| And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. |
| —Isaiah 40:5 |
The verb “reveal” comes from the Latin word revelar meaning “to unveil.” It also means “to uncover” or “to make something that has been hidden known,” and also “to make a display of something.”
Certainly, God revealed Himself in a more understandable manner through the coming of the Babe in Bethlehem. Indicative of the blackness of the spiritual world, because of the silence of God’s prophets for 400 years, the nativity of the Lord Jesus Christ came in the dark of night.
According to Luke 2, the shepherds—a rag-tag bunch of smelly animal herders—were the first to hear the announcement of the birth. On a dark hillside, it was revealed to them that a Savior had been born who would save them and save all mankind.
To accompany this revelation, the glory of the Lord came and shone from the heavens, accompanied by a enormous host of angels. God was revealing Himself to the world in a way that He had never done before.
We read in Daniel 2:28 that:
…there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.
Throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry, God revealed Himself to His people. In Jesus’ final hours, before He gave His life to pay the penalty for the sins of the world, in a prayer to His Father, Jesus told God that He had brought Him glory by completing His work and by revealing God to those to whom He was given.
The revelation of God’s means of salvation had come to Jesus’ followers through His preaching and teaching ministry, and through the use of the Old Testament Scriptures, many of which He openly displayed as never before.
It certainly stands to reason that the last Book of the Bible—the Book of Revelation—is named for the opening of our eyes to the future. To most of us, the mysteries of God’s plan do not stand out clearly, but are revealed as if behind a veil.
Yet, we have enough light to know that this same Jesus still has more to reveal to His people. We know from God’s written Word that Jesus will come back for His people, and will reveal Himself fully to us in a New Heaven and a New Earth.
During this Season of Advent, let us open our hearts, our minds, and our eyes to see all that our Lord wishes to reveal to us now. May we spend time in His presence, looking at the promises of His written Word and seeking Him.
Let us also pray that He would use us to help reveal His glory to the dark world around us. We can pray this verse from an Advent hymn: 1
Redeemer, come!
I open wide my heart to Thee:
here, Lord, abide!
Let me Thy inner presence feel:
Thy grace and love in us reveal.
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| 1 Weissel, Georg. “Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates.” Hymn in the Public Domain. |
