Study Notes - Visions of God

A.THE NEED OF AN OPEN HEAVEN

1. Point out the results of Ezekiel's vision as seen in:

(1) Ezekiel 1:1 - He saw (visions of God)

(2) Ezekiel 1:28 - He fell (at His feet)

(3) Ezekiel 1:28 - He heard (a voice that spoke)

(4) Ezekiel 2:1-2 - He stood (upon his feet)

(5) Ezekiel 3:3 - He ate (what he found)

(6) Ezekiel 3:15 - He sat (where they sat)

(7) Ezekiel 3:22-23 - He went (where he was sent)

(8) Ezekiel 11:24-25 - He spoke (the things that God had showed him)

2. Give the meaning of the term "vision" as used in:

(1) Daniel 2:19 - Revelation - The disclosure of facts not obtainable by the ordinary processes of acquiring knowledge

(2) Habakkuk 1:1 - Burden - The weight of the substance and implication of the revelation pressing upon the prophet's emotions

(3) Ezekiel 11:24-25 - Message - The communication of the revelation by whatever means employed to those for whom it is intended

3. Wherein does the need for a vision lie according to:

(1) Proverbs 29:18? Without it the people perish for inability to keep the law of God

(2) Hosea 4:6? God's people are destroyed for lack of the true knowledge of God

(3) 1 Samuel 3:1? Without it there is a scarcity of the word of God for want of a public message

(4) Hosea 12:13? It is essential for maintaining God's people in a right relationship to God

4. What tragic situation is evident from Lamentations 2:9 and Ezekiel 7:26? That the prophets of God are unable to find a vision from God notwithstanding their effort

B. CIRCUMSTANCES OF "VISIONS OF GOD"

1. At what time were "visions of God" experienced in:

(1) Exodus 34:1-8? In the morning (by Moses)

(2) Genesis 18:1? In the afternoon (by Abraham)

(3) Luke 24:29-31? In the evening (by two disciples)

(4) 1 Kings 3:5? During the night (by Solomon)

2. By whom were "visions of God" experienced in:

(1) 1 Samuel 3:1, 10? By a child (Samuel)

(2) Genesis 21:17? By a maid (Hagar)

(3) Daniel 5:1-6? By a king (Belshazzar)

(4) Amos 7:14-15? By a gatherer of fruit (Amos)

(5) 2 Kings 6:15-17? By a fearful servant (Elisha's)

(6) Numbers 22:22-27? By an ass (Balaam's)

(7) Numbers 22:31? By a recalcitrant prophet (Balaam)

(8) Matthew 27:19? By a politician's wife (Pilate's)

(9) Acts 9:1-5? By a persecutor (Saul)

(10) Acts 9:10-16? By a disciple (Ananias)

3. In what place were "visions of God" experienced in:

(1) Acts 7:30-34? In the wilderness

(2) Acts 9:3-4? On a public highway

(3) Acts 10:9-16? On a house top

(4) Acts 12:1-11? In prison

(5) Daniel 4:4-5? In a king's palace

(6) Matthew 17:1-6? On a mountain

(7) 1 Kings 19:9-13? In a cave

(8) Genesis 28:10-17? On a stone heap

(9) Judges 6:11-12? Under an oak tree

(10) Luke 1:8-21? In a place of worship

4. In what circumstances were "visions of God" experienced in:

(1) Luke 1:8-11? While performing a religious duty

(2) 1 Kings 19:19-21? While performing a mundane duty

(3) Genesis 32:1, 24-32? On a journey

(4) Numbers 12:1-9? After incurring the Lord's anger

(5) 2 Kings 20:1-6? During a time of sickness

(6) Matthew 2:12-13? In a time of danger

(7) Acts 13:1-2? While ministering unto the Lord

(8) Acts 27:20-24? In a hopeless situation

(9) Genesis 22:9-13? In a time of testing

(10) 1 Kings 19:1-8? During a time of discouragement

C. NATURE OF "VISIONS OF GOD"

1. Point out the specific nature of "visions of God" from:

(1) Isaiah 6:1 - A revelation OF God

(2) 2 Kings 6:17 - A revelation FROM God

(3) Genesis 18:33 - A conversation WITH God

(4) 2 Samuel 7:4-5 - A communication FROM God

(5) Deuteronomy 29:29 - Insight into the secrets of God

2. Show that God does reveal secrets as seen in:

(1) Daniel 2:28 - "There is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets"

(2) Daniel 2:22 - "He revealeth the deep and secret things"

(3) Proverbs 3:32 - "His secret is with the righteous"

(4) Psalm 25:14 - "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him"

(5) Amos 3:7 - "He revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets"

3. What is evident from Deuteronomy 29:29? That there are secrets which belong unto the Lord our God alone and should therefore not be intruded by the fleshly mind, Colossians 2:18

4. Enumerate some things which "belong unto us" as seen in:

(1) Mark 4:11-12, 34 - The secrets of the kingdom

(2) Psalm 103:7 - The secret of his ways

(3) Psalm 103:7 - The secret of his acts

(4) 1 Samuel 3:7 - The secret of his word (voice)

(5) Psalm 31:20 - The secret of his presence

(6) Ezekiel 1:1-28 - The secret of his glory

D. THE SECRET OF HIS GLORY

1. Note what was revealed to Ezekiel in:

(1) Ezekiel 8:4 - The presence of the glory

(2) Ezekiel 1:28 - The likeness of the glory

(3) Ezekiel 1:5-14 - The mystery of the glory

(4) Ezekiel 1:15-19 - The activity of the glory

(5) Ezekiel 1:20-21 - The dynamic of the glory

2. Observe the steps of the departure of the glory from:

(1) Ezekiel 9:3 - It is gone up from the cherub, its normal abiding place

(2) Ezekiel 10:4 - It is standing over the threshold thereby indicating that it is on its way out

(3) Ezekiel 10:18 - It is standing over the cherubims, having left the threshold and the Holy of Holies

(4) Ezekiel 11:23 - It is standing upon the mountain, having left both the temple and city

3. Give the implication of the fact that the glory "stood":

(1) Over the threshold, Ezekiel 10:4 - It is reluctant to leave the temple and gives time to repent

(2) Over the cherubims, Ezekiel 10:18 - It is reluctant to leave the Jewish religious system and gives more time to repent

(3) Upon the mountain, Ezekiel 11:23 - It is reluctant to leave the land and gives additional time to repent

4. What is to be observed from Ezekiel 43:2 and 44:4? That the glory will return following Israel's repentance and their acceptance of the Messiah in the last days

5. Point out the implication of the fact that the glory left and returned by way of the east, Ezekiel 11:23 and 44:4. The conditions which compelled its departure must be reversed to make possible its return

E. THE SECRET OF HIS PRESENCE

1. Concerning the presence of God, what is learned from:

(1) Jeremiah 23:24? That it is present everywhere

(2) 1 Samuel 3:10? That it can also be made perceivable by the human faculties such as hearing

2. To what is the presence of God likened in:

(1) Psalm 31:20? To a shelter (a place of protection)

(2) Exodus 33:12-14? To a companion (an associate or partner)

(3) Exodus 13:21-22? To a guide (Numbers 9:15-23)

(4) Luke 6:3-4? To bread (shewbread), lit. "bread of presence"

(5) Psalm 71:3? To a resort (a frequented place) John 18:2

(6) Psalm 15:1-5? To a home (a permanent dwelling place)

3. Who shall find a home in the presence of God, Psalm 15:2-5? He who brings into subjection his entire personality in total conformity to the demands of the laws of God

4. Give the implication of the statement "He that doeth these things shall never be moved" (v. 5): He who thus submits his faculties to the control of God shall never be required to vacate the home of the presence of God

5. To what is the presence of God likened in Isaiah 33:14? To a devouring fire with everlasting burnings, i.e., the ever sanctifying fire of the Spirit of God

6. Those who can stand God's sanctifying fire enjoy what privileges according to Isaiah 33:14-17?

(1) Living in the constant presence of God

(2) Finding in God a perpetual refuge

(3) Receiving all necessary sustenance

(4) Beholding the king in his beauty

E. LOSING THE PRESENCE OF GOD

1. What is evident from Judges 16:20? That it is possible to lose the presence of God

2. How may the presence of God be lost in the light of:

(1) Genesis 3:8? By hiding from his presence because of a consciousness of guilt from sinning against God

(2) Genesis 4:14-16? By being deprived of his presence through sinning against man

(3) Jonah 1:1-3? By fleeing from his presence in refusal to do his will

(4) Judges 16:1-31? By trifling with the secret of consecration and its consequent loss

(5) 1 Samuel 15:22-23, 16:14? By infringement of his sovereignty through a deliberate act of disobedience

(6) Ezekiel 8:1-18? By idolatrous substitution of God with practices and attitudes that infringe upon his deity

(7) Song of S. 5:2-8? By reluctance to respond to the approach of his presence because of inconvenience

(8) Hosea 2:5? By disinterest in his presence because of preference for other objects of affection

(9) Luke 2:41-46? By neglect of his presence through preoccupation with other interests

(10) Revelation 3:20-22? By failure to make use of a given opportunity through sheer unwillingness to respond to his call

3. Comment on Exodus 19:12, 21-24: Man's condition may constitute a barrier between himself and God

F. KEEPING THE PRESENCE OF GOD

1. Show how the presence of God may be kept as seen in:

(1) Isaiah 33:14-17 - By rectitude of life in conformity with the nature and laws of God

(2) 1 Chronicles 15:1 - By making room for his presence through the elimination of things that merely clutter our lives and waste our time

(3) 1 Chronicles 15:1 - By protecting the presence of God against the encroachment of things that are incompatible with his presence and tend to displace it

(4) Hosea 5:6, 15 - By the avoidance of those things which oblige God to withdraw his presence as a corrective disciplinary measure

2. To what is the absence of the presence of God in Job 23:3, 8-9 due in the light of Job 23:10?

(1) To the necessity of testing Job because of Satan's challenge in Job 1:6-12 and 2:1-8

(2) To the opportunity provided by this necessity, namely:

a. The opportunity to humble Job because of his overconfident assertions, Job 42:3

b. The opportunity to refine Job because of his proclaimed self-righteousness, Job 29:1-25, 42:5-6

3. How did Job react to the absence of God's presence in Job 23:

10 and so prepare the way for its restoration? By his confident affirmation of:

(1) God's cognizance of his state ("he knoweth the way that I take")

(2) God's activity in his state ("when he hath tried me")

(3) God's purpose with his state ("I shall come forth as gold")

UNDERSTANDING IN "VISIONS OF GOD"

A. NEED OF UNDERSTANDING

1. Wherein do we need understanding according to:

(1) 2 Chronicles 26:5? In divine communication (Daniel 1:17)

(2) Mark 12:24? In the Scriptures (Luke 24:45)

(3) Mark 12:24? In the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18)

(4) Jeremiah 9:23-24? In the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10)

2. How is this need of understanding seen in:

(1) Job 33:23? There is a scarcity of interpreters of God

(2) Daniel 5:12? There is a need for dissolvers of doubts

(knots) - mysteries beyond natural understanding

3. Note man's proper attitude toward the knowledge of God in:

(1) Proverbs 2:4 - It should be highly valued

(2) Proverbs 2:3 - It should be earnestly desired

(3) Proverbs 2:4 - It should be diligently sought

4. Comment on Jeremiah 9:6: The knowledge of God can be rejected by sheer dishonesty

5. Note God's attitude toward man's knowledge of God in:

(1) John 17:3 - He desires man to know him

(2) Amos 5:8 - He exhorts man to know him

(3) Jeremiah 24:7 - He enables man to know him

(4) Zephaniah 3:17 - He rejoices when man knows him

(5) Exodus 33:13 - We may pray to know him

B. IMPARTATION OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD

1. Observe three major media which God employs in imparting the knowledge of God as seen in:

(1) Exodus 31:12-18 - Communication (Galatians 2:2)

(2) John 14:9 - Association (Psalm 25:14)

(3) 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 - Revelation (Ephesians 3:3)

2. What three forms of communication are seen in:

(1) 2 Peter 1:17-21? The written word (Romans 4:3)

(2) John 17:8? The spoken word (1 Corinthians 1:21)

(3) John 1:1, 14:6? The Living Word (John 5:39-40)

3. What three forms of association are seen in:

(1) Genesis 17:1? Walking BEFORE God in sanctification

(2) 2 Kings 23:3? Walking AFTER God in obedience

(3) Genesis 5:22, 24? Walking WITH God in fellowship

4. Concerning revelation, what is to be observed from Ephesians 1:15-19?

(1) Our need of enlightenment by the spirit of revelation

(2) Our need of the spirit of wisdom to make proper use of this revelation

5. Comment on:

(1) 1 Corinthians 2:11-12 - Only the Spirit of God knows the things

of God, therefore the things of God cannot be known apart from the Spirit of God

(2) 1 Corinthians 2:13 - The communication of spiritual things requires the employment of spiritual language

(3) 1 Corinthians 2:14 - The unspiritual man is incapable of understanding spiritual things for he lacks spiritual discernment and therefore not only rejects, but also ridicules them

6. Wherein do the following scriptures show the superiority of divine revelation?

(1) Isaiah 55:9? In that the ways of God are higher than the ways of man

(2) Isaiah 55:9? In that the thoughts of God are higher than the thoughts of man

(3) 1 Corinthians 1:25? In that the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of man

(4) 1 Corinthians 1:25? In that the weakness of God is stronger than the strength of man.

(5) 1 Corinthians 2:9-10? In that revelation goes beyond the capability of the natural faculties of man

7. In the light of the following scriptures, divine revelation is not necessarily consonant with what?

(1) 1 Corinthians 1:25-29? Human logic

(2) Joshua 6:1-20? Classical methods

(3) 1 Samuel 16:1-13? Human expectations

(4) 1 Samuel 17:38-50? Orthodox means

(5) Judges 11:1; Hebrews 11:32? Social status (1 Samuel 2:8)

(6) Matthew 20:25-27? Rules of protocol

(7) Hebrews 11:3? Scientific premises

(8) Mark 7:3, 13? Religious traditions

(9) John 4:9? Ecclesiastical prejudices

(10) Luke 9:59-62; 10:4? Cultural patterns

(11) Mark 12:19-25? Social concepts

(12) John 7:15; Acts 4:13? Current academic standards

(13) 2 Timothy 4:16? Popular opinion

8. Religious traditions can do what, Mark 7:7-13?

(1) Reject and nullify God's word

(2) Substitute man's doctrines for God's

C. CATEGORIES OF "HEARERS"

1.Into what two categories did Jesus divide his hearers in Matthew 11:25-26? The wise and the prudent

2. Who are the "wise and prudent" in the light of:

(1) 1 Corinthians 1:18-29? The wise after the flesh

(2) Romans 12:16? The wise in their own conceits

(3) John 6:41-42? The prejudiced

(4) John 6:52? The rationalists

3. What is evident from Matthew 13:15? That there are those who are willfully predisposed against the truth

4. To the predisposed against the truth, Jesus said what in:

(1) Matthew 13:10-11? That unto them the understanding of the mysteries of the kingdom of God is not given

(2) Matthew 13:12? That from them will be taken that knowledge they seem to have (Luke 8:18)

5. What astounding truth is evident from:

(1) Matthew 11:25? That God deliberately withholds the knowledge of the truth from the wise and prudent

(2) Matthew 11:26? That God does this because he deems it good in his sight

"IS THE SEER HERE?" 1 Samuel 9:11

A. MEANING OF "SEER"

1. Point out the meaning of the term "seer" from:

(1) 1 Samuel 9:9 - It is another term for "prophet"

(2) 2 Samuel 15:27 - One who sees, inferring that he has received a communication from God

(3) 2 Chronicles 33:18 - One who speaks in the name of God

(4) 1 Peter 4:11 - One who speaks as the oracle of God

(5) Exodus 4:15-16 - One who speaks as the mouthpiece of God

2. Note the historic attitudes toward the "seer" of God in:

(1) Amos 7:12 - "0 thou seer, go, flee thee away"

(2) Amos 7:13 - "Prophecy not again any more at Bethel" (lit. "house of God")

(3) Isaiah 30:10 - "Prophecy not unto us right things; speak unto us smooth things"

(4) 2 Chronicles 16:10 - ' 'Asa was wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house"

(5) 2 Chronicles 18:23 (16-26) - "Then Zedekiah . . . smote Micaiah upon the cheek"

(6) Luke 11:51 - "From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias which perished between the altar and the temple"

3. What is evident from Lamentations 2:14? That there are "seers" with false visions

4. What is to be learned from the following passages concerning false prophets?

(1) Jeremiah 14:14; 23:21? That they speak without having heard from God and been commissioned by God

(2) Deuteronomy 18:22; Jeremiah 23:16, 26? That they speak by presumption, and not by revelation

(3) Jeremiah 23:21 - That they run without being sent

(4) Proverbs 25:14? That they disappoint expectations

(5) Jeremiah 23:32? That they do not benefit the hearers

(6) Jeremiah 23:28? That their words are mere chaff

5. What is evident from Jeremiah 23:28? That there are true proph11,, ets with a true vision from God

6. What is to be learned from the following passages concerning true prophets?

(1) 1 Samuel 3:20? That they speak with divine authorization

(2) Zechariah 7:12? That they have a message to convey

(3) Jeremiah 25:4? That they go because they are sent

(4) Hosea 12:10? That they are indeed God's mouthpiece

7. To what does God liken the words of the true prophet in:

(1) Jeremiah 23:28? To wheat that nourishes (Psalm 147:14)

(2) Jeremiah 23:29? To fire that kindles (Luke 24:32)

(3) Jeremiah 23:29? To a hammer that is effective (Isaiah 55:11)

B. THE PROPHET AS A "SEER"

1. What do we learn from John 3:32 and Acts 4:20? That the prophet of God speaks what he has seen and heard from God

2. What, for example, might a prophet see according to:

(1) 1 Kings 14:1-6? The hidden identity of a man's wife

(2) 2 Kings 5:20-27? The covetousness of a servant

(3) 2 Chronicles 18:18-24? A scene in heaven as the secret of a scene on earth

(4) Acts 5:1-11? The secret counsels of the human heart

(5) Acts-11:27-30? The coming of a future event

(6) John 4:5-29? The marital status of a woman

(7) Revelation 2:1-3:22? The true condition of the churches

3. What, for example, might a prophet hear according to:

(1) 1 Kings 13:1-16? Instructions concerning a journey

(2) Jeremiah 1:4-8, 17? Exhortation in timidity and fearfulness

(3) Jeremiah 1:18-19? Assurance in time of opposition

(4) Jeremiah 11:18-19? Disclosure of personal danger

(5) Jeremiah 15:10-11? Comfort in time of distress

(6) Ezekiel 3:16-21? Warning regarding responsibility

(7) Jonah 3:1-2? Reproof for disobedience

C. IMPLICATIONS OF A PROPHET'S MINISTRY

1. What is to be observed in:

(1) Ezekiel 2:8-9? The hand of divine Providence brings to the prophet all that touches him

(2) Ezekiel 2:10? The prophet is made aware of the implications of his ministry

2. Note the implications of his ministry from Ezekiel 2:10:

(1) Lamentations - Audible expressions of sorrow

(2) Mourning - A state of distressing sadness

(3) Woe - The consequences of men's rebellion

3. Comment on Ezekiel 3:1-4 and Revelation 10:8-10: The prophet must eat his message, not only in the acceptance of the truth, but also in its application in personal experiences

4. What is meant by:

(1) "Honey for sweetness?" The Word of God is sweet to those whose delight is God (Psalm 40:8)

(2) "My belly was bitter?" The suffering involved in the application of the word to personal experience

5. In Ezekiel 2:6 the prophet is informed that "briars and thorns" would he with him. Suggest the implications from:

(1) Ezekiel 2:6 - The people's words (Jeremiah 18:18)

(2) Ezekiel 2:6 - The people's looks (Jeremiah 1:8, 17)

(3 Ezekiel 3:7 - The people's attitude (Ezekiel 33:30-33)

D. THE PROPHET'S DIET, 2 Chronicles 18:26

1. Suggest the nature of the prophet's bread from:

(1) Matthew 13:54-59 - Blind prejudice (John 9:1-34)

(2) John 7:5 - Disbelieving rejection (Acts 7:25)

(3) Mark 15:7-11 - Malicious envy (Acts 7:9)

(4) Luke 6:22-23 - Social segregation (Psalm 69:8)

(5) John 15:18-19, 25 - Unmerited hatred (Genesis 37:4)

(6) 2 Timothy 4:14-15 - Hostile opposition (Acts 18:5-6)

(7) Matthew 9:24 - Scornful ridicule (2 Chronicles 36:16)

(8) Psalm 69:7, 9 - Unjust reproaches (Hebrews 11:26)

(9) John 6:60, 66 - Cruel desertion (2 Timothy 4:10)

(10) Galatians 5:11; 6:12 - Painful persecution (John 15:20-21)

2. Suggest the nature of the prophet's cup from:

(1) Ezekiel 3:1; 2:8 - Submission (Luke 22:42)

(2) Ezekiel 3:22-23 - Obedience (1 Kings 20:35-37)

(3) Isaiah 20:2-4 - Humiliation (Acts 5:41)

(4) Ezekiel 3:24 - Isolation (Jeremiah 15:17)

(5) Ezekiel 3:25 - Restraint (Jeremiah 20:2; 33:1-16)

(6) Ezekiel 3:26 - Silence (Jeremiah 28:11; 2 Kings 4:29)

(7) Ezekiel 4:10 - Privation (Jeremiah 38:9; 37:21)

(8) Ezekiel 4:12 - Suffering (Psalm 129:3; 66:12; 69:20-21)

(9) Ezekiel 24:16-18 - Hidden sorrow (Luke 2:35; Ezekiel 21:6)

(10) John 16:32 - Aloneness (Lamentations 3:28;1:12)

3. Comment on Matthew 20:20-23:

(1) Our ignorance of the cost of position might be as great as our ambition for position

(2) Sharing his throne involves sharing his cup

4. By what is the prophet of God sustained in:

(1) John 4:32-34? By his delight in, and performance of, the will of God

(2) Jeremiah 15:16? By his rejoicing in, and personal appropriation of, the word of God

(3) Acts 23:11? By the interposition of, and strengthening by, the personal presence of the Lord

(4) 1 Kings 19:5-8? By the appearance of, and the provisions supplied by, an angel of the Lord

E. THE PROPHET'S REWARD, Matthew 10:41

1. Comment on Peter's question in Matthew 19:27: There is a danger of a commercial motive - serving God for what we can get, rather than for what he is

2. The Lord's reply in Mark 10:28-30 shows what?

(1) That reward is commensurate with sacrifice

(2) That reward is both present and future

3. How must rewarded sacrifice be motivated as seen in:

(1) Mark 10:29; Lu. 6:22? For his sake

(2) Mark 10:29; 8:35? For the gospel's sake

(3) 1 Corinthians 9:17; 1 Peter 5:2? With a willing mind

4. In what sense can we have a hundred-fold in this present life, Mark 10:30? In that the joy and satisfaction is many times greater than that which we would receive from the things sacrificed

5. Comment on Hebrews 11:24-26: A due regard for the recompence of the reward will minimize the severity of our afflictions and thus increase our ability to endure them (Hebrews 11:27; Matthew 10:22)

6. Comment on Luke 6:23: Whatever the nature of the reward, it will be so great as to merit jubilant rejoicing and exceeding gladness in its very anticipation