From The Analysis Desk:
Sometimes archaeology speaks to the present as well as to the past. The Bible has many examples of this occurrence. An article by Sanghwan Lee points to such a bridge. The exploration is between the Seven Stars in the right hand of Messiah, versus a sampling of Roman coins:
This article has scrutinized the depiction of Jesus as the holder of the seven stars in Rev 1:16a in light of numismatic evidence and the larger context of Revelation. Although the immediate context (v. 20) interprets the depiction in the mentioned verse as Jesus’s exercising his sovereignty over the seven angels of the seven churches, my approach has demonstrated that a secondary but not mutually exclusive interpretation is also possible. According to this reading, the image of Jesus as the holder of the seven stars in his right hand functions as a literary device that subverts the imperial message embedded in the Divvs Caesar coin types. By making a stark contrast between the gloriously dressed Jesus who holds the seven stars in his right hand and the shamefully naked son of Domitian who resides within the seven stars, John places Jesus above and beyond the imperial power, insinuating that Jesus is the ruler par excellence whose sovereignty extends to both the terrestrial and celestial realms. In doing so, John urges the intended audience to abandon their engagement with trade associates who are deeply connected to the imperial cults. In addition, John encourages them to endure the accompanying oppressions for their Christian faith, even if it costs their lives. Since, according to John, Jesus is the possessor and giver of genuine wealth and eternal life, he will grant richness and life that last forever and ever to those who remain faithful to him unto death.
source: https://brill.com/view/journals/nt/64/3/article-p342_6.xml?language=en
The Roman emperors deified themselves, but also apparently attempted to state they had re-incarnated as gods:
The legend on the reverse of the coin reads, Divvs Caesar Imp Domitiani F. Simon F.R. Price points out that the title Divvs was bestowed on the recipient of the imperial cult since the establishment of the official cult of Julius Caesar.11 Concerning the imperial usage of Divvs, Price provides the following remark:
The term divus was originally not sharply distinguished from deus (“god”) but from the consecration of [Julius] Caesar onwards it was used almost exclusively (outside poetical texts) of properly consecrated members of the imperial family. This is not to say that divus and deus were two exclusive categories; rather, divus was a subcategory of deus and it was thus perfectly possible to refer to a consecrated emperor as deus.12
Hence, the inscription in the DCCT indicates that the deification of a deceased imperial member, the son of Domitian, took place at some point.
source: ibid
The goal of the Romans was to institutionalize a cult where the emperor was divine and so was his lineage. In so doing, the iconography of the seven stars was used to imply that Caesar was sovereign over all as opposed to YHVH.
John, then, as the article concludes, saw no alternative for believers to do anything other than drop out of the Roman cult instituted commerce system. This ultimately applies for the End of Days, when such problems return and believers suffer persecution. If this is so, it would make sense that believers would be working on a form of alternative commerce among themselves if they wish to survive such a time. Maybe this is a call from the Kingdom for that very thing!