ENLIGHTENMENT EPH 1: 17 -23
DEFINITION photizo (fo-tid'-zo); from NT: 5391; to shed rays, i. e. to shine or (transitively) to brighten up (literally or figuratively): KJV-enlighten, illuminate, (bring to, give) light, make to see
TWO-TYPES General Specific Let us shy away from using the word-revelation There is no new revelation
GENERAL Enlightenment which is available to all persons at all times. Particularly through: The physical universe History The makeup of human nature
THE PHYSICAL UNIVERSE Rom 1: 20 Example: Gravity Slightly stronger- all stars would be red-dwarfs to cold for life Slightly weaker- all stars would be blue giants, burning to briefly for life to develop
HISTORY The history of Israel is evidence of God’s faithfulness. Pouring out of His Spirit on all flesh In 100 years the number of Pentecostals has increase from a few thousand to over a half-billion, or 25% of Christianity, and 8% of the world’s population.
SPECIAL Matt 10: 19; I Cor 2: 10; Eph 3: 5; Luke 2: 26 God’s manifestations of himself at particular times and places through particular events, for example, Isaiah’s and John’s visions Revealed truth during preaching Jesus Christ Himself, incarnate, can be viewed as special revelation
ENLIGHTENMENT Concepts to consider: Source(s) of What qualifies as enlightenment Reliability of What is the authority/accuracy of enlightenment Interpretation of enlightenment How can we be sure we are understanding the message of enlightenment Proper hermeneutics