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“Revelation has always been a mystery to me. I’ve always felt that Revelation was a apocalyptic story of the Fall of Rome and redemption of the Martyrs written at a time when early Christians needed some encouragement.”

I think you are very close to the truth in this matter. I think two questions emerge from Revelation: Who was it directed towards, and what was the purpose? I think it was directed towards believers and non believers at that time. For believers it was a message of hope and encouragement, and for non believers to wake up and realize there fate.

When did the idea of Rapture start and and which scriptures speak of Rapture or Tribulation?

Red Priest, somehow I get the impression you know the answer to that question, however, you are right on target. That theory was espoused somewhere between 1835 and 1850, caught on a little bit and was popularized by C.I. Scofield in the late 1880's and codified in the early 1900's when Scofield and his crew outshouted some other emerging "fundamentalists" at the Protestant "Council" called the Niagara Conferences.

From Scofield's rigid and specifically dated dispensatonalism came writers like H.A. Ironside, M.R. DeHaan, Hal Lindsey, Tim LaHaye, John Walvoord, David Jeremiah and even Joel Rosenberg. All basically say the same thing, in more or less terms, but it all springs from the visions of a little girl in Plymouth, England...or thereabouts...in the mid-1800's.

It has been speculated that John may have been nuts. I don't think he was, but the poor guy was almost a hundred, and he was "in the Spirit" and maybe that's where we should be when we read it...if your church will allow it.

Revelation has always been a mystery to me. I’ve always felt that Revelation was a apocalyptic story of the Fall of Rome and redemption of the Martyrs written at a time when early Christians needed some encouragement. When did the idea of Rapture start and and which scriptures speak of Rapture or Tribulation?

First of all, The book of Revelation contains many mysteries that are still trying to be unraveled by the best of scholars... so it should not be surprising that it is somewhat confusing.

Second, it is a book of prophecy... The name itself "Revelation" is God revealing what will happen in the last days... most commonly referred to as God's judgment against the nations just prior to Armageddon. The "Tribulation" period is pretty much the main focus of Revelations as a seven year period of testing and judgment.

As for the rapture, I don't think it is referred to in Revelations very much... but i'll have to check. If it is referred to, I'm sure it is brief... because most of it is dealing with the 7 year tribulation period which follows the rapture. The rapture is mentioned or referred to several times throughout the gospels and new testament books before Revelations. The strongest reference I think is the one which is most commonly misinterpreted as a warning of great apostacy within the church:

2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

"Falling away" in it's proper interpretation from the original greek/hebrew should read more like "Caught away" or "Caught Up". This is a reference to the trigger of the 7 year tribulation period with the removal of the Holy Spirit from the face of the earth... which more or less unleashes evil on earth in it's full force. (because the Holy Spirit currently holds it back)
And, since believers have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them as scripture teaches, they are taken WITH the Holy Spirit to meet Jesus in the sky. Several other scriptures referring to the same event support this interpretation of 2 Thes 2:3.