Biblical Concept: Omniscience and the Empty-Vain-Veil

Omniscience (A quick documentation)

^NASPsalm 147:4 He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them.

Stars illustrate God’s Omniscience.

NASA: We believe that there are on the order of 10²¹ stars in our Universe. If you write that number out, it looks like this: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.

Now some scientists say multiply the previous numbers by 3: “A new study suggests there are a mind-blowing 300 sextillion of them, or three times as many as scientists previously calculated. That is a 3 followed by 23 zeros. Or 3 trillion times 100 billion.” (By name.) (Unlikely, the omnipotence to create, is not backed by omniscience.)

Empty-Vain-Veil

So, since God is omniscient why bother to do anything? You know how it will all turn out.

However, God has this very interesting ability to veil / empty His attributes. Philippians 2:1-11 is the passage and verse 7 is the specific pertinent description:

Philippians 2:1-11 ¹ If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, ² make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. ³ Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; ⁴ do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. ⁵ Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

“Emptied” in verse 7 is keno,w / kenoo (empty, vain) and describes part of a process whereby One of Members of the Triune God of the Bible became part of His creation via a human womb. This Member of the Biblical Triune God, chose to not utilize His fullest of deity while on earth for an approximate 33-year period. This Member would operate according to God the Father’s will and be empowered by God the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus Christ is His name.

Ability to empty Himself of various Divine attributes, for a time, included a laying aside of His omniscience. By doing this, He became lower than angels and qualified to overcome: sin, death, and the Devil.

Ability to empty Himself of His Divine abilities, for a time, might also describe why God chose to do anything. God has the ability to be linear in His personal existence. God has the ability to enjoy the moment, the process, the creation. A veiled linear God has the ability to enjoy the actions of angels, men, animals, and other moving objects in the heavenly and four-dimensional universes. (See Biblical Concept: The Linear Aspect of God.)

Ability to empty Divine attributes might also describe way to unplug from the other Members of the Triunity and enjoy aloneness?

The emptying of Divine attributes provides a solution to many Biblical statements that appear paradoxical to an omniscient God. For example, in:

Genesis 6:5-7 ⁵ Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ⁶ And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. ⁷ And the LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them." (Underlines are mine.)

Instead of a flaw in God’s omniscience / plan / thinking, a veiled-linear-reality-aspect of God is on display.

When you come upon a Biblical statement at odds with God’s omniscience, try applying “Omniscience and the Empty-Vain-Veil.”

Conceptually related verses:

John 17:1-5 ¹ These things Jesus spoke; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify Thy Son, that the Son may glorify Thee, ² even as Thou gavest Him authority over all mankind, that to all whom Thou hast given Him, He may give eternal life. ³ "And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. ⁴ "I glorified Thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which Thou hast given Me to do. ⁵ "And now, glorify Thou Me together with Thyself, Father, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was. (Jesus empty- vain-veiled His glory for the 33 years of His earthly life.) (The veiled glory was temporary.) (The veiled glory had a purpose: give glory, give eternal life.)

Colossians 2:9 For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form, (Jesus having the ability to empty Himself of aspects of His deity did not mean any loss of Deity.) (Perhaps a veil on Deity is the manner to understand this unique Divine spiritual action.)

2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. (During the 33 years of His earthly life, Jesus veiled His Deity for the sake of others.)

Hebrews 2:9-10 ⁹ But we do see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. ¹⁰ For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. (During the 33 years of His earthly life, Jesus veiled His Deity.) (The empty-vain-veiled Jesus Christ became the uniquely qualified One to save fallen humanity. God poured the sins of the world on Him on The Cross.) (See Biblical Concept: Christ and the Cup.)

Hebrews 2:14-18 ¹⁴ Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; ¹⁵ and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. ¹⁶ For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. ¹⁷ Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted. (During the 33 years of His earthly life, Jesus veiled His Deity.) (The empty-vain-veiled Jesus Christ became the uniquely qualified One to save fallen humanity.) (The empty-vain-veiled Jesus Christ became the uniquely qualified One to defeat evil.) (Parts of the Deity of Jesus had to be empty-vain-veiled “to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”)

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever. (During the 33 years of His earthly life, Jesus veiled His Deity. The veiling had / has no effect on His Deity.)

Matthew 24:36 ³⁶ "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. (During the 33 years of His earthly life, Jesus veiled His Deity.) (How does God the Holy Spirit fit into this statement? What sort of veiling occurs amongst / within the Triune God of the Bible? Perhaps the Second and Third members of the Triunity are enjoying the linear progression of events in the Four Dimensional universe of the First Person’s design, by employing a limited veil of Their Deity?)

Mark 9:1-3 ¹ And He was saying to them, "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power." ² And six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up to a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; ³ and His garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them. (The veil is lifted.) (Jesus had to be veiled from conception.)

Other implications of the Divine Veil:

God’s Person is greater than omniscience. He can veil His omniscience whenever He likes to go linear.

Empty-vain-veiled Jesus = worthy

Divine veil, angels, and eternity past. (Angelic sin interruption.)

Divine veil and eternity future. (God will be able to enjoy the spontaneity of volitional creatures.)

Alternate names for Christmas:

Christmas Veil

Incarnation Veil

Hypostatic union Veil

Baby Veil

Birth Veil

Merry Mass of the Veiled Lord Jesus Christ

A-Z

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The following are all of the Bible verses with kenos / kenoo

KENOS

^NASMark 12:3 "And they took him, and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed.

^NASLuke 1:53 "He has filled the hungry with good things; And sent away the rich empty-handed.

^NASLuke 20:10 "And at the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, in order that they might give him some of the produce of the vineyard; but the vine-growers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

¹¹ "And he proceeded to send another slave; and they beat him also and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.

^NASActs 4:25 who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Thy servant, didst say, 'Why did the Gentiles rage, And the peoples devise futile things?

^NAS1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

¹⁴ and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.

⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

^NAS2 Corinthians 6:1 And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain--

^NASGalatians 2:2 And it was because of a revelation that I went up; and I submitted to them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but I did so in private to those who were of reputation, for fear that I might be running, or had run, in vain.

^NASEphesians 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

^NASPhilippians 2:16 holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may have cause to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.

^NASColossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

^NAS1 Thessalonians 2:1 For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain,

^NAS1 Thessalonians 3:5 For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor should be in vain.

^NASJames 2:20 But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?

KENOO

^NASRomans 4:14 For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified;

^NAS1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, that the cross of Christ should not be made void.

^NAS1 Corinthians 9:15 But I have used none of these things. And I am not writing these things that it may be done so in my case; for it would be better for me to die than have any man make my boast an empty one.

^NAS2 Corinthians 9:3 But I have sent the brethren, that our boasting about you may not be made empty in this case, that, as I was saying, you may be prepared;

^NASPhilippians 2:7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

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