S7E4 How Has God Revealed Himself?

By: Brian G. Chilton, Ph.D. | September 28, 2023

S7E4 How Has God Revealed Himself? on YouTube

The Bellator Christi Podcast continues its exploration into Bibliology with an examination of how God has revealed himself to various people throughout the pages of Scripture.

Today, we are going to talk about revelation and the various ways that God has revealed himself to humanity. If we consider that the Bible is the Word of God, then we must assert that God, in some way, reveals himself to humanity. Those of a more cessationist mindset, such as James White and others, claim that the only way that we can know God is through the Bible.

However, if that is true, then how did the writers of the Bible know the truths that God revealed to them? If God does not communicate with us, then the biblical writers could not have heard from God. And if the biblical writers could not have heard from God, then the Bible is merely a human production. But we know that is not true, as the Bible is the Word of God.

But if the biblical writers heard from God in unique ways, then is there not the possibility that God could also reveal himself to us in similar ways? One would think so. With this in mind, let us consider the various ways that God has revealed himself to individuals in Scripture. But first, we need to answer what we mean by revelation.

What Do We Mean by Revelation?

The term “revelation” comes from the Greek word apokalupsis, meaning to “unveil or reveal something previously unknown.” As such, when we speak of the revelation of God, we speak of God’s communication with humanity about truths known only to God and not by humanity. Revelation can speak of God’s disclosure of his identity or of some other reality that human beings could not know by themselves. This kind of spiritual knowledge is not something that could be known by any other means, but only through God himself. You can think about this being God’s education of humanity concerning spiritual realities and truth. So, how has God revealed himself to biblical writers and to people throughout all of time? In Scripture, we find at least 9 ways that God has revealed himself.

God’s Revelation by Theophanies

The first way God has revealed himself to humanity is by theophanies. The term theophany comes from a combination of two Greek terms: theos (θεός) meaning God, and phainein (φαίνειν) meaning “to show.” When placed together, theophany speaks of a visible manifestation of God.

Throughout the pages of Scripture, God has revealed himself to various individuals in a visible fashion. However, one must acknowledge that this is a rarity. God’s presence is often accompanied with fire, light, clouds, lightning, storms, thunder, wind, earthquakes, or any combination of the above.

Theophanies often occur around a promise made by God. For instance, God appeared to Abram and established a covenant with him in Genesis 12:1–8. Afterward, Abram commemorated the occasion by erecting an altar in the place where he had seen God.

God would visibly appear to Moses at the base of Mount Sinai in a burning bush (Exod. 3:1ff). From the burning bush, God disclosed that his name was Yahweh, or “I AM WHAT I AM.” God would guide the people by a visible theophany, which was a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. He would then appear again on Mount Sinai where he gave Moses the law (Exod. 19:16–25).

God would also appear to Samuel when he commissioned the young man as a prophet (1 Sam. 3:1–14). He also appeared to Isaiah (Isa. 6:1–13), Jeremiah (Jer. 1:1–19), and Amos (Amos 7:15–17).

While God can appear to people anywhere he pleases, God often appeared at springs (Gen. 16:7), rivers (Gen. 32:22–32), and trees (Gen. 12:6–7). Yet most biblical theophanies occurred in the mountains (Gen. 12:8; Exod. 19; Psa. 48). In a mystical manner, ancients believed that mountains connected the earthly realm with the heavens.[1] God visited two mountains more frequently than any other—Mount Sinai and Mount Zion, a location near the Old City of Jerusalem.

God’s Revelation by Christophanies

Second, God revealed himself by what is known as Christophanies. Like theophanies, the term uses the same Greek root phainein that describes an appearance. But this term uses the root word Christos, meaning “Christ.” Thus, Christophanies refer to early appearances of Jesus before his birth. Due to their nature, Christophanies are much more controversial in theological circles than are theophanies.

Those who accept Christophanies hold that the appearances of the Angel of the LORD in the Old Testament were often preincarnate manifestations of the Son of God. For instance, the Messenger of the LORD is often called God, such as in Genesis 18, where “the LORD appeared to Abraham at the oaks of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent during the heat of the day” (Gen. 18:1).[2] The Angel of the LORD was among three visitors who met Abraham at his tent that day. As the two angels left for Sodom, Abraham “remained standing before the LORD” (Gen. 18:22). From this passage, it would appear that on at least some occasions, the Angel of the LORD is associated with Yahweh.

Another example is found in the burning bush event. Moses stood before a burning bush. It was not the bush itself that was so mysterious, but the person he saw in the bush. He writes, “Then the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire within a bush. As Moses looked, he saw that the bush was on fire but was not consumed” (Exod. 3:2).

A third example is found in the book of Judges. In this case, the angel of the LORD appeared to a woman, the wife of Manoah, and said, “Although you are unable to conceive and have no children, you will conceive and give birth to a son” (Judg. 13:3). While standing before the Angel of the LORD, Manoah prayed to Yahweh and said, “Please, Lord, let the man of God you sent come again to us and teach us what we should do for the boy who will be born” (Judg. 13:8). Later when asked about his name, the Angel of the LORD simply said, “It is too wonderful” (NRSV) or “beyond understanding” (CSB) (Judg. 13:18).

There are other cases that could be offered. But these three examples highlight that the Angel of the LORD appeared in humanlike means, conversed with those appointed to him by Yahweh, and was in some way linked with Yahweh himself. In my opinion, I believe that since Jesus is the Son of God, then this was in some fashion preincarnate visitations. This brings up a host of questions like, “How was Jesus incarnate before his incarnation?” That is a question that we will want to cover at a later time. Nonetheless, I think we have sufficient evidence to suggest that God revealed himself and his plan through Christophanic means.

God’s Revelation by the Holy Spirit

Third, God has revealed himself through his Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, or the “Spirit of holiness,” is God’s living, abiding presence with his people. Unlike the Father and Son’s appearances, the Holy Spirit rarely appears in a physical fashion, although he has at times. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit appeared as tongues of fire to those who were filled with his presence (Acts 2:3–4). At Jesus’s baptism, he appeared as a dove lighting on the head of Jesus (Matt. 3:13–17).

The Spirit of God communes and communicates with God’s people in various ways. The Spirit inspired the authors of Scripture to write down the truths of God, as the Scripture is God-breathed. Often, the Spirit directs and instructs people to go to the places that God desires them to be. A good case study is with Phillip in the book of Acts. The Spirit led him away from an area of great ministry to a desolated area to meet an Egyptian eunuch. It was there that Phillip led the eunuch to the Lord after answering the questions that the eunuch had about the book of Isaiah.

Jesus teaches that the Spirit of God instructs, convicts, teaches, and guides (Jn. 16:8–11). There is no instance where Jesus even implies that this will cease. Rather, Jesus suggests that the Holy Spirit continues to point people back to his teachings and the revelation of God. Thus, the Holy Spirit is God’s revelation to us. He inspired and directed the composition of Scripture, and he reveals the truths of Scripture to people today.

God’s Revelation by the Incarnation of Christ

Fourth, God revealed himself through the incarnation of Christ. John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it” (Jn. 1:1–5).

The apostle goes on to say, “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:9–14).

From this passage, we find that Jesus was the Light of God, even from creation. He revealed God’s light to the world. However, the world did not receive him. However, through the light of revelation offered to the world, a person has access to the Father by God’s revelation through the incarnation of Christ.

Additionally, we should note that the Son is the exact representation of the Father. The writer of Hebrews teaches, “Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:1–3). The Son is the divine revelation of God, the exact representative of the Father, and the door to salvation. Therefore, God revealed his nature, his salvation, and gifted us with eternal assurance through the incarnate Son.

God’s Revelation by the Spoken Word

Fifth, God reveals truths to us by the spoken word. Dr. Benjamin Laird points out in his book Creating the Canon that the spoken word played an integral role in the early church.[3] When a book was published or an epistle sent, the deliverer of the book would read the book aloud to its recipients. By that practice, the message was heard. Likewise, gospel evangelists were to speak the message by the spoken word, telling others about the wonders of God’s revelation through Christ. Never underestimate God’s power through the spoken word. In like manner, a person may be sent with a message from God that someone needs to hear. That can be a means of divine communication.

Additionally, God himself may speak to us audibly, although that is not the norm. When Jesus was baptized, the Father spoke from heaven to tell everyone that Jesus was his beloved Son (Matt. 3). On other occasions, God has spoken audibly to people. Again, this is not the norm, but it is always a possibility with a living God.

God’s Revelation by the Written Word

Sixth, God has revealed himself through the written Word of God. By this, we are, of course, talking about the Bible. As we noted last week, the Bible consists of 66 books, written by at least 40 individuals, over the course of 2,000 years. The Bible is God-breathed. As Paul said, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17).

God’s Revelation by Divine Impressions

Seventh, God often reveals himself by divine impressions. That is, God’s Spirit communes and speaks with our spirit. In Acts 14, Paul looked at a person and knew that he had faith to be healed (Acts 14:9). Now, how did Paul know that? It must have been by an impression that the Spirit placed on Paul’s spirit. On another occasion, Paul knew that the voyage of their ship was heading towards certain destruction. Paul was unable to deduce this by logic alone. Rather, the Spirit of God impressed upon Paul’s spirit what would come to pass. Divine impressions can consist of spiritual communication, but it can also include dreams, visions, and spiritual awakenings, which are ways to know things that could not be known otherwise.

God’s Revelation by Miracles

Eighth, God often communicates to humanity through miracles. Even in biblical days, miracles did not happen every day. When they did occur, God was communicating a message to his people. For instance, when the disciples of John relayed John’s question about whether Jesus was really the Messiah, the New Testament writers note that Jesus performed numerous miracles before their very eyes as a confirmation of his identity. When Jesus fed over 20,000 people with five loaves and two fish, it was shown that Jesus is the bread of life. He could sustain when material resources couldn’t.

The ultimate miracle is the resurrection of Jesus. From Jesus’s resurrection, we learn that he has the power to give eternal life and is the first fruits of the resurrection. That is, as Jesus was raised, so will the children of God be raised in the future.

Miracles do not happen by happenstance. They contain a spiritual, eternal message for those who have ears to hear. Even in the miracles of our lives, it is important to decipher the message that God wants us to have.

God’s Revelation by Interventions

Ninth, God often reveals his protective nature by interventions. By interventions, I speak of ways that God stepped in and protected us from something that could have been really bad. There are many ways that God may intervene in our lives. In Scripture, there are numerous accounts of God’s protective interventions. For instance, the Exodus serves as a major example of divine intervention. But God’s interventions could be much more subtle. His interventions could consist of natural phenomenon, or it may come by arranging certain circumstances to protect and keep us from danger.

Conclusion

In all the ways we described, God reveals certain things about his nature, being, and ways of the world. Some have claimed that God has stopped revealing himself to humanity in some sense. However, nowhere in Scripture are we told that God will stop reaching out to humanity. The prophets likely heard from the Spirit through audible communication from time to time. However, more likely they received divine impressions as God placed his thoughts into their thoughts, messages from his Spirit to their own. They also interpreted divine miracles as God gave them insight. Most assuredly, God spoke to humanity in various means, but the ultimate expression of his revelation came through his Son, Spirit, and through the Word of God. If the Bible is to be accepted as the Word of God, then we must accept that God can, has, and will communicate to humanity.

On the next episode of the Bellator Christi Podcast, we will peer into how Scripture was written as the Holy Spirit inspired the writers of Scripture. Dr. Deanna Huff will join us next week. She will discuss the different models and theories of biblical inspiration. Join us for a fascinating discussion as we step into the arena of ideas.

About the Author

Brian G. Chilton is the founder of Bellator Christi Ministries and the co-host of the Bellator Christi Podcast. Dr. Chilton earned a Ph.D. in the Theology and Apologetics at Liberty University (with high distinction), a M.Div. in Theology from Liberty University (with high distinction); his B.S. in Religious Studies and Philosophy from Gardner-Webb University (with honors); earned a Certificate in Christian Apologetics from Biola University, and completed Unit 1 of Clinical Pastoral Education at Wake Forest University’s School of Medicine. Dr. Chilton is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and the Evangelical Philosophical Society. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, working out in his home gym, and watching football. He has served in pastoral ministry for over 20 years and serves as a clinical chaplain.