Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him.

“I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of You, for You have made known to us the king’s demand.” Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, “The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets (Daniel 2:19–23, 27, 28a).

When King Nebuchadnezzar demanded that the wise men and magicians in his kingdom find out the dream he had and interpret it, they were baffled. How could anyone possibly find out the dream someone else has had! But Daniel, although just a young man, knew something about His God. Daniel knew that the God in heaven, the God of the Bible, “reveals deep and hidden things.” God knows “what lies in darkness”—the things that are unknown to man. The light that illuminates darkness and uncovers hidden things is with Him. From time to time, God imparts this light to His people enabling them to see deep and hidden things. So Daniel prayed along with his friends. God in answer to their prayer revealed to Daniel what he needed to know.

God is a revealer of secrets. A secret or a mystery is information that is currently unknown. God can reveal secrets to you. He can reveal information to you about things in the past, in the present or in the future. The information that God reveals to you could bring direction and counsel into your life. It could be information that affects you personally or someone else. As in the example with Daniel, it could be information about what God was going to do in the future. As with Jesus when He spoke to the woman at the well in Samaria (John 4), it could be a revelation of secret sins in someone’s life so as to bring correction and repentance. It could be a revelation of somebody’s character—who they really are. An example of this is when Jesus met Nathaniel. Jesus said, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit” (John 1:47). Nathaniel was shocked and asked, “How do you know me?” God could reveal the thoughts and intents of other people. For instance in Mark 2, we read that “Jesus perceived in His spirit…what they reasoned within themselves ... ” (Vs 8). God may reveal the plans and schemes of people whom you have to deal with so as to protect you. For instance Prophet Elisha kept warning the king of Israel about the battle plans of the king of Aram, thus helping him to stay out of trouble. “Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?” And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom”” (2 Kings 6:11,12). God can impart revelation about things in the natural realm as well as about things in the unseen spiritual realm.

Today we want to focus on the work of the Holy Spirit in bringing revelation into our lives. We discuss the need for revelation and the various aspects of the Holy Spirit’s work as the Spirit of revelation. Our desire is that you will experience the Holy Spirit bringing divine revelation into your life, being the Spirit of revelation to you.

When the Spirit Comes

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you (John 16:13–15).

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of revelation. He reveals truth to our hearts. He speaks to us and reveals the heart of the Father. The Holy Spirit speaks to us what the Lord Jesus wishes to convey. He also tells us of things “yet to come.” All of this is part of the Holy Spirit’s present ministry to the Church. As believers, we need to desire the revelation which the Spirit of God can bring into our lives. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the Father’s heart concerning specific issues that you are facing—your career, your marriage, moving to a different place and so on. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you and prepare you for things in the future, things that the Father has prepared for you. Open your life to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of revelation.

The Need for Revelation

What place does divine revelation have in the life of the believer? Why do we need something above and beyond what we can recognize through our five senses or be taught in our schools?

Knowing the Father

All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him (Matthew 11:27).

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him (Ephesians 1:17).

No one can know the Father except those to whom the Lord Jesus reveals Him. Intimacy with the Father is not the result of diligent scientific investigation. It is not the result of deep intellectual examination. It in not even the result of religious involvement. We know the Father because the Lord Jesus reveals Him to us by His Spirit. We may have knowledge about God and this knowledge could be accurate. But this is not the same as knowing Him intimately. Knowledge about God can be acquired through education. But knowing Him comes through revelation.

Knowing the Son

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven (Matthew 16:15–17).

He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him (John 14:21).

We know the Lord Jesus through revelation. Like most of the religious people during His earthly ministry, many educated minds of our day do not understand the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. They ridicule the Christ and take pride in their earthly learning. They do not realize how foolish they are, or realize the degree of their ignorance. Because their hearts have been hardened they are unable to receive revelation which the Spirit of God desires to bring to them. Therefore they are ignorant and their ignorance has cut them off from the life of God (Ephesians 4:18). It is only when we humble our hearts like little children that we are able to receive revelation from the Spirit of God.

For us to grow progressively in our personal revelation of Jesus Christ, we have to walk in love and obedience towards Him. Jesus said that He would reveal Himself to those who obeyed His commands. We cannot reveal Him to others any more than He has revealed Himself to us. We can make Him known to others only to the degree that we know Him personally.

Understanding the works of God

Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight (Matthew 11:20, 25, 26).

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it (Acts 4:13,14).

The “wise and learned” were unable to understand the miracles that Jesus performed during His earthly ministry. They tried to reason away the mighty works of God, “Perhaps it was deception, perhaps it was the work of demons. It could be anything but the work of God.”

However, unschooled and ordinary men like Peter and John, who like “little children” followed Jesus, understood the miracles. To them it was revealed that these were the true works of God. They received the revelation that in the name of Jesus and through simple faith they could work the works of Christ. In fact even after Christ’s resurrection and ascension to heaven, these men continued ministering healing and demonstrating the miracle working power of God. Sad to say, today, many of the “wise and learned” Christian theologians, preachers and teachers are unable to understand the works of God. Many spend so much time and effort trying to dispute the miracles and signs being performed in our day. And yet, many “unschooled and ordinary” men and women continue to experience the mighty works of God in their ministry. It takes revelation to welcome the supernatural visitations of God.

Understanding the mysteries of the Kingdom

And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear (Mathew 13:10–16).

Revelation leads to repentance. Repentance results in salvation (healing of the total person). Revelation is having our spiritual eyes opened to see, our spiritual ears opened to hear and our spiritual hearts opened to understand spiritual truth. This leads to the recognition of our need to embrace the truth. When we forsake our foolishness, turn and embrace the truth, that is repentance. It is then that God brings healing. (Although there may be times when God does a mighty work first to open people’s eyes and then lead them to repentance).

It is through the revelation which the Spirit of God brings that we understand the secrets of the Kingdom of God. As the Holy Spirit sheds His light upon our hearts and minds, we begin to grasp spiritual principles and understand the ways of God. As people of God, what we need today is not just education, but revelation. We need education in spiritual things, but more importantly we need revelation to grasp the knowledge that has been made available to the Body of Christ.

The Revelation of the Scriptures

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law(Deuteronomy 29:29).

Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into (1 Peter 1:10–12).

How that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets (Ephesians 3:3–5).

Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law (Psalm 119:18).

The Scriptures—the written Word of God—are a revelation of unseen realities. They were given by revelation. They are understood today by revelation. The prophets who brought forth the Word of God received it by revelation. The Spirit of God working in them gave them revelation and insight into the secret things of God. These were then recorded for our benefit. Today as we look into the written Scriptures, we need to have our eyes opened. The same Spirit who inspired the Scriptures has to enlighten our eyes to see the wonderful things that have been recorded in the Scriptures.

Revealed to Us Through the Spirit

But as it is written: “ Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God (1 Corinthians 2:9–12).

There are things which man has not seen, heard or thought of—things which God has prepared for those who love Him. Such things have been prepared for us, the Body of Christ. God has revealed these to us by His Spirit and they are recorded for us in the written Scriptures. It is through the continuing work of the Spirit of revelation in the Body of Christ that what has been revealed in the Scriptures becomes a revelation that is currently understood. The Body of Christ is on a journey, progressively coming to understand more and more of the things that God has freely given to us. This is also true in our personal lives as individuals and in the lives of local churches/fellowships around the world. There are things that God has planned for us which He reveals to us through His Spirit. We need to receive a revelation of these things so that we can strive for and work towards possessing that which He has prepared for us.

The Spirit of Revelation and Our Personal Lives

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ (Luke 2:25,26).

The Holy Spirit as the Spirit of revelation is at work in every believer. It is our privilege to desire, to seek and to listen to the Spirit of God revealing God’s plans and purposes for us as individuals. The Spirit of God will bring specific revelation into each of our lives for counsel, correction, encouragement and direction. As we open our lives to the revelation that the Spirit of God brings, we will grow in our knowledge of the Father and His Son, and in our understanding of His Word.

Adapted from the free APC Publication : "The Spirit of Wisdom, Revelation and Power"