The Trinity and substitution atonement were both developed long after Christ died. Jesus never fully explained His relationship to God, or “how” He redeems people through His death on the cross. Is there a three-in-one God in Heaven? Does God transfer responsibility for sin from one person to another as substitution atonement claims? It seems odd that Christ didn’t tell us exactly what He meant by “Son of God”, and exactly “how” we are redeemed by His death. We should not have such unshakable confidence that what Christ neglected to tell us would be revealed centuries later.
Christians believe that the Holy Spirit is sent to guide us. These revelations of the Trinity and substitution atonement are believed to be from the Holy Spirit. The disagreement within Christianity suggests that there are still secrets being kept. The Holy Spirit guides us in all truth, but this does not mean that all Christians are given all knowledge. Even within the oldest churches like the Catholic and the Orthodox, there is disagreement.
When is Truth Revealed
The Holy Spirit may reveal all truth, but some things are not revealed until a certain time. It certainly is true that some very important information wasn’t revealed by Christ. Knowledge this significant, if not revealed at the first coming of the Messiah, would likely wait to be revealed at an event that has equal or greater significance. That would be the second coming. All will be revealed by the Holy Spirit just as Christ said. Each piece of information will be revealed when the time is right.
One common theme in both the Old and New Testament is that the followers of God in the end times will sing a new song. Eventually the whole world will sing this new song. A song conveys a message. Being a new song means that it is a new message, a new revelation from God. When the Bible talks of this new song there are clues concerning what the message is that is contained in the song.
Psalms 98:1-3 O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen. He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Knowledge is Revealed in the End
This new song or message reveals how the right hand of God has gotten the victory. Since it is a new message then every message or theory before it must have been wrong. Christ is the right hand of God, the one who sits at the right hand of God. Christ has gotten the victory, but according to this passage how He does it is not revealed or made known until the end.
When it is revealed, all the ends of the earth will see it. That wasn’t possible until modern television and computers. God remembering His mercy towards Israel seems to be something that is happening in modern times. This is not to say that everything the church teaches is wrong. Vicarious atonement must be wrong since it did not come from clear revelation from Christ. It is a theory that goes back a long time, but salvation or “how” Christ redeems us is not revealed until the end.
Isaiah 52:15 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
Come Holy Spirit
Christians tend to believe that the “revelation of knowledge” often described in the Bible was fulfilled at the time of Christ. Certainly, there was knowledge revealed at that time. But Christ spoke in parables and clearly didn’t come for the purpose of revealing all knowledge, at least not during His first coming. Did the kings of the earth shut their mouths at Christ? Did He reveal knowledge that they could not answer, but it was impressive enough that they considered it? No, Christ didn’t do this during His first coming. An examination of the many scriptures that relate to this “New Song” or this revelation of knowledge indicates that knowledge is to be revealed in the end times which is clearly well after the time of the first coming of Christ.
1 Peter 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
