Question: Can Jesus reveal Himself to nonbelievers? | thebereancall.org

TBC Staff

Question: Is there scripture in the Bible that restricts God (Jesus) from personally revealing Himself (one-on-one) to an individual living in a Godless tribe in darkest Africa or anywhere else? Please state your scripture reference in your answer.

Response: There is no specific scripture that forbids the Lord appearing to and communicating with anyone, regardless of their spiritual state. In Genesis 20, when Abimelech had taken Abraham’s wife, Sarah, into his household, we are told that “God came to Abimelech in a dream by night...” (Genesis:20:3). In Daniel 4, Nebuchadnezzar also received a dream from the Lord, which Daniel interpreted. When King Nebuchadnezzar failed to hearken to the warning and spoke out in pride, the scripture states, “While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee” (Daniel:4:31). There are other examples as well.

That being said, we know that the Lord has also chosen to use His creation to reveal Himself to all: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard” (Psalm:19:1-3). Furthermore, we have Paul’s inspired statement in Romans, “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?...so then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans:10:14-17; emphasis added).

This is instructive, as seen in the testimony of a Liberian African 14-year-old boy named Samuel Kaboo Morris. He was held captive by another tribe who beat him daily, but his testimony told that one night, during his beating, there was a flash of light, his ropes fell off and his weakened body gained strength to stand. 

A voice told him to flee. He ran into the jungle, surviving by eating snails and mangos. Some time later, he came to a coffee plantation owned by a former slave, who also was a Christian. He eventually  arrived in Monrovia, where he heard a missionary speak of the Apostle Paul’s salvation and recognized similarities to his own life.

We see that the Lord brought Morris to a place where he heard the gospel from a Christian. First Corinthians 1:21 tells us, “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (emphasis added). Thus we  see God’s chosen method in Scripture.