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The Doctrine of Revelation

The Doctrine of Revelation. There was Revelation in Creation: Manifestation of Creator/Creature relationship, Gen. 1:1 Manifestation of attributes of Creator thru creation (Cf. Rom. 1:20/Ps. 19:1-6) Manifestation of unity between word and creation, Ps. 19; Ps. 33:6.

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The Doctrine of Revelation

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  1. The Doctrine ofRevelation

  2. There was Revelation in Creation: Manifestation of Creator/Creature relationship, Gen. 1:1 Manifestation of attributes of Creator thru creation (Cf. Rom. 1:20/Ps. 19:1-6) Manifestation of unity between word and creation, Ps. 19; Ps. 33:6 REVELATION: Before the Fall Doctrine of Revelation

  3. There was Revelation in Creation: Revelation of “man” as image of God, Gen. 1:26,7 Revelation in spoken word: indicates God’s plan and purpose Revelation in spoken word: indicates God’s power which brings about all that occurs. REVELATION: Before the Fall Doctrine of Revelation

  4. REVELATION: Before the Fall • There was Revelation in Man/Woman: • Man and woman are revelation of God (image bearer) • This is a special application of above, viz., revelation in creation • “Man” (generic) is distinct as image-bearer • Man = Image of God (NOT, Image of God in Man) • The glory of God visible in reflected way, Ps. 8 (results in Doxology) • Self knowledge is impossible without knowledge of God.  Doctrine of Revelation

  5. REVELATION: Before the Fall • There was Revelation in Words: • Revelation was not exhausted in creation • Revelation in words was a correlative to revelation in nature: a supernatural self-disclosure • These words were not simply a part of the created order; rather, they were spoken into the created order • Thus, in addition to general revelation (creation and providence, etc.) there is special revelation (A. Kuyper, Principles of Sacred Theology, “special principle,” 368ff) • Special revelation cannot be explained in terms of forces within creation: it is a result of the immediate action of God (just as regeneration is not part of ordinary providence, but is the immediate act of God) Doctrine of Revelation

  6. REVELATION: Before the Fall • Revelation in Words, cont. • Genesis 2:16,17, indicates the necessity of spoken revelation (verbal) directly to man • It was the imparting of knowledge otherwise not knowable • This was direct biblical fellowship, par excellence, (see Vos, Biblical Theology, 28) • Revelation was given to Adam • As a public person, L.C., Q. 22 • As representative of human race; his destiny becomes ours Doctrine of Revelation

  7. REVELATION: Before the Fall • Revelation in Words, cont. • The character of Word Revelation was • Objective: direct revelation was identifiable in human experience; it was clearly distinguished from the words of Adam • Adam’s word did not become Word of God • The Word was not a witness to revelation, but was revelation (contra Barth) • There was no confusion between the Words of God and the deeds of God: GOD SPEAKS, ACTS, INTERPRETS Doctrine of Revelation

  8. DISCONTINUITY Fellowship between God and man was broken; it is restored in Jesus Christ, but only in part A lack of direct contact results in God using prophets and apostles as intermediaries between God and man. CONTINUITY There is a deposit of revelation, the deposit of faith given in a book Redemption will lead to the restoration of the paradise situation; restoration of direct continuity. REVELATION: The Fall to Mt. Sinai Doctrine of Revelation

  9. REVELATION: The Fall to Mt. Sinai • Revelation and the Preceding Period • Man was prohibited from eating in the garden under penalty of death in the very place where life began and life was to be sustained, Gen. 2:9 • Man, the image-bearer, continues; but does so in a living death. Grace is the only basis for continued existence • Death intervenes where once there had only been life • The announcement of man’s continued existence, Gen. 3:15, is a revelation of God’s grace (i.e., God was faithful to his purpose in creating) Doctrine of Revelation

  10. REVELATION: The Fall to Mt. Sinai • This is a revelation of God’s kindness to all: Common Grace • Common Grace provides the backdrop for redemptive grace • Acts 14:17, God is not without a witness; man still image-bearer of God, Gen. 9:6, James 3:9 • Nature, subjected to the curse, reveals the wrath of God (Rom. 8:20-22) Doctrine of Revelation

  11. REVELATION: The Fall to Mt. Sinai • Mankind reveals curse of sin, Rom. 1:17-32; and is bound to misinterpret revelation in nature • Mankind’s opposition to God is ethical, not metaphysical. Scot’s Confession 2,3; 39 Articles #9; Canons of Synod of Dordt, 3:1; Irish Articles, 22,23; WCF 4:2 and 6:2 • Common Grace restrains this ethical antithesis; total depravity is restrained, although, in principle the antithesis is absolute. C. Van Til, Common Grace, 196. Doctrine of Revelation

  12. The Distinction in Revelation After the fall, revelation becomes redemptive in nature Genesis 3:15 is the first intimation of the defeat of Satan. Cf. Rom. 16: 20 In spite of the curse, God will give life; life in the midst of death. Modes of Revelation during the Patriarchal Period (Vos, BT, 69-76) God speaks in indefinite manner, e.g., Abram, Gen. 12:4 God appears to men (Gen. 12:7) and theophanies occur (Gen. 15:17) Dreams and visions, Gen. 28:12, 46:2 The most “important and characteristic form of revelation in the patriarchal period, the Angel of the Lord.” Gen. 16:7 -Vos, REVELATION: The Fall to Mt. Sinai Doctrine of Revelation

  13. REVELATION: The Fall to Mt. Sinai • The form of revelation: from simple declarations that God had spoken “to a more or less circumstantial description of the form,” Vos, BT, 69 • Revelation, “while increasing in frequency, at the same time becomes more restricted and guarded in its mode of communication.” Vos, BT, 69 • The unfolding of the covenantal scheme begins with the first mention of the Covenant of Grace (Gen. 3:15), the formal institution of the Covenant of Grace (Gen. 12:1-3), and the restatement of the creation covenant as a basis for the redemptive covenant (Gen. 9:9-17). WCF 7:3-6 Doctrine of Revelation

  14. REVELATION: Sinai Thru Malachi • Mosaic Period: Forms of Revelation to Moses (Vos, BT, 105ff) • God was revealed in the Pillar of Cloud/Fire, Ex. 13:21,22; the Shekinah glory or the glory of the presence of the Lord, his dwelling • God is revealed in the Angel of the Lord. (See discussion under, “Doctrine of Christ”) • God is revealed as The Name, Ex. 23:21 • God is revealed as the Presence, or Face, Ex. 33:14 cf. Isa. 63:9 • “The Ultimate design of all God’s converse with man is that he may make his abode with his people.” Vos, BT, 106. Doctrine of Revelation

  15. REVELATION: Sinai Thru Malachi • Deliverance from Egypt reveals the Nature of Redemption (this was further illustrated by entering into and conquering the land of Canaan) • Redemption portrayed as deliverance from objective realm of sin and evil • The Hebrews likewise were delivered from subjective, inward spiritual degradation and sin • The Exodus was a display of God’s omnipotence • It was a demonstration of the sovereign Grace of God • Deliverance-in conjunction w/covenant name, YHWH • Revelation given in Types and Ceremonies (Cf. Col. 2:16,17; WCF 7:5) Doctrine of Revelation

  16. REVELATION: Sinai Thru Malachi • The Process of Inscripturation begins (Ex. 24:3,4; cf. also 31:18, the finger of God) • In the context of Covenant, berith, Ex. 24 • With the establishment of the theocracy • In the form of Torah • Inscripturation is • Given after establishment of berith with Abraham • In accordance with promise and grace, cf. Deut. 7:7-9 • Occurs after gracious redemption from Egypt • Begins after enjoying the blessings of the Covenant (e.g., the presence of the Lord in the cloud) Doctrine of Revelation

  17. REVELATION: Sinai Thru Malachi • Seer, Roeh, and Chozeh, both refer to passive aspect of the prophet’s work, i.e., receiving revelation (I Sam. 9:9, II Sam. 24:1; Vos, BT, 197) • Prophet, Nabhi, refers to the active function of speaking the message (Ex. 4:16, 7:1; Jer. 1:5,6); thus, Nabhi “was understood as an appointed regular speaker for a divine superior, whose speech carries the authority of the latter.” Vos, BT, 192 Doctrine of Revelation

  18. REVELATION: Sinai Thru Malachi • Prophetism • It was connected with the use of sacred music, I Sam. 10:5-11 • It was the result of God’s spirit coming upon a man • In some instances, it involved the loss of self-control, although not a suspension of the rational processes, I Cor. 14:32 • Sometimes, the experience produced ecstatic utterances, mannerisms Doctrine of Revelation

  19. REVELATION: Sinai Thru Malachi • The constant testimony of the O.T. writers is to the fact that their words are the words of the Lord. “Therefore none of the prophets opened his mouth unless the Lord has anticipated his words. Hence it comes that these expressions are so often found among them: ‘the word of the Lord’ the ‘burden of the Lord’ ‘Thus saith the Lord’ ‘The mouth of the Lord has spoken’.” John Calvin, ICR, IV,8,iii. “Thus saith the Lord” appears over 2,000 times in Scripture, according to James M. Boice, Standing on the Rock, 57. Doctrine of Revelation

  20. The Doctrine ofRevelation

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