Topical Studies
What the Bible says about
Expansive Knowledge about God
(From Forerunner Commentary)
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1 Corinthians 2:6-11
What the apostle Paul writes in I Corinthians 2:6-11 tells us plainly that the human mind cannot truly grasp the greatness of God. In man's carnal state, he does not have what it takes to understand God or what He is working out among men. An unconverted mind can catch only a fleeting glimpse of the grandeur and greatness of God. Those who have God's Spirit are allowed a better view, a closer, more exact view of what God is, what He is doing in their lives, and what His purpose is. Yet, even this view has its limits. As Paul says elsewhere, we have been given only an earnest or down payment of the Spirit as a guarantee (II Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; see also Ephesians 1:14). We certainly do not know everything—in fact, only a fraction—about God. The apostle writes of this in the context of agape love in I Corinthians 13:9-11: "For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. . . ." In comparison to God, we speak, understand, and think like children, and to Him, we are undeniably mere children. All of the things that we know about God and His purpose are similar to what toddlers know about adults and their plans. As the toddler is to the adult, so adults are to God—but the gap is exponentially greater. Paul continues the comparison in I Corinthians 13:11-12: . . . but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then [when we are perfected] face to face [that is, we will have full, personal knowledge; I John 3:2]. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. So, just as God knows us inside and out now, we will then know what He knows. What a mind-expanding concept! When we are glorified at Christ's coming, we will be inundated with the intricate and expansive knowledge of God, and thankfully, we will have a spirit body and mind to receive it! What God knows is beyond all comprehension to man; it takes a God-being to store, comprehend, and utilize it. As Paul explains, our knowledge is only partial right now, obscured by a fog in which we see snatches of reality as the clouds drift past, but then we become engulfed by the fog again and fail to grasp all that God reveals. Paul uses the metaphor of seeing in a mirror. The mirrors produced today—a piece of clear glass over a highly reflective mercury backing—create near-perfect reflections. We receive a precise image of what we look like when we look into one. Not so in New Testament times, when the common mirror was a piece of polished bronze or brass or some other metal. Highly reflective chrome was not available to them. Thus, the common mirror in those days produced only a dim reflection, probably good enough to comb one's hair, but a person had difficulty seeing anything in detail. This blurriness is what Paul refers to. What we can comprehend of God is a dim reflection, foggy, dark, and obscured. Perhaps we can relate to this by looking at ourselves in a mirror fogged by a hot shower. Until the humidity decreases, all we can see is a fuzzy-looking image staring out of the mirror. The reflection falls far short of the reality.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
The Unique Greatness of Our God (Part Two)
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Revelation 6:15-17
A superficial reading of this passage seems to indicate that everyone—noble, rich, mighty, slave, and free—is asking the "mountains and rocks" to fall on him, hiding him from God. Yet, Revelation 9:20-21 clearly indicates that many continue to shake their fists at God: But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols. . . . And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. So, the "cave dwellers" of Revelation 6 seem to be only a segment of society, not everyone. If the word every does not mean everyone in the world, what does it mean? To whom does the term "every slave and every free man" refer? The phrase "every slave and every free man" is a merism, a rhetorical device wherein a single entity or action is described by opposites, as "looked high and low" or "on-and-off enthusiasm." "Every slave and every free man" refers to a small subset of people, to a single class of person, the person who is at once free and enslaved. The merism refers to God's people—who are free and slave simultaneously. Let us see how this works. Christ promised that if we remain in His Word, we are free: "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). Along this line, the apostle Paul writes: "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:1-2; compare Galatians 5:1). Yet, the same apostle calls us slaves, bought by God: "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's" (I Corinthians 6:19-20). He makes similar comments to the Roman church: "But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life" (Romans 6:22). Peter provides yet further witness to the fact that we are God's slaves: "For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God" (I Peter 2:15-16). What might God's people do in the caves during the sixth seal? We hope they will be a light to those around them (Matthew 5:14) and examples to others. Armed with far more knowledge about God and His plan than their masters, God's people will be in a position to put the horrifying events into perspective for the already-humbled cave dwellers. For example, God's people might: -
Assure the other cave dwellers that Christ will soon end the maddening chaos by establishing His rule on earth. -
Tell them the living can expect to see His return—"every eye will see Him" (Revelation 1:7). -
Notify them that, at His return, they can expect to see God's people rising in the air to meet Him (I Thessalonians 4:17). -
Instruct them that, once Christ consolidates His rule, the terror will subside, as the healing waters from His throne take their effect (Ezekiel 47:1-12; Revelation 22:1-2). -
Enjoin them to make their way to Jerusalem when conditions begin to settle down, where they will be taught by Christ, the Lamb. Though they entered the caves with a degree of resignation, supposing they would eventually perish there, the presence of "every slave and every free man" will bring about a change in their thinking. The sixth-seal cave dwellers will become armed with more complete knowledge about God's plan and will. Once Christ returns, they will have all the motivation in the world to make their way to Jerusalem as soon as the journey is feasible. Note Isaiah 2:2-3: Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. "Every slave and every free man" could well refer to God's people, as they play a vital role preparing others for their work in the early years of the Millennium.
Charles Whitaker
Every Slave and Free Man
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