The Heavens Declare … (July 2025 Update)
One of the ways we can know about God is through what is called General Revelation. The other way is through Special Revelation which is the Bible. Through Special Revelation, God specifically reveals His will for us. General Revelation can tell us about the existence of God, but it cannot tell us what that God requires of us. General Revelation shows us that all that exists has come from the hand of a creative God. But General Revelation cannot tell us if that God condemns murder and adultery. That’s why we need Special Revelation. That’s why the Bible is so important!
But General Revelation is also important. General Revelation is how God reveals Himself to us through creation and through our consciences. But the primary way we know about the existence of God is through creation. That’s why the psalmist puts it this way: “the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hand. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech; they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world (Psalm 19:1-4).
There are 3 terms used in the Bible that are translated as revelation. The first is the Hebrew word, galah, and it means “To reveal by stripping away.” It would be like finding an old, ugly piece of furniture and, after stripping off the old layers of paint, we would discover that the furniture was made out of a beautiful piece of cherry wood. The cherry wood would be revealed by stripping away the old paint. When we peel back the layers of our universe, we are left with the inescapable conclusion that there is a God behind it all. That’s General Revelation.
The main word in Greek is apokalupsis which means “unveiling or uncovering.” In fact, the word for the Book of Revelation has the same root meaning of “opening, or “uncovering.” It is like the way some companies will unveil a new product. They will have the product on a table on stage covered up. When the time comes to show the product, the covering is dramatically removed to “reveal” the new product. That’s revelation.
There is one more Greek word that is used less frequently to describe than apokalupsis – that is phaneroo. Phaneroo means “to show or demonstrate or manifest something.” It is used more often to describe when God is revealed personally. This word reminds us that God’s revelation is not merely factual, but it is also personal. The God who reveals does not merely give us information about Himself; He gives us Himself. That’s personal revelation!
There are many aspects to God’s revelation of Himself. Let’s look at just seven of those aspects.
First of all, God’s Revelation Is Deliberate. It is by His own free choice. If He does not reveal, we cannot know. J. Gresham Machen said, “A divine being who could be discovered by my efforts, apart from His gracious will to reveal Himself … would be either a mere name for a certain aspect of man’s own nature … or else a mere passing thing that would be subject to investigation like the substances that are analyzed in a laboratory …” In other words, a God that we could know without His revelation would not be God at all. We can only know about Him if He chooses to reveal Himself. In Job 11:7, Job asks, “Can you fathom the mysteries of God?” The infinite cannot be understood or uncovered by the finite apart from revelation. So, we would say that God’s revelation of Himself is deliberate – it is by His own free choice.
Second, God’s Revelation Is Controlled. The God who reveals would control the amount of revelation, the form it comes in, the circumstances under which it can be discovered, and the timing for revealing. So, we would say that God controls the revelation of Himself. We do not control it. He alone controls what He reveals to us and when He reveals it.
Third, God’s Revelation Is Progressive. God set the times of His self-disclosure. He did not reveal everything at once but chose to make Himself known through the centuries of Biblical revelation, culminating in His Son. That’s why Hebrews 1:1-2 says, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.” God’s revelation is progressive through time and history.
Fourth, God’s Revelation Is Varied. Hebrews 1:1 also reminds us that the manners in which God reveals Himself are varied. At times, His revelation is external – such as a voice, an event, a cloud, or an angel. At other times, His revelation is internal – through a dream or a vision. God also chose various places where He would reveal Himself – in the Garden of Eden, in deserts, on mountains, in palaces, pastures, and even in prisons. God even varied the recipients – He revealed Himself to a variety of people – to shepherds, kings, prophets, fishermen, priests, and even fig pickers. So, we see that God’s revelation is varied.
Fifth, God’s Revelation Is Personal. It originates from a personal God and is received by a personal creation. But God not only reveals facts and propositions; He reveals Himself as a being who loves, speaks and cares for his creatures. And He often speaks of Himself in personal terms, as a Father, a shepherd, a friend, a leader, and a king. But most of His revelation is Personal. In many places in Scripture, God says, “I will be your God, and you will be my people.” His revelation is personal.
Sixth, God’s Revelation Is Abundant, but not exhaustive. While He has revealed more than we shall ever be able to understand completely (Romans 11:33), He has not revealed everything (Deut. 29:29 – “the secret things belong to the Lord”). While His revelation is not exhaustive, He has revealed all that is needed for life and godliness according 2 Peter 1:3. God’s revelation is abundant but not exhaustive. We will always be learning about God, but we will never know everything about God.
And last of all, God’s Revelation Is Exclusive. If there is a God and He has spoken, then His revelation is authoritative and exclusive. While we may use other sources of information, His revelation is final and cannot be placed on the same level with other revelations. This is one reason why we usually place special revelation above general revelation – because the clear Word of God is God’s final and exclusive revelation to us.
God’s glory must be declared through our world. God’s Word must be spread to all the nations: to every nation, tribe and tongue. But God has also left mankind an undeniable witness: His creation. The heavens declare God’s glory to everyone everywhere. This is called general revelation – God revealing Himself so that no one is left without some witness to the glory of God. General revelation lets people know there is a God. But it cannot tell anyone about this God. That’s why we need special revelation. That’s why we need the Bible. That’s why we need to share the good news (Romans 10). But we can be grateful for His general revelation of Himself!
Opportunities to Serve and Teach …
This academic year, I will only be teaching one Ukrainian class by myself. I now have all my classes except one being taught by Ukrainian professors that were my former students! This is what missions is really all about – equipping and training local leaders to do the work of the ministry. Someone long ago told me that the job of a missionary is to work himself out of a job! Even though I now have Ukrainian professors in place, I will still be joining them once a day during classes to answer questions. This has been very helpful for the new professors. Please pray for these Ukrainian colleagues as they work toward teaching on their own. And also pray that I can find someone to teach my remaining class.
Now that I have handed off most of my classes to Ukrainians, I will be transitioning to helping train missionaries going to the field. In July, I attended the annual GlobalServe International New Missionary Orientation Conference in Sarasota. GSI is sending 30 new workers to the fields this year. And one of the biggest needs that these young couples are asking for is theological training. They will be going to plant churches in countries where there is no Bible and there is no church. GSI sends missionaries into countries where missionaries are not permitted. These are called “restricted access” countries. These missionary teams will spend 2 years learning a major language and then they will move to live with an unreached people group. There they will learn the language, translate the Bible and establish an indigenous church. Most of them will serve among that people group 15-20 years!
I spent most of the conference talking with GSI missionaries that are already on the field as well as the new candidates. The one common concern they raised was the need for theological education for themselves. If they are going to establish a viable, lasting indigenous church, they believe they need to be sure that they are equipped theologically so they can biblically guide this new church. I am being asked to put something together that will give these GSI missionaries a solid theological foundation. I am working on designing this program and we hope we can get it operating in the next few months. Be praying for me and for the GSI leadership as we work on putting together a program that will equip our missionaries for this essential work of reaching unreached people groups in closed countries.
We regularly keep in contact with our students and colleagues. I continue to be amazed that both Kyiv Theological Seminary and Ukrainian Baptist Seminary (L’viv) continue to teach students during the war! There are so many needs, but exhaustion is one of the things I hear the most. Nearly every night, they are awakened by air raid sirens and have to go to bomb shelters. They also struggle with hopelessness – they say that it is hard to plan for tomorrow because they are never sure what will happen tomorrow. But they continue to study, teach and serve, even despite the difficulties. Please remember to pray for them!
Family …
We ended up June with a July 4th celebration at the little church just down the street from us. They are a wonderful group of people and, each year, they hold a really great fireworks show with a gospel concert before. They also provide snow cones, popcorn and other treats. We (along with the Coopers) have made this our regular place for celebrating our country’s independence.
Immediately after the fireworks, we packed up and headed to a Christian camp called New Life Ranch in Oklahoma. Katya, her mother and I volunteered to serve the week of July 4th while the girls got to participate in their first camp in the US. While we cleaned rooms and did landscaping, the girls had a great time learning about God’s grace while swimming, riding horses, and climbing ropes – all in a really cute Old West styled camp. We all had a great time.
Then after returning from camp, we got ready for Nadia’s 10th birthday. (We had to celebrate on Saturday because I needed to leave for the GSI Conference on Sunday). Even Joy and Aly showed up to make her party a very special surprise. The girls played some trivia games that Katya created and then they entertained us with songs from dance and all sorts of dances. We topped it all off by having a 3-foot ice cream Sundae along with Katya’s homemade lemon cake. We had a great time celebrating her birthday together. Before I left on Sunday afternoon, we did the music for the Nursing Home ministry and Nadia even played the piano there.
Pray for Ukraine …
Please continue to pray for Ukraine and for our friends and colleagues there. As I mentioned earlier, exhaustion is a constant concern with missiles being fired almost every night. Pray for God’s peace for their hearts and for their lives. Also, pray for the war to end. Pray for the people of Russia to call upon Putin to stop this war.
Thank you for your prayers and support. We continue to be involved with our Ukrainian friends and seminaries, but we are also trying to help with theological education now for GSI missionaries who are in great need of theological training. Pray for me as I work on developing this for GSI this fall. But most of all, pray that in these dark times, God will reveal Himself to many so that many might come to a saving faith in Jesus.
By His Grace,
Jim and Katya, Kristina and Nadia
If you missed previous updates or just want to read some short theological reflections, you can find these at our website at https://teachingresources.org/ .
Also, some have asked about how to support us. You can send checks to Teaching Resources International, PO Box 100, Goshen, AR 72735 (note: new address) or pay through PayPal on our website. Just put “#1000 Ehrhard” in the memo so our treasurer knows where to allocate the funds.
Some have also asked about our personal address now that we are in the states. Our new address is 14680 Magnolia Ridge, Fayetteville, AR 72701.
Teaching Resources International 