The Wonderful Works of God

[Anthony D'Arienzo]

In 1907 Herman Bavinck wrote this in the Forward of His book, The Wonderful Works of God;
Acts2:
11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

The Spirit was poured out precisely so the Church would come to know these works of God, to glory in them, and to thank and praise God for them.
Herein lies the thought that the Christian religion does not merely exist in words, in a doctrine, but that it is a work of God, in word and fact, which was accomplished in the past, is being worked out in the present, and will be fulfilled in the future.

The content of the Christian faith is not a scientific theory, nor a philosophical formula of an explanation of the world, but a recognition and confession of the wonderful works of God, which have been wrought through the ages, cover the whole world and await their fulfillment In the new heaven and new earth, where righteousness dwells.

This is not generally and sufficiently recognized any longer.
The knowledge of truth is steadily declining.
Interest in the mysteries of the Kingdom of God diminishes by the day, not only outside, but inside Christian circles also.And the number of those who live from the truth with heart and soul, who feed on it day, by day, gradually decreases.

Do you think this has improved since 1907?

In what way do you think it has improved? or in what way do you think it is still in decline?

 

[Anthony D'Arienzo]

On page 32 of the forward he writes this ;
All those preparing for or employed in any profession or under such heavy demands today that there is no desire a time left for other kinds of work.
Life has become so rich and Broad on all sides that an overview of it cannot be obtained except by great exertion political, social, Philanthropic interest require more about time and energy by the day the reading of daily and weekly newspapers of magazines and brochures ,devours our every blink.

There is a lack of desire and opportunity for the investigation of scripture and the study of old theological works.

These older Works incidentally, are no longer of our time. The difference in language and style, in frame of mind and manner of speech, make them strange to us.
The issues that men of the past going to be weightiest have wholly or mostly lost the significance for us.
Other interests, not addressed by them, and now push to the Forefront enemies that were challenged by them no longer exist have been replaced by others
, in any case, opposed us now in different Armor All Together.
We are children of a new time and live in a different era and the desire to maintain these older forms because they are old, the forms are troublesome and pointless.

 

[Anthony D'Arienzo]

pg47;
The manner in which special revelation takes place is not always the same but differs in terms of the means which God employs for it.
various names are used;
appearing, revealing, showing, make known, proclaiming, teaching, and the like.
The designation"speaking" is especially provocative.
The scriptures also employ this word for the works of God in creation and providence;

Gen1;3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Psa.33:6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

Psa33:9 For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.

Psa29:
3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the Lord is upon many waters.

4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

5 The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars; yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.

6 He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.

7 The voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire.

8 The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness; the Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.

9 The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.

psa104:7 At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.

Isa:66:6 A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord that rendereth recompence to his enemies.

 

[justbyfaith]

Hey, @Anthony D'Arienzo,

I like it that you are making your specific posts shorter. It makes them easier to read and I don't feel overwhelmed by too much information.

It is also good that you are taking your time to post a new post in the same thread; it gives people time to respond to what you are saying.

Excellent job.

 

[Anthony D'Arienzo]

Hey, @Anthony D'Arienzo,

I like it that you are making your specific posts shorter. It makes them easier to read and I don't feel overwhelmed by too much information.

It is also good that you are taking your time to post a new post in the same thread; it gives people time to respond to what you are saying.

Excellent job.

I do not type properly, never learned, so many times it is easier for me to cut and paste links. I give much info, figuring if a person has not seen it, they can take their time and investigate it.
The whole post or they can isolate certain portions and cut and paste those; I use different colors for that reason, that they can cut and paste separate portions to respond to.

I am trying to post food for thought, as I am reading this slowly. A good book written by Godly teachers triggers many other verses that the Lord brings to mind.
i pause and look up those verses, as they come to mind.... He covers this in this section of the book now addressing special revelation.

 

[Anthony D'Arienzo]

pg48;
Moreover, the one will tend to emphasize the revelation which comes to man from the outside, be it in nature or history, the other stresses that which takes in man himself, in the heart, mind, and conscience.

Then He contrasts general and special revelation; pg50;
In General, revelation, What God intends by it is to provoke man to seek Him, to feel Him out, and find Him
.Acts 17:27
27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: and, not finding Him, yet be without excuse

Rom1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

But In His specialrevelationGod has compassion upon man who strays about and cannot find Him.

In it, God seeks man out and Himself tells man who He is.
He does not leave it to man to deduce and infer from a group of facts who God is.

He Himself tells man in so many words: Here and such am I

True, in special revelation also God makes use of the facts in nature and history to reveal Himself in His various excellencies.

And the facts which are often miracles, are not mere supplement or addendum but are an indispensable element in revelation. They are never sheer facts, whose interpretation is left to us
Instead, they are surrounded on all sides by the very word of God.

They are preceded by this word, accompanied by it, and followed up by it..

 

[Anthony D'Arienzo]

Some of God's wonderful works, include the righteous judgment upon the ungodly line, to preserve the godly line, leading to the promised seed.

pg53;
In the OT.judgment and redemption go hand in hand as accompaniments of the miracles.
thus the flood is a means of destroying the godless generation of that time, and at the same momenta means of preserving Noah and his family in the ark.

The miracles grouped around the persons of Moses and J have as their purpose the judgment of the enemies of Godoshua-the plagues of Egypt, the crossing of the RedSea, , the lawgiving on Sinai, the invasion and conquest of Canaan-have as their purpose the judgment of the enemies of God and of His people,and the establishment of a secure home for His own people in the land of the promise.

The miracles which come later, and at the center of which the person of Elijah bulks large, take place in the time of Ahab and Jezebel, a time when paganism threatened to suppress the worship of Jehovah entirely, and they reach their high point on Carmel where the struggle between Jehovah and Baal is decided.

All the miracles of the OLD testament have a common earmark that, negatively, they spell judgment for the godless nations , and, positively, they create and preserve a place among the people of Israel for the continuing revelation of God.
In this, they achieve their purpose that, over against all idolatry and worship of images, the God of the Covenant, the God of the people of Israel is known and recognized as God:
Deut32:
39 See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.[Deut32:39and Dan 4:35. Isa. 45:5, 18 and 22]

And when this purpose has been achieved, there follows quickly the full Revelation in the purpose of Christ.

 

[Anthony D'Arienzo]

pg54
The miracles which were performed in the Apostolic time by the first witnesses can be characterized as the works of the exalted Christ
Acts3:6 6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

Acts4;
10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

They were necessary in order to demonstrate that Jesus, who had been rejected by the world, had been nailed to the cross and put to death, and was regarded as dead- that this Jesus was still alive and that He had all power in Heaven and also upon the earth.

The miracles of the OT. showed that Jehovah was God and there was none beside Him.

The miracles of the NT. show that Jesus Christ, the Nazarene, whom the Jews have crucified, has been raised of God and placed at his right hand as Prince and savior

Acts4:10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
5:30-31
30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.

31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

When this end has been achieved, when a church has been planted in the world, a church which believes and confesses this revelation of the Father in the Son through the communion of the Holy Spirit,

then the visible and external miracles cease,

but the spiritual miracles of regeneration and conversion continue in the church until the fullness of the gentiles is come and all Israel is saved.

 

[justbyfaith]

I have seen real miracles in today's world; so I do not believe that miracles have ceased.