The Devil's Party

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  and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered t...

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!

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 hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. 16  And the number of th...

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!

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 smoke of the pit. 3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power...

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 hold together the fragmenting pieces of his life. Content warning: this novel and this conversat...

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 have echoed (or prefaced)?

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 much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was b...

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 what is to be done about Two-Tongued Jeremy???

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?

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 with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 3  saying, H...

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.

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 when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 4 And there went out an...

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!!!

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 under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. 4  And I wept much, because no man...

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 sensible, or is the weirdness part of the point?

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 heaven, and one sat on the throne. 3  And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone...

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 wider Christian hermeneutics, things get a little kooky!

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 found thy works perfect before God. 3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast,...

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!).

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 tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 3 and hast borne, and hast...

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?

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 white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15  and his feet like unto...

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 surrealist vision?

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 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which...