The nature of Revelation is revealed to us in the very first verse.
"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants…And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John…"
It is a revelation of things to come given by God to Jesus Christ, who signified it to His servant John. That is, He presented it to John in the form of symbolic visions and figurative language.
The key to understanding Revelation is in unveiling the meaning of the various symbols, the clues being found in Old Testament parallel prophecies, and other relevant Scriptural passages.
Our understanding is further enlightened by examining the structure of the book to discover how the various parts fit together and complement each other.
