An Interview with USA Today Bestselling Author Kelly

What does it take to make the most mysterious book of the Bible finally make sense? At Berg Publishers, a book publishing agency dedicated to bringing meaningful, well-crafted books to readers, we recently sat down with USA Today bestselling author Kelly to talk about her latest release, Understanding Revelation: A Scripture-Connected Companion Study Guide.

In this conversation, Kelly opens up about why Revelation intimidates so many readers, the single question that unlocks the entire book, and what she hopes everyday believers, Bible study groups, and pastors will take away from her new study guide.

Kelly is a USA Today bestselling author and a passionate student and teacher of Scripture. Her work is driven by one conviction: the Bible is a single, connected story, and it makes the most sense when it is read that way. Her newest book, Understanding Revelation, walks readers through the Bible's final book chapter by chapter and verse by verse, placing key passages beside their Old Testament connections with clear, powerful commentary.

Here is our conversation.

Kelly: Thank you! And honestly, that's exactly why. Ask ten Christians about Revelation, and you'll hear the same confession ten times: "I've tried to read it, but I don't really get it." Beasts rise from the sea. Trumpets sound. Bowls of wrath are poured out. Babylon falls. A dragon wages war against the saints. It can feel strange, overwhelming, and almost impossible to understand.

But here's the thing: Revelation was never meant to be read in isolation. It's not a random collection of frightening images. It's the final chapter of a story God has been telling since Genesis. Once you see that, everything changes.

Kelly: It means that instead of chasing wild speculation or forcing modern headlines into every symbol, we ask a better question: Where has God used this image before?

John's visions are deeply connected to Daniel, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, Exodus, Psalms, Genesis, and the prophets. The throne room, the beasts, the Lamb, Babylon, the plagues, the new creation, the tree of life, the river, the serpent, all of it reaches backward through Scripture before it reaches forward into eternity. The guide places key Revelation passages directly beside their Old Testament connections, so readers can see the links for themselves.

Kelly: Absolutely. Take the plagues in Revelation. Readers often find them terrifying and confusing until they realize they echo the Exodus judgments on Egypt. Suddenly, the message is clear: the God who judged oppressors and delivered His people then is doing it again, finally and completely. Or take the tree of life and the river in the closing chapters. Those images take us straight back to Eden. The story ends where it began, paradise restored. That's not chaos. That's a conclusion.

Kelly: Everyday believers, first and foremost — people who have closed Revelation feeling more confused than encouraged. The commentary is written in plain, direct language. No academic jargon.

But it's also built for Bible study groups, because the chapter-by-chapter structure works beautifully over several weeks of discussion. And pastors and teachers will find the Old Testament source index and symbol explanations useful for sermon prep. Really, it's for anyone who wants to understand Revelation without losing the awe, mystery, and weight of the book.

Kelly: Quite a lot, and it's all built to be used right beside an open Bible. Readers will find a clear introduction to the key for understanding Revelation, a quick timeline running from chapter 1 through chapter 22, an Old Testament source index showing the major biblical books behind Revelation's imagery, verse-by-verse connections between Revelation and the rest of Scripture, plain-language commentary, explanations of the major symbols, and a closing summary showing how the Bible's whole story is completed in Christ.

Kelly: Discipline, I'd say. So many approaches to Revelation fall into one of two traps. The first is speculation, treating the book like a decoder ring for current events. The second is avoidance, skipping it altogether because it feels too confusing or frightening. This guide takes a third path. It stays anchored in the text of Scripture itself and lets the Bible interpret the Bible. That approach gives readers confidence, it actually deepens the awe rather than flattening it, and it teaches a skill they can carry into every other book of Scripture.

Kelly: Restraint! When you start tracing these connections, you find more than you could ever fit in one volume. The discipline was keeping the commentary clear, direct, and focused on the connections that genuinely open the book up for readers and trusting Scripture to do the heavy lifting.

Kelly: That Revelation is not a detached book of chaos. It is the unveiling of Jesus Christ, the judgment of evil, the endurance of the saints, the fall of Babylon, the victory of the Lamb, and the restoration of all things. The ending was always headed here. My deepest hope is that readers finish the guide and feel what the book's very first chapter promises — a blessing, not a burden.

For a taste of the Scripture-connected method Kelly describes, here is a small sample of the connections the guide traces:

At Berg Publishers, our book publishing services exist for one reason: to help great books find the readers who need them. From manuscript development to design and distribution, we partner with authors who have something genuinely valuable to say, and Kelly's Understanding Revelation is exactly that kind of book.

It is clear without being shallow, reverent without being vague, and practical without losing the wonder of the text. Whether you are reading alone, leading a small group, or preparing to teach, this guide will change the way you read the Bible's final book.

Get your copy of Understanding Revelation: A Scripture-Connected Companion Study Guide today and read Revelation the way it was always meant to be read: connected to the whole story.