Chapter 10.7

The Biblical Attributes of Miraculous Communication

Diverse, Discontinuous & Never “Inspiration”

 

Table of Topics

A) Miraculous Communication is Supernatural

B) Miraculous Communication is Diverse: A 3-D view

C) Miraculous Communication is Obvious: Contrary to Mega Mysticism

D) Miraculous Communication is Discontinuous: Contrary to Super-supernaturalism

Extras & Endnotes

Table 10.7: A 3-D View of Miraculous Communication

Primary Points

• We define a miracle as: an extraordinary revelation of God’s supernatural power or communication by which He intervenes in the ordinary and natural processes He has ordained because they are not sufficient to accomplish or communicate His will. We include both a revelation of God’s supernatural power and communication in our definition of miracles.
• Miraculous communication has all the attributes of miraculous deeds including being supernatural, extremely rare, and awe-inspiring.
• Like miraculous deeds, satan is in the business of counterfeiting miraculous communication.
• God’s miraculous communication has come with astounding in creativity.
• Three distinctions, public vs. private, direct vs. delegated, and divine vs. demonic, result in a three dimensional view of miraculous communication.
• The concept of some sort of secret, mystical, subjective “inspiration” is foreign to biblical revelation.
• God always provided revelation through more objective and obvious ways such as apparitions, auditions, and visions.
• The Bible describes means of miraculous revelation that God used temporarily, maybe even once, and then it was discontinued. In fact, to our knowledge, no one has claimed their use for thousands of years.
• The heart of modern super-supernaturalism is the unbiblical assumption that God is bound to use the same methods of revelation now, as He did in the first century church. Both biblical and secular history reveal the fact that this has not been the case.
• In general, miraculous means of communication cease when a method of revelation that God deems superior is implemented.
• The goal of virtually all personal divine revelation is covenant making.
• The cessation of Apostles, Prophets, miracle workers, and tongues was the universal testimony of the Christian Church for over 1600 years.

A) Miraculous Communication is Supernatural

Elsewhere in Knowing Our God (KOG) we defined a miracle as: an extraordinary revelation of God’s supernatural power or communication by which He intervenes in the ordinary and natural processes He has ordained because they are not sufficient to accomplish or communicate His will. Subsequently, we wrote:

Concerning the general types of miracles, it is important to recognize that we include both an extraordinary revelation of God’s supernatural power and communication in our definition of miracles. Typically, miracles are only viewed in the realm of supernatural deeds like healings. However, the Scriptures also record several occurrences of miraculous communication such as Angels and visions.

It is helpful to distinguish between miraculous deeds and communication not only because there are a confusing myriad of types of miracles, but also miraculous communication can be left out of a discussion of miracles otherwise. ^[1] Nevertheless, it is a very important category of miracles. ^[2]

Essentially, all the means of miraculous communication have the same characteristics of any miracle, as we have discussed at length elsewhere. ^[3] First, they are supernatural and extraordinary in nature. Therefore we have written:

[A] miracle can also be considered an intervention into the normal process established by God to communicate to His people. For example, the most consistent, regular, and established method of personal communication from God has been Scripture. ^[4] In addition, our New Nature is a constant revelation of God’s will. ^[5] However, when God sees fit, He breaks through this normal mode of contact and initiates miraculous means such as Angels, voices, and visions. These means of miraculous communication have many of the same supernatural characteristics as a miraculous deed. ^[6]

This leads to the second attribute of miracles including the means of miraculous communication: they are extremely rare. Accordingly, we have written:

Miraculous communication is extremely rare not only because anything miraculous is, but also because of the great sufficiency of the more normal means of divine communication established by God, including Scripture. Again, we are claiming that miracles occur only when the ordinary processes He has ordained are not sufficient to communicate His will. And this simply isn’t very often. ^[7]

Thirdly, as with all miracles, means of miraculous communication have an awe-inspiring effect. As we have written:

Obviously, occurrences of miraculous communication normally have an awe-inspiring effect on people as well. For example, when Zechariah saw an Angel, “he was startled and was gripped with fear” (Luke 1:12). Likewise, when some shepherds received a message from an angel they were, “terrified” (Luke 2:9), and a similar encounter for some women left them, “trembling and bewildered” (Mark 16:8). When Jacob realized God had spoken to him in a dream, “He was afraid and said, ‘How awesome is this place!’” (Gen 28:17). Those who experienced visions of God or Christ like the Prophet Daniel and the Apostle John, “turned deathly pale” and “fell at His feet as though dead” (Dan 10:8; Rev 1:17).

Therefore, we are not surprised at the following account of King Belshazzar’s encounter with miraculous revelation at a banquet he was hosting:

Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way. (Dan 5:5-6)

Of course, some of the overwhelming emotion experienced in miraculous communication is due to the content of the message and perhaps not only its supernatural means (cf. Dan 4:4-5; Job 7:14; Luke 1:29). However, this is not always the case as demonstrated in the example above of King Belshazzar who didn’t even know what the inscription meant and needed Daniel to interpret it (cf. Dan 5:7, 13-17).

Likewise, when some men traveling with Saul heard an invisible Jesus speak, they were “speechless” (Acts 9:7), but not because of the content of the message, as the Apostle describes later, “they did not understand the voice of Him Who was speaking to me (Acts 22:9). Understandably their response was simply due to the overwhelming emotion that humans naturally feel when they experience miraculous communication from God. ^[8]

The supernatural nature of the types of miraculous communication may be best illustrated by the fact that each of the supernatural Scripture and sign gifts has their natural counterpart. For example, one can gain wisdom through many years of experience, or through the Scripture gift of divine “wisdom,” obtain it immediately and perfectly from God. While the Scripture gift of divine “knowledge” involved the reception of divine revelation that could not be obtained by natural means (cf. Gal 1:11-12), obviously, knowledge can be gained in a more natural way as well. ^[9]

Similarly, the Scripture gift of “prophecy” involved a miraculous communication of the future, although humans can at times, with much less success, predict future events based on a person’s promise or the natural outcome of a natural process. Likewise, while humans can learn to speak and interpret a foreign language with a great deal of study, the supernatural gifts of “tongues” and their “interpretation” allow one to do the same without the natural process of learning.

Finally, like miraculous deeds, satan is in the business of counterfeiting miraculous communication. As the Apostle warned, “satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Cor 11:14). If an actual angelic appearance can be demonic, then what about the visions, dreams, “voices,” and supposedly inspired impulses that so many automatically claim are from God? The Apostle’s warning is a striking reminder of what we have repeated throughout this section of Knowing Our God: not everything supernatural is holy! Unfortunately, super-supernaturalism and mega mysticism have ignored this biblical maxim too often and opened the Church’s door to satan to deceive God’s people. Therefore, as discussed elsewhere, it is vitally important to distinguish divine from demonic miraculous communications. ^[10]

B) Miraculous Communication is Diverse: A 3-D view

The category of miraculous communication is a very diverse one, as God has used many different means. Accordingly, Hebrews alludes to both the variety and the pinnacle of divine revelation ^[11] when it says: “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the Prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son” (Heb 1:1-2). Accordingly, we have written elsewhere: “

[T]here is a mind-boggling variety of ways that God has personally communicated to humans. These include donkeys, Angels, ephods, visions, theophanies, and the Urim and Thummim. ^[12]

Because of this, as with miraculous deeds, we have developed a “3-D view” of miraculous communication as illustrated in Table 10.7 under Extras & Endnotes below. In general, miraculous communication can be categorized in three different dimensions.

The first is by purpose, being public or private in nature. For example, we would suggest that the vision the Apostle John received and recorded in Revelation was for public purposes, and intended to be an authoritative revelation for all Christians. On the other hand, the Apostle Paul’s “visions and revelations from the Lord” when he “was caught up to the third heaven” involved “inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell” (2 Cor 12:1-2). Such divine revelation was private in purpose, intended to only be communicated to the Apostle.

Secondly, like miraculous deeds, miraculous communication can be distinguished based on its relationship to God as in whether it is an instance of God’s direct supernatural revelation, or His delegated supernatural revelation operating through an intermediary. In Scripture we see instances of God communicating directly to particularly Prophets or Apostles through a voice or vision. However, God has also communicated in other miraculous ways that were delegated through Angels, ephods, and even a donkey. Likewise, the direct miraculous communication that Prophets and Apostles received, became a delegated revelation from God through such men to others.

Finally, as noted above, it is obviously important to distinguish miraculous communication by its morality, or whether or not it is divine or demonic.

These three distinctions, public vs. private, direct vs. delegated, and divine vs. demonic, result in a three dimensional view of miraculous communication depicted in Table 10.7 below, and will guide us in the following discussion.

In this section of Book 9 we will be especially brief on those modes of revelation that we cover in more detail elsewhere in Knowing Our God such as miracles, Apostles and Prophets, the concept of divine “inspiration,” and the Incarnation. However, we will provide more detail on topics that will not be covered elsewhere such as the “Glory Cloud of God” and the “Angel of the Lord.”

C) Miraculous Communication is Obvious: Contrary to Mega Mysticism

For many theologians, the most important and discussed type of divine revelation is something referred to as “inspiration.” In fact, this was surely the most discussed topic under divine revelation among Evangelicals in the 20^th century. However, we do not believe “inspiration” as commonly understood is a biblical category of divine revelation. This is because, first, the term “inspiration” is never used in Scripture. This includes 2 Timothy 3:16 from which the term is normally taken, but which actually is speaking of God “breathing out” revelation, rather than a text or person being “inspired” with, or receiving revelation. “Inspiration” is simply not a biblical word. ^[13]

Which leads to the second reason for not using “inspiration” as a category of divine revelation. The non-biblical word has given many unbiblical ideas about divine revelation. Both secular and sacred dictionaries typically define divine “inspiration” merely as a “divine influence” on the mind of the writer. Often included in the idea of “inspiration” is that God spontaneously, and even rather imperceptibly, guided the thinking of the biblical writer, such that the words they wrote entered their mind through a process of something like divine/human mental telepathy. By “mental telepathy” we mean the direct transference of thoughts from one mind to the other, apart from physically “hearing” or “seeing.” This is very much like what is known as Extra Sensory Perception (ESP) which the Encyclopedia Britannica defines as: “perception that occurs independently of the known sensory processes.” ^[14] Likewise, popular modern explanations of biblical “inspiration” clearly reflect the idea that God’s Son, Prophets, and Apostles experienced nothing more than ESP in their revelatory experiences.

On the contrary, we demonstrate elsewhere that such secret, mystical, subjective divine manipulation and divine/human mental telepathy are recorded in Scripture as only occurring with unbelieving pagans. ^[15] Secondly, and as also thoroughly demonstrated elsewhere, whenever the process of receiving divine revelation is described in Scripture, the recipient always described it as “seeing” or “hearing” something. ^[16] We put these terms in quotation marks because while divine revelation at times came through physical apparitions seen by physical eyes and heard by physical ears, at other times God communicated directly to the part of the mind that processes these physical senses such that they “saw” and “heard” a vision in their mind. ^[17]

In other words, God has used a means of revelation that was something between the physical appearance or audition seen and heard with the senses, and the purely subjective occurrence of merely thoughts entering the mind. This means is normally described as a vision or dream in which God “speaks” or “appears” to the part of the mind which processes physical sensations. Accordingly, the revelation was so real, the recipient may not have even been able to tell whether it was “heard” or “seen” by their physical senses, or by their mind. Biblical divine revelation felt like it was being received by a person’s physical senses, even if it was not.

Accordingly, most mystical and subjective type of divine revelation we encounter in the Bible is visions and dreams. And God often ensured these were authenticated in some objective ways. The fact that God always made it clear when He was providing someone with extra-biblical miraculous revelation underscores His desire to make it abundantly evident to people when He is speaking to them, a fact often neglected by modern mega mysticism which insists we need to be listening for some “still small voice” to understand God’s will. ^[18]

There simply are no biblical examples of this in Scripture. Unfortunately, mega mystics want to claim that God is speaking to people today just as He did in Scripture. However, God spoke to people in very real visions, not a “still small voice.” Therefore, many of the biblical examples that mega mystics wish to use to promote their false teaching simply do not apply.

Likewise, most of the time that Scripture records people hearing God, it is in the context of a vision in which the sound is not physically heard, but is rather “mentally” heard. Nonetheless, it is often difficult to be sure in many cases which kind of divine voice people experienced, the physical one or the mental one. Not only is it difficult to discern the difference in the biblical text, but we would suggest the person themselves could hardly tell the difference because of God’s use of the sensical parts of the person’s mind while they experienced the vision. In other words, even in a mental vision, it seemed to the person that God was physically speaking to them (cf. 2 Cor 12:1-4).

Our concern to point out that divine revelation is always directed to the human processes of “hearing” and “sight” is important in a day when so many mega mystics are claiming God is communicating directly to their minds without the sensation of audibly hearing or visually seeing anything. However, there is not even any biblical evidence that God “inspired” Apostles and Prophets this way, let alone that this is to be the norm for Christians today. One reason for this is that when God is revealing something to someone, He makes it clear He is doing so.

The fact that divine revelation involved the sensory processes, enabled Prophets and Apostles to know God was speaking to them. A voice “heard” or vision “seen,” whether physically or psychically, is rather convincing for a human being. On the other hand, those who claim divine revelation comes by an “inspiration” of merely guided thinking or thoughts slipped into the mind, cannot adequately answer the question as to how Apostles and Prophets knew that their thoughts were divine rather than merely human. ^[19]

We suggest that the objective nature of divine revelation in Scripture has several important ramifications in contemporary theology. First, it makes the volumes of debate on different theories of divine “inspiration” rather obsolete. In other words, the great deal of discussion that has occurred in order to describe how the Holy Spirit merely “influenced” the minds of Apostles and Prophets is unnecessary because that is not how God granted them their revelation anyway.

Secondly, the objective view of divine revelation makes that which we possess in Scripture more trustworthy. Even the non-Prophetic or non-apostolic historians who have writings included in Scripture derived their information from the objective means of observation, research, and testimony. We know that the biblical writers did not write simply the subjective thoughts that mystically came into their mind, but that there is a real, physical, and historical basis for what they wrote. ^[20]

Thirdly, it is rather ironic that mega mystics ^[21] popularly claim to be divinely guided by mere thoughts, impressions, and intuitions, when in fact Prophets and Apostles never claimed to be spoken to by God in this manner. Accordingly, as we demonstrate elsewhere, there is no biblical basis for the potentially hazardous doctrines of mega mysticism, because there are no biblical examples of God ever communicating to anyone in the way they claim God is telepathically communicating to them.

D) Miraculous Communication is Discontinuous: Contrary to Super-supernaturalism

Elsewhere we have written:

In a subsequent chapter we will encounter means of miraculous revelation that God used temporarily, maybe even once, and then it was discontinued. ^[22] In fact, to our knowledge, no one has claimed their use for thousands of years.

We are not aware of anyone alleging since OT times to have heard God in a burning bush (cf. Exod 3:1-4) or through a donkey (cf. Num 22:24-31). God manifested Himself to His people as a “pillar of cloud” by day and a “pillar of fire” by night (cf. Exod 13:21) for only a relatively short time. We no longer expect to hear from God through an ephod (cf. 1 Sam 23:9-12) or the Urim and Thummim (cf. Exod 28:30) because He has discontinued these means of communication with no expectation of their return.

Accordingly, Gary Friesen remarks, “God spoke to Balaam through a donkey. Should each believer keep one in his back yard just in case?” ^[23] Likewise, OT scholar Bruce Waltke rightly notes, “Hearing the voice of God in an audition or seeing His messengers in a vision are rare events, and the Bible records them precisely because they are so significant,” ^[24] and so rare. ^[25]

The heart of modern super-supernaturalism in regards to miraculous methods of divine revelation is the unbiblical assumption that God is bound to, for example, use the same methods of revelation now, as He did in the first century church. Both biblical and secular history reveal the fact that this has not been the case. Even concerning biblical times we read:

Love the LORD your God and keep His [written] requirements, His [written] decrees, His [written] laws and His [written] commands always. ² Remember today that your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the [miraculous] discipline of the LORD your God: His majesty, His mighty hand, His outstretched arm; ³ the [miraculous] signs He performed and the things He did in the heart of Egypt, both to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to His whole country; ⁴ what He did to the Egyptian army, to its horses and chariots, how He overwhelmed them with the waters of the Red Sea as they were pursuing you, and how the LORD brought lasting ruin on them.

⁵ It was not your children who saw what He [miraculously] did for you in the desert until you arrived at this place, ⁶ and what He did to Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened its mouth right in the middle of all Israel and swallowed them up with their households, their tents and every living thing that belonged to them. ⁷ But it was your own eyes that saw all these great things the LORD has done. (Deut, 11:2-7)

In other words, and contrary to super-supernaturalism, the miraculous revelation that was experienced by one generation of God’s people, was not to be experienced by another, no matter how helpful we might think it would be. Ironically, even super-supernaturalists deny that God is granting new Scripture-quality revelation today as He did in biblical history. Therefore, we are agreed that there are some fundamental, supernatural occurrences in Scripture that have no place in Christianity today.

Also contrary to super-supernaturalism, it was not because of some spiritual deficiency on the part of the later generation that caused God to withhold such miraculous means of revelation. In fact, the “children” spoken of here who experienced far less miraculous communication than their forefathers were more pleasing to God and entered the Promised Land.

In general, miraculous means of communication cease when a method of revelation that God deems superior is implemented. This is clearly illustrated in the ministry of the King when we notice the conspicuous absence of people seeing Angels or visions or other means of miraculous communication during His ministry on Earth. ^[26] This principle can also be demonstrated by the fact that in biblical history, when the Prophets arrived (e. g. Samuel), theophanies ceased. Likewise, when either the OT or NT revelation was complete and available, gifts of miraculous communication such as prophecy and divine knowledge ceased as well. ^[27] This is because Scripture is deemed by God as a superior revelation. ^[28]

Along the same lines, as we have written at length elsewhere, the end goal of virtually all personal divine revelation, including the miraculous kind, is covenant making. And God’s plan has been for such covenant revelation to be completed and recorded in Scripture, upon which other methods of divine revelation virtually cease. Accordingly, we have written elsewhere:

Indeed, the cessation of Apostles, Prophets, miracle workers, and tongues was the universal testimony and conviction of the Christian Church for over 1600 years, reflecting God’s own withdrawal of them. What else would we expect when there has been no new covenant implemented?

We would expect such unique ministries as miracle working Prophets and Apostles to be provided at the beginning of the implementation of a new covenant between God and man. Indeed, there were “fireworks” over Mt. Sinai at the implementation of the Old Covenant (cf. Exod. 19), a special manifestation of God Himself to all the people, but such manifestations did not indefinitely continue for the Israelites, and eventually only the OT Scriptures remained.

Likewise, there were “fireworks” at the very beginning of the implementation of the New Covenant in which God uniquely revealed Himself. But like the experience of those who entered the Old Covenant, the initial “fireworks” were not to continue. As the highly regarded British NT scholar William Sanday (1843–1920) put it, “The one permanent deposit left behind by this tidal wave of God-given energy was the New Testament.” ^[29] Subsequently, God has granted other miraculous “signs” of His continuing commitment such as the new birth and the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, contrary to the opinion of our brothers and sisters in charismaticism ^[30]that we should expect a continuity of the means of personal revelation recorded in the Bible, the biblical and historical record reflects a consistent discontinuity of these means, centered around the monumental and unique event of the implementation of a divine covenant. ^[31]

 

Elsewhere, we not only offer additional biblical support for the cessation of particularly the Scripture and Sign gifts of Apostles, Prophets, healing, and tongues, ^[32] but demonstrate as well that this was virtually the universal historical position of the Church for over 1600 years, and for good reason. ^[33] This discontinuity in miraculous communication will be noted below as we discuss each type.

Also, as we discuss more thoroughly elsewhere, super-supernaturalism is the claim that miracles are and should be occurring in relatively great abundance, including miraculous communication. Therefore, many in the Church are claiming an abundance of divine dreams, visions, and voices. While we do not see biblical evidence that such means of divine revelation were to cease, we would still contend that they are very rare. This is simply because they are miraculous and by definition, a supernatural communication should only be expected when God’s more natural means, such as Scripture, our New Nature, and God-ordained authorities are insufficient, which simply is not very often. At least not nearly as often as super-supernaturalists contend.

The mantra of super-supernaturalism is that we should expect God to communicate to us just as miraculously as biblical Prophets and Apostles and the King Himself. However, the extreme rarity and pattern of discontinuity of miraculous communication obviously strikes at the heart of super-supernaturalism. We must recognize that God has chosen different times to reveal Himself to different people in especially direct ways, and that not all Christians can expect such revelation. ^[34]

For example, relatively very few people on Earth have talked with God “face to face” as Moses did (cf. Exod 33:11), seen the Angel of the Lord as Abraham did (cf. Gen 18), and received personal instruction from Christ as the Apostles did. If we have the God-given ministry, authority, and responsibility of a Moses, Christ, or Paul, then maybe we can expect these more “extraordinary” means of personal revelation from God. But apart from that, we must admit that we are not in Heaven yet, and a real personal revelation of God still awaits us. Nevertheless, as the Apostle Peter wrote, “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (1 Pet 1:8). ^[35]

Table 10.7: A 3-D View of Miraculous Communication

		Effect
		Public	Private
Morality	Divine	Direct Divine Public Miraculous Communication [sec. 3.11.C] Examples: revelation of Christ, Prophets & Apostles, visions, & theophanies. Purpose: divine communi-cation when ordinary God-ordained means not sufficient. Status: Extinct because no new covenant.	Direct Divine Private Miraculous Communication [sec. 3.11.C] Examples: Peter’s vision & Spirit audibly speaking, Ananias hearing voice, Paul seeing vision of man from Macedonia. Primary purpose: personal direction for those implement-ing a new covenant. Status: Possible, but extremely rare	Direct	Relationship to God
		Delegated Divine Public Miraculous Communication [sec. 3.11.B] Examples: Angels, words & writing of Prophets & Apostles. Primary purpose: implement-ing a new covenant. Status: Extinct because no new covenant being implemented.	Delegated Divine Private Miraculous Communication [sec. 3.11.B] Examples: The Prophet Nathan speaking to David, angel directing Cornelius. Primary purpose: used when ordinary means of revelation not sufficient. Status: Possible, but extremely rare	Delegated
	Demonic	Demonic Public Miraculous Communication Examples: false Apostles, Prophets, teachers, Antichrist Purpose: testing God’s people, deceiving His enemies Status: Abundant	Demonic Private Miraculous Communication Examples: Adam & Eve in Garden, Christ in desert Purpose: testing God’s people Status: Abundant	Permitted

Extras & Endnotes

Gauging Your Grasp

1. How do we define a miracle?
2. Why do we include means of divine communication as miraculous?
3. To illustrate the great variety of means God has used to miraculously communicate personal revelation to humans, how many different ones can you think of? Why do you think God used such a variety of even weird says of communication?
4. What three dimensions of miraculous communication do we suggest help categorize it. Can you give an example of the six different kinds of miraculous communication this 3-D view produces?
5. What are several reasons to believe there is a great deal of discontinuity in miraculous communication? How does this relate to super-supernaturalism?
6. We claim that, in general, miraculous means of communication cease when a method of revelation that God deems superior is implemented. What are biblical examples of this?
7. What is the historical testimony of the Church regarding the miraculous Scripture and sign gifts of apostleship, prophecy, miracle working, tongues, etc.?

 

Publications & Particulars

1. Norman Geisler has a helpful list of miracles recorded in Scripture in his Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (BECA) (Baker, 1999), 482-86. However, although the list includes occurrences of both miraculous deeds and communication, he does not distinguish them or sufficiently list examples of the latter. ↑

2. Excerpt from 10.1.C. ↑

3. For a discussion of the biblical attributes of miracles see chapter 10.2. ↑

4. For further discussion of Scripture as the supreme divine revelation see chapter 7.8. ↑

5. For further discussion of our New Nature as a divine revelation see chapter 7.12. ↑

6. Excerpt from section 10.2.A.5. ↑

7. Excerpt from section 10.2.B.2. ↑

8. Excerpt from section 10.2.C.2. ↑

9. For further discussion of the miraculous nature of the gifts of divine wisdom and knowledge see sections 8.2.B-C. ↑

10. For further discussion regarding examples of miraculous demonic communication see 9.12.A.2. ↑

11. For the distinction between personal and universal revelation see section 7.2.A. ↑

12. Excerpt from 7.2.A. ↑

13. For a critique of modern conceptions of “inspiration” see forthcoming chapter 8.8. ↑

14. Online at http://www.britannica.com. ↑

15. Regarding the pagan nature of the divine manipulation and divine/human mental telepathy that is so foundational to popular notions of biblical “inspiration” and mega mystical theology regarding divine guidance see chapter 7.16. ↑

16. For a thorough study of the nature of the revelation that Apostles and Prophets experienced see chapter 8.3 and section 9.5.A. ↑

17. Regarding the nature of revelatory visions see section 10.11.A. ↑

18. For further discussion of God’s desire to make revelation evident in spite of mega mystical claims see sections 14.9.E and G. ↑

19. While we contend that there was a necessary objective sense to the revelatory act of Prophets and Apostles, Stephen Nichols describes Jonathan Edwards’ view in a more subjective way that we would not agree with:

    In the middle of “The Mind,” Edwards interjects a brief statement on inspiration. He observes, “The evidence of immediate inspiration that the prophets had when they were immediately inspired by the Spirit of God with any truth is an absolute sort of certainty- and the knowledge is in a sense intuitive, much in the same manner as faith and spiritual knowledge of the truth of religion.”

    He draws an analogy between the inspiration by which the Prophets received their messages and the illumination by which people today come to know spiritual knowledge, And just as the one who would know honey must taste it, so the verification of inspiration is in the experience of it. “The prophet has so divine a sense,” explains Edwards, “such a divine disposition … that he sees as immediately that God is there as we perceive one another’s presence when we are talking together face to face.” So the prophet, or the human author of Scripture, knows he is inspired when it happens. (An Absolute Sort of Certainty: The Holy Spirit and the Apologetics of Jonathan Edwards [Presbyterian and Reformed, 2003], 40.

    Obviously, John Calvin was just as subjective in his view of how recipients of divine revelation knew they were experiencing it. Edward Dowey quotes Calvin and comments as follows:

    Calvin: “Since Satan is a wonderful adept at deceiving … it was necessary that some sure and notable distinction should appear in true and heavenly oracles which would not suffer the faith and the minds of the holy fathers to waver.” [Com. Gen. 15:2]. Yet, for all his investigation of these phenomena Calvin never tries to fix the “mark” by which the visions from God are distinguishable from those of Satan. It seems that a subjective illumination of the mind of the recipient causes him to recognize who speaks in a revelatory dream or vision.

    A voice came to Ezekiel, “but nothing was effected by this voice until the Spirit was added. God indeed works efficaciously by his words, but the efficacity is not included in the sound itself, but proceeds from the secret instinct of the Spirit. The prophet therefore shows us both sides: on the one hand he says that he heard the voice of God so that he stood on his feet, God in this wished to animate his confidence; but at the same time he adds that he was not raised up by the voice until the Spirit placed him on his feet. The work of the Spirit therefore is joined with the word of God. But a distinction is proposed that we may know that the external word is of no avail by itself, unless animated by the power of the Spirit.

    Nebuchadnezzar knew what dream to take seriously “because God had inscribed in his heart a distinct mark by which he had denoted this dream. [Com. Daniel 4:4-6]. (The Knowledge of God in Calvin’s Theology [Columbia University, 1965], 94-5.

    Again, in our opinion, the Bible describes a more objective and even helpful understanding of divine revelation ↑

20. For much more discussion on the issue of “inspiration” see chapters 8.8-8.11. On the issue of whether or not God “speaks” directly to the mind of His people at all, see chapter 7.16 ↑

21. For further discussion of mega mysticism see Book 14. ↑

22. For further discussion of the discontinuity in methods of miraculous communication see sections 7.3.C-D. ↑

23. Gary Friesen and J. Maxon, Decision Making and the Will of God (Multnomah, 1980), 89. ↑

24. Bruce Waltke, Finding the Will of God: A Pagan Notion? (Eerdmans, 1995), 52. ↑

25. Excerpt from section 10.2.B.2. ↑

26. For further discussion of the discontinuity of other means of miraculous communication during the ministry of Christ on Earth see section 10.9.D. ↑

27. For a history of the cessation of the gift of divine knowledge see chapter 11.5. For the cessation of prophecy chapter 9.13. ↑

28. For further discussion of our claim that Scripture is a superior means of revelation to the means of miraculous communication see section 7.8.D. ↑

29. William Sanday, Inspiration (Longmans, Green & Co., 1903), 333-4 ↑

30. For a definition of charismaticism see endnote in chapter 10.1. ↑

31. Excerpt from section 7.3.C. ↑

32. For a biblical argument regarding the cessation of Scripture gifts see chapter 8.6. ↑

33. For a historical demonstration of the cessation of Scripture gifts see chapters 8.5 and 9.13. ↑

34. For further discussion of the fact that the type of divine revelation that Christ, Prophets, and Apostles experienced in Scripture, is not for Christians today see sections 7.3.C-D and chapters 8.5 and 9.13. ↑

35. For further discussion of the problems of expecting God to communicate to us in the same miraculous ways as the characters of Scripture see sections 7.3.C-D and chapters 8.5 and 9.13. ↑