Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Introduction. The authorship, date, and audience of the Apocalypse ; The resources, rhetoric, and restructuring of Revelation ; Revelation in its social setting in Western Asia Minor ; The Christology of Revelation ; The genre of Revelation ; A brief tour of the book of Revelation -- Suggested reading on Revelation. The genre of Revelation ; Commentaries ; Rhetorical studies ; Sociological and anthropological approaches ; Classical and archaeological resources ; History of interpretation ; Theology ; Important monographs ; Articles of interest -- Commentary. Revelation 1.1-1.3 : visionary material : handle carefully ; Revelation 1.4-1.20 : the heavenly Son of Man ; Revelation 2-3 : postcards from the edge ; Revelation 4-5 : the throne room vision ; Revelation 6.1-8.5 : the seven seals ; Revelation 8.5-11.9 : the seven trumpets ; Revelation 12 : the woman and the dragon ; Revelation 13.1-14.5 : 666 and his spokesman ; Revelation 14.6-14.20 : three angelic messengers ; Revelation 15.1-16.21 : the seven eschatological plagues ; Revelation 17.1-19.10 : Babylon the harlot ; Revelation 19.11-21.8 : the rider on the white horse, redemptive-judgment, and the Messianic millennium ; Revelation 21.9-22.5 : the tour of the New Jerusalem ; Revelation 22.6-22.21 : the epilogue.

Without sacrificing scholarly perspective or academic rigor, this book is written to be accessible for a wide audience--including pastors, scholars, teachers, seminarians, and interested lay people. A "Suggested Reading List" will serve as point of entry and as a helpful annotated bibliography for all readers. "Closer-Look" sections examine key elements of the Roman-Greco world that bear on the text's meaning while "Bridging the Horizons" sub-chapters connect this world with the cultural, political, and religious environments of today. The entire NRSV translation is provided throughout the text.