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Chapter 9c - The Personality of God - Can Man See God?

Welcome to the Mormon Mann YouTube channel. I am Kendall, the Mormon Mann.

In this playlist “Joseph Smith and the Bible,” I am challenging over 80 of Joseph Smith’s teachings, and I am doing it using only the Bible.

In Chapter 9, The Personality of God, we are breaking this topic into five focused questions so you can easily follow along or choose specific topics of interest:

1.     Does God Have a Body of Flesh & Bones? (Ch 9a)

2.     Are God and Jesus Christ one God, or are they two separate Gods? (Ch 9b)

3.     Can Man See God? (Ch 9c)

4.     Did Christ Create Worlds Without Number? (Ch 9d)

5.     Is Jesus Christ Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament?  (Ch 9e)

In this video—Chapter 9c—we are examining the question:

Can man see God?

More specifically, we are testing Joseph Smith’s claim that he saw God the Father and Jesus Christ.

Make sure that you press the Subscribe button so that you can follow all of these challenges.

The Traditional Christian View

Many Christians believe:

• God is not a man

• God is an immaterial, invisible spirit

• No man can see God

There is scriptural support for this belief.

John 1:18

“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him”. 

1 John 4:12

No man hath seen God at any time.  If we love one another, God dwelleth  in us, and his love is perfected in us.

Colossians 1:15

Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

Hebrews 11:27

By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

Exodus 33:20

And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

1 Timothy 1:17

Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

At face value, these verses appear clear:

Man cannot see God.

Joseph Smith’s Testimony

Joseph Smith taught the opposite. He testified:

“I saw a pillar of light… above the brightness of the sun…
I saw two Personages… One said, pointing to the other—
‘This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!’”

The LDS position is that Joseph Smith literally saw God the Father and Jesus Christ.

So now we have a problem:

• The Bible says no man has seen God

• Joseph Smith says he did

That leaves us with a question:

Is this a contradiction in the Bible—or is there a misunderstanding?

If these passages are interpreted correctly, then Joseph Smith could not have seen God.  This creates a serious contradiction in the Bible…or, Joseph Smith was hallucinating…The Book of Mormon was not inspired by God and… The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is false.

Biblical Evidence of Men Seeing God

When we look deeper into the Bible, we find numerous accounts of people who did see God:

This closer look will reveal that over seventy other people on the earth have seen God.  A review of the following passages will support this fact:

Genesis 12:7

And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him. 

Genesis 32:30

And Jacob… for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

Exodus 24:9-10

9. Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:  10.  And they saw the God of Israel.

Exodus 33:11

And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.

1 Kings 3:5

In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night…

1King 9:2

That the Lord appeared to Solomon the second time…

Isaiah 6:1,5

1. In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne…

5. …for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.

Job 42:5

I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.

Amos 9:1

I saw the Lord standing upon the altar:…

Here we have the apostle Stephen teaching the very fact that God did appear to Abraham?

Acts 7:2

And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,

Not only did the apostle Stephen teach that Abraham saw God, Stephen himself, not only saw God and Jesus, he testified that he saw Jesus on the right hand of God, in heaven.  Another witness.

Acts 7:55-56

55. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 

56. And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

So we must ask:

If man can not see God, then why did Stephen see both God and Christ?

Future Prophecy: Seeing God

John continues to prophesy, in the Book of Revelation, that people in the last days will “see the face” of God.

Rev 22:4

And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

John 17:3

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God; and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

With this further Biblical evidence, how does the visit of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ to Joseph Smith conflict with the Bible?

Witness of the Resurrected Christ

After His resurrection, Jesus Christ was seen by many. He appeared to the Mary Magdalene, the other Mary, and the eleven apostles.

John 20:18

Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord,and that he had spoken these things unto her.

Matthew 28:9

And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail.  And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.

Luke 24:15-16

15.And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.

16. But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.

Luke 24:34

Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.

1 Corinthians 15:6

After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

1 Corinthians 15:7

After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.

The Lord appeared to the twelve apostles on several occasions. Yes, the people closest to Jesus Christ all able to see him and touch him.  Jesus Christ himself declaring that he was not a spirit “for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.”

Resolving the Apparent Contradiction

So, how does this conflict where man cannot see God, but we have multiple examples of men seeing God work?

The LDS church believes that if a person is “Quickened by the Spirit” he can see God.  Through modern-day revelation, Jesus Christ taught the prophet Joseph Smith, how the passage “No man hath seen God at any time…” works.

Doctrine & Covenants 67:11,12

11. For no man has seen God at any time in the flesh, except quickened by the Spirit of God. 

12. Neither can any natural man abide the presence of God, neither after the carnal mind. 

We learn here that a natural man cannot see God, but if God wants us to see him, he can quicken us in the spirit to see him.  After all, God is “all powerful!” 

This concept is also taught in the Bible!

John 6:46

“Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.”

John states here that a “man of God” can see the Father, thus making Joseph Smith’s first vision and the experiences of over 70 men of God in the Bible in unity with the Bible.  Biblical contradiction resolved! Both supported in modern day scripture and in the New Testament!

Conclusion

When we take the entire Bible into account, we find:

• Some passages say God is unseen

• Other passages clearly show God appearing to man

Therefore, the most consistent conclusion is:

God can reveal Himself to man when He chooses.

This brings Joseph Smith’s claim into alignment with the broader biblical pattern—not contradiction.

Let’s go to the Biblical Support Chart.

The Biblical Support Chart

Is the following topic supported in the Bible? Yes or No

Does the Bible support the teaching of Joseph Smith that man can see God? Yes

(Gen 12:7; 32:30; Exo 24:9-11; 33:11; 1 King 3:2; 9:2; Isa 6:1-5; Job 42:5; Amos 9:1; Acts 7:2; 7:55,56; Rev 22:3-5; John 20:18; Matt 28:9; Luke 24:15,16,34; 1 Cor 15:6,7, Acts 26:13-16; John 20:24-29; Luke 24:36-40; John 6:46)

Closing

This ends the first part in Chapter 9c. If you agree that it is possible for a man of God to be able to see them, please press the like button.

Next, we will go next into Chapter 9d – Did Christ create worlds without number?

To continue on the next chapter, you can click on the next chapter button below.

I’ll see you in my next video—where we may begin to answer the question:

Are we alone in this universe?

[1] Joseph Smith—History.  Chapter 1, verses 16 and 17.  From the Extracts from the History of Joseph Smith, The Prophet, History of the Church, Vol. 1, Chapters 1-5.