Bible Question:

Scripture says that no one can see God. For example, Exodus 33:20 says that God stated, 'You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!' And yet, Gen. 17:1 says that God appeared to Abraham. Exodus 24:10 says the Israelites 'saw the God of Israel,' and Exodus 24:11 says that 'they saw God.' How can both be true?

Bible Answer:

Men have tried to see God for centuries and millennia but without success. It is reported that a Russian astronaut claimed that he did not see God as he orbited the earth. But other individuals have claimed that they saw God. So, who is telling the truth? Has anyone seen God? What follows describes two reasons why men have not seen God, and an explanation about what would happen if someone did see God.

Has anyone seen God?

 

Three Reasons Why Men Cannot See God

The first reason people cannot see God is that Colossians 1:15 and 1 Timothy 1:17 reveal that God is invisible.

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 1 Timothy 1:17 (NASB)

So we should not be surprised that God cannot be found in the heavens with telescopes, satellites, or by space exploration. He cannot be found by traveling to the planet Mars, the next nearest star, or the farthest star. For God is invisible. Therefore, human man cannot see Him.

The second reason people cannot see God is that God hides Himself. Isaiah 45:15 states,

Truly, You are a God who hides Himself.  Isaiah 45:15 (NASB)

The Hebrew word translated as “hides” is satar. It is normally translated as hide or conceal. It has the idea of intentionally preventing people from seeing something.  That is God prevents us from seeing Him. Proverbs 25:2 says that it is the glory of God to conceal or hide (satar) a matter. Matthew 6:6 states God is in secret. For God is in heaven and not on earth. When God came to earth as Jesus Christ, men saw Him in human flesh and not in the fullness of His shekinah glory. Matthew 17:1-8 tells us that three disciples did see the human Jesus shine like the sun. But they did not see God in His fullness. Why? Because Exodus 33:20 states that no man can see God’s face, speaking metaphorically.

The third issue to consider is that if a man or woman did see God, they would die. Consequently, they would not be able to tell anyone that they had seen God.  God told Moses in Exodus 33:20,

You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live! Exodus 33:20 (NASB)

Then in verse 21 we are told that Moses did not see God’s face. Here is Exodus 33: 21-23,

Then the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.” Exodus 33:21-23 (NASB)

Here we discover that Moses was allowed to see God’s back but not His face. We should not think that God has a literal face and back just as we do, and we should not think that God is composed of different animal or human parts. Scripture often speaks figuratively as if God or His actions like a lion, a lamb, an eagle, fire, a hen, a water fountain, a shadow or a temple. So Moses saw something called God’s back, whatever that was. Moses could not see God and live.

People Who Wanted to See God

Now let’s consider several passages in the Bible that say people did see God. We want to ask in what sense did people see God.

The first example is the apostle John who wrote both the gospel of John and the book of Revelation. It is important to notice that the same author wrote both books since he describes God as sitting on a throne in Revelation 4:2-11, but yet in John 1:18 he said,

No one has seen God at any time. John 1:18 (NASB)

So, how can both John 1:18 and Revelation 4:2-11 be true? In what sense did John see God in Revelation 4? The answer is found in the fact that the description of God in Revelation 4 was obtained in a vision John had while on the island Patmos.

A second example is found in Deuteronomy 34:10 where we are told that Moses had an extraordinary relationship with God.

Since that time no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face . . . Deuteronomy 34:10 (NASB)

We are told that Jacob also spoke with God face-to-face in Genesis 32:24-30. So in what sense did Jacob see God “face to face”? What does it mean to see God face to face? Deuteronomy 5:1-4 gives us the answer when it says that Moses and the nation of Israel saw God on Mt. Sinai “face to face.”  God spoke to them from the midst of a fire on the mountain and Moses was standing between the people and the Lord. They heard the voice coming out of the fire and Moses described their experience as having had communication with God “face to face.” “Face-to-face” was an expression indicating that communication had taken place between man and God. It does not literally mean Moses saw God with his eyes.

A third example is found in Exodus 24:10-11 where we are told that Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy leaders went up on Mt. Sinai and saw God. Listen to these verses,

. . . and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. Exodus 24:10 (NASB)

The verse reveals that they saw God’s feet and the sea of glass beneath the throne of God. The apostle John describes the same thing in Revelation 4:6. Notice that they did not see God’s face, whatever that means. Numbers 23:19 reminds us that God is not a man.

A fourth example occurs in Genesis 17:1 where we are told Abraham saw a theophany or an appearance of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament called the Angel of the Lord. So when the passage says that the Lord appeared to Abraham and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before Me, and be blameless,” God appeared in the form of an angel – a theophany.

For completeness, 1 Kings 3:5; 9:2; and 11:9 says King Solomon saw God in a vision but not in person. Isaiah 6:1 and 5 says that Isaiah saw a vision of God, but the prophet was not in his flesh up in heaven present with God. Ezekiel 1:26-28 and Ezekiel 3:23 say that Ezekiel saw the glory of God, but not God’s face. Acts 7:55-60 says that the first Christian martyr saw a vision of the glory of God and Jesus in His resurrection body.

We shall conclude with two verses. John 1:18 and 1 John 4:12 tell us that “No one has seen God at any time.” No man while still being on this earth has truly seen God’s face at any time.

Conclusion:

A man once said that he saw Jesus Christ every morning. Immediately, he revealed that he had lied. For God cannot be seen because He is invisible, He hides Himself, and if the man did see God he would have been dead. He would not have been alive to tell anyone about his experience.  So, the Russian astronaut did not see God because he could not see God.

The last verse is Matthew 5:8 which says,

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8 (NASB)

That is, the only way anyone can really see God is to be pure in heart. One who is pure in heart will be repentant of their sins and want to live a holy life. Such a person will want to be spiritually right with God and will believe in Jesus Christ and give their life to Him. Have you done that? If you have, you will see God some day in heaven – face to face.

Suggested Links:

Searching For God
Blessed Are The Pure In Heart
Pure In Heart See God