Revelation Made Clear
Brent Kercheville
This website is an attempt to cut through so much of the fear and confusion that surrounds the book of Revelation.
Unveiling the Future (Revelation 1:1-3)
The book of Revelation is the book in the Bible that is considered to be shrouded in mystery. Many people think that the book of Revelation cannot be understood. Many think that the book is intended to be hard. Before we begin our study, I am going to encourage you with the same words that I always offer. Please enter this study with an open mind. Try to erase any preconceived notions you may have. Study the book of Revelation for yourself.
Coming With the Clouds (Revelation 1:4-8)
Verse 4 begins the book and you will notice that it begins in a typical first century Greco-Roman letter format. The author of the letter (not of the Revelation, which is from Jesus Christ) is John. The letter is written to the seven churches that are in Asia. Recall what we learned from the preface of the book of Revelation. The book is written in symbols. Therefore, we must read the book as written in signs and symbols unless something in the text demands a literal interpretation.
Tribulation (Revelation 1:9-11)
As we approach Revelation 1:9, John is beginning his explanation as to why he is writing this book. John is going to let his readers know that he did not sit down and decide to write a letter to the seven churches in Asia Minor. Rather, John was instructed to write these words.
Seeing Jesus (Revelation 1:12-20)
As we read what John sees, I ask you to visualize and imagine the descriptions given. The book of Revelation is a picture book. The images are intended to teach and to spark an emotion upon seeing the things John sees.
IGNITE: Rekindle Your Love (Revelation 2:1-7)
There is something missing in our lives. There is something missing in our Christian walk. We know what we are supposed to do. We know that we are to serve God by staying away from various sins. Why is this…
IGNITE: Faith Under Fire (Revelation 2:8-11)
Are you rich? One of the ways that we lose our fire for the Lord is in our failure to see how rich we are. This is the focus that the Christians in the city of Smyrna are to have…
IGNITE: Stand For Truth (Revelation 2:12-17)
Have you seen this new symbol on t-shirts called COEXIST? Each letter in COEXIST is a symbol representing a religion or belief. The C is for Islam with its crescent moon. The O is for peace with the peace symbol…
IGNITE: Acceptable Sins (Revelation 2:18-29)
There are certain sins that we have the tendency to overlook. Jesus Knows (2:18-19) Jesus describes himself with words of fearful judgment. He has eyes like a flame of fire and feet like burnished bronze. Jesus is shown with penetrating…
IGNITE: Dead Or Alive (Revelation 3:1-6)
Introduction: From time to time I see in the newspaper that bands of my childhood come to town to play. Some of the bands that are still touring today that were touring in the 1980s and I am shocked to…
IGNITE: Secure In Christ (Revelation 3:7-13)
We all want to have a feeling of security. From home alarms to seat belts we want to feel secure in the things we are doing. Christ also wants to give his people a feeling of security. In this message…
IGNITE: Lukewarm Christianity (Revelation 3:14-22)
Do you make our Lord Jesus want to vomit? The church at Laodicea is the last church that Jesus writes to in his letters to the seven churches of Asia. This is the church that made God sick. This is…
A View of Heaven (Revelation 4:1-8)
Do you wonder what heaven looks like? Wouldn’t it be great to have the opportunity to peer into the throne room of God and see what is going on in heaven? John gets the opportunity and he tells us what…
Holy, Holy, Holy (Revelation 4:8-11)
Revelation 4 has drawn our attention to the throne of God as we look into heaven. God is seated on the throne and he is active. From the throne come flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder. These images…
The Scroll (Revelation 5:1-6)
Revelation 4 revealed the scene in the throne room of heaven. God is sitting on the throne in splendor and glory. The four living creatures and 24 elders are praising and worshiping God because he is worthy and deserving of…
Worthy Is The Lamb (Revelation 5:6-14)
The cry has gone throughout heaven and earth looking for the one who is worthy to open the scroll. John looks and sees the Lamb standing, as though it had been slain. We noted in our last lesson that this…
The Seven Seals A (Revelation 6:1-8)
The Lamb is the one worthy to open the scroll. The Lamb has gone to the one who sits on the throne and has taken the scroll from his hand. All of creation is praising the Lamb because he is…
The Seven Seals B (Revelation 6:9-17)
The first four seals have been opened and what has been revealed is sweeping judgment. Four different colored horses have been unleashed to conquer, wage war, bring famine, and kill with sword, pestilence, famine, and wile beasts. We noted in…
Sealing The 144,000 (Revelation 7:1-8)
Chapter 6 has revealed that judgments are about to be unleashed. The four horsemen revealed war, famine, and death. The souls of the slain believers are crying out how long until God brings justice and righteousness. They are told to…
Washed (Revelation 7:9-17)
In our last lesson we saw the image of the 144,000. We are told that the 144,000 are the servants of God (7:3). They are sealed in spiritual protection from the tribulation events. The sealing also pictures that they are…
The Seven Trumpets (Revelation 8)
The Seventh Seal (8:1-5) Revelation 8 begins with the seventh seal opening. When the seventh seal was opened by the Lamb, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. What does this silence represent? In the prophets there…
The Destroyer (Revelation 9)
Revelation 8 has revealed devastating images of judgment as God unleashes his wrath because of the sins of the Jewish nation. These were partial judgments intended to bring about their repentance (a point that is made clear in Revelation 9).…
The Little Scroll (Revelation 10)
The Mighty Angel (10:1-2) John sees another mighty angel coming down from heaven. The description of this angel shows us that he is not like the previous angels we have read about in this book. This mighty angel is wrapped…
Measure The Temple (Revelation 11:1-2)
Revelation 10 revealed that when the seventh trumpet sounded the things spoken by the prophets would be fulfilled. The book of Revelation has shown us partial judgments occurring against a nation for its sins. Chapter 9 revealed the Roman Empire…
Two Witnesses (Revelation 11:3-19)
In the first two verses of Revelation 11 we were shown that the temple of the Lord, representing the holy people of God, would be spiritually spared and remain safe with God through the coming national judgment. However, it was…
The Dragon (Revelation 12)
We were told in Revelation 10:11 that John still had to prophesy about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings. Now that the fall of the Jewish nation has been detailed in Revelation 11, our attention is turned to the next…
The Beast (Revelation 13:1-10)
Who Is The Beast? (13:1-2) Chapter 13 reveals the most amazing and terrifying image of a beast. The dragon takes his stand on the sand of the sea (12:17), and a beast rises out of the sea. The beast has…
666 (Revelation 13:11-18)
Describing the Beast (13:11-12) After seeing this terrifying beast rising out of the sea that blasphemes God and makes war on the Christians, we seeing the rising of another beast. This beast rises out of the earth. The beast had…
The Three Angels (Revelation 14)
Chapter 13 revealed Satan raising two beasts to make war with the Christians. The first beast is the beast of the greatest concern. The first beast, as identified from Daniel 7, is the Roman Empire which ruled from approximately 27…
Pouring Out God’s Wrath (Revelation 15-16)
In chapter 14 we read about the coming doom for the Roman Empire. Three angels have predicted its judgment: “The hour of judgment has come” (14:7), “Fallen, fallen in Babylon” (14:8), and “Drink the wine of God’s wrath poured full…
The Great Prostitute (Revelation 17)
Revelation 16 described the fall of Babylon the great. We noticed in chapter 13 that the beast called Babylon the great refers to the Roman Empire that ruled from approximately 27 BC to 476 AD. Chapters 17 and 18 of…
The Fall of Babylon (Revelation 18)
Revelation 17 showed us the fall of Rome. Revelation 17:16 showed the great prostitute made desolate and naked. She is stripped of her power and authority and is burned up with fire. God is the one who purposed this fall…
The Victorious Christ (Revelation 19)
Chapter 18 describes the wailing of the world when the Roman Empire fell. The economic impact of its fall was amazing. The warning was given to God’s people to come out from the wickedness and worldliness and be separate. God’s…
The Millennial Kingdom (Revelation 20)
Revelation 19 concluded with the judgment of the great prostitute (19:2), the beast (19:20), and the false prophet (19:20). Rome and her empire, along with all the rulers and provinces associated with the empire, have been brought under judgment. Revelation…
New Heaven and New Earth (Revelation 21:1-8)
Introducing the New Heaven, New Earth, and New Jerusalem (21:1-2) The previous chapter has concluded with the image of final judgment. Satan has been thrown into the lake of fire. All the dead are standing before the throne and the…
The City of God (Revelation 21:9-27)
The first eight verses of chapter 21 described the new heaven and the new earth. We noticed that the new heaven and new earth are symbolic images just like the rest of the book. The new heaven and new earth…
The Tree of Life (Revelation 22)
In the first five verses of chapter 22 belong with the description of the bride, New Jerusalem coming down from heaven, recorded in Revelation 21:9-27. New Jerusalem is a picture of the people of God in their perfected state, receiving…