What is a manifestation?

[jfrog]

What do yall say a manifestation is? Can you give me examples of things other than God that are also manifestations?

[Sam]

Our term "manifestation" is based on the King James Version of 1 Timothy 3:16 which says:
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh...
KJV

Here are some other translations/version of that passage:

--Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great:
He[a] appeared in a body,[b]...
Footnotes:
1. 1 Timothy 3:16 Some manuscripts God
2. 1 Timothy 3:16 Or in the flesh
(NIV)

--By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness:
He who was revealed in the flesh,...
(NASB)

--This Christian life is a great mystery, far exceeding our understanding, but some things are clear enough:
He appeared in a human body, ...
(The Message)

--And great and important and weighty, we confess, is the hidden truth (the mystic secret) of godliness. He [[a]God] was made visible in human flesh,...
Footnotes:
1. 1 Timothy 3:16 Some manuscripts read "God."
(Amplified Bible)

--Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith:
Christ was revealed in a human body...
(NLT)

--Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:
He[a] was manifested in the flesh,

Footnotes:
1. 1 Timothy 3:16 Greek Who; some manuscripts God; others Which
(ESV)

--And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
God[a] was manifested in the flesh,...
Footnotes:
1. 1 Timothy 3:16 NU-Text reads Who
(NKVV)

--confessedly, great is the secret of piety -- God was manifested in flesh
(YLT)

--And great beyond all question is the mystery of our religion:
He who was manifested in the body...
(NEB)

--And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness, which is, God is manifested in the flesh..."
(1599 Geneva Bible)

--Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great:
He was revealed in flesh,...
(NRSV)

--Great beyond all question is the formerly hidden truth underlying our faith:
He was manifested physically...
(CJB)

--And confessedly great is the mystery of the piety; God made manifest in flesh...
(Apostolic Bible Polyglott)

So, based on these versions, "God" or "He" or "He Who" or "Christ" was
"manifest in the flesh"
"revealed in flesh"
"manifested physically"
"made manifest in flesh"
"manifested in flesh"
"manifested in the body"

The Apostolic Bible Polyglott is a Greek/English interlinear Bible with the Strong's numbers shown for each word. According to that version which uses the term "made manifest" it is the word no. 5319, phaneroo, which means or is translated "to make manifest, or known; to make apparent; to declare."

In my Strong's concordance it says the word means or is translated ""appear, manifestly declare, (make) manifest (forth), shew (self)"

[Timmy]

So, if you have seen a manifestation of God, have you seen God?

[berkeley]

A manifestation is when something from the spiritual realm is made known to someone in the natural realm either through feeling or sight of the one feeling or seeing the manifestation

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by jfrog

What do yall say a manifestation is? Can you give me examples of things other than God that are also manifestations?

1Sa 28:11 Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
1Sa 28:12 And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.
1Sa 28:13 And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.
1Sa 28:14 And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.
1Sa 28:15 And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.
1Sa 28:16 Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?

Dan 8:15 And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man.
Dan 8:16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.
Dan 8:17 So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.
Dan 8:18 Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright.
Dan 8:19 And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.
Dan 8:20 The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.

1Sa 3:21 And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.

Gen 45:1 Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, "Make everyone go out from me." So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

[Sam]

Originally Posted by Timmy

So, if you have seen a manifestation of God, have you seen God?

The invisible God manifested/revealed/made Himself visible/made Himself known in the person of His Son (Colossians 2:9; 1 Timothy 3:16; John 1:18; John 14:9; Hebrews 1:1-2). That's one way we say God manifests Himself.

We also can say God manifests Himself or reveals Himself in the actions of people, in nature, in events, in thoughts He may give us, etc. But we usually mean it in a different way.

We say three "manifestations" because we don't want to say "roles" or "masks" or "offices" or "personalities", or "personas" or (God forbid) "persons."
We would rather choke or gag before saying "persons" because "persons" means something different today than it did 19 centuries ago.