The Face of God

Atheists ridicule the idea of God creating the heavens and the earth. They demand that God show himself and prove He exists. In reality, if nonbelievers (or anyone for that matter) were to come face to face with the Almighty in all of his glory, their last breath would be upon them in an instant. The naivete with which these mere mortals have the audacity to make demands of power they cannot comprehend is truly astounding.

There is plenty of empirical evidence for the existence of God, the greatest of which is the historicity of Jesus Christ. Not only did Christ provide powerful testimony regarding the reality of our Creator, the veracity of His preaching was underscored by countless miracles plus numerous prophesies and their subsequent fulfillment, the greatest of which was His resurrection from the dead.

John 1:18 declares, “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.” Some translations read, “but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made Him known.” Jesus was the only person to ever see God’s face because He was God in the flesh.

Moses, had an intimate relationship with God and spoke to him as a friend (Exodus 33:11). But even Moses was not permitted to see God’s face. In Exodus 33:19-20, we read, “And the Lord said, ‘I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,’ He said, ‘you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.'” God could not allow even Moses, who was privileged among men, to look Him in the eyes because His brilliance would be more than he could bear.

Throughout human history, people have had encounters with angels and were stricken with fear at the sight of their glory. What would make men think they could withstand a full on encounter with the omnipotent Lord God Almighty? Yet in this day and age, challenging and disrespecting God has become commonplace. An ant daring to confront an elephant doesn’t even come close to exemplifying the extreme disparity between God and anyone who would challenge His authority.

Incomprehensible And Inconceivable

God is incomprehensible and inconceivable because He is infinite. The Bible tells us,”‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.'” (Isaiah 55:8-9).

King David, who was said to be a man after God’s own heart, wrote in Psalm 8:4, “what is man that you are mindful of him?” Even David recognized the vast chasm between man and God that was put in place for man’s protection. The holiness of God has no tolerance for the sinfulness of mankind, therefore, the barrier exists that only God Himself can traverse. And traverse it He did, through the incarnation, in the person of Jesus Christ.

Yet, just like their stiff necked ancestors, who despite witnessing the parting of the waters so they could escape from Egypt on dry land, the Jews rejected their Messiah because of their hard hearts and pride. If humans could not be trusted with little, they certainly cannot be entrusted with much. However, God can turn a heart of stone into a heart of flesh. Such was the case with Saul of Tarsus, who became the apostle Paul after his encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-4).

Paul declared in Romans 9:1-5, I speak the truth in Christ – I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit – I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God overall, forever praised!”

Paul himself was once like them, until his encounter on the Damascus road that left him blinded by the radiance of Christ. He was humbled by the glory he witnessed. In 2 Corinthians 12:1-4, Paul discloses details of his encounter and hearing “inexpressible things, things that no man is permitted to tell.” God allows man to discover only that which will not impede his wellbeing.

And even the disciple John, who walked with Jesus and talked with Jesus, fell at His feet as though dead when he saw Him in his glory, as recorded in Revelation 1:17. And in Revelation 19:11-21, we find the incredible depiction of the return of Jesus and the defeat of the ungodly armies of the earth, simply with the word of His mouth.

Brilliance No One Can Withstand

Paul’s declaration to the church at Thessalonica that the antichrist, who will deceive and enslave the inhabitants of the earth in the last days, will be destroyed by Christ with the splendor of His coming (2 Thessalonians 2:8), is congruent with other scripture regarding the glory of God.

The grandeur of God is not only beyond human comprehension but it infinitely exceeds man’s ability to withstand His presence. His power is not merely strength as understood by physics, but the very force that sustains the existence of the universe. It is unlimited and unprecedented. This is precisely why He incarnated as a man so that humans could experience Him on their own level.

For atheists to summon God to reveal Himself at their command is the ultimate form of disrespect. Paul’s words of wisdom in Romans 9:20-24 provide insight that ought to compel humility among those who would provoke God: “But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?

What if God, choosing to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the objects of His wrath – prepared for destruction? What if He did this to make the riches of His glory known to the objects of His mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory – even us, whom He also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?”

Indeed, God’s restraint from revealing Himself to unbelievers and mockers is the very preservation of their physical lives. His self-control is their mercy and they have no idea how immense that blessing is!

Peter addresses this issue in 2 Peter 3:3-9. “First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, ‘Where is this ‘coming’ He promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.

But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgement and destruction of ungodly men.

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Furthermore, Ezekiel 33:11 tells us that while God is just, he does not enjoy delivering justice. “Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.'” This statement also discloses that we have a choice. Repent and be saved! (Acts 2:38; Luke 13:3;Galations 5:24).

Recent research shows a fifteen percent decline in the belief in spiritual entities among Gen X, Y and Z over the last twenty-four years. Interestingly, this trend is inversely proportional to the signs now evident in world events that Jesus said would indicate His second coming was nearing. As the birth pains increase in frequency and intensity, faith is declining. Jesus asked the question in Luke 18:8, “However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

Atheists are like little children playing with fire or staring at the sun and believing they won’t suffer permanent eye damage. The wisdom they profess is foolishness compared to the supreme power of God (1 Corinthians 3:19). The Bible says that at the culmination of this age an unrepentant mankind will beg the rocks and mountains to hide them “from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.” (Revelation 6:15-17). Atheists ought to be careful what they wish for…