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Revelation: What It Is and How It Is Received (Endnotes)

1. For a further explanation of this, and why discerning of spirits is not a category of revelation, see our book, Chapter 8, “Walking in Power: The Manifestations of Holy Spirit,” op. cit., The Gift of Holy Spirit: The Power to be Like Christ. Close

2. Noah Webster, American Dictionary of the English Language (Foundation for American Christian Education, San Francisco, CA, reprinted 1967) “wisdom,” (book pages not numbered). Close

3. Thayer, op. cit., Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon, p 380. Close

4. For a more thorough explanation of God appearing to people, and more examples, see our book, Appendix A, note on Genesis 18:1, op. cit., One God & One Lord, p. 439. Close

5. The “Samuel” that appeared to Saul was a demon impersonating Samuel. For more information, see our book Is There Death After Life? by Mark Graeser, John Lynn, John Schoenheit (Christian Educational Services, Indianapolis, IN, 5th edition, 2004), pp. 84 and 85. Close

6. Actually, dead people are not alive in any form, and cannot communicate at all. Demons impersonate dead people, which is why it is detestable to God to try to contact the dead (Deut. 18:12). Sadly, usually neither the necromancer nor the person seeking information knows they are communicating with a demon. Close

7. There are things in the physical realm that have a spiritual source but do not communicate a message. See “Miracle” and “Phenomenon” in the Glossary. Close

8. The rod becoming a serpent was more than just a miracle. It was a “sign” with a “voice” that spoke of the true God. This point is clear in the Hebrew text and a few English versions. Exodus 4:8 (KJV): “And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.” Moses’ rod spoke of the true God, the magician’s rods answered back, but not with as powerful a message, seeing that Moses’ rod ate the magician’s rods. Nevertheless, Pharaoh would not hear the true God, or Moses and Aaron, His messengers. Close

9. For more information about how the stars reveal the true God and His plan of redemption, see E. W. Bullinger, The Witness of the Stars (Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI, reprinted 1970), E. Raymond Capt, The Glory of the Stars (Artisan Sales, Thousand Oaks, CA, 1976), and Kenneth C. Fleming, God’s Voice in the Stars (Loizeaux Brothers, Neptune, NJ, 1981). Close

10. The Hebrew word translated as “interprets omens” in Deuteronomy 18:10 includes the use of astrology. See, S. R. Driver, The International Critical Commentary: Deuteronomy (Edinburgh, T. & T. Clark, 1986), p. 225. Close

11. Revelation from demons works in a very similar way. When a demon inhabits a person’s mind and stimulates his visual center, the person will see a vision. If it feeds information to the auditory of the brain, he will hear voices. Society acts as if people who hear voices are of an unsound mind. They are, but usually not for the reason psychiatrists think (although it is possible to see visions, hear voices, etc., because of mental illness or narcotics). Their minds are unsound because they are inhabited by demons, who are feeding visions and sounds to the person. Close

12. Most textual scholars agree that “the spirit of Jesus” is the correct reading of the Greek text, rather than “the spirit” (KJV). “The spirit of Jesus” is either the genitive of apposition (i.e., “the Spirit, namely Jesus,” referring to Jesus as “the Spirit” as do 2 Cor. 3:17 and Rev. 2:7, 11, 17 and 29, 3:6, 13 and 22) or the genitive of origin (i.e., the spirit given by Jesus, making reference to the fact that Jesus gave holy spirit on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:33) and continues to add people to his Church (Acts 2:47). Close

13. The true God does not send lying spirits, the Devil does. However, many people do not understand the way that God presented Himself in the Old Testament, and so have a very negative view about Him. This subject is so important that it is a major part of our book op. cit., Don’t Blame God! by Mark Graeser, John Lynn, and John Schoenheit, Chapter Four, “Old Testament or New Testament—Which One Is True?,” Chapter Five, “God Is Good (With Figures!),” and Chapter Six, “What About Job?” Close

14. The word “angel” means “messenger.” Malak in Hebrew, and Aggelos in Greek (pronounced an-gel-os), both mean “messenger.” God’s angels deliver messages, they are not the origin of information. Close

15. For more on what Jesus is doing in the Church today see our book, op. cit., One God & One Lord by Mark Graeser, John Lynn, and John Schoenheit, pp. 262-267. Close

16. This is a message of knowledge because all that is communicated is knowledge. God does not say what to do. Close

17. This is a message of knowledge because all that is communicated is knowledge. Saul was never told what to do; a Bible Atlas will show that his route home was via Rachel’s tomb. Close

18. This is a message of wisdom because God is telling Saul “what to do;” to continue on his journey even after meeting the men at Rachel’s tomb. Whenever there is direction as to what to do, that is a message of wisdom. Close