Skip to content ↓

Is God’s Revelation Complete?

The Revelation We All Still Await

If for so many centuries God revealed himself through the inspired writings that make up the Bible, is it possible that he may add more inspired writings today or in the future? It is a fair question and forces us to distinguish between what God can do and what God has said he will do.

God has the ability to reveal himself in whatever ways he wants. If he so desired, he could inspire more authors to write more Scriptures. But in the final book of the Bible, God makes it clear that it represents the end of this kind of revelation (see Revelation 22:18-19). The Bible, we say, is a “closed canon.” A canon is an authoritative collection of any author’s work; it is open as long as the author is adding to it, and closed when he has written his final word. In this case the author is God, and he has indeed written the last word he intends to write.

But that does not mean he has finished with all revelation of himself. To the contrary, the greatest of all revelations, the greatest of all revealings, is still to come. As Geoffrey B. Wilson says, “The only revelation from God which Christians still await is the revelation of Jesus Christ at his second coming.” That is a revelation we all still eagerly await! In fact, for centuries Christians have prayed, “Marantha! Come, Lord Jesus. Come and reveal yourself in that way!”


  • Practice True Wisdom

    Designed as five-week studies for personal use or group study, books in the Rooted in Wisdom series help women to understand and navigate common experiences and stages of life.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (March 9)

    The birds and the bees, babies and me / How is it fair for God to send people to hell? / 5 reasons Christians might suffer / The decline of young earth creationism / Canada’s soaring assisted suicide rate / Kindle deals / and more.

  • What Will Quiet Your Restless Heart

    What Will Quiet Your Restless Heart?

    Christians long for forgiveness, joy, justice, and heaven—but beneath every desire lies a deeper hunger for God himself, the only treasure who can truly quiet our restless hearts.

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (March 7)

    A community of simple believers / Radically rethink your workweek / The church in Iran / New albums / AI doesn’t reduce work / Women’s ordination / Kindle deals / and more.