Arguing For God's Revelations

Logic Can Support God’s Existence, But Revelation Is the Ultimate Proof

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While there is sufficient reasoning through logical analysis for the existence of God, the only hard proof that could answer this question is for God Himself to reveal the truth, essentially revealing Himself to the world.

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It is reasonable to conclude that it would provide the most substantial possible evidence for His existence if God revealed Himself undeniably and universally—something that could not be dismissed as subjective experience or interpreted in multiple ways.

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A direct, undeniable revelation would resolve the debate about God’s existence, the most fundamental truth. 

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Revelation Is a Common and Rational Way of Knowing

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The term revelation deals with what has been revealed, and it can be rational for us to accept revelations. All means of revelation are acceptable because all of what we know and believe is revealed to us somehow.

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“Don't be scared by the word authority. Believing things on authority only means believing them because you've been told them by someone you think trustworthy. Ninety-nine per cent of the things you believe are believed on authority. I believe there is such a place as New York. I haven't seen it myself. I couldn't prove by abstract reasoning that there must be such a place. I believe it because reliable people have told me so. The ordinary man believes in the Solar System, atoms, evolution, and the circulation of the blood on authority -because the scientists say so. Every historical statement in the world is believed on authority. None of us has seen the Norman Conquest or the defeat of the Armada. None of us could prove them by pure logic as you prove a thing in mathematics. We believe them simply because people who did see them have left writings that tell us about them: in fact, on authority. A man who jibbed at authority in other things as some people do in religion would have to be content to know nothing all his life.” - C.S. Lewis.

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If it is reasonable to accept revelation in principle, why wouldn’t it be acceptable for divine revelation?

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God Has Already Revealed Himself in Many Ways

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God has revealed himself to the world, history, and our hearts. In our longing for the infinite and happiness, and as we question God’s existence, we discern signs of our spiritual souls.

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Many religious traditions believe God has revealed Himself through scriptures, miracles, and personal experiences. 

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However, skeptics argue that such revelations are not universally accepted or independently verifiable, leaving room for doubt and alternative interpretations, and revelations have never occurred in a way that convinces everyone.

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Some religious perspectives suggest that God values faith and free will and that absolute certainty would remove the need for genuine trust or seek.

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Another key objection is there might not be proof that it is divine, as people have hoaxed, forged, or even deluded revelations.

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It is true not merely to accept without evidence available, but evidence of such cannot naturally be accomplished and must be something supernatural or miraculous.

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Discernment Is Crucial

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The Bible itself says to discern revelations. In Deuteronomy, God gives the Israelites tests for future prophets:

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“If a prophet speaks of a sign and it does not happen, then that prophet is not speaking for Me.” - Deuteronomy 18:22

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One can also check consistency with previous revelations. If God had a prophet say that He is the one God and there are no other gods, then a future prophet says to follow other gods; that is not divine revelation.

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Although it might be supernatural, it is not coming from God and cannot be trusted.

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It is possible to see how one realm that operates in only its laws can interact with a higher realm with a different set of rules. 

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A realm that obeys one set of rules could interact with a larger realm with a different set of rules capable of performing supernatural things. Although these laws enable it to happen, they exist not in our layer of reality and understanding but in a higher layer.

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These supernatural laws perform what seemingly will be miraculous from one’s initial perspective but are instead part of this more extensive system that goes beyond our familiar nature.

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Higher Realities May Explain the Supernatural

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The principle of supernatural laws used in religion could be used in other places, such as mathematics.

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Edwin Abbot’s book Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions points to this principle through mathematics, geometry to be precise, even further mentioning the concept of religion. 

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The book serves as a profound metaphor for divine revelation by illustrating the limitations of human perception and the difficulty of grasping higher realities beyond our immediate experience.

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In Flatland, shapes live and commune amongst each other in a two-dimensional world. The Sphere, a third-dimensional character, essentially gives the main protagonist, A. Square, the role of an apostle of the "gospel of the third dimension."

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From: https://douglasphillipsbooks.com/blog/flatland

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After revealing the existence of Spaceland (the three-dimensional world), the Sphere expects A. Square to understand and spread this revelation to the rest of Flatland.

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At first, A. Square cannot comprehend what the Sphere is or how it exists beyond his reality.

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From: https://douglasphillipsbooks.com/blog/flatland

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Similarly, divine revelation is often difficult for human beings to grasp because it originates from a higher, unseen reality that cannot be fully understood using our natural abilities alone, as God's existence transcends human perception.

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When A. Square is introduced to the third dimension, he rejects it because it contradicts everything he has ever known, similar to how people often resist divine revelation.

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As A. Square tries to share his newfound knowledge with his fellow Flatlanders, he is met with skepticism, hostility, or outright persecution, much like the religious apostles who faced skepticism and persecution when spreading divine truth. 

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The rulers of Flatland reject his claims and ultimately imprison him, mirroring how prophets, visionaries, or apostles in various religious traditions are often met with hostility when introducing radical new ideas.

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The Sphere’s role is similar to that of a divine messenger or even Christ-like figure, and A. Square becomes an evangelist of a reality beyond his people's comprehension, making the title “apostle of the gospel of the third dimension” a fitting description.

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The novel uses the constraints of a two-dimensional world to explore how beings within it struggle to comprehend dimensions beyond their own—just as humans, confined to a three-dimensional understanding, struggle to conceive of higher spiritual realities.

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“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face.” - 1 Corinthians 13:12

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Divine revelation challenges humans to expand their understanding of existence beyond what they can see and measure.

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Christianity: The Fulfillment of Revelation

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Christianity claims that God has revealed Himself through prophets, scriptures, and direct intervention in human history, which is recorded in the Bible, regarded as God’s inspired word, as a collection of divine revelations. 

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God has also revealed Himself through Jesus Christ, whom Christians see as the Son of God and the fulfillment of divine revelation.

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Different Religions That Claim Divine Revelation

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Although inconsistent with the Bible’s teachings, here is a brief breakdown that narrows the focus to significant religions that claim divine revelation:

• Islam – God revealed His final and most complete message through the Prophet Muhammad in the Quran, which Muslims believe is the literal word of God.

• Judaism – God revealed Himself to Abraham, Moses, and the prophets, and that the Torah is His divine law.

• Certain Hindu traditions – While Hinduism is diverse, some traditions, such as Vaishnavism, believe that God (particularly Vishnu or Krishna) has revealed Himself through sacred texts (the Vedas, Bhagavad Gita) and avatars (incarnations of God).

• Zoroastrianism – God (Ahura Mazda) revealed divine truth to the prophet Zoroaster, recorded in the Avesta.
• Mormonism (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) – God revealed Himself through visions and angelic visitations to Joseph Smith, leading to additional scriptures such as the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price.
• Jehovah’s Witnesses – God revealed Himself through Jesus Christ and further clarified His will through the interpretations and teachings of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.
• Christian Science – God revealed divine truth through spiritual insight given to Mary Baker Eddy, recorded in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, seen as a complement to the Bible.
• Unification Church (Moonies) – God revealed new truths through Sun Myung Moon, who completes the mission of Jesus, recorded in Divine Principle.
• Baha’i Faith – God revealed Himself progressively through various messengers, culminating (so far) with Baháʼu'lláh, whose writings are considered divinely inspired and authoritative alongside previous scriptures.
• Swedenborgianism – God revealed spiritual truth through visions and heavenly communications given to Emanuel Swedenborg, who interpreted the inner meaning of the Bible through his writings.
• The Urantia Book movement – God revealed cosmic and spiritual truths through celestial beings, recorded in The Urantia Book, a channeled text claimed to correct and expand on previous revelations.
• A Course in Miracles – God (through Jesus) is said to have revealed a metaphysical teaching of forgiveness and spiritual awakening, channeled by Helen Schucman and recorded as A Course in Miracles.
• New Age and Esoteric Movements – Various individuals claim divine or cosmic revelation through channeling, visions, or higher consciousness, often producing writings or teachings that reinterpret or replace biblical revelation.

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Conclusion

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While logic supports the belief in God, divine revelation is the highest form of proof, though it often requires faith, discernment, and humility to accept. 

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God may not reveal Himself in ways that force belief, but He has spoken—through scripture, history, and Jesus Christ. Our task is to seek, discern, and respond in faith.