"The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law." (Deuteronomy 29:29)Revelation is cumulative. What I mean by this is that the revelation gained by one generation can be passed on to the next, who, along with the revelation they gain themselves, then pass it on to the generation that follows them. When God wants to reveal something to mankind, He doesn't need to reveal it to everyone, He can simply reveal it to a few who then pass it on to others. In this sense, revelation can be taught and imparted. After Jesus' resurrection from the dead, He appeared to His disciples and gave them revelation concerning the scriptures. "Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures." (Luke 24:45) They then, in turn, took that revelation and passed it on to others. This is why John said,
"What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life -- and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us -- what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete." (1 John 1:1-4)John had received revelation about Jesus that he wanted to pass on to others so that, though their shared revelation, they all may have fellowship with one another. Paul also understood this principal when he told Timothy, "The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." (2 Timothy 2:2) God also intended parents to be one of the primary teachers of revelation. This is why He told His children, "Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when the Lord said to me, 'Assemble the people to Me, that I may let them hear My words so they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.'" (Deuteronomy 4:10)
In our search for revelation, we must not neglect the revelation that God has given to others. We must be as willing to receive from teachers, preachers, and other Christians as we are to receive directly from the Lord.
More to come... David Robison
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