Taken from "Jesus" (2002 Swedish – 2003 English translation) by Ulf Ekman. Ulf Ekman Ministries, p. 93-94; 124.
...
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:15-16)
...
Right in the middle of His ministry, in the middle of both the gospels of Matthew and Mark, Jesus asks His disciples who they think He is. People around them had all kinds of opinions, but no revelation. When Peter responds, “You are the Messiah,” it left no room for doubt. Jesus had forbidden the demons to reveal this. He wanted His disciples to do that. All the signs, all the teaching, all the prophecies had pointed in the same direction. No one other than the Messiah could have said and done these things.
Peter did not sit down and carefully meditate and analytically reflect on everything before he spoke. It did not come from himself; the Father in heaven revealed it. It has to be revealed by God so that people will understand it. Against all the logical evidence and intellectual conviction, people will not believe unless God gives revelation and opens their hearts and minds.
Some zealous Christians believe if we only could find Noah’s ark, the world would believe in God. If we only could display the cross or the Ark of the Covenant, the world would believe. No, what is needed is a conviction in spirit and truth through revelation. When something is revealed by God, it penetrates the depths of the heart where it is established as an eternal truth, to which people can dedicate their whole life. We know that we know that we know. Revelation is as supernatural as Jesus is. Revelation originates in the Kingdom of God and has the same nature as Jesus. Therefore, it is impossible to deny, destroy or prevent it.
…
No matter how theologically correct human thoughts without revelation seem to be, they are not from above; they are from below.
