Revelation seems to depict a violent God who rejoices in wrath. It is frightening and not life-giving. But there is hope; hope from the bottom. John was a victim of imperial Rome and was exiled for faith. His is the hope of victims everywhere, that God will intervene on their behalf and that empires of hate will be replaced by love. God is coming surely to rebalance history. And what we think of as ultimate power, that of oppressive domination, it will surely be undone by God's fierce love and justice. It seems frightening, but only if we are on the wrong side of love.