What is up with all the monsters and beasts in the Bible? For the people who brought us the Bible, these creatures represented the evils of oppressive empires. Sometimes we forget that much of the Bible was written by vulnerable populations who suffered under the thumb of powerful, violent systems. But prophets and apocalyptic texts attempted to pull back the curtain of pomp and power to show reality beneath the surface. In these texts and the prophetic call to resist by loving greatly, we can find light for our lives today.