Where is God?

The skeptic asks, “Where is God? If God exists, why doesn’t He show Himself? Wouldn’t this one simple bit of proof would settle the question once and for all?”

And because the all-powerful creator of the universe, the I AM who establishes the heavens and the earth does not quickly pop into view to satisfy this arrogant challenge, the skeptic is emboldened, “HaHa! See, you can thump your Bible all day long but in the end you’ve got nothing”.

To the person who has made up their mind that “God” is just a desperate daydream hoping for something better beyond death… the case is closed. There is no “God” there is no proof and most important of all…I am FREE to do as I please…. II Peter 3:3-7 (Proverbs 9:7;15:2)

But even the elect wonder “where is God”… perhaps that is why Peter continued in verse 8

 As believers, we know and accept the evidence of God in creation Rom1:18-28. We accept the biblical record and it witness of God as an active force on planet earth and in human history… the exodus, the calling of Israel, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and the church as His active presence…

But in time of trial, sickness, disappointment doesn’t everyone wrestle with the question, “where is God”, or perhaps “what’s taking God so long” and in our own way wish that God would show Himself?

Why Has God Separated Himself From Humanity

You might ask “ why would God separate Himself from us? He tells us how much He loves us… wouldn’t it make more sense for Him to be here WITH us? Couldn’t we learn more about Him if He were here?

Separation Begins with Sin

God’s separation from humanity begins with us. God gives us the freedom to choose… and with it the freedom to sin. The first man and woman were given a single, simple command which they chose to disobey. That history first sin began a sequence of events & consequences we are still living with today.

Romans 5:12

Chief among those consequences is separation from God… we got kicked out of the garden and punished with the loss of all kinds of blessings (food, safety, easy childbirth, etc.) BUT in the same act we also got ourselves kicked out of the presence of God… mankind could no longer live together with God.

Is Separation A Punishment From God?

To some, the answer is yes. But to many, the answer is NO WAY! Separation from God is exactly what humanity wants. They’d like to hang on to the blessings, but God… not so much. God only tries to restrict and restrain us. If God, His rules, His unreasonable judgment were not always getting in the way what a wonderful world we could create. God’s not the solution God’s the problem. Our World, Our Way...

But our attempts to create our own world apart from God do not create happiness, contentment, wholeness… whether its communism or supply-side economics it just doesn’t satisfy.

God Separates Himself From Us… So We Won’t Be Destroyed

God has other reasons for separating Himself from us but one of them is that our separation from God is for our own protection. Otherwise, His righteous wrath would consume us. Get some good scriptures here. Exodus 33:3  (comment on sacrificial system, priesthood)

If God is Separate and Remote How Can We Say He Loves Us?

Some people want to believe but ask… “if God is so powerful, and loves us like he says He does why doesn’t He help us?”… I see war, injustice, calamity, pain, suffering… if God exists what’s the point if He doesn’t care enough to act?”

Ironic: man sins by choice and provokes God’s wrath, God sends man away so he won’t be consumed, then man gets sullen, angry, or defiant about God ‘s separation from him.

Eph 1:3-10 God is active and involved with humanity… beginning with the first fruits… Col 1:21. Later extending to all those who have ever lived at the Last Great Day. With the ultimate goal that God and man may dwell together. But first man has to change, we have to learn to control our free will and we have to choose a way of thinking that is compatible with eternal life.

Mankind Is Not Ready To Dwell With God

When God expelled man and woman from His presence He said “I will not allow humans to grab the fruit of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” and so God drove them out of the garden. Man was not ready to take on eternal life. Sinning humans can’t even safely be in the presence of God (except under very controlled circumstances) let alone become part of the eternal family of God. Man needs to be prepared, cleaned up, tested and proven… and this is always has been God’s purpose and plan

No, God has not abandoned us. But, for our own good and to work out His plan for us, His interaction with us is limited.

Man started of with about 1000 years of complete freedom to run amok and our behavior got so bad that God decided to push the reset button with Noah. After that He made a few alterations to keep man in check, spread him out over the face of the earth, confusing man’s languages etc.

God’s next step was to formally call out a group of people introduce himself to them and teach them His ways. He started small. He began with a single person… Abraham. Starting with Abraham, then Isaac, and Jacob and grew them into a nation.

He established Israel as an actual state that would take its place on the stage of history. God used powerful and miraculous intervention witnessed on an international level and involving what was at that time the greatest military and economic power on earth (Egypt).

God gave Israel laws to follow that would train them in His righteousness and character. His commands, his judgments, and statutes. But also laws of separation and atonement.

• He dwelt with them in all His glory and righteousness but in a very controlled manner:
• Covered in cloud… Behind a veil… in a tabernacle
• The only direct interaction was with the priests of the tabernacle who had very strict rules to follow about when and in what manner they could come before Him.
• The tabernacle was surrounded by a ring of Levites who guarded the perimeter so that none could casually enter. Coming close to God was governed by many laws of separation and laws of atonement.

Israel flouted these laws + boundaries to the extent that God had to separate Himself even from the subset of humanity He had hand-picked. Isaiah 59:2; Ezekiel 10:18-19

The Presence of God Family Re-introduced in the person of Jesus

Phil 2:7 Jesus temporarily set aside the glory and fullness of God’s glory and radiant power. As such God was able to dwell among sinning humanity but in a way that was very limited and carefully controlled.

As a bonafide human intimate this interaction of God and mankind could and would also only be temporary. Jesus life lasted a mere 33 years, His ministry about 3 ½ (but what an impact on human history). Jesus, God with us, taught people about sin and righteousness, how to better fulfill God’s purpose for them. AND, significantly He told us I WILL RETURN – in full glory.

Jesus taught and prophesied regarding the coming re-introduction of the presence and rule of God on earth and among men (typified but not limited to the millennial rule). God will re-establish His presence among man but at that time in His Full Glory.

John 12:47 Jesus said He did not come to judge and to this day He does not compel humans to obey – but He does call men to hear and obey. We are free to choose… we have to learn to make the right decisions for ourselves Deut 30:19 “choose life”

Is God’s Plan Failing?

Many people picture God fighting a titanic winner takes all battle for good over evil… that He is desperately trying to convert humanity to His way of thinking and doing. If picture were true, then God’s efforts appear to be a failure and He doesn’t appear to be winning this “imaginary” and non-biblical battle of good versus evil.

Humanity long ago parted ways with God developing many societies, philosophies that are not guided by His revealed knowledge… an often are aggressively contrarian. Yes, God is involved with His creation but for now, He has limited His involvement and allows mankind to make their own mistakes.

Ezekiel 33:11 God warns people of the consequences of rejecting His ways but doesn’t force us to follow

The simple truth of the matter is that God isn’t trying to convert the world to His way of life now. (firstfruits) He is permitting the human experience to play itself out to its logical, inevitable, conclusions. We are like little children who won’t be told that the stove is painfully hot and insist on touching it to find out. We too often must learn lessons the hard way, through painful experience.

Where Are Mankind’s Collective Decisions Taking Us?

Sin and disobedience separate us from God as individuals but also has its effect on a national and even worldwide scale. A society, a culture, a legal system, a worship system built on the wrong foundations will go wrong. Man will never be able to build anything that will let him reach out and grab from the Tree of Life... ultimately everything we do and accomplish apart from God is a literal dead end.

Matthew 24:21-22  it is the church’s understanding that Jesus’ prophecy indicates God’s plan is to allow the human race to go all the way to the end of its rope, to the brink of annihilation, in this centuries yea millennia-long human experiment. Only then will mankind learn that humanity without God is a dead end.

Matt 24:29-30  Christ/God ends His separation from his creation and returns… in fullness of His glory – However, because to the bitter end man refuses to stop sinning, refuses to accept God’s offer of forgiveness leading to obedience… the righteous wrath of God will play out. 7 plagues/woes etc. are God’s final call to repentance and avoid the effect of His righteous anger.

What Can You Do Now?

• Psalm 8:3-4 Be willing to recognize/acknowledge the evidence God has provided you of His existence, in creation, in history, in the bible AND based on this search for a relationship with God
• Psalm 19:1-4 Do the math… if God can create, sustain and preside over such a universe as we have… then He must be very smart, very powerful etc. SO…  its worth not only listening to Him but doing what He says.
• John 17:17 Know the book – God has revealed himself in His word (laws, statutes, judgments), learn the truth… separate and set yourself apart from this evil world so you may draw close to God

Sin disobedience ruins you, they provoke God’s righteous wrath and separate you from Him. God is not going to come around to your way of thinking… and you don’t want Him too. You want God to be straight & true, solid as a rock, not unpredictable in righteousness and judgment. It’s you who needs to change yourself in order to stand in the presence of God, to be part of the first-fruits at the resurrection of the just.

Isaiah 55: 6-7 Act now not later

Jeremiah 33:3 Call upon God, do not passively wait

Heb 11:6