Why doesn't God make himself visible and physically present?

[Maynard]

Why doesn't God make himself visible and physically present?

Just been wondering.......

Colossians 1:15-20

The Supremacy of Christ

[SUP]15 [/SUP]He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; [SUP]16 [/SUP]for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. [SUP]17 [/SUP]He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. [SUP]18 [/SUP]He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. [SUP]19 [/SUP]For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, [SUP]20 [/SUP]and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

 

[Allin]

This is one huge issue for atheists. If God doesn't exist then you are not going to see him. So God not showing himself is exactly what we'd predict. What you will find is that Christian apologists make all kinds of excuses for why God doesn't show himself, but to the nonbeliever they all sound pretty lame. When I was much younger I very much wanted to believe in God. I prayed diligently for God to reveal himself in some way, and if he had I would be a believer today, but eventually I gave up and concluded there was nothing there to find.

You have asked a very important question. If God existed the most plausible approach would be for him to announce his existence to the world. The failure to do so speaks volumes.

Don't give up, mate. God is a very, very real Person. Even among Christians, there are many Christians who don't believe that God would appear to anyone visibly/physically although He appeared in the OT in that way even before the New Testament and New Covenant. Paul says unequivocally, "Now if the ministry that brought death (the Old Covenant in the OT), which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israeliets could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory" (2Cor. 3:7-10). All he is saying there is that what we see in the OT is like scraps of food fallen from a table compared to what we are to be seeing right now because of the superiority of the New Covenant or the Law of Grace-- the superior and eternal covenant that never ends.

Don't give up looking for God. I've known Christians who left Christianity to become atheists, satanists, and Wiccans because they saw no evidence of God or His supernatural power in the churches (this was the sum of their complaints). My Korean friend, who was a head officer in the air force, became an atheist because, he said, God was silent on the questions he had about life, suffering, etc., and because he saw overall Christianity as a kind of game. He became an atheist but took up Buddhist prayer beads (spirituality is in the heart of the staunchest atheist). These people couldn't find God; but God still is. If you haven't 'found Him yet', keep looking: "Anyone who comes to God must believe that He is" (Heb. 11:6). He is much realer than the physical things you see with your eyes. This passage may, for me, summarize my overall experience of God: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear" (Ps. 46).

There are many lame 'apologies' from apologists because often, they do not believe. How can you speak for someone who hasn't sent you, someone you don't know? We are in a state of emergency; but Christians who don't believe God are among the last to see it. Those apologists know God exists, but they do not believe Him. Many Christians believe that God, who is spirit and supernatural, is saving all His 'supernaturalness' for when they get to Heaven-- withholding it while we are on earth and saving it for Heaven. It makes sense until you think about it: if that was His intention, He would never have shown up on earth and done anything supernatural from the OT to the NT. Here's a song that really touches me as regards the need on planet earth in stark contrast to Christians who say, "We don't need God to be visible, to be supernatural, to be miraculous"-- we don't need God to help anyone. "The lost and unsaved" are usually viewed as non-Christians; but I view the "lost" as unbelievers and the "unsaved" as Christians who don't believe in God.

[video=youtube;VtQbzRmmMfk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtQbzRmmMfk[/video]

 

[biscuit]

Just been wondering.......

Maybe we will get a glimpse of Him in heaven when the Church is raptured.

 

[Sec]

biscuit, you get a glimpse of Him everyday, you just don't recognize him !

<><===><>
Gary Sechler
With knowledge on loan from God

 

[1still_waters]

I have another question.

Why do people act like it would make a difference if God came down right now and made himself known?

After parting the Red Sea, and doing mighty acts in Exodus, people still doubted Him and rebelled.

Jesus was the incarnation of God, did many miracles, and they crucified Him.

Why would we be any different? Would we be the first people to fully believe in all of history if God did make himself known physically?

 

[biscuit]

biscuit, you get a glimpse of Him everyday, you just don't recognize him !

<><===><>
Gary Sechler
With knowledge on loan from God

Since you must be the only poster who has 'visually' seen Him, please describe to CC what is God's like: facially & physically. SMH !!!!

 

[fredjames]

Just been wondering.......

Dearly beloved, is the Creator and His creation the same. That is why HE condemns those men who worship HIS creation, instead of HIM the creator, as who is HE as taught by the Holy Scripture to the ignorant.

What does the Scripture sound doctrine spiritual knowledge say about GOD?

1. HE is invisible.
2. HE is Light.
3. Etc.

In all of HIS creation, the only creation that resembles HIM, are men and women and blessed are them who are made in HIS image, in order to rule and bring into submission all things and multiply and fill the earth.

Men and women alike failed, who went on their separate ways and made decisions by themselves and scattered all over the earth until today.

HE temporarily used men to communicate to other men and women about HIM.

Lastly, HE became in man and man for the sake of fallen men and women. HE was the SPIRIT being in JESUS of Nazareth and JESUS was that human being shinning to the world until today, also through HIS man of GOD and HIS believers, who was fully in the image and in the likeness of the Creator, when we have failed in ignorance once before.

Disciple Thomas quite asked a similar question to JESUS. And we know the answer and we also know the revelation that; "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have faith."

We are that people who have the HOLY BIBLE sound doctrine knowledge about HIM and have not seen HIM but yet have faith. We are no better than Sir Thomas or even label him as 'doubting Thomas', commonly known by he church nor use this man made label, not Biblical, in any sharing or sermons.

What is Grace and Truth Biblically is that Sir Thomas became one of the twelve Apostles and who reached out to the strong devotes of various idols and festivals and false spirits. He was brutally murdered for the Gospel sake.

Even someone who have performed better than Sir Thomas, will not ever use such label nor give any negative unBiblical principles descriptions about one another, for CHRIST called them to love one another.

Only proud babes in CHRIST, in ignorance but learning, enjoy and use such terms against the true servants of GOD for CHRIST. All this that is written in the Holy Bible is for our lesson to excel and not ridicule. Their written beginner life's mistakes are tips for our excelling labor benefits. They will be proud of us on that final day confessing in the presence of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, that we have not repeated their mistakes bu;

'Praise the LORD of Heaven and earth and be honored, forever and ever, Amen. For by your Helper MASTER, these were made wiser than us and have excelled for us.'

 

[Allin]

I have another question.

Why do people act like it would make a difference if God came down right now and made himself known?

After parting the Red Sea, and doing mighty acts in Exodus, people still doubted Him and rebelled.

Jesus was the incarnation of God, did many miracles, and they crucified Him.

Why would we be any different? Would we be the first people to fully believe in all of history if God did make himself known physically?

Still waters, that's not what the OP was asking or addressing. The OP asks why God doesn't make Himself visible or physically present. If we are supposed to not desire a good thing because others may have had a bad reaction to it, we couldn't desire much at all. Is a Christian's job foremost to say, "Thou shalt not" or to encourage and say, "If it is the Lord's will, then let it be." Christians are liable to share our opinions and the Bible (of course) rather than trying to discern if something is of God or not. The short and concise answer to this post may look something like this: "If God desires that for you, then pursue it."

Are Christians supposed to be a No Committee? Why are we more inclined to tell people all the reasons not to pursue what we ourselves aren't pursuing? Inventors, innovators, pioneers, many of them faced people who told them not to proceed or mocked what they were pursuing. Those people weren't pursuing the same things, so they discouraged those who were. But Christians should be honest so that whether or not we are pursuing a good thing, we should encourage others to pursue whatever is good and from God. Even Eli, backslidden, encouraged both Hannah and Samuel to pursue God in a way that he himself wasn't. But today, we often hinder others because we ourselves don't have the same desires or vision, and we end up doing more against Jesus and hindering people from expriencing His Kingdom as He said: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the Kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to" (Matt. 23:13).

 

[1still_waters]

Still waters, that's not what the OP was asking or addressing. The OP asks why God doesn't make Himself visible or physically present. If we are supposed to not desire a good thing because others may have had a bad reaction to it, we couldn't desire much at all. Is a Christian's job foremost to say, "Thou shalt not" or to encourage and say, "If it is the Lord's will, then let it be."

John 20:
29 Jesus said, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed.[e] Those who believe without seeing are blessed.”

Are Christians supposed to be a No Committee? Why are we more inclined to tell people all the reasons not to pursue what we ourselves aren't pursuing?

John 20:
29 Jesus said, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed.[e] Those who believe without seeing are blessed.”

Inventors, innovators, pioneers, many of them faced people who told them not to proceed or mocked what they were pursuing. Those people weren't pursuing the same things, so they discouraged those who were. But Christians should be honest so that whether or not we are pursuing a good thing, we should encourage others to pursue whatever is good and from God

John 20:
29 Jesus said, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed.[e] Those who believe without seeing are blessed.”
.

Even Eli, backslidden, encouraged both Hannah and Samuel to pursue God in a way that he himself wasn't. But today, we often hinder others because we ourselves don't have the same desires or vision, and we end up doing more against Jesus and hindering people from expriencing His Kingdom as He said: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the Kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to" (Matt. 23:13).

John 20:
29 Jesus said, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed.[e] Those who believe without seeing are blessed.”

 

[Allin]

John 20:
29 Jesus said, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed.[e] Those who believe without seeing are blessed.”

It's never enough to quote the Bible to back up your claims, because the Bible only backs up God's claims when it is rightly divided or applied. Jesus did not say that only those who believe without seeing are blessed; He only said that those who can believe without seeing are blessed. There is no discrimination in that sentence; i.e. He doesn't say, "Shame on you. Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed, rather, are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (italics my addition).

The writer of Hebrews said that the prophets of the OT only heard of but didn't see Jesus' ministry and that that better thing (seeing Him and not just hearing about Him) was kept for us in these times. (Heb. 11:39-40.) When Nathanael realized that Jesus could perceive beyond the facade and could see inside his heart, he declared that Jesus was the Son of God. Jesus replied, "Because I told you... do you believe? You will see greater things than these... Most assuredly, I say to you, you will see" (Jn. 1:43-50). Seeing appears more important than hearing there. And Jesus said to the disciples, "Blessed are your eyes for they see... Many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see" (Matt. 13:16-17).

I know it takes desire to actually learn about God (not to quote the Bible; even satan and satanists quote the Bible), and we're short on that. However, here's a rule of thumb: if you don't understand a spiritual principle, try to find it in the physical, and it will be easier to understand. "Faith comes by hearing," the Bible says, but Jesus wants us to see too. Which is more important? Well, we all have two eyes and two ears. That's the answer.

 

[skipp]

I'm glad this question was asked because I've wondered about it before myself. There are a lot of great answers in this thread!

 

[just-me]

Just been wondering.......

John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away : for if I go not away , the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart , I will send him unto you.

 

[Fishbait]

Good question! My best guess is that he's decided not to play it that way... Similar question...I think... Why is it that we don't know for sure if we're dreaming right now?

"Why is it that we don't know for sure if we're dreaming right now?"

Because after reading your question I pinched my arm and it hurt.

 

[Kerry]

To the OP. God did that to Israel and they said never do that again least we die, send us your Prophet and God agreed with them.

 

[dcontroversal]

Well a few things to ponder.....

1. God has on occasion made himself known and in various ways....
2. Moses was allowed to view his back side of the which His face shone
3. Primarily because God has a pre-set time to completely reveal himself unto humanity and on a Grand scale with Power and Great Glory...............!