Revelation – Salvation: His Glory & Grace – Part 2
By Margaret D. Mitchell
Divine revelation is defined in Revelation 1:1 AMPC as "His unveiling of the divine mysteries."
In 1 Corinthians 14:6 AMPC it’s defined as the "disclosure of God's will to man."
Divine revelation can be delivered through an angel (messenger) (Re 1:1) or a prophet (Lk 16:16, Pr 31:14).
Or it can be given directly from God, as He wills, to His beloved listeners, who have a heart for Him (Ep 3:3, Ga 1:12).
Treasure to treasure (Ps 119:162, De 26:18).
For our benefit and beyond.
For the adventure we're on, to guide us in victory as we grow in Him.
But Divine revelation is so much more than revealing secrets we long to understand so we can better navigate life on earth.
Receiving Christ as Revelation Light
Divine revelation is primarily about God making Himself more deeply known to us:
You see, in Luke 2:32, Christ is actually called “Revelation Light” (TPT version).
He, as Revelation Light, brings to light our hope in salvation for all nations (Is 42:6, Lk 2:32).
So, God purposes to make Himself known through revelation, even as revelation itself.
With Revelation Light, we are made truly righteous, as opposed to self-righteous.
Isaiah 51:4 in the MSG version says, "Pay attention, my people. Listen to me, nations. Revelation flows from me. My decisions light up the world. My deliverance arrives on the run, my salvation right on time. I’ll bring justice to the peoples. Even faraway islands will look to me and take hope in my saving power. Look up at the skies, ponder the earth under your feet…my salvation will last forever, my setting-things-right will never be obsolete."
According to the Tyndale Bible Dictionary, revelation is “God’s own self-disclosure or manifesting of himself, or things concerning himself and the world. God is always the initiator and author of revelation. The zenith of God’s revelation was the coming in flesh of his beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Full and complete revelation comes when people encounter the personhood of God. The ultimate purpose of Scripture is to reveal Christ. By special revelation God purposes to share [salvation] with mankind in various ways. By inner, immediate illumination of their hearts and minds by God, the prophets and apostles spoke his Word as he gave them utterance.”
Paul said in Ephesians 3:3 AMPC - "…that the mystery (secret) was made known to me and I was allowed to comprehend it by direct revelation..."
Paul even boasted “about supernatural visions and revelations of the Lord" (2 Co 12:1).
But divine revelation is not just for Bible apostles.
Pure, Devout, Teachable Heart
It’s for all God’s redeemed who have a heart for Him.
And it manifests in our lives through Holy Spirit’s in-working of our faith.
"In Scripture, faith is God's warranty, certifying that the revelation He inbirthed will come to pass (His way)" (HELPS Word-studies).
So, to receive what God reveals to us, and to see it manifested in our lives, we must hold to our belief in Him and what he reveals.
Luke 11:34 TPT tells us, "The eyes of your spirit allow revelation-light to enter into your being. When your heart is open the light floods in. When your heart is hard and closed, the light cannot penetrate and darkness takes its place."
Therefore, Divine revelation does not come to those who do not believe.
Unbelievers and those with hardened hearts are limited to a parable-level knowledge of God.
They do not know the deeper meanings of God’s Word.
Mark 4:11 AMP affirms this by saying, "…’The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you [who have teachable hearts], but those who are outside [the unbelievers, the spiritually blind] get everything in parables,'"
At best, our unbelief limits God revealing Himself and His treasury of wisdom to us.
Proverbs 29:18 AMPC goes so far as to say, "Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish…”
Jeremiah 5:21 AMPC describes this as, “…foolish people without understanding or heart, who have eyes and see not, who have ears and hear not: [Isa. 6:9, 10; Matt. 13:10-15; Mark 8:17, 18.]"
Knowing this we can see that there is a direct correlation between revelation and salvation in that we receive revelation as we walk out our salvation.
So, we endeavor to say with confidence, like Simeon, who was careful and pure in heart, “With my own eyes I have seen your Word” (Lk 2:30).
Victorious Spiritual Warfare
Concerning spiritual warfare, Revelation Light is key to reigning victorious in the midst of spiritual resistance. As the rhéma Word of truth is revealed, it is to then be used for defense and offense:
Ephesians 6:17 TPT tells us to "Embrace the power of salvation’s full deliverance, like a helmet to protect your thoughts from lies. And take the mighty razor-sharp Spirit-sword of the spoken Word of God."
Friends, we are to live out our salvation, even from our heads, using revelation-knowledge given to us by God to voice His Word like a weapon.
Like Joshua, we must know God’s greater (and unique) strategies for victory as we fight with faith forward. We must understand God’s intimate instructions to win battles.
John 5:20 AMPC tells us that "The Father dearly loves the Son and discloses to (shows) Him everything that He Himself does. And He will disclose to Him (let Him see) greater things yet than these, so that you may marvel and be full of wonder and astonishment."
Friends, this is the beginning of receiving revelation.
For His committed, God progressively reveals higher understanding as we are postured to receive it—especially as we are “consumed with awe” in worship (Pr 9:10).
For believers who have lost hope after a hardship, God shines a spotlight on dark areas of their hearts, to help them believe again (Jo 12:22).
For prodigals, God uses Revelation-Light to draw them homeward by increasing light in their darkness as they soften their hearts and step toward Him (Lk 15).
With revelation, God can make our hearts grateful in a split second.
So, we are to "...grow in grace (undeserved favor, spiritual strength) and recognition and knowledge and understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (the Messiah)…” (2 Pe 3:18 AMPC)!
Pray with me if you will…
Dear Lord,
Thank You for Your marvelous grace (1 Pe 1:13). I repent of any and all hard-heartedness and unbelief that has caused me to not experience You more deeply. Lord, take me beyond parables into Revelation-Light. Help my unbelief so I may gain the privilege of knowing You and your mysteries more deeply. I choose to prepare my heart and mind for action! I choose to stay alert and fix my hope firmly on the marvelous grace that’s coming to me. I choose to believe that when Jesus Christ is unveiled to me, a greater measure of grace will be released to me to accomplish Your will in co-labor with You. I choose to believe that "…[the time is coming when] the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea…” (Ha 2:14). And I desire to be one who is filled with Your glory.
In Jesus’ Mighty Name,
Amen.
And now, "I pray that the Father of glory, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, would impart to you the riches of the Spirit of wisdom and the Spirit of revelation to know him through your deepening intimacy with him. I pray that the light of God will illuminate the eyes of your imagination, flooding you with light, until you experience the full revelation of the hope of his calling—that is, the wealth of God’s glorious inheritances that he finds in us, his holy ones" (Ep 1:17-18 TPT)!
In Jesus’ Mighty Name,
Amen.
Margaret D. Mitchell is the Founder of God's Love at Work, a marketplace outreach purposed to share God's greatest power source - the love of Christ.
