Archaic KJV Word
Manifest
Modern equivalent: show/display
What Was Lost
The divine appearing. 'I will manifest myself to him' was Christ's promise to make the invisible God visible and knowable to those who love Him. This was not self-help visualization but the Creator of the universe choosing to become perceptible to a human being. Manifestation was God's initiative, not human technique.
Closest Survivor in Modern English
manifest (still used theologically but contaminated by New Age 'manifesting your desires')
Peak Usage (1611)
KJV John 14:21 -- 'I will love him, and will manifest myself to him'; 1 John 3:5 -- 'He was manifested to take away our sins'
Died still used but bureaucratized (~1900)
Greek phaneroo ('to make visible/bring into the light/cause to appear/reveal what was hidden') bureaucratized into 'cargo manifest' and 'self-help manifestation.' The divine self-revelation dimension was lost to shipping lists and positive thinking.
What Replaced It
“show”
Casual display; phaneroo was the deliberate unveiling of something hidden -- making the invisible visible
“reveal”
Close but passive; manifesting was an active divine choice to become visible and knowable
“demonstrate”
Proof-oriented; manifesting was not proving but appearing -- making the invisible God visible