How People Refuse To See God

By

The Man Who Saw God Face To Face

Raphael Okechukwu Nweze

Introduction

Quite often, you hear people saying that it is not possible to see God face to face. The fact is that it is people that refuse to see God. Several bible portions show that the above statements are true.

People Refuse To See God Face To Face

1. Adam and Eve hid themselves from God, when God came to visit and see them. It was not God that told them to hide themselves. They decided to do so, because they were afraid.

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?"

10 So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself."

Genesis 3:8-10

2. Moses hid his face, so that he would not see God. God did not ask him to hide his face or cover his eyes. It was himself that decided not to see God and hid his face.

So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!"

And he said, "Here I am."

5 Then He said, "Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground." 6 Moreover He said, "I am the God of your father — the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.

Exodus 3:4-6

3. Israelites ran away from the Mount Sinai, when God came down to meet them. Instead of asking for the Holy Spirit to see God, they demanded that God speak to Moses, and Moses would in turn speak to them. They thought they would die, which death was not even in God’s heart or mind.

Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. 19 Then they said to Moses, "You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die."

Exodus 20:18-19

4. Isaiah concluded that he will die, because he saw God. But, an Angel of the Lord told him that he would not die.

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said:

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;

The whole earth is full of His glory!"

4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.

5 So I said:

"Woe is me, for I am undone!

Because I am a man of unclean lips,

And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;

For my eyes have seen the King,

The Lord of hosts."

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth with it, and said:

"Behold, this has touched your lips;

Your iniquity is taken away,

And your sin purged."

Isaiah 6:1-7

5. People do not see God because they are spiritually blind. That disappointing fact is that people do not even know that they have spiritual eyes, and they are not doing anything to open their spiritual eyes. Jesus referred to spiritual blindness when He said,

"The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

Matthew 6:22-23

The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35 Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light." Luke 11:34-36

And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Matthew 7:3-5

6. Jesus said blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. The problem is that people are not living pure life, and everyday, people concern themselves with all kinds of videos of evil: murder, hatred, robbery, violence, rape, immorality, indecency, vulgarity, cultism, paganism, crime and abominations.

7. Failure to recognize God, when God is present and manifest in His simplicity and naturalness. This was the case with Philip and the Samaritan woman, who failed to recognize God in the person of Jesus Christ.

The Samaritan woman was with Jesus and did not know it, and was still expecting the coming of the Messiah.

The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When He comes, He will tell us all things."

Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

John 4:25-26

Philip was with Jesus often. Yet, His spiritual eye was not open for him to see God in the person of Jesus.

Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."

9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

John 14:8-11

8. People are always giving reasons and excuses on why it is not possible to see God. All the reasons and excuses are considered by God as irrelevant excuses.

12 Therefore I will number you for the sword,

And you shall all bow down to the slaughter;

Because, when I called, you did not answer;

When I spoke, you did not hear,

But did evil before My eyes,

And chose that in which I do not delight."

Isaiah 65:12

9. God dwells in silence, and quietness is the gateway into His presence. People prefer social, boisterous and noisy lifestyles, which hinder their spiritual growth and development. People fail to observe quiet times and meditation, which are the gateways into the kingdom of heaven. Psalm 46 calls on people to observe quiet times, so that God would manifest Himself to them.

Be still, and know that I am God;

Psalms 46:10

10. By uncontrolled defilement, people make it hard for themselves to see God. For example, the best way to handle a corpse is to move it through the shortest distance to its grave. Instead of doing this simple thing, people keep themselves busy carrying corpses about.

Now let them put their harlotry and the carcasses (corpses) of their kings far away from Me, and I will dwell in their midst forever. Ezekiel 43:9

11. God is ready to manifest Himself to humanity, but people are not ready and willing to meet and see Him. They do not want to hear or know the Truth that is life, the anchor of their lives.

And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"

11 He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,

And seeing you will see and not perceive;

15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull .

Their ears are hard of hearing,

And their eyes they have closed,

Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,

Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,

So that I should heal them.'

16 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; 17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

Matthew 13:17

"I was sought by those who did not ask for Me;

I was found by those who did not seek Me.

I said, 'Here I am , here I am ,'

To a nation that was not called by My name.

2 I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people,

Who walk in a way that is not good,

According to their own thoughts;

3 A people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face;

Who sacrifice in gardens,

And burn incense on altars of brick;

4 Who sit among the graves,

And spend the night in the tombs;

Who eat swine's flesh,

And the broth of abominable things is in their vessels;

5 Who say, 'Keep to yourself,

Do not come near me,

For I am holier than you!'

These are smoke in My nostrils,

A fire that burns all the day.

Isaiah 65:1-5