I am thrilled that you have joined me in a study of the book of Revelation. I have spent over 50 years making the book of Revelation a part of my personal Bible study. During that time, I have researched, read, and listened to the works of a variety of ministers and theologians who have written and taught about this amazing book. In 2021, I published my own book “Symbols of Revelation: A Biblical Guide.” As I studied Revelation, I found myself asking the Lord nine questions about the mysterious and puzzling visions John was given. The Lord helped me understand that Revelation is best understood when the symbols in John’s visions are interpretated by what those same symbols mean in other books of the Bible. In this introductory lecture I explain that the book of Revelation may be safely and accurately interpreted when the symbols are compared to other scripture. I use this method in Lecture 1 to answer my first question: “Why does Jesus look so scary in Revelation 1:12-16?”