Revelation knowledge is knowledge that is not apparent to the senses.  You cannot learn revelation knowledge by interaction with the natural world through the five senses:  sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing.

The gospel, the message of Jesus Christ, is revelation knowledge.

Revelation knowledge is the knowledge that God has given in the Bible.  This knowledge was given to holy men who spent time with God, who listened to God, and who were able to communicate messages from God.

II Peter 1:21For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

For example, Moses was on Mt. Sinai for 40 days and nights when he received the Ten Commandments.

Exodus 24:16 And the glory of the Lord abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.

17 And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.

18 And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

David who slew Goliath, King David, was another man who sought the Lord. It is notable that when David makes reference to himself, he doesn’t give as credentials, or as we might say today, doesn’t give as his brand, that he killed Goliath, or that that he was King of Israel. Instead he makes reference to his worship of God…the sweet psalmist of Israel.  

II Samuel 23:1 Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said,

Another example is Jesus.  Jesus would withdraw from the crowds to pray.

Luke 5:15 But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.

16 And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.

There are other examples in the Bible that could be cited as well.

Born out of relationships with God, revelation messages were given to the world.

We would not know the significance of a baby born in Bethlehem, who grew up to teach and heal and later, being innocent, finally be betrayed, scourged, die on a cross in a death that would offer redemption to all who would receive it, and then resurrect from the dead… we would not understand that message without revelation knowledge.

Prophetic revelation knowledge helps us “connect the dots”.

Revelation knowledge from God is dealing with things unseen.  The Bible deals with the things of eternity.

The fact that all knowledge cannot be understand through mental study only is brought out with Jesus’s conversation with Nicodemus.  Nicodemus was highly trained as far as the Jewish scriptures and his mind could take him.  Yet, he still had trouble grasping what Jesus was saying.

John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.