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-12-
God Hath Spoken
Special Revelation
The third manner in which God has manifested knowledge to men is known as special revelation. It involves the use of dreams and visions. Jacob's Ladder comes to mind when the Patriarch saw a ladder extend from heaven to earth, and the angels of God were ascending and descending upon it. That was a vision imparted in a dream (Gen. 28). It differed from a simple dream in that it conveyed a message from God.
When Jacob awoke, he said, "This is none other but the house of God ...and I knew it not" (vs. 17). So he called the place "Bethel," that is, "the house of God;" and he made a promise to the Lord saying, "If...I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: and...I will surely give the tenth unto thee" (vs. 20-22). When he returned, he renamed the place, calling it "El Bethel," or "God of the house of God."
Consider also the visions and dreams of Joseph: the sheaves bowing down before him; the sun and the moon doing obeisance to him.
In Daniel chapter 2 we find the dream of Nebuchadnezzar recorded. It was an awesome dream detailing the future history of mankind. When none of the soothsayers or wise men of Chaldea was able to retell the dream to the king, Daniel was brought forth from prison and was offered much money if he would only tell the king his dream. No soothsayer was ever ordered to retell a dream. It is one thing to interpret, or to pretend to interpret a dream, but it is quite another to tell what the dream is. But the king was very wise. He knew that if they truly were able to interpret a dream, then they could as easily tell what the dream is. He thereby exposed his soothsayers to be charlatans.
Daniel answered, "Do not interpretations belong to God?" and by so saying, he brought God into the contest and lay all glory at His feet. He did not seek glory or reward to give that knowledge that did not belong to him, but that resides only with God. God would have to give it to him if he was to be able to recall it, and then God would have to interpret it. Therefore the glory belonged to God.
In Daniel chapter 5, the dream of Belshazzar is recorded. This Babylonian king, the son of Nabonidas, had taken the utensils from the temple at Jerusalem and had brought them into his palace in order to have a drunken orgy. Suddenly, all present looked aghast as the figure of a man's hand appeared on the wall and wrote, "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin" (vs. 25). The people's sense of wrong was evident for they trembled, although no one present could interpret the words.
Daniel was sought out, and God gave him the meaning: "God hath numbered thy kingdom and finished it...Thou art weighed in the balances and art found wanting...Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians" (vs. 26-28). That night Chaldea fell to the Persians.
We have seen examples of special revelation in the Old Testament; now let us consider the New Testament, beginning with verse 9 in Acts chapter 10. "On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: and he became very hungry, and would have eaten, but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, and saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
"And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter, kill and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.
"Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate..." Cornelius was a Roman, a Gentile, and therefore Peter could not fellowship with him. He could not go into his house, or walk with him without becoming unclean according to the law God gave to Moses. And, now the men sent by Cornelius "called and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, was lodged there.
"While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee. Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them doubting nothing: for I have sent them" (vs. 9-20).
Peter obeyed the Lord, and went with the men to the house of Cornelius. He told the Roman what had happened, and then he confessed, "...God hath showed me that I should not call any man common or unclean" (vs. 28).
Direct revelation was often given in the days before the Scriptures were complete. At the baptism of the Son of God, God the Father spoke from heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 17:5; cf. Mk. 9:7, Lk. 9:35). Special Revelation, such as dreams and visions, likewise had its primary role before the completion of the "canon" of Scripture.
The fourth method by which God reveals knowledge is written revelation. We have considered direct revelation, as when God spoke with men face to face as He did with Moses and with Enoch. We have considered special revelation when God revealed through dreams and visions. We have considered natural revelation wherein God reveals limited knowledge of Himself in nature to all men everywhere. Now let us consider written revelation.