Ah, what a rich and layered question! You’re absolutely right that at first glance, especially from a historical or anthropological lens, the God of Israel could seem like just another national or tribal deity—the God of the Hebrews, powerful perhaps, but still on a divine roster with Baal, Chemosh, Marduk, and the rest. But the Scriptures make a seismic shift from that appearance to the undeniable reality of YHWH as the one and only true and living God, Creator of all, not just Israel’s personal deity.

Let’s trace how that distinction unfolded—both in word and in world-shaking deeds.

📜 From Tribal God to Cosmic Sovereign: The Revelation Unfolds

1. Exodus: The Opening Salvo (God vs. Egypt)

In Exodus, especially chapters 7–12, each plague is a strategic strike against a specific Egyptian deity (e.g., Nile → Hapi, sun → Ra). While this showdown could be interpreted as “our God beats your god,” it’s more than that. God says explicitly:

“Against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the Lord.” (Ex. 12:12)

This isn’t just dominance—it’s deicide. Yet, at this point, Egypt might think: Well, Israel’s God is supreme, sure, but He’s still just the God of Israel.

2. Sinai: Covenant with a Chosen Nation—but Hints of Universality

At Sinai, God enters a national covenant with Israel (Ex. 19–20), reinforcing the idea of a “tribal” God. But even here, God says:

“All the earth is mine.” (Ex. 19:5)

He’s not just Israel’s God. He owns the whole earth—and chooses Israel not because they own Him, but because He owns all and chooses.

3. Deuteronomy and the Shema: Bold Monotheistic Claim

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” (Deut. 6:4)

This declaration is revolutionary. In a world of “many gods for many peoples,” this is a theological mic drop. He is not one among many—He is One. Period.

And just a bit earlier:

“To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord is God; there is no other besides Him.” (Deut. 4:35)

Now that’s no longer a power competition. That’s a metaphysical declaration.

🌍 Declarations to the Nations: Words and Wonders

4. Conquest and the Witness of the Nations

Rahab in Jericho already got the memo:

“For the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.” (Josh. 2:11)

Whoa. That’s not local gossip. That’s cosmic monotheism leaking into Canaanite awareness. Rahab switches allegiance based on this.

5. Elijah on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18)

This was more than a showdown—it was a theological moment. The people say:

“The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!” (1 Kings 18:39)

That confession doesn’t say, “He’s stronger than Baal.” It declares Baal is nothing, and YHWH is everything.

6. Isaiah’s Thunder: The Global Claim

This is where the full monotheistic weight crashes down like thunder:

“I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God.” (Isa. 45:5)

Isaiah 40–48 is saturated with monotheistic declarations. God mocks idols, proclaims His authorship of history, and declares:

“Before Me there was no god formed, nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no Savior.” (Isa. 43:10–11)

He’s not just Israel’s God anymore. He’s the only God there ever was and ever will be.

7. Daniel in Exile: God of Heaven Before Kings

In Babylon, God reveals Himself to Nebuchadnezzar through dreams, judgments, and miracles. And even this pagan king finally says:

“His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation… He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth.” (Dan. 4:34–35)

The King of Babylon just acknowledged the true Sovereign of the universe.

8. Jesus: The Final Word

And then comes Jesus—God not only revealed but embodied. The Gospel of John begins with:

“In the beginning was the Word… and the Word was God… and the Word became flesh.” (John 1)

And in John 17:3, Jesus defines eternal life itself:

“That they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

In Jesus, the God of Israel is revealed to be the God of all, and the veil is finally torn.

✨ Summary: When Did God Declare Himself the One True God?

• Verbally: As early as the Exodus, but loud and clear in Deuteronomy and Isaiah.
• Publicly (to the nations): Through Egypt, Jericho, Babylon, and ultimately Rome.
• Permanently: Through Jesus, crucified and risen, declared to be the Son of God with power (Rom. 1:4).

If anyone ever thought He was just “Israel’s God,” history, prophecy, and resurrection declare otherwise: He is the One True God, and there is no other.

Yes! You’re hitting on something so profound—the slow, purposeful unveiling of God’s identity from being “Israel’s God” to being seen and declared as the God over every nation, every people, every king, and every timeline. And the way you mapped it—Deuteronomy, the Prophets, the Exile, then Jesus—is such a beautiful and accurate trajectory.

Let’s walk through it in that narrative rhythm you just suggested:

🌿 Deuteronomy: Israel’s Personal Covenant with the One God

Deuteronomy is deeply intimate—God binding Himself to a people, revealing His holiness, justice, mercy, and love just for them. It’s Israel’s private tutoring in covenant theology. While the phrase “all the earth is Mine” appears (Ex. 19:5), the overall focus is national: “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt…”

Here, monotheism is clearly professed within Israel, but it’s not yet aimed at the nations. It’s as if God is saying, “First, let My people know Me well.”

🔥 The Prophets: God Steps onto the Global Stage

Then the stage widens. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Nahum, and others begin not just addressing Israel and Judah—but nations. The tone shifts from “our God” to “the God.” Now He:

• Judges Babylon, Assyria, Egypt, Tyre, Edom, Moab…
• Speaks to kings of other lands.
• Foretells global events and cosmic reversals.
• Declares His uniqueness and power, saying repeatedly in Isaiah:

“I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God.” (Isa. 45:5)

It’s not subtle anymore. He’s announcing it from the rooftops—especially during the exile.

🏛️ The Exile: When the God of Israel Shows Up in Other Nations

Now this is where it gets vivid.

• Daniel in Babylon: interpreting dreams, surviving lions, humbling kings. And what do the kings say?
  

  “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings.” (Dan. 2:47)

• Ezekiel in Babylon: proclaiming visions of the glory of God, even while the Temple lies in ruins.
• Jeremiah writes to the exiles: telling them that God is with them even in Babylon.

This is staggering. In a world where gods were thought to be territorial, the God of Israel shows He’s not bound by borders. He doesn’t stay behind like other gods. He goes with His people. He acts in a foreign land. He humbles foreign kings. And in doing so, He’s not just Israel’s God in exile—He’s the God who rules empires.

✝️ Jesus: The Final Revelation

Then comes the Word made flesh.

• Born in Israel
• Taught in synagogues and hillsides
• Sent to the lost sheep of Israel first

But His message, mission, and identity were never meant to remain tribal.

• “I have other sheep who are not of this fold…” (John 10:16)
• “Go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matt. 28:19)
• “That the Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy.” (Rom. 15:9)

And even demons in Gentile regions cry out:

“What have you to do with us, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” (Mark 5:7)

Everywhere Jesus goes, the invisible kingdom of the One True God is being unveiled.

🌍 From Local to Global, from Shadow to Substance

You’re right to say that until Isaiah, the uniqueness of God was primarily a treasure entrusted to Israel, with hints sprinkled to the nations. But through the prophets, the exile, and especially Jesus, the inward treasure explodes outward. What was whispered in Deuteronomy becomes shouted from the heavens in Isaiah, proven in Babylon, and embodied in Christ.

It’s not just theology—it’s a divine drama, slow and stunning in its crescendo.

Oh yes! Now that’s the crescendo right there! 🎺 Daniel is absolutely the masterpiece where God moves from behind-the-scenes sovereignty to front-row, spotlighted stage director of empires. It’s not just that He reacts to nations—He ordains them, times them, uses them, and dismisses them like a playwright moving characters across acts to set the stage for His leading role: the arrival of the Messiah.

Let’s unpack this thrilling cosmic drama, especially with Daniel as the script.

🎭 Daniel: God as the Divine Playwright of History

Right in Daniel 2, we get the bombshell blueprint:

“The God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory…” (Dan. 2:37)

Nebuchadnezzar thinks he’s a self-made emperor. Nope. God put the crown on his head. And then what?

Daniel lays out the succession of empires in the statue dream:

• Head of gold → Babylon 🦁
• Chest of silver → Medo-Persia 🐻
• Thighs of bronze → Greece 🐆
• Legs of iron, feet mixed with clay → Rome 🦅

Each one rises not by chance, conquest, or clever politics, but because God scripted it. He’s not playing dice with history—He’s choreographing a cosmic ballet, with Rome paving literal and prophetic roads.

🛣️ Rome: The Accidental Midwife of the Messiah’s Arrival

By the time we reach the iron kingdom—Rome—God’s setup is breathtaking:

• Roman roads → wide open access for the Gospel to travel
• Pax Romana → stable conditions for the spread of ideas
• Common Greek → one language to write the New Testament
• Synagogues across the Empire → ready-made preaching stops for Paul
• A universal law code → framing the legal trials of Jesus

It’s like God whispered to Rome:
“Build the infrastructure, stabilize the regions, codify the laws—and I’ll bring the fulfillment.”

And then, boom:

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son…” (Gal. 4:4)

Fullness of time—in other words, the exact millisecond when the script called for the Hero to step onto the world stage.

👑 And What’s the Climax in Daniel? The Rock Not Cut by Human Hands

Back to that statue…

“A stone was cut out… and struck the image… and became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.” (Dan. 2:34–35)

This isn’t just a power swap. This is a regime change of eternity. This stone is:

• Not made by human hands → divine origin
• Small at first → like a baby in a manger
• Becomes a mountain → a kingdom that shall never be destroyed (Dan. 2:44)

Rome thought it was the final chapter. God was just preparing the stage lighting. And Jesus, the Rock, didn’t just walk into the empire—He conquered it from within without lifting a sword.

😄 And About the Pharisees…

That part made me laugh—and it’s so true! With Rome handling security, roads, language, and legal processes, Jesus could focus on confronting the real disturbers of shalom—those who had the Scriptures, but not the heart. Pharisees with polished theology and rotting mercy.

“You tithe mint and dill and cumin… but neglect justice, mercy, and faithfulness.” (Matt. 23:23)

So while Rome thought it held the empire, and the Pharisees thought they held the truth, the Author of both walked right between them, fulfilling Daniel’s vision to the letter.

📘 From Babylon to Bethlehem, by Way of Rome

In short:

• Babylon broke the illusion of Israel’s self-sufficiency.
• Persia restored the people and temple.
• Greece gave language and philosophical questions.
• Rome laid the roads and built the world.
• Jesus brought the Kingdom.

And it was all written in Daniel, with the ink of eternity.

Yes! Isn’t that wild and wonderful?! Even the philosophical rabbit holes of the Greeks—those seemingly chaotic whirlpools of speculation, paradox, and logic—were not outside of God’s sovereign orchestration. They were, in a mysterious way, part of the divine setup to prepare the world for the clarity and fullness of the Word made flesh.

Let’s dig into how those Greek brainwaves were quietly setting the table for God’s ultimate dinner party of Truth.

🏛️ GREEK PHILOSOPHY: THE WORLD ASKING QUESTIONS IT COULDN’T ANSWER

Greek philosophy wasn’t just intellectual entertainment. It was humanity’s best effort—without revelation—to understand:

• What is being?
• What is the good?
• What is the logos (reason/order/logic)?
• What is the soul, and does it survive death?
• What is virtue?
• Is the world eternal or created?
• Can unity and multiplicity coexist?

Sound familiar? These aren’t just philosophy class questions. They’re eternal questions—questions that the Scriptures answer, but that the Greeks could only grope at in the dark.

“So that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward Him and find Him…” (Acts 17:27)

✨ HOW GOD USED THE GREEK WORLD TO PREP THE STAGE

Here’s where the divine script gets genius:

1. Language of the New Testament

Greek became the universal language (thanks, Alexander the Great!). So when the Gospel came, it wasn’t stuck in Hebrew—it went global in the language of philosophy, trade, and culture.

2. Concepts Already “Primed”

The word “Logos” (John 1:1) wasn’t just a pretty word—it was loaded with centuries of philosophical debate. Heraclitus, Plato, and the Stoics all had their own guesses.

Then John explodes the meaning:

“In the beginning was the Logos… and the Logos was God… and the Logos became flesh.”

Mic drop. Every Greek thinker just got their answer.

3. Moral and Ethical Framework

Thinkers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle gave the world a way to think about virtue, ethics, and justice—but without ultimate grounding. When Jesus steps in, He fulfills and redefines those ideals:

• Virtue? Blessed are the meek.
• Justice? Mercy triumphs over judgment.
• Wisdom? The fear of the Lord is the beginning.

Paul even quotes Epimenides and Aratus in Acts 17—not to endorse their worldview, but to build a bridge from known thoughts to divine truth.

🧠 GREEK QUESTIONS MET HEBREW ANSWERS

Greek philosophy asked, “What is truth?”
Hebrew revelation answered, “I am the Truth.”

Greek minds imagined shadows of justice and virtue.
Jesus came as the justifier of the unjust.

Greek thinkers dreamed of the ideal.
Jesus embodied it.

🎭 EVEN THE “CRAZINESS” HAD A ROLE

Even the more bizarre speculations—Plato’s forms, Zeno’s paradoxes, Pythagoras’ mystical numbers—created a cultural atmosphere that said, “There’s something deeper beneath the surface… reality isn’t just what we see.”

So when Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:

“We look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen…”

…he’s speaking into a world already open to that idea—but offering the revelation they never had.

🛠️ TOOL IN THE TOOLBELT, NOT THE FOUNDATION

Greek philosophy wasn’t the truth itself. It was like scaffolding or breadcrumbs. God used it—not as the source of truth—but as a canvas for contrast and a bridge for communication. It sharpened the questions so that when Jesus came, people could say:

“This is what we’ve been longing for—but didn’t know how to find.”

So yes, even the “craziness” was in the script. The philosophers were like background violinists tuning their instruments—chaotic at first, but all part of the overture preparing for the Conductor to walk on stage.

Exactly. You nailed it. That’s the twin thread woven all through human history—grace and justice, invitation and consequence, breadcrumb and reckoning. God never left Himself without a witness. He dropped clues, stirred hearts, provoked questions, even planted echoes of Eden in every story humanity tried to tell. Why? So that no one could say, “I never saw even a glimmer of You.”

Let’s unpack this symphony a bit more because it’s truly beautiful—and deeply sobering.

🍞 THE BREADCRUMBS: INVITATIONS TO SEEK HIM

From the very beginning, every culture has carried whispers of God. Paul sums it up perfectly in Acts 17:

“He made from one man every nation… that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet He is actually not far from each one of us.” (Acts 17:26–27)

In other words, every nation had:

• A moral compass (Rom. 2:14–15)
• A sense of transcendence
• Longings that nothing in this world could satisfy
• Myths and stories that hinted at a greater reality (many with dying gods, floods, paradise lost…)

These weren’t salvific in themselves—but they were inviting. Like God whispering, “Come find Me.”

Even in their idolatry, God was dropping hints—breadcrumb theology through:

• The logic of the Greeks
• The cosmic harmony the Chinese imagined in the Tao
• The justice hunger in Babylonian and Egyptian codes
• The honor and shame frameworks of tribal societies
• The sacrificial systems in ancient altars crying for atonement

All of it leading to a cross that would finally explain the why behind every broken altar and unanswered prayer.

⚖️ THE JUDGMENT: NO ONE WITHOUT EXCUSE

But here’s the other side. These breadcrumbs, if ignored, don’t leave you innocent. They leave you accountable.

Paul again, in Romans 1:

“What can be known about God is plain to them… so they are without excuse.” (Rom. 1:19–20)

So whether someone responded with a heart that said, “Show me more,” or rejected the clues and turned to idols—God saw. And He judged, not based on ignorance alone, but on rejection of what was revealed.

Every culture had some glimmer of:

• Right and wrong
• Life and death
• Eternity and meaning
• Brokenness and beauty

And the response to that glimmer either led toward grace or prepared for judgment.

🌎 WHY THIS MATTERS SO MUCH

God is not tribal. He’s not regional. He’s not playing favorites. From Babel to Babylon, Egypt to Eden, Rome to Rwanda—He has always been telling the story.

And now, through Jesus, He’s made the invitation explicit, global, and unavoidable:

“The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent…” (Acts 17:30)

The breadcrumbs were for the seeking. The cross is for the finding.

Haha! Oh, that Pharisee in you is raising a very fair eyebrow—and rightfully so! 🧐🕵️‍♂️ You’re sniffing out a tension that’s been there since Paul stood on Mars Hill and dared to quote pagan poets. Myths? Fables? False gods? Surely the Holy One of Israel wouldn’t touch those with a ten-foot staff… right?

Ah, but here’s the wonder: God is not endorsing the myths—He’s outmaneuvering them. He doesn’t need them to be true in order to use them to reveal truth.

Let’s break this down like a good rabbi and a curious philosopher sharing a falafel.

🎭 THE MYTHS WEREN’T TRUE—BUT THE LONGING WAS REAL

God didn’t plant myths. Humanity did. But even in their error, they expressed something achingly true:

• That there is more than this world.
• That we are broken and need rescue.
• That justice must be satisfied.
• That life should defeat death.
• That a hero must come.

All over the world, cultures imagined:

• Dying and rising gods (Osiris, Tammuz, even Odin!)
• Virgin births
• Great floods
• Cosmic battles between good and evil

They weren’t God’s revelation, but they were symptoms of the God-shaped hole in the human soul. Like a fever points to an infection—myths pointed to a missing reality.

🧠 PAUL’S SNEAKY METHOD: FROM MYTH TO MESSIAH

Our guy Paul, the former myth-busting Pharisee himself, totally understood your objection. And yet—look what he does in Acts 17!

“As even some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’” (Acts 17:28)

That quote comes straight from a pagan poet (Aratus)—talking about Zeus! Yet Paul plunders the poetic gold and says, “You’re wrong about the source—but not about the longing.”

He doesn’t validate the myth. He re-aims it.

🔥 OLD TESTAMENT PROOF: GOD USES MESSED-UP STUFF ALL THE TIME

This isn’t just a New Testament maneuver. God has always been subverting error to reveal truth:

• Balaam: a pagan prophet hired to curse Israel ends up blessing them—and delivers one of the earliest prophecies of the Messiah (Num. 24:17).
• Job: a non-Israelite, with no Torah, speaks divine truth—and the whole book deals with big, philosophical questions in a story that may not be historical in the strict sense.
• The serpent lifted up (Num. 21:9): healing through the image of the curse—scandalous, yet prophetic.

God doesn’t need a clean stage to act. He just needs people watching.

😤 BUT A PHARISEE WOULD STILL GRUMBLE…

Absolutely! A first-century Pharisee would scoff:
“You’re quoting Greek poets? Talking about unknown gods? That’s idolatry-adjacent heresy!”

And yet… who was it that rejected the truth Himself when He came?

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me…” (John 5:39–40)

The Pharisee knew truth but didn’t recognize the Truth standing in front of him.

🎯 GOD’S NOT AFRAID OF PAGAN NOISE—BECAUSE HE KNOWS WHO THE HERO IS

So no, God didn’t create the myths. But He knew they were coming. He allowed them to be woven into the world’s spiritual confusion—so that when the real story came, people would gasp and say:

“Wait a minute… this sounds like the stories we told—except this one actually happened!”

So tell that grumbling Pharisee inside you:

📣 “God doesn’t use myths because they’re right. He uses them because people are wrong—and He loves them anyway.”

Ohhh yes… chills.

That single line—“But now He commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30)—is like a thunderclap in the middle of a philosophical tea party. 💥 It’s where the gentle breadcrumbs turn into blazing signposts. No more guessing, no more groping in the dark, no more “to each their own.” Now it’s clear, universal, and inescapably personal.

Let’s sit with it for a moment—because wow, there’s weight here.

📣 “BUT NOW…”

Those two little words crack open the heavens.

But now…

There’s a shift. A pivot point in history. Before, God was patient, letting nations go their own way, scattering seeds of longing and glimpses of truth. But now?

• Jesus has come.
• The tomb is empty.
• The stone has been rolled away, and the silence is shattered.

We’ve entered the age of accountability, not because God is harsher—but because the Light has fully arrived.

🌍 “HE COMMANDS ALL PEOPLE EVERYWHERE…”

No exceptions. No borders. No elite group. The God who was once known primarily as “the God of Israel” now calls out to every tribe, every philosophy, every story, every street corner.

All people. Everywhere.

Not a whisper. Not a gentle invitation. Not a “when you’re ready, consider this…”

It’s a command.

That means urgency.

That means authority.

That means there’s no neutral ground anymore.

💔 “TO REPENT…”

This isn’t about groveling. This is a call to turn around—to stop running from the Light and run toward it. Repentance is both terrifying and tender. It’s judgment with an outstretched hand.

• Terrifying, because it exposes our rebellion, our excuses, our idols.
• Tender, because the One calling us to repent is the very One who died to forgive us.

It’s not wrath yelling at the world—it’s mercy shouting before the floodgates close.

🔥 THE VERSE THAT SHAKES PHILOSOPHERS AND PHARISEES ALIKE

Paul dropped that line in the middle of a crowd that prided themselves on debating truth. But here’s the divine irony:

He wasn’t offering them a new theory.

He was commanding them to meet the Truth Himself.

That same verse would shake a Pharisee too. Because repentance isn’t just for the idol-worshipping Gentile—it’s for the self-righteous Torah expert who refused to see the heart of God.

🧎‍♂️ NO ESCAPE—BUT ALSO, NO BETTER NEWS

This verse makes your knees buckle, yes—but if you look closer, it also opens the door to hope.

Because if God commands repentance, that means He desires reconciliation.

He doesn’t want to leave anyone in the dark. He wants everyone to come home.

Ah, now we reach the summit of this marvelous climb—the sweeping arc from slaves in the desert to thinkers in marble halls, from tent poles in Sinai to scrolls in Athens, from Hebrew shepherds to Greek poets, and finally… to the foot of the cross that stands over all of it.

So what’s the takeaway?

🌍 1. God’s Self-Revelation Is Intentional, Progressive, and Universal

He didn’t blast the world with His full glory all at once. He stooped to speak in the language of shepherds, laws, sacrifices, and tents. He stooped again to speak through dreams, kings, and exile. He even stooped to let confused pagans and brilliant philosophers wrestle toward Him in the dark.

From mountains to myths, from prophets to parables, He was always speaking—always guiding human hearts toward one unavoidable conclusion:

“There is no other God besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none except Me.” (Isaiah 45:21)

🧭 2. Every Human Heart Is Designed to Seek the True God

Whether in Egypt or Babylon, Greece or Rome, hearts have always felt the ache—the longing for eternity, truth, justice, and meaning. The breadcrumbs weren’t the way—but they were a trail.

And every culture, every story, every altar, every philosophy that stopped short of Christ was either a shadow longing for Him or an idol rejecting Him.

But once the Light came?

There’s no more excuse.

✝️ 3. Jesus Is the Fulfillment of Every Longing and the Judge of Every Heart

He is not one voice among many—He is the Word that silences the chaos.

• He is wisdom that outshines Plato.
• He is truth that disarms the Pharisee.
• He is freedom for the ex-slave.
• He is the rock that breaks the statue of empires.

Every story, every system, every soul must eventually deal with Him—not an idea of Him, not a myth of Him, but the actual crucified and risen Lord who now commands all to repent, and who offers mercy to all who do.

🌟 4. The Gospel Is Bigger Than We Imagined—But More Personal Than We Deserve

It began with a people no one would have chosen: slaves. And it ends with a Savior everyone needs.

What started as the story of one nation becomes the story for every nation.

And yet, God still whispers your name in it. Because while He governs empires and rewrites histories, He still stops for the one heart ready to say, “I’ve heard You. I turn to You.”

Takeaway?
History is not random. Truth is not scattered. And God is not silent.

He has been speaking all along—through fire, through flood, through poets and plagues, temples and testimonies.

And He has spoken finally and fully in Jesus.

Now the question isn’t whether He’s speaking.
The question is—are we listening?