In my quest for the truth hidden within scripture I have found one thing that stands out, and it is that GOD in an effort to bring things to our attention by repeating those areas of greatest importance within the same chapter and often close together. But in the new witness Paul made use of the term "therefore" to bring out the important things that were relational in his revelation of Christ in us as He was in the man Jesus. This was hidden first in Genesis chapters 1-3 and then later on around chapter 12, not discounting Enoch or Noah and their relationship with Christ as a shadowy figure. Now to pull some of this together while remaining in Romans 11-2:2. I want to look at first "GODs being veiled and then GODs being Invisible" these first before knowledge withheld and then the secret things that belong to GOD.
GOD Veiled, GOD spoken of as hiding Himself,
Job 23:8-17 "Behold, I go forward, but He is not there, and backward, but I do not perceive Him; on the left hand when He is working, I do not behold Him; He turns to the right hand, but I do not see Him. For He knows the way that I take; when He has tried me, I will come out as gold. My foot has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and have not turned aside. I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my portion of food. For He is unchangeable, and who can turn Him back? What He desires, that He does. For He will complete what He appoints for me, and many such things are with Him. Therefore I am terrified at His presence; when I consider, I am in dread of Him. GOD has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me; yet I am not silenced because of the darkness, nor because thick darkness covers my face."
Psalm 10:1-2 "Why, O LORD, do You stand far away? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble? In arrogance the wicked hotly (burn in their) pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised."
Psalm 13:1-2 "How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?"
Psalm 89:46 "How long, O LORD? Will You hide Yourself forever? How long will Your wrath burn like fire [in man]? Remember how short my time is! For what vanity You have created in all the children of man! What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol [hells fire]?"
Isaiah 45:14-17 "Thus says the LORD: "The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, and the Sabeans, men of stature, will come over to you and be yours; they will follow you; they will come over in chains and bow down to you. They will plead with you, saying: 'Surely God is in you, and there is no other, no god besides Him.'" Truly, You are a God who hides Himself, O God of Israel, the Savior. All of them are put to shame and confounded; the makers of idols go in confusion together. But Israel is saved by the LORD with everlasting salvation; You will not be put to shame or confounded to all eternity."
GOD Invisible, to man,
Exodus 33:17-23 with Job 9:11, 23:8 "The LORD said to Moses, "This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name." Moses said, "Please show me Your glory." And the LORD said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you My name 'The LORD.' And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. Then,"He said, "you cannot see My face, for man shall not see Me and live." And the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by Me where you will stand on the rock, and while My glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away My hand, and you will see My back, but My face shall not be seen."
Job 9:1-12 "Then Job answered and said: "Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God? If one wished to contend with Him, one could not answer Him once in a thousand times. He is wise in heart and mighty in strength —who has hardened himself against Him, and succeeded?—He who removes mountains, and they know it not, when He overturns them in His anger, who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble; who commands the sun, and it does not rise; who seals up the stars; who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea; who made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the chambers of the south; who does great things beyond searching out, and marvelous things beyond number. Behold, He passes by me, and I see Him not; He moves on, but I do not perceive Him. Behold, He snatches away; who can turn Him back? Who will say to Him, 'What are You doing?'"
Job 23:8-17 "Behold, I go forward, but He is not there, and backward, but I do not perceive Him; on the left hand when He is working, I do not behold Him; He turns to the right hand, but I do not see Him. But He knows the way that I take; when He has tried me, I will come out as gold. My foot has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and have not turned aside. I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my portion of food. For He is unchangeable, and who can turn Him back? What He desires, that He does. For He will complete what He appoints for me, and many such things are with Him. Therefore I am terrified at His presence; when I consider, I am in dread of Him. GOD has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me; yet I am not silenced because of the darkness, nor because thick darkness covers my face."
John 1:14-18 "The Word became (put on) flesh and dwelt among us (for a short while), and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John [the baptizer] bore witness about Him, and cried out, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because He was before me.'") For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, He has made Him known.
John 5:30, 31-47 (Jesus is speaking) "I can do nothing on My own. As I hear, I judge, and My judgment is just, because I seek not My own will but the will of Him Who sent Me.
If I alone bear witness about Myself, My testimony is not true. There is another who bears witness about Me, and I know that the testimony that He bears about Me is true.
The Witness of John,
You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.
The Witness of the works,
But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given Me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about Me that the Father has sent Me. The Witness of the Father,
The Father who sent Me has Himself bares witness about Me. His voice you have never heard, His form you have never seen, and you do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom HE has sent.
The Witness of Scripture,
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me that you may have life. I do not receive glory from people. For I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from only God? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"
Colossians 1:15-20 "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in [because of] Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is [has existed prior to] before all things, and in Him all things hold [endure] together. And He is the head of the Body, the Church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood (2:13) of His cross."
1Timothy 1:12-17 "I thank Him Who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our LORD, because He judged me faithful, appointing me to His service, though formerly I (as a Pharisee) was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our LORD overflowed for me with His faith light Life and love that are in Christ, as in Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. For I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display His perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe Him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. The Amen."
1Timothy 6:11-16 with 1John 4:12 "As for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, Who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, Who in His testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will display at the proper time—HE Who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and LORD of lords, Who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, Whom no one has ever seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion. The Amen."
1John 4:7-14 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from GOD, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that HE loves us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [2:2 our satisfaction] for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen GOD; if we love one another, GOD abides in us and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and HE in us, because HE has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world."
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