Bibliology 3: Revelation of the Bible

The word “revelation” simply means a revealing, and in theology is applied to God’s revealing of Himself to mankind. Without revelation, we wouldn’t know anything about God - or that there even was a God. Therefore we begin this study with the premise that God desires to make Himself known to man, and has in fact revealed Himself at various times and in different ways.

Hebrews 1:1–2 KJV 1900

1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Hebrews 2:1–4 KJV 1900

1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. 2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; 3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; 4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

I. Revelation Defined.

Revelation is the unveiling of something previously hidden so that it may be seen for what it is.

All revelation is supernatural in that it has God for its source and truth as its end.

Deuteronomy 29:29 KJV 1900

29 The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

II. Revelation Explained.

The revelation of God to man falls into two basic categories:

God - GeneralRevelation - Man

God - Special Revelation - Man

A. General Revelation

General (or natural) revelation is the knowledge of God that is derived from the light of natural things.

General revelation is accessible to all men and is addressed to all intelligent creatures. It is the revelation of God to man in:

Creation - Psalm 19:1-6.
See also: Isaiah 40:12,26; Acts 14:17; Psalm 8:1; 104:24.

Psalm 19:1–6 KJV 1900

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament sheweth his handywork. 2 Day unto day uttereth speech, And night unto night sheweth knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language, Where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, 5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. 6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, And his circuit unto the ends of it: And there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.[p

Isaiah 40:12 KJV 1900

12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, And meted out heaven with the span, And comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, And weighed the mountains in scales, And the hills in a balance?

Isaiah 40:26 KJV 1900

26 Lift up your eyes on high, And behold who hath created these things, That bringeth out their host by number: He calleth them all by names By the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; Not one faileth.

Acts 14:17 KJV 1900

17 Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.

Psalm 8:1 KJV 1900

1 O Lord our Lord, How excellent is thy name in all the earth! Who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

Psalm 104:24 KJV 1900

24 O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: The earth is full of thy riches.

2. History

Psalm 9:16 KJV 1900

16 The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth: The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.

3. Conscience .

Romans 2:15 KJV 1900

15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

General revelation bears witness to the existence of God, the power of God, and the need for God. However, it does not testify to the personality of God or the plan of salvation.

According to Romans 1:18-20, the effect of general revelation is to condemn man. Why? See:

Romans 1:21 KJV 1900

21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

General revelation alone is inadequate to save man for two reasons:

a. Creation has been affected by the entrance of sin. See: Genesis 3:17; Romans 8:22. The witness is marred and blurred, and is now a monument to God’s curse upon sin.

Genesis 3:17 KJV 1900

17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

Romans 8:22 KJV 1900

22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

b. Man himself has also been affected by sin, to the extent that he is not able to read the evidences of God afforded in nature aright.

B. Special Revelation.

Special revelation is the direct intervention of God in the affairs of this world. It is God revealing Himself through special acts done by His Person.

This kind of revelation has come to man by various means at various times:

1. Through dreams -

Genesis 37:5–10 KJV 1900

5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. 6 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: 7 For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. 8 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. 9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. 10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?

2. Through visions —

Daniel 8:1 KJV 1900

1 In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first.

3. Through the Urim and Thummin -

Numbers 27:21 KJV 1900

21 And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the Lord: at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation.

4. Through audible voices —

1 Samuel 3:1–10 KJV 1900

1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision. 2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; 3 And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep; 4 That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I. 5 And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down. 6 And the Lord called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again. 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him. 8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child. 9 Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

5. Through animals -

Numbers 22:28 KJV 1900

28 And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?

6. Through angels -

Luke 1:26–37 KJV 1900

26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.

The “crown” of God’s special revelation of Himself to man was in the coming to earth of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Living Word. See:

John 1:14 KJV 1900

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 14:9 KJV 1900

9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

The “completion” of God’s special revelation of Himself to man is the

BIBLE, the written Word. See:

2 Peter 1:3–4 KJV 1900

3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

According to Psalm 19:7-14, the effect of special Biblical revelation is to save man. Thus this kind of revelation is redemptive and remedial.

Psalm 19:7–14 KJV 1900

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: And in keeping of them there is great reward. 12 Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults. 13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me: Then shall I be upright, And I shall be innocent from the great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth, And the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

Special revelation is necessary because of:

a. The Deadening Effects of Sin (as outlined above).

b. The Transcendence of God (the fact that He is so separated and holy that man could not find Him).

c. The personality of God. (the fact that He is a God of love Who desires fellowship with man).

“Without special revelation, general revelation would be for sinful men incomplete and ineffective, and could issue, as in fact it has issued wherever it alone has been accessible, only in leaving them without excuse (Romans

1:20).

“Without general revelation, special revelation would lack that basis in the fundamental knowledge of God as the mighty and wise, righteous and good, Maker and Ruler of all things, apart from which the further revelation of this great God’s interventions in the world for the salvation of sinners could not be either intelligible, credible, or operative.”

III. Revelation Compared and Contrasted.

A number of terms are frequently associated with any discussion on the doctrine of the Bible. As an aid to understanding what is meant by “revelation,” these terms are contrasted below:

A. Revelation vs. Inspiration.

1. Revelation makes truth known - whereas - inspiration provides for its inerrant recording.

2. The Bible contains revelation - whereas - the entire Bible is given by inspiration.
The writers of the Bible drew from two different kinds of sources for their narrative:

a. Special revelation — i.e. things that only God could make known (e.g. the account of creation, the fall of Satan, etc.).

b. Personal observation - i.e. known facts resulting from what the writer saw (e.g. the crossing of the Red Sea), or from existing documents (e.g. Ezra 6:1-12).

Both kinds of narrative are recorded for us in the Bible. Inspiration ensures both are recorded without error.

3. Revelation is progressive - whereas - inspiration is plenary.

God did not reveal all the truth at the beginning. Much of it was revealed progressively over the centuries — see:

1 Peter 1:9–12 KJV 1900

9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. 10 Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

Some examples of progressive revelation may be seen in:

a. The Names of God - from Elohim to Jehovah.

b. The Lineage of Messiah - from the seed of the woman, to the seed of Abraham, to the seed of Isaac, to the seed of Jacob, to the tribe of Judah, to the family of David, God progressively gave more detailed and specific information.

On the contrary, there is NO SUCH THING as progressive inspiration. All parts of the Bible are inspired of God, and equally inspired.

B. Revelation vs. Illumination:

Illumination is the Holy Spirit-given understanding of revelation or revealed truth. The believer enjoys this blessing today as he studies the Word of God - see: 1 John 2:20,21,27.

1 John 2:20–21 KJV 1900

20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. 21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

1 John 2:27 KJV 1900

27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

The presence or absence of illumination with the writers of the Word of God had no bearing on the inspiration of the Bible.

1. Sometimes the words of the Biblical writers were the result of careful research — e.g. Luke 1:1-4. In this case, Luke had full understanding of what he was writing.

Luke 1:1–4 KJV 1900

1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

2. Sometimes the Biblical writers both understood what they were writing and recognized the words they were penning as coming directly from God — e.g. II Samuel 23:2. In such cases, the writers had full illumination as to what was being written.

2 Samuel 23:2 KJV 1900

2 The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, And his word was in my tongue.

3. Sometimes the Biblical writers did not know the importance of the words they penned, recognizing them as divine, but not understanding them — e.g. Daniel 12:8,9.

Daniel 12:8–9 KJV 1900

8 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? 9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

4. In some cases, the source of the words neither understood the words he was writing nor recognized them as divine - e.g. John 11:49-52.

John 11:49–52 KJV 1900

49 And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, 50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. 51 And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; 52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.

The point is, whether the writer had illumination or not, inspiration provided that God’s exact message was truthfully recorded.