackling Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, the Gospels of Mark and John, and now THE REVELATION OF JOHN!www.anthonyoliveira.com("Pair of Dice Tossed" music theme by Matthew Willcott; Podcast art by Andy Bennett)
Hosted by
Anthony Oliveira