Definition
The manifestation of the sons of God (Greek: ἀποκάλυψις τῶν υἱῶν τοῦ θεοῦ) is the eschatological expectation grounded in Rom. 8:19 — “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God” — that before or at the second coming a company of believers will emerge who are fully conformed to Christ and serve as instruments of cosmic redemption. This doctrine is also known as the Manifest Sons of God (MSG) teaching, associated with the Latter Rain movement (1948) and overcoming eschatology. In this corpus all three named authors expect the manifestation, but with differing emphases.
Usage in the Corpus
George Warnock
Warnock describes the manifest sons of God as an overcoming company that appropriates Resurrection Life here and now: “Before this cherished rapture or resurrection takes place, there is to arise a group of overcomers who shall appropriate even here and now their heritage of Resurrection Life in Jesus Christ.” They live “the very spotless, immaculate life of the Son of God Himself in virtue of His abiding presence within.” Creation groans toward them: “the earnest expectation of the Creation… shall find glorious release and liberty in ‘the manifestation of the sons of God’ (Rom. 8:19-23). And the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” [Warnock, The Feast of Tabernacles, Ch. 14]
Stephen Jones
Jones names the manifest sons of God the “Manchild” of Rev. 12 — the corporate body of spiritually perfected believers: “The earth is now lawfully eligible to be impregnated a third time — and this time the earth will bring forth the Manchild, the corporate body of the Sons of God who are spiritually perfected and in the full image and likeness of God.” The firstfruits resurrection (barley) is the first manifestation; the sons of God are the overcomers who reign with Christ in the Sabbath Millennium and serve as firstfruits of the apokatastasis. [Jones, Secrets of Time, Ch. 3 and 15]
Cees Noordzij
Noordzij connects the revelation of the sons of God to his sonship theme: “With eager longing she waits for the revealing of the sons of God. That was true for that time. It is certainly also true for our time.” The sons of God are those who followed Christ in suffering and humiliation and now reign with him on his throne (Rev. 3:21), liberating creation to the freedom of the glory of the children of God (Rom. 8:21). [Noordzij, Moses and the Path to Sonship, Sections 1 and 8]