There are several sources by which God Almighty reveals His plan for humanity.  One source has been available to all peoples in all times.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.  Romans 1:18-20  NASB

Many people have testified about finding God Almighty in nature or in the expanse of the universe, and this scripture supports such testimony.

For instance, consider this.

Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years.”  Genesis 1:14  NASB

This scripture tells us that the stars and other heavenly bodies are there as signs, meaning that they have a message.  E. W. Bullinger in The Witness of the Stars, 1893 (The Witness of the Stars by E. W. Bullinger – Free Ebook (gutenberg.org]) writes that God Almighty and His plan were revealed, prior to the written record, in the stars through the constellations of the zodiac.  Here, in his own words, is Mr. Bullinger’s message:

To an observer on earth the whole firmament, together with the sun, appears to revolve in a circle once in twenty-four hours.  But the time occupied by the stars in going round, differs from the time occupied by the sun.  This difference amounts to about one-twelfth part of the whole circle in each month, so that when the circle of the heavens is divided up into twelve parts, the sun appears to move each month through one of them.  This path which the sun thus makes amongst the stars is called the Ecliptic.

Each of these twelve parts (consisting each of about 30 degrees) is distinguished, not by numbers or by letters, but by pictures and names, and this, as we have seen, from the very earliest times. 

These signs have always and everywhere been preserved in [the same] order, and have begun with Aries.  They have been known amongst all nations, and in all ages, thus proving their common origin from one source.

These pictures were designed to preserve, expound, and perpetuate the one first great promise and  prophecy of Genesis 3:15, that all hope for Man, all hope for Creation, was bound up in a coming Redeemer; One who should be born of a woman; who should first suffer, and afterwards gloriously triumph; One who should first be wounded by that great enemy who was the cause of all sin and sorrow and death, but who should finally crush the head of “that Old Serpent the Devil.”

These ancient star-pictures reveal this Coming One.  They set forth “the sufferings of Christ and the Glory that should follow.”  Altogether there are forty-eight of them, made up of twelve SIGNS, each sign containing three CONSTELLATIONS.

Mr. Bullinger’s thesis is that the redemption story, God Almighty’s plan for the world, has always been and still is displayed in the annual appearance of the constellations of the zodiac.  And, as is nearly always true, the clear message from God Almighty is distorted and perverted until it is unrecognizable.  Thus, the message contained in the zodiac has been perverted through astrology into ambiguous, daily, help messages.

In developing this manuscript, we have used two sources by which God Almighty reveals Himself and His plan to humanity.  One is the Bible, a written record of God Almighty’s revelation to humanity.  The Bible includes a historical record of a branch of humanity from the beginning of humanity’s appearance upon earth to Jesus Christ, and recorded events provide symbolism and foreshadowing of things that will occur in the physical and spiritual realms.

The Bible tells us that God Almighty spoke to the man Adam, to Abram/Abraham, to Moses, to the prophets, to Jesus, and to the disciples, and many of these men wrote portions of Scripture.  The Bible was written by humans, which allows that there may be error or misrepresentation.  However, major contributors to the Bible had significant spiritual experiences.

Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend.  …  Exodus 33:11  NASB

Speaking face to face with God Almighty for 40 years undoubtedly makes Moses uniquely qualified to write about God Almighty.  Evidently, the apostle Paul wrote only a portion of what he saw or heard in the third heaven/Paradise.

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago–whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows–such a man was caught up to the third heaven.  And I know how such a man–whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows–was caught up into Paradise, and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.  2Corinthians 12:2-4  NASB

John the revelator had a wondrous episode in the Spirit.

I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet,  Revelation 1:10  NASB

These experiences are a clear indication that those who wrote the Bible were profoundly inspired by God Almighty.

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.  2Timothy 3:16-17  NASB

The second source for obtaining an understanding of God Almighty’s plan for humanity is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God Almighty as a gift to humanity.

For to us God revealed them through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.  For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him?  Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.  1 Corinthians 2:10-13  NASB

In this scripture, the Apostle Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament, tells us that his wisdom was not derived from the human mind but was wisdom from the Spirit of God Almighty.  Likewise Jesus obtained His knowledge from the Spirit and not from humanity.

But when it was now the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and began to teach.  The Jews therefore were marveling, saying, “How has this man become learned, having never been educated?”  Jesus therefore answered them, and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.”  John 7 14-16  NASB

Furthermore, the apostle Paul tells us that this wisdom of the Spirit is available to all of us.

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.  Ephesians 1:17  NASB

We as humans often receive the teachings and truths from the Holy Spirit as inspiration or sudden insight.  But then, Satan deceives the whole world by the same processes (Rev 12:9).  However, to help humanity, one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is discernment of spirits.

For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit,, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.  1Corinthians 12:8-10  NASB

Spiritual maturity brings discernment of the source of an inspiration or idea.

For every one who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.  But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.  Hebrews 5:13-14  NASB

If one does not gain wisdom and understanding from the Spirit of God Almighty, then the alternative is disaster.

For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.  Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them.  For they exchanged the truth for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.  Romans 1:21-25  NASB

For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and despised, God has chosen, the things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are, that no man should boast before God.  1Corinthinans 1:26-29  NASB

It is not the human mind that searches and discovers knowledge of God Almighty, but it is the Spirit of God Almighty who brings to the human mind an understanding of the things of God Almighty.

Both the Bible and the Holy Spirit have been sources for me for acquiring understanding of God Almighty’s plan.  The Bible was presented to me, by those who came before me, as the sacred word of God Almighty.  Since then, I have faced my own doubts and heard those of others.  But after a time, my own experiences, corroborated by other believers, confirmed that the Bible is unique in the ability to transform lives.  Furthermore, study of the Bible aided by the Holy Spirit has strengthened my belief that the Bible is God Almighty’s written word and the blueprint for His creation.

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.  Hebrews 11:6  NASB

For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,  Colossians 1:9  NASB

The Bible is interactive because God Almighty responds to one’s faith that the Bible is His revelation of Himself by rewarding the believer with spiritual wisdom and understanding through the Holy Spirit.

Initially, I wondered if there was specific training required for comprehending scripture, but then I understood that revelations of the Holy Spirit are not dependent upon a particular mindset.  Therefore, to the study of scripture, I have applied logic, inductive and deductive reasoning, and common sense, the very things which any of us would use to solve problems in and to gain understanding of the physical realm.  In addition, I have searched the Bible with faith that the Spirit of God Almighty will provide spiritual wisdom and understanding of what is contained in the Bible.  When the meaning of a scripture was unclear or a scripture was in conflict with popular teaching or several scriptures seemed to be contradictory, I trusted the Holy Spirit to make sense of such conundrums, and I have not been disappointed.  Now, after six decades of study, contemplation, and prayer, I offer for the reader’s consideration the knowledge that God has granted me through the Holy Spirit.  This manuscript is not a compilation of others’ thinking but is built upon scripture, divine inspiration, and revelation by the Holy Spirit.  This study is about what scriptures say, and my comments are only to assist in moving from scripture to scripture.

Any truth about God Almighty must be consistent with and supported by scriptures of the Bible, because the final source of establishing truth about God Almighty or His plan for humanity is His written word, the Bible.  Any idea, statement of doctrine, or interpretation not supported by scripture is nothing more than an arbitrary, unsubstantiated declaration, which is unacceptable and must be rejected.  Therefore, I am obligated to establish each and every statement about God’s plan for humanity by scripture, and you will find that the content of this study is developed, supported, and thoroughly documented by copious quotations of scripture.  This level of documentation, though tedious to read, is necessary to ensure validity and accuracy as we proceed through God Almighty’s plan for humanity.

However, there are other perspectives concerning God Almighty and the Bible.  There is a perspective that maximizes humanity and minimizes or even eliminates deity.  Some people with this thinking might seek answers concerning all matters from human thought collected as science.  Others might seek answers to questions concerning spiritual matters from mystic sources.

People will say to you, “Ask for help from mediums and fortunetellers, who whisper and mutter.”  Shouldn’t people ask their God for help instead?  Why should they ask the dead to help the living?  They should go to the teachings and to the written instructions.  If people don’t speak these words, it is because it doesn’t dawn on them.  Isaiah 8:19-20  GODS WORD

Anyone choosing these sources for answers is ignoring an important source of spiritual wisdom and understanding.

Others may have a more “balanced” perspective of humanity and deity.  These acknowledge God Almighty’s existence and may even have experienced a spiritual component in their lives, but they deny much, if any, involvement by God Almighty in the affairs of humanity.  For them, God Almighty, having created the universe and all that is in it, is now passively watching human existence unfold without participation.  A passive Deity would have limited, if any, involvement in the canonization of the His teachings in the Bible.  (What is the point of intercessory prayer to a passive Deity?)  These might insist that the Bible is nothing more than collected thoughts of humanity–ancient teachings and myths.  These might insist that the contents of the Bible be measured against and judged by human experience, modern enlightenment, and contemporary mores.

With this “balanced” perspective, some feel entitled to exercise a right of choice over relevance of biblical content, but there is a major problem with such a right of choice.  To illustrate, consider the tax code of the United States as promulgated by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).  The tax code contains the do’s and don’t’s, the right and wrong, of reporting one’s finances to the federal government for taxation purposes.  What is put forth by the IRS is not subject to wide ranging interpretation or judgments of relevance by the individual.  Why?  Because we all know that granting such privileges to taxpayers leads eventually to self-serving rationalizations that ignore the clearly expressed intent of the code.  Given the known, human propensity to rationalize self-interest, why would God Almighty grant to us in matters regarding eternal life that which we do not grant to each other regarding reporting finances for tax purposes?   Therefore, God Almighty has not granted readers the right to determine relevance of the content of the Bible.  Those who make judgments of relevance substitute the imaginations of the mind for the word and power of God Almighty.

For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE.”  Where is the wise man?  Where is the scribe?  Where is the debater of this age?  Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?  For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.  1Corinthians 1:18-21  NASB

Scripture makes it clear that we are to accept by faith that the Bible, though written and complied by humanity, is the sacred word of God Almighty.

The manuscripts that make up the Old Testament were written in ancient Hebrew, and the originals of the New Testament were written in Greek.  Therefore, any study of the Bible using the English language, as we are doing, must be done using translations of the original documents into English, and we are fortunate to have a plethora of such translations.  All cited scriptures are highlighted in red and are identified by the translation, but most are from the New American Standard Bible(NASB), 1973 (newer editions vary slightly).  In most instances, the complete thought (i.e., sentence) is included in order to provide context and to assist in ascertaining an accurate understanding of the scripture.

There will be times when we suspect that the intended meaning of a word or verse got lost in the translation.  In that case, we can go to the text in the original language and look at specific words in search of the most precise and/or consistent meaning for that word and ultimately the verse.  Our source for identifying the word used in the original text is Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, in which each word in English is identified with the Hebrew or Greek word from which it was translated.