Eph 591 7/8/87

DOCTRINE OF REVELATION

A. Etymology.

1. The Greek word APOKALUPSIS, meaning revelation, is defined as God making known to man what is otherwise unknowable. God has to reveal Himself to us.

2. A material universe demands a Creator. Man is the object of that creation. Therefore, communication from the Creator to mankind is to be expected.

3. So the noun APOKALUPSIS implies unveiling, disclosure by God Himself regarding things previously unknown and things that cannot be explained.

B. God Reveals Himself.

1. God has revealed Himself to mankind in three ways:

a. Revelation by nature or creation, Ps 19:1-6; Rom 1:19-20. This is called the teleological argument of Theism. The structure of the universe demands a designer. For example, all the chemical components of the human body are in the world, but they never combine accidentally to form man. The universe, by its telescopic and microscopic wonders, can be no more accidental than the shuffling of 26 letters of the alphabet into a beautiful poem. So God is revealed by nature, but the revelation by nature does not explain God’s plan, purpose, or will for your life.

b. God reveals Himself by the Bible as the written Word. With the completed Canon of Scripture in this dispensation, we have available in the New Testament epistles theology, doctrine, principles, and concepts which were never revealed before.

(1) We also have a utilization of God’s power that was never before available to all believers.

(2) Every Church Age believer has equal privilege and equal opportunity to execute the protocol plan of God, advance to maturity, and become an invisible hero.

(3) The mystery doctrine of the Church Age is revelation, Eph 3:3.

c. Revelation by Jesus Christ as the living Word. The great power experiment of the Hypostatic Union provides full revelation of God. Christ is the revelation of God, according to Jn 1:18, 6:46; 1 Tim 3:16; 1 Jn 4:12. Jesus Christ reveals the wisdom of God, 1 Cor 1:24. Jesus Christ reveals the power of God, Heb 1:1-3. This is the significance of the great power experiment of the Hypostatic Union.

2. So although nature tells us there is a God, nature cannot give us one iota of information about God’s purpose or will for your life, the way of salvation, or any other factor. Only the written Word and the living Word can reveal God to us, and His will for us.

C. Primary and Secondary Revelation.

1. Primary revelation is the content of the Bible.

2. Secondary revelation is the interpretation of the Bible by a pastor-teacher; i.e., by a prepared man with that spiritual gift who teaches in accordance with the ICE (isagogics, categories, exegesis) principle.

a. Isagogics is defined as the interpretation of the Bible in the time in which it was written. Without this, there is no correct understanding of certain passages of Scripture.

b. Categories is defined as comparing Scripture with Scripture in the study of one particular subject.

e. Exegesis is defined as the study of the etymology, grammar, and syntax of the original languages of Scripture.

D. Revelation and Inspiration.

1. Revelation must be distinguished from inspiration. In revelation, God uses a vehicle. In inspiration, God reveals Himself through doctrine.

2. The true doctrine of Inspiration contends that God the Holy Spirit so supernaturally directed the human authors of Scripture, that without destroying their individuality, their literary style, their personal interests, their personal feelings, or their vocabulary, God’s complete and coherent message to mankind was recorded with perfect accuracy in the original languages of Scripture, the very words bearing the authority of divine authorship.

3. Therefore, there are three reasonable suppositions.

a. Since God is a person who is perfect, eternal, infinite, reasonable, intelligent, fair, powerful, and gracious; He will always have a message to give and He will always reveal it so it can be understood by any believer. Your human I.Q. is not an issue; the Holy Spirit provides your spiritual I.Q.

b. The divine record and revelation in writing will be given in accurate terms, and so it will be lucid and perspicuous so that we can understand it. The accuracy and inerrancy of the Word of God are very important absolutes. Although this often means there will be technical language, its meaning can be identified through the etymology of the Greek language and therefore clarified.

c. The text of this record will be divinely preserved in its purity and at the same time will be indestructible so that every generation will function under the concept of equal privilege and equal opportunity in the execution of the protocol plan of God.

4. So the Bible in its original languages is the exact record of the mind and will of God.

5. The Bible is plenary, meaning the entire text is equally from God but not necessarily equally important. Nothing is more important to us living in this dispensation than the New Testament epistles, especially the Pauline corpus, and especially the prison epistles of Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians.

6. The Bible accurately records the lies of Satan. Inspiration guarantees that such quotations are the way Satan phrased his lies. Anything that is outside the plan of God is recorded in the Bible for a purpose and reason.

7. The inerrancy of the canon of Scripture includes the truth of all Bible doctrines and the accurate statement of all kinds of words, idioms, and concepts related to the time in which it was written.

8. The Bible is from the Trinity.

a. According to Heb 4:12, the Bible is related to God the Father as the Author of the plan: “The Word of God is alive and powerful . . .”

b. The Bible is related to God the Son as the central subject of Scripture. 1 Cor 2:16 says the Bible is the thinking or mind of Christ.

c. The Bible is formed through the ministry of God the Holy Spirit. Heb 3:7 calls it the “voice of the Spirit.” ____________________________________________________

R. B. Thieme, Jr. Bible Ministries 5139 West Alabama, Houston, Texas 77056 (713) 621-3740

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