Rev. 1:1 - It is the “Revelation” of Jesus Christ (Not John) Greek: apokalupsis - "an unveiling"; “a revealing” Rev. 22:18-19, Acts 1:1-11, Mathew 16:1-3 3 ways to Interpret: Allegorical Historical (Preterist/Symbolic View) Literal (Face Value) - Futuristic Allegorical: Everything is about symbolism: good vs. evil, paganism vs. Christianity, and the ultimate triumph of Christ is our lives. The book is seen as a spiritual allegory for the comfort and encouragement of the church, denying prophesies of literal future events. Historical: Preterist View - deals with church history that includes only the early church's struggle against Imperial Rome in the 1st century, John used symbolic code to describe events of his day. Historical: Symbolic View - a panoramic interpretation of the Church's historical struggle agaisnt the word system from the 1st Century through modern times; it predicts the future of the “Church age”, not of end-time events. Literal/Futuristic The events beginning in ch. 5 are futuristic related to the time directly preceding and including Jesus' Return. Frequent symbolism is recognized, but events will be fulfilled in a literal way. Writer: John the Apostle When: around 95 AD Where: Island of Patmos The Faithful Witness (1:5) The Firstborn from the dead (1:5) The Ruler over the kings of the earth (1:5) The Alpha and the Omega (1:8) Who is, Who was, Who is to come (1:8) The Almighty (1:8) The Son of Man (1:13) The First and the Last (1:17) The Living One (1:18) Revelation 1:9, Revelation 1:7-8, Revelation 1:19