Those who saw (or met) God

The original korean text: http://blog.naver.com/stevision/50025356936

 

(donga.com's netizen forum, Dec. 8, 2004)

 

The Bible says that humans can not remain alive after seeing God. It was regarded as blasphemy for a man, a sinner, to see the God, too holy God, directly. There are three ways that God reveals himself to men and gives his words. First, God speaks to man in the darkness. Samuel met God this way. In this case, humans can not see the substance of God. Another way is that God wears a strong light like a garment and appears to man. This is the case of the Apostle Paul. In this case also, humans can not see the God himself because of the strong light surrounding him. These two cases can't be otherwise because the God is not to be seen for man. Lastly, God takes man's appearance to himself and meets man. The God whom Moses saw in the Old Testament was this case. Moses saw not the face but the back of God. Because no one can see God directly and still live. (The incarnation of Jesus in the New Testament is a different question.)

 

Sinners cannot see God. The New Testament also says that those who is pure in heart will see the God. A sinner can't live after he sees God. Because it is simply blasphemy. In the Bible, however, there were those who feared (loved) God and saw him and had to die. Paul met Jesus, the God, and preached the gospel till he was beheaded. Most disciples of Jesus Christ, except for Judas, met Jesus, went around with him, seeing his face and preaching the Good News with him, for three years, and later suffered martyrdom. How about Jesus himself, the Son of God? He saw the Father at the nearest place in heaven. Jesus also died on the cross.

 

In the Bible, the situation in which humans meet God is well depicted. God comes up to his servants, who are weary from work for God, and comforts them, sometimes through his angels. And God comes to those who are to undertake great missions, and himself gives them assignments. After encountering God, Moses, a shepherd, became the ruler of Israel; after encountering Jesus, Paul turned from Pharisee of Judaism to apostle of heathen who propagated Jesus.

 

When a sinful man sees God, he dies on that account, while those who were chosen by God see God and fulfill great missions unto death. What a different death! Many Christians are eager to meet God, but do not know how serious the results will be! If you meet God, you may have to sacrifice your life for the gospel someday.

 

However, we should not place too much emphasis on the event of meeting itself. If the life of a man who really has met God is not improved but remains the same, his attitude is but an insult for God. If you really have met the God, your life cannot but be qualitatively changed. on the contrary, if a Christian, who had not met God, suddenly changed his life and began to devote himself to the gospel with a sense of great mission, in fact he had met God internally even though he had never met him externally. He is the very man that has met the God really.