Book excerpt: Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 Revelation is the book of consummation. It tells us the ending of the story that began in Genesis 1. It reveals that this world is headed for a seven-year period of divine judgment, and that God alone can foretell the future with 100 percent accuracy. #2 The preterist view is that Revelation is primarily a prophecy of events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. They believe that Christ returned in AD 70 during the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. #3 The historicist view, which began with Joachim of Fiore in the twelfth century, interprets Revelation as a panorama or overview of the entire church age. However, few today hold this view. #4 The idealist view believes that the book of Revelation is meant to be interpreted symbolically, without regard for the original meaning of the text. This view is extremely reader-centered, and it lacks an interpretive anchor that would help hold the book together.