Reading the book of Revelation with a Bible, a history book, and a newspaper

My understanding of Revelation has recently expanded as my pastor has been preaching through the book. Revelation should be read first with the Bible, especially the Old Testament, not with a newspaper. After correct exegesis of Revelation, though, I think that we actually can and should take the history book and the newspaper to Revelation. Since Revelation focuses on the present evil and suffering of the saints since Christ’s death and resurrection till his return, it is fully applicable to what occurred in history in AD 70, AD 1000, and AD 2009. In this way, people were not complete fools who thought that Roman emperors, certain popes, Stalin, Hitler, and Saddam Hussein were THE Antichrist. Though we know that they were ultimately wrong, they were certainly antichrists. In this way, all antichrists, wars, famines, diseases, and persecutions are fulfillments of the book of Revelation that will ultimately be consummated upon Christ’s return. I think that we can gain much from examining all of these time periods, including the past, present, and future, in light of God’s plan as revealed to John, and hence to us.