Most readers of the Bible, have stumbled across the following verses, and they stick in their memory:
John 1:18. No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.
1John 4:12. No man has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and his love is perfected in us.
and 3 John 1:11. Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that does good is of God: but he that does evil has not seen God.
John appears to change his mind as time goes on, He goes from saying no man has seen God to saying that no man who does evil has seen God, implying that all of the good people have seen God, or will see God. that point is unclear, because translators continually took verses written in the future tense, and translated them into the past tense, and this is what has happened here in 3 John 1:11.
Now about seeing God face to face:
Genesis 32:30. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
Exodus 33:11. And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaks unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.
Note here that Joshua would have seen Moses talking face to face with God. this would have been a first experience for Joshua that would prepare him to take Moses place.
Numbers 14: 14. And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that you Lord are among this people, that you Lord are seen face to face, and that your cloud stands over them, and that you go before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.
Deuteronomy 5:4. The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire,
Deuteronomy 34: 10. And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,
Judges 6:22. And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face.
Judges 13:22. And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.
Ezekiel 20:35. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face.
1 Corinthians 13: 12. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
Please Note, that this is a promise that all who follow Jesus will see God face to face! Since God is working with each individual soul on a one on one basis, Everyone is not going to see Him at the same time, many Christians pick up that false theology because of the dominant teaching of the Rapture, but the scripture says all will see Him, but "at the same time" is not specified, it is a false assumption by those who attempt to short circuit God's work and scare people into the fold. All will come, when God has prepared them, and not before, they will not make that decision until God has brought them to that crossroad. All the prophets of God saw God face to face, were filled with the Holy Spirit, and were in contact with him 24 hours a day, through the Holy Spirit. No one who has not been through the process, can ever understand, and most, because it has not happened to them, will accept, that almost every day, God chooses someone to reveal Himself to, because God has Justified them to the point where God can trust them, and 99% of them will not mention it, because the non-believers can be rough on anyone who claims to have had a spiritual experience that they have not yet arrived at. Most Christians, believe that this refers to what happens after death, not realizing that it doesn't normally happen that way, it happens shortly before death, which is why Jacob wondered why he was still alive and Manoah thought they would die. I remember an old man who came to visit my grandmother, he was in his 90s and she in her 80s. Things were said, that i remembered after seeing God, that caused me to know that he was at that time dealing with seeing God face to face. My mom is 92, My dad is almost 92, and I haven't seen any signs that they have had that experience yet, but I am sure they will. I was allowed to see God at the age of 52, because God had work for me to do, and this is part of it.
<><===><>
Gary Sechler
With knowledge on loan from God
John 1:18. No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.
1John 4:12. No man has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and his love is perfected in us.
and 3 John 1:11. Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that does good is of God: but he that does evil has not seen God.
John appears to change his mind as time goes on, He goes from saying no man has seen God to saying that no man who does evil has seen God, implying that all of the good people have seen God, or will see God. that point is unclear, because translators continually took verses written in the future tense, and translated them into the past tense, and this is what has happened here in 3 John 1:11.
Now about seeing God face to face:
Genesis 32:30. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
Exodus 33:11. And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaks unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.
Note here that Joshua would have seen Moses talking face to face with God. this would have been a first experience for Joshua that would prepare him to take Moses place.
Numbers 14: 14. And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that you Lord are among this people, that you Lord are seen face to face, and that your cloud stands over them, and that you go before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.
Deuteronomy 5:4. The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire,
Deuteronomy 34: 10. And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,
Judges 6:22. And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face.
Judges 13:22. And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.
Ezekiel 20:35. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face.
1 Corinthians 13: 12. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
Please Note, that this is a promise that all who follow Jesus will see God face to face! Since God is working with each individual soul on a one on one basis, Everyone is not going to see Him at the same time, many Christians pick up that false theology because of the dominant teaching of the Rapture, but the scripture says all will see Him, but "at the same time" is not specified, it is a false assumption by those who attempt to short circuit God's work and scare people into the fold. All will come, when God has prepared them, and not before, they will not make that decision until God has brought them to that crossroad. All the prophets of God saw God face to face, were filled with the Holy Spirit, and were in contact with him 24 hours a day, through the Holy Spirit. No one who has not been through the process, can ever understand, and most, because it has not happened to them, will accept, that almost every day, God chooses someone to reveal Himself to, because God has Justified them to the point where God can trust them, and 99% of them will not mention it, because the non-believers can be rough on anyone who claims to have had a spiritual experience that they have not yet arrived at. Most Christians, believe that this refers to what happens after death, not realizing that it doesn't normally happen that way, it happens shortly before death, which is why Jacob wondered why he was still alive and Manoah thought they would die. I remember an old man who came to visit my grandmother, he was in his 90s and she in her 80s. Things were said, that i remembered after seeing God, that caused me to know that he was at that time dealing with seeing God face to face. My mom is 92, My dad is almost 92, and I haven't seen any signs that they have had that experience yet, but I am sure they will. I was allowed to see God at the age of 52, because God had work for me to do, and this is part of it.
<><===><>
Gary Sechler
With knowledge on loan from God