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...