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VBVMI StaffWhy doesn't the Lord reveal Himself to people through dreams to tell them to believe in Him, especially in places like Asia and the Middle East?
The Bible teaches that though the Lord used a variety of methods to reach the world in the past, today the Lord uses His word to reach the world with the truth of the Gospel:
Paul echoes this truth in Romans and in 1Corinthians:
The Bible teaches that the Lord used lessor methods to reveal Himself in past times (i.e., prophets, dreams, etc.) as a temporary measure until the arrival of His Son Jesus Christ. Once Christ was revealed and the canon of scripture complete, the Lord relies exclusively on the word of God.
And the Lord is fully capable of bringing His word to everyone and anyone as He chooses. The Lord will not leave any of His elect behind, as Jesus said in John 6:
On occasion, we have heard reports that the Spirit is still using dreams or other means to draw men to Him, especially in Asia and the Middle East. These experiences appear to be limited to areas where the word of God is not yet easily available, and so the Spirit must use other methods as a temporary measure. Nevertheless, these experiences are always followed by the introduction of the word of God, so that the person may gain the full counsel of Christ by His word.
We advise you to be cautious when dealing with any report of a so-called prophetic dream or revelation. Often these reports are not credible or find their source in demonic activity. Even when the Lord may be using dreams to draw unbelievers to the Gospel, these measures are not a substitute for the word of God.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org