MADONNA UNIVERSITY OKIJA CAMPUS NIGERIA

ASSIGNMENT

BY

UCHENDU IFUNANYA ASSUMPTA

TOPIC: CONCEPT OF DIVINE REVELATION

LEVEL: 200 LEVELS

REG NUMBER: BA/22/685

DEPTMENT: BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

COURSE: FUNDAMENTAL THEOLOGY

FACULTY: MANAGEMENT SCIENCE

COURSE CODE: GST 211
LECTURER: REV FATHER CYRIACUS EMEDONU
TABLE OF CONTENT
 Introduction
 What is revelation
 What is divine revelation
 The concept of divine revelation
 Ways in which god revealed himself

INTRODUCTION
God graciously arranged that all things be revealed to man for the salvation of all
people, and it should remain in their eternity through all the ages.
we need to have this communicated to us. If we are going to order our lives
towards and ultimately love this end, then we first have to know it, for one cannot
choose to act towards an end without first knowing it. Hence, the need for Divine
revelation, for we would otherwise be entirely ignorant as to what God truly intends to
do with us. This is not something contained in any type of natural revelation,
knowable by reason alone. Rather, He wants to do something for us so utterly
transcendent and inconceivable and unimaginable that we need Him to actually tell us
this Himself.

WHAT IS REVELATION

Revelation is supernatural communication from God to man, either oral or written,

though usually restricted to its written aspect, that is, to the whole contents of Holy
Scripture. It is the discovery by God to man of himself; God showing or unveiling
himself: that is, his Being, his moral will and his redemption in Christ. This is over
and above of what he has made known by the light of nature (creation: his book with
pictures) and reason (the speaking voice within me, or conscience).1 The etymology of
the word is gotten from the Greek word apocalypito and apokalupsis meaning to
uncover something. In Latin the word revelation, is known as revelal.

WHAT IS DIVINE REVELATION

This can be said to be Gods revelation of himself to man a God through various
means revealed himself to us. It can be said that Divine revelation is when God
actually inserts Himself into human history to directly communicate a truth to us
Himself—“from His own mouth,” so to speak. And so He unveils something to us
Himself, condescending to tell us something Himself.
Why, though, does God reveal truths to us in such an extraordinary manner? The
primary reason is that we have an end (telos in the Greek), a final destination, that
surpasses what we are by nature. And because it surpasses our nature, we cannot
know of such on our own, but rather we can only know it by Divine revelation. God
wants us in Heaven; the beatific vision is supposed to be our final destination.2

CONCEPT OF DIVINE REVELATION

1
http://www.tecmalta.org/tft102.htm
2
2022/2023 set of Madonna university hand out
 This include the revelation God made to mankind, the climax of these revelations
and ways in which God revealed himself to mankind, the climax of divine revelation
can be said to be Jesus Christ, as God took the form of man and came down to earth to
gift us salvation and teach us about his ways. So thorough jesus and the sacred
scriptures of his apostles, we learn the power and wisdom of God, its Creator. The
revelation made in this manner is called natural revelation, and the knowledge of God
acquired in this manner is called natural theology. Secondly, God can directly reveal
theological truths by uttering words, such as truths spoken by Christ or by a
messenger (an angel or a prophet). A direct revelation made by God through a verbal
communication of divine truth, with or without the intermediary of a messenger, is
called supernatural revelation, and the knowledge of God acquired in this manner is
called supernatural or sacred theology. We will now see the ways in which God
revealed himself to man.

WAYS IN GOD REVEALED HIMSELF

God has revealed Himself in various ways and through different means, which are as
fellows;

 NATURE

Natural revelation can never lead a soul to a knowledge of salvation and the true
God; yet it is not valueless. All true elements in pagan religions are extracted from
this natural revelation. Because of this natural revelation, the heathen feel that they are
the offspring of God (cf. Acts 17:28), you still have an instinct after God, though
warped and corrupted by sin (Acts 17:27). Man sees in nature, the created order, a
natural exhibition, continues and powerful, of the Deity (Romans 1:19,20; Psalm
19:1ff).3

Man is thus rendered inexcusable by this communication from God, for though it
is wordless, it testifies eloquently of God: something made must have a Maker - this is
the unmistakable and inevitable conclusion one must come to when he considers "the
work of his fingers."

 SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS

Man knows in himself, intuitively that he is obliged to do moral good and

avoid moral evil. The work of the law is embedded in their conscience. Even though
man may be ignorant of the Ten Commandments, he still feels and knows the
difference between good and evil; and knows that good is commendable and evil will
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The good news holy bible
be punished (Romans 2:14). Though man live in the darkness of sin and ignorance,
and twist the truth of God, he still has a certain illumination (John 1:9); and is subject
to the general operations of the Spirit who restrains sin (Genesis 6:3). Such a
constitution of man, even in his fallen state, is the link that God uses to bring him in
contact with his special revelation. Man still has a reasonable soul, plus an intellect,
and if and when given the ability to respond by faith, he will.

All the same, the fact that man has an inherent yearning to worship a superior, that
man is by nature an homo- religious. In itself this is a conscious and individual
revelation that God is there.

 THEOPHANIES

Literally meaning "God-appearances." Such occurrences happened before the

Incarnation of Christ, and it was actually the Son of God who appeared as the
Messenger of God, speaking and bringing a message from God, and yet claiming for
himself divine prerogatives, titles, and works. Thus God appeared to Hagar, Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, Moses and many Old Testament saints.

 VISIONS

God granted visions to Ezekiel, Daniel, Isaiah and others. Perhaps the most renowned
and impressive is the vision that Isaiah saw of the pre-incarnate Christ in the Temple
(Isaiah 6). John recounts that the prophet saw Christ's glory (John 12).

 DREAMS

Both Joseph (the patriarch) and Joseph (husband of Mary, Jesus' mother) experienced
several dreams in which God conveyed to them his will for their future. He
communicated to them at least a part of his plan. Obviously everybody dreams, but
not all dreams are revelations from God!

 MIRACLES

C.S. Lewis described miracles as the sound of a bell that attracts attention before a
speech is made. Miracles attest to God's revelation and are themselves revelation,
though they have to be explained and interpreted. The resurrection of Christ is a
unique miracle, but it needs to be interpreted, and that's what the Bible provides.
Christ himself explained his own miracles most of the time (cf. John 6). Miracles are
authenticating signs from God, confirming his prophet as really a prophet sent from
him.4

 URIM AND THUMMIM

The Hebrew behind these words signify "lights and perfections." They were distinct
from the gems on the breastplate (Leviticus 8:8). God answered questions by means of
the Urim and Thummim (Numbers 27:21; Deuteronomy 33:8; 1 Samuel 28:6)5. As
King over his theocratic nation God could be consulted directly and He would direct
his people in peace.

 CONCLUSION

If we are to know God, it is important for us to seek knowledge in God’s own

way. Many have tried to gain knowledge of God through their unaided reason, or
through some kind of subjective intuition. But the God of the Bible has told us not
only who he is but also how we should seek knowledge of him.

That knowledge comes as we attend to his created world, not repressing the truth
in unrighteousness, but accepting his own guidance, his special revelation in Scripture
and in Jesus. Only through these appointed means can we come to know him as Lord
and as our Savior from sin.

REFERENCE

 http://www.tecmalta.org/tft102.htm
 2022/2023 set of Madonna university hand out

 Divine Revelation by Daniel Campbell, February 12, 2021

 King James Bible

 The Good News Holy Bible

 Dobie, Robert J., 2019, Thinking Through Revelation: Islamic, Christian, and
Jewish Philosophy in the Middle Ages, Washington, DC: The Catholic
University of America Press.

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Divine Revelation By Daniel Campbell, February 12, 2021

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King James bible