revelation. reveal. veil.

for someone like me, who loves words; finding an online etymology dictionary was an incredible find. Etymology is the study of root words and where words come from. i think. to be honest, i am not even sure, but i think so. i just think that words matter. they make up stories, and ultimately, make up THE story. And Jesus Himself that He was the Word (John 1:1).

How we construct sentences matters, the pronouns used (or left out), the adjectives we place to describe an event or a person, can ultimately change the impression of that person. Saying "I love you" but then neglecting that person or behaving in a way contradictory, changes how one might feel about the words "I love you."

Journey 2011 interns and our Choose to Invest staff are all in Kenya. It's been an incredible few months planning for them, writing curriculum, and praying them into their experience. We had a great week together, before their departure last Friday. I remain in America to continue on in my discipleship counseling training. And I get to pray for that team. YES.

Today as I began reading in Galatians (I am going to journey through the "-tians": Galatians, Ephesians, Phillipians, and Colossians - the shorter epistles from Paul), I came across the word Revelation. I have noticed that I have been using this word much lately to describe my conversations or the "waiting-on-God-conversations." It stuck out to me, so I looked it up and found:

REVELA'TION, n. [L. revelatus, revelo. See Reveal.]

1. The act of disclosing or discovering to others what was before unknown to them; appropriately, the disclosure or communication of truth to men by God himself, or by his authorized agents, the prophets and apostles.

How that by revelation he made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in few words. Eph. 3. 2Cor. 12.

2. That which is revealed; appropriately, the sacred truths which God has communicated to man for his instruction and direction. The revelations of God are contained in the Old and New Testament.

3. The Apocalypse; the last book of the sacred canon, containing the prophecies of St. John.

http://1828-dictionary.com/d/search/word,revelation

And then I looked up revelation in the online etymology dictionary and found:

revelation

c.1300, "disclosure of information to man by a divine or supernatural agency," from O.Fr. revelacion, from L. revelationem (nom. revelatio), from revelatus, pp. of revelare (see reveal). General meaning "disclosure of facts" is attested from late 14c.; meaning "striking disclosure" is from 1862. As the name of the last book of the New Testament (Revelation of St. John), it is first attested c.1400 (see apocalypse); as simply Revelations, it is first recorded 1690s.

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=revelation&searchmode=none

So, revelation is a giving of information from God Himself. Revelation cannot happen without God. It's not just knowledge or learnings, it's disclosure of a Supernatural Something.

Revelation is also derived or similar in root to Reveal:

REVE'AL, v.t. [L. revelo; re and velo, to veil.]

1. To disclose; to discover; to show; to make known something before unknown or concealed; as, to reveal secrets.

2. To disclose, discover or make known from heaven. God has been pleased to reveal his will to man.

The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Romans 1.

REVE'AL, n. A revealing; disclosure. [Not in use.]

http://1828-dictionary.com/d/search/word,reveal

reveal

late 14c., from O.Fr. reveler (14c.), from L. revelare "reveal, uncover, disclose," lit. "unveil," from re- "opposite of" + velare "to cover, veil," from velum "a veil" (see veil). Revealed religion, as opposed to natural religion, is attested from 1719.

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=reveal

To reveal something is to bring it out from being covered, to unveil something that is hidden.

{{{{ 2 Corinthians 3:14-18

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

¹⁴ But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil ^[a]remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. ¹⁵ But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; ¹⁶ but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. ¹⁸ But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." }}}}

As a believer, the veil has been taken away from my eyes. I am spiritually alive and spiritually perfect. Now, I have the ability to see things clearly, because they have been revealed to me, by the Spirit of God. And I am, with a revealed face being transformed into the image of my Lord. Amen.

This is me articulating knowledge that I have gained, and praying with you, that it will become more than knowledge and revelation, but also my daily experience of my identity, my position, and my Lord.