Jesus faithfully. The book uses powerful visions and symbols to overpower the ever-present symbols of Rome (and any other worldly empire). Bauckham refers to these transforming symbols as “Christian prophetic counter-images,” designed to impress upon the reader a different view of the world, a heavenly perspective.8 Hearing (or reading) Revelation is like putting on a virtual-reality helmet in order to see true spiritual reality—God defeats the powers of darkness, judges evil, rescues his people,