Revelations
Revelation: Knowledge about God revealed by God to humanity.
Special revelation: Personal revelation, e.g. visions, dreams and personal experience
General revelation: revelation from a public source such as the Bible.
Covenant: An agreement between two parties, for example God and humanity
Covenant with Noah
According to the book of genesis, there was a time of
great evil in the human race, and so God sent a great
Covenant with Jesus flood to sweep away every living thing. However, a
Christians believe that God made a final covenant with man named Noah was ‘blameless’ – (Genesis 6:9) so
humanity by promising eternal life to all who believe in God saved him, his family and every species of
Jesus, Paul describes this in the book of Hebrews: creature.
“…in these last days he has spoken to us by his son, “As for you, be fruitful and increase in numbers…now
whom he appointed heir of all things, and through establish my covenant with you and with your
whom also he made the universe.” descendants after you…never again will there be a
flood to destroy Earth.” – Genesis 9:7
Covenant with Abraham
The bible teaches that God chose Abraham to have many descendants, and that these people would be God
holy people who would bless all the nations of the Earth. He made Abraham this promise:
“As for me, this is my covenant with you: you will be the father of many nations…I will establish my covenant
as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants…to be your God…The whole land of
Canaan…I will give you an everlasting possession to you and your descendants…As for you, you must keep my
covenant…You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and you.”
a) Outline three Christian beliefs about the revelation of God. (3)
God uses revelation to share his plans for humanity with them. Revelation demonstrates that God loves his
creation. God uses revelation to teach people about God’s nature.
b) Explain two reasons why revelation might prove the existence of God to Christians. (4)
Special revelation involves a person directly encountering God. This individual may feel that they
have a personal connection with God and have been in God’s presence, thus convincing them of God’s
existence. A Christian might believe that general revelation, such as the Bible, proves the existence of God.
This is because they accept the Bible to be the direct word of God and thus proof of his interactions with
humanity.
Visions may lead people to believe in God because they are so spectacular and defy the laws on nature;
however, there is also a flipside. They may lead people to reject God as they can be explained by psychology:
• Any miracle that has happened after God explicitly said that there will be no more of them, can be
disregarded as they’re clearly false as they go against God himself.
• The visions could also be hallucinations where the person is under the influence of alcohol, drugs or
has an illness.
, Examples of Biblical revelations
Genesis 1:26-27 (New international version)
26
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our
image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the
fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the God is omnipotent as he created everything from the
livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the animals all the way to us. It shows that humans are
creatures that move along the ground.” created in God’s image which shows his benevolence.
27
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
Exodus 3:14 (King James Version) The expression of God being that ‘I am that I am’ is
14
God said to Moses, “I am that I am: and he said, Thus translated in many different ways but all not merely
shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I am hath expressed as a name, or a word or a description; God is
sent me unto you.’ omnipresent, he is everywhere also showing his power.
Isaiah 46:9-10 (New international version)
9
Remember the former things, those of long ago; Here is a reminder of how powerful god is as he is the
I am God, and there is no other; only being like him and how omniscience he is because
I am God, and there is none like me. he knows all from ancient times. He lays out the truths
10
I make known the end from the beginning, of the past – that his prophesies have stood; it is not a
from ancient times, what is still to come. direct link to predestination (the doctrine that God has
I say, ‘My purpose will stand, ordained all that will happen) but it supports it.
and I will do all that I please.’
Psalm 8:3-4 (New international version)
3
When I consider your heavens, ‘Fingers’ is a form of anthropomorphism whereby
the work of your fingers, human traits are ascribed to a deity for the purpose of
the moon and the stars, accommodating our limited level of understanding.
which you have set in place, There is the implication that the universe is vast is
4
what is mankind that you are mindful of them, comparison to man. God is benevolent as he ‘cares’ for
human beings that you care for them? man.
Romans 1:20 (New international version)
20
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible This clearly shows God’s power over us humans and
qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have explicitly states that along with his divine nature where
been clearly seen, being understood from what has he is eternal and also his benevolence
been made, so that people are without excuse.
God’s Supreme Revelation
Hebrews 1:1-4 à God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the
prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things,
through whom also He made the [b]worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of
His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had [c]by Himself [d]purged [e]our
sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high
Revelation: Knowledge about God revealed by God to humanity.
Special revelation: Personal revelation, e.g. visions, dreams and personal experience
General revelation: revelation from a public source such as the Bible.
Covenant: An agreement between two parties, for example God and humanity
Covenant with Noah
According to the book of genesis, there was a time of
great evil in the human race, and so God sent a great
Covenant with Jesus flood to sweep away every living thing. However, a
Christians believe that God made a final covenant with man named Noah was ‘blameless’ – (Genesis 6:9) so
humanity by promising eternal life to all who believe in God saved him, his family and every species of
Jesus, Paul describes this in the book of Hebrews: creature.
“…in these last days he has spoken to us by his son, “As for you, be fruitful and increase in numbers…now
whom he appointed heir of all things, and through establish my covenant with you and with your
whom also he made the universe.” descendants after you…never again will there be a
flood to destroy Earth.” – Genesis 9:7
Covenant with Abraham
The bible teaches that God chose Abraham to have many descendants, and that these people would be God
holy people who would bless all the nations of the Earth. He made Abraham this promise:
“As for me, this is my covenant with you: you will be the father of many nations…I will establish my covenant
as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants…to be your God…The whole land of
Canaan…I will give you an everlasting possession to you and your descendants…As for you, you must keep my
covenant…You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and you.”
a) Outline three Christian beliefs about the revelation of God. (3)
God uses revelation to share his plans for humanity with them. Revelation demonstrates that God loves his
creation. God uses revelation to teach people about God’s nature.
b) Explain two reasons why revelation might prove the existence of God to Christians. (4)
Special revelation involves a person directly encountering God. This individual may feel that they
have a personal connection with God and have been in God’s presence, thus convincing them of God’s
existence. A Christian might believe that general revelation, such as the Bible, proves the existence of God.
This is because they accept the Bible to be the direct word of God and thus proof of his interactions with
humanity.
Visions may lead people to believe in God because they are so spectacular and defy the laws on nature;
however, there is also a flipside. They may lead people to reject God as they can be explained by psychology:
• Any miracle that has happened after God explicitly said that there will be no more of them, can be
disregarded as they’re clearly false as they go against God himself.
• The visions could also be hallucinations where the person is under the influence of alcohol, drugs or
has an illness.
, Examples of Biblical revelations
Genesis 1:26-27 (New international version)
26
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our
image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the
fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the God is omnipotent as he created everything from the
livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the animals all the way to us. It shows that humans are
creatures that move along the ground.” created in God’s image which shows his benevolence.
27
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
Exodus 3:14 (King James Version) The expression of God being that ‘I am that I am’ is
14
God said to Moses, “I am that I am: and he said, Thus translated in many different ways but all not merely
shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I am hath expressed as a name, or a word or a description; God is
sent me unto you.’ omnipresent, he is everywhere also showing his power.
Isaiah 46:9-10 (New international version)
9
Remember the former things, those of long ago; Here is a reminder of how powerful god is as he is the
I am God, and there is no other; only being like him and how omniscience he is because
I am God, and there is none like me. he knows all from ancient times. He lays out the truths
10
I make known the end from the beginning, of the past – that his prophesies have stood; it is not a
from ancient times, what is still to come. direct link to predestination (the doctrine that God has
I say, ‘My purpose will stand, ordained all that will happen) but it supports it.
and I will do all that I please.’
Psalm 8:3-4 (New international version)
3
When I consider your heavens, ‘Fingers’ is a form of anthropomorphism whereby
the work of your fingers, human traits are ascribed to a deity for the purpose of
the moon and the stars, accommodating our limited level of understanding.
which you have set in place, There is the implication that the universe is vast is
4
what is mankind that you are mindful of them, comparison to man. God is benevolent as he ‘cares’ for
human beings that you care for them? man.
Romans 1:20 (New international version)
20
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible This clearly shows God’s power over us humans and
qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have explicitly states that along with his divine nature where
been clearly seen, being understood from what has he is eternal and also his benevolence
been made, so that people are without excuse.
God’s Supreme Revelation
Hebrews 1:1-4 à God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the
prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things,
through whom also He made the [b]worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of
His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had [c]by Himself [d]purged [e]our
sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high
