From A Storehouse of Knowledge

The Book of Revelation is the sixty-sixth and last book of the Bible. It is an account of a series of visions received by a man named John (often referred to as "St. John the Divine") on the island of Patmos. This John has been identified by many, including the historian Eusebius, with John the Evangelist. The visions describe the end of the world, the second coming of Jesus and the final judgement of mankind amid a series of turbulent and unsettling events. All is written in the symbolic style of apocalyptic writing popular in the first century AD, which makes it difficult for most modern readers to interpret.

Many ideas and events in Revelation have become common cultural references. These include:

• the number of the Beast (being 666)
• the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
• the breaking of the seven seals that signal the end times
• the lamb that speaks with the voice of a serpent
• the seven-headed, ten-horned Beast from the Sea
• the Whore of Babylon (believed by many Protestants to refer to Rome).

Beliefs about the tribulation held by Christians stem from interpretations of Revelation (and Daniel). The belief held by Jehovah's Witnesses about a limit on the number of people who can enter Heaven also stems from Revelation (Revelation 7 speaks of 144,000 sealed with the seal of God; however, the latter part of the chapter speaks of a "great multitude which none could count" in Heaven praising God.)

During the pageant in the Earthly Paradise in Dante's Purgatorio, Revelation is represented by a ragged old man in a trance-like state who stumbles along at the very end of the procession.

Books of the Bible
Old Testament
Pentateuch (Torah)	Genesis • Exodus • Leviticus • Numbers • Deuteronomy
History	Joshua • Judges • Ruth • I Samuel • II Samuel • I Kings • II Kings • I Chronicles • II Chronicles • Ezra • Nehemiah • Esther
Wisdom Literature	Job • Psalms • Proverbs • Ecclesiastes • Song of Solomon
Major Prophets	Isaiah • Jeremiah • Lamentations • Ezekiel • Daniel
Minor Prophets	Hosea • Joel • Amos • Obadiah • Jonah • Micah • Nahum • Habakkuk • Zephaniah • Haggai • Zechariah • Malachi
New Testament
The Gospels	According to Matthew • According to Mark • According to Luke • According to John
History	Acts of the Apostles
Pauline Epistles	Romans • I Corinthians • II Corinthians • Galatians • Ephesians • Philippians • Colossians • I Thessalonians • II Thessalonians • I Timothy • II Timothy • Titus • Philemon
General Epistles	Hebrews • James • I Peter • II Peter • I John • II John • III John • Jude
Prophecy	The Revelation to John