Chapter 7.2

From Universal to Personal

The Types of Divine Revelation

Overall Objective

To categorize and therefore simplify the very complex topic of divine revelation.

Table of Topics

A) The Scopes of Divine Revelation: Universal & Personal

B) The Targets of Personal Revelation: Covenant & Condemning

C) The Purposes of Covenant Revelation: Saving, guiding, & authenticating

D) The Methods of Covenant Revelation: Supreme, essential, & miraculous

E) The Morality of Revelation: Divine vs. demonic

Extras & Endnotes

Graphic 7.2: The Various Types of Divine Revelation

A) The Scopes of Divine Revelation:

Primary Points

• It is because of the great variety of means and purposes with which God has revealed Himself that the topic of divine revelation can become rather complex. It is therefore helpful to distinguish some distinct types,
• Divine revelation can be categorized by its scope. Universal revelation is communication from God that is given to all adult humanity. The two methods of revelation that meet this criteria are Creation and the Second Coming of Christ in the Consummation.
• In contrast to universal revelation, personal revelation consists of those revelations of God that are made only a chosen few.
• Personal revelation can be distinguished by its target: covenant revelation to God’s elect, condemning revelation to God’s enemies or. Condemning revelation has no saving purpose or content in it.
• Covenant revelation implements a relationship of love with God’s chosen people.
• Covenant revelation can be categorized by its purpose. Saving revelation implements the covenant, guiding revelation maintains it, and authenticating revelation certifies it.
• There is a mind-boggling variety of methods that God has used to personally communicate to humans.
• satan works to counterfeit virtually every method of divine revelation for his own purposes.

Universal & Personal

Hebrews alludes to both the variety and the pinnacle of divine revelation 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). Indeed, in the following chapters we will demonstrate that God has been amazingly creative, using burning bushes, Angels, stars, animals, people, and “the Urim and the Thummim” (Exod 28:30) to “speak” to people.

It is because of the great variety of means and purposes with which God has revealed Himself that the topic of divine revelation can become rather complex. It is therefore helpful to distinguish some distinct types, as we do in Graphic 7.2 below under Extras & Endnotes.

First, it is common to categorize divine revelation based on its intended scope. These can be referred to as universal revelation and personal revelation. Universal revelation is communication from God that is given to all adult humanity. The two methods of revelation that meet this criteria are Creation and the Second Coming of Christ in the Consummation. In chapter 7.4 we discuss the nature and purpose of universal revelation, defending our unique view that the Consummation is a universal revelation and many other common suggestions (i.e. history, conscience, etc.) are not.

In contrast to universal revelation, personal revelation consists of those revelations of God that are not made available to every person, but only a chosen few. ^[1] We provide an introduction to this type of divine revelation in chapter 7.5, including an explanation of the distinctions noted below between covenant and condemning revelation, and saving and guiding revelation.

We will note here that the divinely revealed data in universal revelation such as Creation is just as true and authoritative as any data coming from personal revelation such as Scripture. This is because truth is truth and God is the source of all truth. However, it can be suggested that personal revelation is more valuable than universal revelation in several ways. First, any kind of revelation must be interpreted correctly in order to accomplish its purpose, and while there are certainly problems with the interpretation of personal revelation (e.g. Scripture), we would suggest there are many more with universal revelation (e.g. scientific data), making the former more reliable. In addition, as discussed elsewhere, universal revelation is not sufficient to bring anyone into a saving covenant with God, and only personal revelation can accomplish that. ^[2]

B) The Targets of Personal Revelation:

Covenant & Condemning

In contrast to universal revelation (i.e. Creation and Consummation) which is rather simple in its God-ordained purposes and methods, personal revelation is much more complex. Its richness and diversity require several distinctions within this category of divine revelation in order to best understand it. First, personal revelation can be distinguished by its target: God’s enemies or God’s elect. We refer to divine revelation directed toward God’s enemies as condemning revelation and that directed toward His elect as covenant revelation. These designations express their purpose based on their target audience. Condemning revelation is intended to condemn God’s enemies and has no saving purpose or content in it. ^[3]

C) The Purposes of Covenant Revelation:

Saving, guiding, & authenticating

In contrast to condemning revelation, the purpose of covenant revelation is much broader and includes God’s desire to implement a relationship with people, directing them in it, and necessarily miraculously authenticating the divine authority in the covenant. These different purposes within covenant revelation are accomplished through different kinds of divine revelation which we refer to as saving, guiding, and authenticating.

In the New Covenant, for example, saving revelation (i.e. the Gospel) implements the covenant and brings people into it. After God provides saving revelation in order to enter a personal relationship with someone, He then provides guiding revelation (e.g. Scripture) so that His people can better understand the covenant and grow in their relationship with Him. The ultimate goal of a biblical covenant is a growing relationship between God and His chosen people, and it is the guiding revelation that is provided after saving revelation that builds such a relationship.

However, as we have noted, the provision of saving and guiding revelation is not sufficient in themselves, as all divine revelation must be divinely credentialed with miraculous authenticating revelation if we are to trust it and allow it to exercise authority in our lives. For saving revelation this authentication has occurred primarily through the spiritual miracles of regeneration and subsequent supernatural love and holiness that occur exclusively with believing the Gospel. ^[4] Guiding revelation is primarily authenticated by the miracle working of God’s appointed messengers of such revelation (e.g. Moses, Christ, Apostles).

We can sum up the purpose of these different aspects of covenant revelation by saying that saving revelation makes us a son of God, guiding revelation make us a servant, and authenticating revelation makes us sure of all of these revelations and relationships. The attributes of all these different types of divine revelation are discussed further in chapters 7.5-7.6.

D) The Methods of Covenant Revelation:

Supreme, essential, & extraordinary

The categories above have distinguished divine revelation by its purpose. However, God has used a myriad of methods to deliver these different types of revelation as well. Covenant revelation invariably begins with extraordinary methods such as a miraculously authenticated Prophet such as Moses or Christ. After the New Covenant revelation is written, the Scriptures become the primary method of revelation in the covenant. This basic process of divine revelation is discussed further below.

With this said, there 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. Therefore, for purposes of discussion, we have divided these methods into the one that is primary (i.e. Scripture), those that are also essential (i.e. God-given new moral nature, God-ordained authorities, God-given serving gifts, and God’s faithful deeds), and those that are extraordinary (e.g. Angels, visions, Prophets, Apostles, and the Incarnation).

Obviously, these categories are made in view of the divine revelation that is available to us now. Historically speaking, the Incarnation of Christ is the supreme divine revelation to humanity, but Scripture is now the primary remaining divine revelation, and is distinguished from the other essential methods because it now has ultimate authority over them all.

The other reason that we refer to Scripture as the supreme method of divine revelation is because it is the intended end for all other methods of personal revelation. Scripture preserves and makes available the covenant and guiding revelation to all, not just those receiving revelation through extraordinary means through the Scripture gifts (i.e. Prophets and Apostles). The supreme and essential methods of guiding revelation and their practical application in decision making are discussed in chapters 7.7-7.15.

The extraordinary means of divine revelation are particularly complex. ^[5] First, we divide these into extraordinary deeds and extraordinary communication. Extraordinary deeds refer to what we think of as physical miracles and include the miracle working of Prophets and Apostles to authenticate themselves. However, God’s extraordinary deeds also include spiritual ones including the miracle that Christ said would be greater than all of His miracles, which is spiritual regeneration for salvation (cf. John 14:10-12). ^[6] Books 10 and 11 give a biblical introduction to the complex, controversial, but very important topic of such miracles.

In contrast to extraordinary deeds, there are means of extraordinary communication which include visions, voices, dreams, and angels. Chapters 10.7-10.11 are devoted to this “myriad of extraordinary communication.” The controversial Scripture gifts of Apostles and Prophets and the biblical concept of “inspiration” are discussed in Books 8 and 9. In addition, in chapter 8.6 we argue that the Scriptures themselves predicted the Scripture and sign gifts would cease when they had completed their purpose of producing and authenticating the New Covenant revelation, and over 1600 years of Church history and consensus reflected that very thing, as demonstrated in chapters 8.5; 9.13; and 11.7. ^[7]

E) The Morality of Revelation: Divine vs. demonic

To complicate a study of divine revelation further, we must recognize that satan works to counterfeit virtually every method for his own purposes. Accordingly, the Apostle warned, “satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Cor 11:14). Because the ultimate purpose of all divine revelation is to glorify God, it should not surprise us that the ultimate purpose of all demonic revelation is to distort, divert, confront, and contradict all divine revelation in order to diminish the glory God would otherwise receive. In virtually every category of divine revelation, satan has his counterfeit counterpart. It was the word of God that satan attacked first in the Garden.

Demonic revelation has both its natural and supernatural categories as well. The Apostle Paul mentions two natural means (i.e. world and flesh) when he describes unbelievers in Ephesians:

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts (Eph 2:1-3).

Paul mentions all three of the Christian’s spiritual enemies here including “the ways of this world” that satan controls (cf. Matt 4:8; John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; Rom 12:2; 2 Cor 4:4; 1 John 5:18), the “sinful nature,” and the devil himself, the “ruler” of the demonic hoard that inhabits the invisible world around us. ^[8] We would suggest the first two (the “world” and the sinful nature) are the ordinary, “natural” ways in which satan deceives and controls, and many biblical references to his influence can be explained in this way (cf. Eph 4:17-22; Rom 12:2; 1 Cor 7:5; 2 Cor 4:3-5; Matt 15:19; 16:22-3; James 3:14-15).

The satan controlled “world” and the satan serving “sinful nature” are directly opposed to their divine counterparts. While the Scriptures provide God’s people with “the pattern of sound teaching” (2 Tim 1:13), the devil has authored and controls “the pattern of this world” (Rom 12:2) that trains the unbeliever to worship him (cf. 1 John 5:19; Eph 2:2). ^[9] The Spirit of God indwells God’s people in their New Nature, prompting them to be holy, while “the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient” (Eph 2:2) is demonic and indwells the sinful nature of the unregenerate, even to the point of demonic possession (cf. Matt 4:24; 8:28). ^[10]

Other more natural means of demonic revelation include false teachers (cf, Acts 20:29-31; Rom 16:17-18; 2 Cor 11:3-4; Gal 1:6-8; Eph 4:14; Col 2:8, 18-19; 1 Tim 1:3; 6:3-4; 2 Tim 2:17-18; 3:13; Tit 1:9-11; 2 Pet 2:1-22; 2 John 1:7; Jude; Rev 2:14-15, 20) and false Scriptures such as the Koran.

While the cravings of the sinful nature for the world’s temptations are sufficient as sources of deceitful, destructive revelation, satan also has miraculous means as well. Elsewhere we note several means of divine miraculous communication, that the devil counterfeits with equally supernatural means, including speaking through animals (cf. Gen 3:1-4), Angels (2 Cor 11:14), miracle-working prophets (cf. Deut 13:1-5), possession, divination, visions, and the antichrist (cf. Matt 24:15-25; 2 Thess 2:1-12).

While God has sent His Christ, Prophets, Apostles, and miracle workers into the world to lead humanity in truth, satan has, is, and will send his antichrist, and false prophets, apostles, and miracle workers to deceive as well. ^[11] Accordingly, throughout Books 7-13 of KOG we will illustrate the various ways in which demonic revelation is communicated to humanity, distorting and contradicting all divine revelation.

Graphic 7.2: The Various Types of Divine Revelation

Covenant

For elect

Sec. 7.5.B

Condemning

For enemies

Sec. 7.5.A

Consummation

Sec. 7.5.B

Authen-

ticating

Makes us sure

Books 11-12

Saving

Makes us sons

Sec. 7.5.C

Guiding

Directional to be obeyed & make us servants

Doctrinal to be believed & make us friends

Ch. 7.6; Books 10-11

Creation

Sec. 7.4.A

Supreme

Chs. 7.7-10

Scripture

Essential

Chs. 7.11-13

New Nature

Authorities

Serving gifts

God’s Faithful Deeds

 

Gospel

Spiritual

Miracle Working

Secs. 10.4.B; 10.5.B

Regeneration

Physical

Miracle Working

Books 11-12

Sign gifts

Extraordinary

Deeds

Chs. 10.1-6

Direct/Delegated

Divine/Demonic

Extraordinary

Communication

Chs. 10.7-11

Angels

Voice of God

Visions of God

Scripture gifts

Method

Method

Target

Scope

Purpose

Extras & Endnotes

Gauging Your Grasp

1. What are the two different types of divine revelation based on their scope and what does each one accomplish?
2. What are the two different types of personal revelation based on its target and what does each one accomplish?
3. What are the three different types of covenant revelation based on their purpose and what does each one accomplish?
4. How do we define Scripture and sign gifts?

Publications & Particulars

1. More traditionally, universal and personal revelation have been called “general” and “special” respectively. However, these terms refer more to the content of these revelations rather than their scope. We feel that these types of revelation are better differentiated by the numbers of people exposed to them (scope), not the information contained in them, because the content of what people call “general” or “special” can be the same, such as what we refer to as condemning revelation. For example, the universal condemning revelation provided by Creation reaches all. But the personal condemning revelation of Christ while He walked the earth sometimes only reached a few Pharisees (cf. Matt 23:2-35).

   Likewise, some distinguish universal and personal revelation by claiming that the former is natural, while the latter is supernatural (cf. Vos, 19). However, the second coming of Christ, which will certainly be universal, will also be quite supernatural. ↑

2. For further discussion on the inadequacy of universal revelation as a saving revelation see sections 2.12.B. and 7.4.C.6. ↑

3. While condemning revelation is personal in nature, it is not saving. For example, God did not miraculously reveal Himself in Egypt during the Exodus in order to save the Egyptians, but rather, to condemn them. This is an important point, as another unfortunate confusion arises when theologians commonly define all “special” or personal revelation as “saving.” They then have no category for the times when God directly and personally reveals His judgment to an enemy to condemn them, not save them. For further discussion of this point see section 7.5.A. ↑

4. For further discussion of the authentication of the Gospel see Book 5: Biblical Apologetics. ↑

5. We prefer to refer to these methods as extraordinary rather than miraculous because many of the much more essential means of divine revelation are miraculous in nature as well including God’s faithful deeds and the New Nature. ↑

6. For further discussion of the correct meaning of John 14:10-12 see section 10.5.B.2. ↑

7. This figure is based on the fact that testimonies of miraculous gifts in the early Church lasted into the mid second century with Origen (c. 240 A. D.), for example, reflecting the consensus when he writes:

   The Holy Spirit gave [past tense] signs of His presence at the beginning of Christ’s ministry, and after His ascension He gave still more; but since that time these signs have diminished, although there are still traces of them with a few who have had their souls purified by the gospel. (Against Celsus, VII.9, 11, online at www.ccel.org)

   By the year 400, Theodore of Mopsuestia (c. 350-428), a bishop of Antioch, writes in agreement with Augustine in the Western Church and Chrysostom in the Eastern Church that the operation of miraculous gifts is a thing of the distant past:

   Without a doubt [the miraculous gifts] accompanied the effusion of the Spirit in the Apostolic age, but they have ceased long ago to find a place among us. (quoted by Donald Bloesch, The Holy Spirit [InterVarsity, 2000], 85)

   For further discussion see chapters 8.5; 9.13; 11.7; 12.13. ↑

8. John Stott remarks on Paul’s reference to “the kingdom of the air” (Eph 2:1):, “The whole phrase need mean no more than that he has command of those ‘principalities and powers’ already mentioned [cf. Eph 1:21; 6:12], who operate in the unseen world. (The Message of Ephesians [Intervarsity], 1986), 73). (cf. Matt 9:34; 12:24) ↑

9. For further discussion of the anti-God world as a demonic counterpart to Scripture see section 7.8.J. ↑

10. For further discussion of the sinful nature as a demonic counterpart to the indwelling Holy Spirit see section 7.12.C. Regarding demonic possession see section 10.6.B.2. ↑

11. For a list of Scriptures warning us of demonic revelations see chapters 10.6; 11.11-13; sections 8.4.B; 9.9.D; 12.14.D. ↑