In the objective world, there are things—objects—and there are the spatial and situational relations they bear to one another. These two realities—things and their contextual interrelations—comprise the natural order as it appears to us. We do not originate either of them; they exist apart from our will. The world simply is, and it unfolds with or without our involvement. Yet, we do possess the capacity to interact with it: we manipulate it, rearrange it, alter it to suit our needs. Still, this manipulation only changes how things appear or function—it does not alter the fundamental constitution of those things themselves.
Within consciousness, the dual reality of objects and their relations flows inward as phenomena. The totality of this incoming experience consists of the sense-data of the external world. But for the mind not to be overwhelmed or confused, it must separate the incoming stream into distinguishable parts. Thus, we form concepts—voluntary, mental constructs—to organize what is otherwise a chaotic, involuntary influx. These concepts tag and organize particular phenomena: they help us classify, identify, remember, and feel our way through experience.
This division—the objectivity of the outer world, and the subjectivity of mental interpretation—replicates within us the structure of the world itself. Physical law becomes mental law. The mind re-creates, using its own resources, a shadow of the world in which it lives. In this way, concepts are artificial representations of what is taken as real phenomenally from outside to inside. This is the natural relationship between phenomena and concept when we think and experience what we see as reality within us.
But what of the transcendent?
If there are transcendent phenomena, they too arrive involuntarily—perhaps even more so than natural ones, since they originate from beyond the natural world. If not taken for what it is, something alien, and confused by us, we wont know anything about it. Yet the mind still forms concepts to match them, though in this case the conceptual act must be less self-generated if to represent transcendent phenomena accurately. They must be more given by transcendence than made by us. Though still formed in the mind, they are even more uninfluenced only by involuntary phenomenal data. They arise as echoes or interpretations of something foreign, something not reducible to mental habit or cultural inheritance.
Take the example of a book. As a physical object, it is a natural phenomenon—spatial, material, observable. But because it is human-made, its involuntary presence is already mingled with intention. It’s a kind of combination of involuntary objectivity and the subjectivity of the writer. We can pick it up with our hands and when we read it conveys meaning through symbols—language. These symbols generate both phenomenal and conceptual content in the reader that reflect the intention of the writer (unless the editor messes it up!). The phenomenal content of the book is the stream of data, facts, scenes, ideas, and sensory impressions. This is processed by the mind and we form conceptual content over it, forming our own beliefs, principles, emotional responses, and memories.
In phenomenology, mental phenomena refer to the subjective experience of mental objects and forces on the mind. Through repeated encounters, these impressions form beliefs, attitudes, and structures of understanding by which we locate ourselves within reality.
But if the phenomenon is transcendent—if it comes from another realm or a divine source—then the entire process is heightened. We still take it in as a phenomenon, and we still form a concept of it, but the experience is not like encountering a mundane object. It is not merely informative; it is transformative. It impresses not just on the mind, but on the spirit. It carries with it the sense of otherness, authority, power, and personality belonging to the source that sent it.
For instance, if the Bible is treated as a transcendent book—its meaning not merely symbolic, but bearing the power and mind of a divine Author—then reading it is not just reading. It is an experience of contact with another world and the person responsible for it. The phenomena saturate the mind, overwhelming it with a sense of divine proximity. But this can only happen if the book remains fastened to objectivity—anchored in fact, appearance, and fulfilled reality, no just a book of the authors concepts. It must not be reshaped by our internal desires or projections. In the case of the transcendent, if the ideas by the facts its relays are proven accurate and reliable and real, both the phenomena and the concepts we form within our minds to represent it must be taken as gifts, not inventions.
Though this work, when I mention “transcendent phenomena,” I refer both to the information and the ideas that the Bible transmits to consciousness that is experienced in the mind as a God of independent dimensional reality, not an autosuggested, manipulable, temporary, purely ideational idea of the divine. This transcendent phenomena in the mind is produced by messianic prophecy in the reading a book by purportedly by a divine, alien author, confirming the factual reliability of its claims, and experiencing the reality of God after forming an obedient, accurate concept of God in our minds, who is the God of Truth.
Phenomenologists speak of phenomena is ways that center it only on the voluntary ideational side, not the objective side. This is fine for natural phenomena, but not for transcendent phenomena. Christian theologians they do the same thing because it is inconceivable that messianic prophecy is the ultimate form of it, or that there is any ultimate and objective form of it. Phenomena to both is the mental experience of ideas, to Christians by such as “Jesus,” “God,” “love,” “redeemer,” “savior.” The real phenomena is not self-creations but God’s objective and subjective appearance found in the Bible by the messianic revelation of the prophets historically fulfilled by Christ.
The experience of God my messianic prophecy in the mind produces a subjective theophany of Him, which is the NT believers version of the objective theophanic appearances of God we see in the OT. Man is a spiritual subject to a transcendent spiritual object of God’s messianic phenomena, transmitted by the existence and Nature of the divine by the fulfilled prophecies of Jesus, which is now present and actively working in the spirit. Impersonal Fact and personal feeling merge to form faith.
In the objective world, there exist objects and the spatial and situational relations they maintain with one another. These two realities—objects and their contextual interrelations—constitute the natural order as it appears to us. Neither of these realities originates from our will; they exist independently of us. The world simply is, unfolding with or without our involvement. However, we possess the capacity to interact with it: we manipulate, rearrange, and alter it to suit our needs. Yet, this manipulation only changes how things appear or function; it does not alter the fundamental constitution of those things themselves.
Within consciousness, the dual reality of objects and their relations flows inward as phenomena. The totality of this incoming experience consists of the sense-data from the external world. To prevent the mind from becoming overwhelmed or confused, it must separate the incoming stream into distinguishable parts. Thus, we form concepts—voluntary, mental constructs—to organize what would otherwise be a chaotic, involuntary influx. These concepts tag and organize particular phenomena, aiding us in classifying, identifying, remembering, and navigating our experiences.
This division—the objectivity of the outer world and the subjectivity of mental interpretation—mirrors the structure of the world itself within us. Physical law becomes mental law. The mind re-creates, using its own resources, a shadow of the world in which it exists. In this manner, concepts serve as artificial representations of what is phenomenally perceived from the outside to the inside. This illustrates the natural relationship between phenomena and concepts as we think and experience what we perceive as reality within us.
But what of the transcendent?
If transcendent phenomena exist, they too arrive involuntarily—perhaps even more so than natural ones, as they originate from beyond the natural world. If not recognized for what they are, as something alien and potentially confusing, we may remain unaware of them. Nevertheless, the mind still forms concepts to correspond with these phenomena, although in this case, the conceptual act must be less self-generated to accurately represent transcendent phenomena. They must be more given by transcendence than constructed by us. Although still formed in the mind, they are even less influenced by involuntary phenomenal data. They arise as echoes or interpretations of something foreign, something not reducible to mental habit or cultural inheritance.
Consider the example of a book. As a physical object, it is a natural phenomenon—spatial, material, and observable. However, because it is human-made, its involuntary presence is already intertwined with intention. It represents a combination of involuntary objectivity and the subjectivity of the writer. We can physically engage with it, and when we read, it conveys meaning through symbols—language. These symbols generate both phenomenal and conceptual content in the reader that reflect the writer’s intention (unless the editor interferes!). The phenomenal content of the book consists of the stream of data, facts, scenes, ideas, and sensory impressions. This is processed by the mind, leading us to form conceptual content over it, shaping our beliefs, principles, emotional responses, and memories.
In phenomenology, mental phenomena refer to the subjective experience of mental objects and forces on the mind. Through repeated encounters, these impressions form beliefs, attitudes, and structures of understanding that help us locate ourselves within reality.
However, if the phenomenon is transcendent—originating from another realm or a divine source—the entire process is intensified. We still perceive it as a phenomenon and form a concept of it, but the experience transcends that of encountering a mundane object. It is not merely informative; it is transformative. It impresses not just on the mind but on the spirit, carrying with it a sense of otherness, authority, power, and personality belonging to the source that sent it.
For instance, if the Bible is regarded as a transcendent book—its meaning not merely symbolic but imbued with the power and mind of a divine Author—then reading it transcends the act of reading. It becomes an experience of contact with another world and the person responsible for it. The phenomena saturate the mind, overwhelming it with a sense of divine proximity. However, this can only occur if the book remains anchored in objectivity—rooted in fact, appearance, and fulfilled reality, rather than merely a collection of the author’s concepts. It must not be reshaped by our internal desires or projections. In the case of the transcendent, if the ideas conveyed by the facts it presents are proven accurate, reliable, and real, both the phenomena and the concepts we form within our minds to represent it must be regarded as gifts, not inventions.
In this work, when I refer to “transcendent phenomena,” I mean both the information and the ideas that the Bible transmits to consciousness, experienced in the mind as a God of independent dimensional reality, not as an autosuggested, manipulable, temporary, purely ideational concept of the divine. This transcendent phenomenon in the mind is produced by messianic prophecy in reading a book purportedly authored by a divine, alien source, confirming the factual reliability of its claims, and experiencing the reality of God after forming an obedient, accurate concept of God in our minds, who is the God of Truth.
Phenomenologists discuss phenomena in ways that focus solely on the voluntary ideational aspect, neglecting the objective side. This approach is suitable for natural phenomena but inadequate for transcendent phenomena. Christian theologians often adopt a similar stance, as it is inconceivable that messianic prophecy represents the ultimate form of it or that any ultimate and objective form exists. For both, phenomena are the mental experience of ideas, such as “Jesus,” “God,” “love,” “redeemer,” and “savior,” “democrat,” “justice, “hatred.” The true phenomena are not self-creations but God’s objective and subjective appearance found in the Bible through the messianic revelation of the prophets, historically fulfilled by Christ.
This experience of God through messianic prophecy in the mind produces a subjective (spiritual) theophany of Him, which represents the New Testament believer’s version of the objective theophanic appearances of God observed in the Old Testament. Humanity is now a spiritual subject in relation to a transcendent spiritual object of God’s messianic phenomena, transmitted through the existence and nature of the divine as fulfilled by the prophecies of Jesus, which are now present and actively working in the spirit to the extent that this theophany is seen. Impersonal fact and personal feeling merge to form faith in singularity, the closest we can come to a “beautific vision” while still in the flesh.
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