Philip Yancey Author Of In His Image
God reproduces and lives out His image in millions of ordinary people like us. It is a supreme mystery. We are called to bear that image as a Body because any one of us taken individually would present an incomplete image, one partly false and always distorted, like a single glass chip hacked from a mirror. But collectively, in all our diversity, we can come together as a community of believers to restore the image of God in the world.
Bible Verses About Gods Appearance
Bible verses related to Gods Appearance from the King James Version by Relevance
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How Are Angels Described In Revelation
No matter what their job in Heaven, all the angels are servants of God himself. That means they take their orders directly from the Big Guy. Revelation never says they’re anything but loyal and perfectly happy to kill in the name of God. They even dance and sing for joy as the people of Earth are tortured and die.
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We Can’t Prove That Guardian Angels Exist
The Bible clearly tells us that God sends angels to protect people: He will give his angels charge of you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone .
But are these what we think of as guardian angels? Jesus words in Matthew 18:10 seem to support the idea that individual people have guardian angels, in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven. But Jesus may only mean that angels are assigned to protect little children in general.
When the disciples in Acts 12:15 say that Peters angel must be knocking at the door, this doesnt necessarily imply that they believe in individual guardian angels. Its possible that they believed an angel was simply guarding Peter at that time.
While arguments can be made, there seems to be no definitive biblical proof for the existence of guardian angels.
Why Does It Matter That God Is Light
God is light and He is surrounded by light. This speaks of His beauty, holiness, and purity. God is good and He related to mankind in His goodness and purity. There is not even a hint of evil or wickedness in Him.
James describes God as the Father of lights . Because God is the Father of lights, He is pure and constant in His goodness and purity. He is not 99.99% pure. There is no evil in Him at all.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
James 1:17
The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you.
Numbers 6:25
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Angels Directly Glorify God
Humans arent the only intelligent, moral creatures who glorify God. The Psalmist declares:.Angels glorify God for who he is in himself, for his excellence.Bless the Lord, O you his angels,you mighty ones who do his word,hearkening to the voice of his word!
The seraphim continually praise God for his holiness , and so do the four living creatures .
Angels also glorify God as they witness his plan unfold. When Christ was born in Bethlehem, a multitude of angels praised God and said, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased! . Jesus tells us, There is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents , indicating that angels rejoice when someone turns from sin and trusts in Christ.
Peter tells us that angels long to look into the glories of the plan of salvation as it works out in the lives of believers each day. To emphasize the seriousness of particular commands, Paul reminds us that our actions are carried out in the presence of angelic witnesses: In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without favor, doing nothing from partiality . If Timothy follows Pauls instructions, angels will witness his obedience and glorify God. If he neglects to obey, angels will also see and be grieved.
The Value Of Systematic Theology
Much of what we see or hear about angels in culture is based on speculation, non-biblical sources, or just plain fantasy. The Bible has a lot to say about themso much so, in fact, that it can be hard to say which of the things we hear about angels are rooted in Scripture. Thats where systematic theology is helpful: scholars like Wayne Grudem carefully organize everything the Bible says about a topic, so you can see it all at once.
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Rabbi Lawrence Kushner Author Of Eyes Remade For Wonder
Its not that you shouldnt make any graven images of God, you cant. Not only is Gods Name made of vowel letters and, therefore, effectively the sound of breathing and not only is the only thing God says at Sinai the letter aleph, which is only the noise you make as you begin to make any sound, but God doesnt look like anything at all. Theres nothing to see!
The Big Question: What Does God Look Like
by Elena Tafone
Many people have heard Gods voicebe it a small, quiet voice in their hearts or, like Moses, booming across mountaintops. When we pick up the Bible, we can read Gods words. In moments of deep prayer and contemplation, we can even feel his presence. But what does God look like? Its a question that many peoplephilosophers, theologians and even poetshave tried to answer.
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God Is A Spirit And Does Not Have A Body Like Man
The pagan nations surrounding ancient Israel were in a primitive darkness, still lost and living East of Eden. The ramifications of the fall of mankind were far-reaching and included a noetic effect of sin. That is, not only was the ground infested with thorns, but the mind of man was infected by sin. Thus, without the revelation of God, mankind all over the world began to worship idols that were made by their own hand. Or, they would worship things in creation nature, as we often call it to explain to themselves the magnificent display of powerful forces all around.
There was a moon god, a sun deity, and certain trees were worshiped as gods of fertility. We recall the striking observation of John Calvin who said that our minds are a veritable idol factory. In the midst of this cauldron of image-making mania, ancient Israel was chosen to bring the message of God and his Redeemer to the ends of the earth. And so God revealed himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
However, that is not the end of Gods revelation to humankind. For in Gods promise, the Messiah would come forth in Gods revelation in a new way. And that is our next principle.
Why Does It Matter What God Looks Like
Since God is much bigger and more complex than we are, we are still trying to figure out what it means for God to be spirit, how that connects to us being made in his image, and so on. Since we are finite while God is infinite, at least on this side of heaven we will never fully understand this concept. However, understanding God has no physical form is still important even if we dont entirely understand it. Here are some reasons why it is so important for us to grasp the appearance and nature of God:
It helps us understand how God can be sovereign.
If God is like a pagan deity, living up on Mount Olympus and coming down to help people one a time, then he is a limited being. Recognizing that God is spirit and everywhere at once shows us how God can be in control. He can be in all places, the ultimate ruler of the universe that the Bible describes because he is spirit. Recognizing his spiritual nature helps us to see his sovereignty.
It shows us what makes Jesus special.
It changes how we understand being in Gods image.
For further reading:
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How Have Depictions Of Jesus Changed Over The Centuries
Some of the earliest known artistic representations of Jesus date to the mid-third century A.D., more than two centuries after his death. These are the paintings in the ancient catacombs of St. Domitilla in Rome, first discovered some 400 years ago. Reflecting one of the most common images of Jesus at the time, the paintings depict Jesus as the Good Shepherd, a young, short-haired, beardless man with a lamb around his shoulders.
The restored fresco depicting Jesus and his apostles in the Roman catacomb of Santa Domitilla.
Another rare early portrait of Jesus was discovered in 2018 on the walls of a ruined church in southern Israel. Painted in the sixth century A.D., it is the earliest known image of Christ found in Israel, and portrays him with shorter, curly hair, a depiction that was common to the eastern region of the Byzantine empireespecially in Egypt and the Syria-Palestine regionbut disappeared from later Byzantine art.
What Does God Look Like Ezekiel
God was also visible to humans through vision. For example, when the Bible says that Moses, Ezekiel and the other Israelites saw God, they saw the God of Israel in vision. Similarly, at some places in the Bible, the prophets see Jehovah. In the account of these prophets, a reading of the adjoining verses reveals that they had a vision of God and not directly. .
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Angels Are Not To Be Worshipped
Worship of angels was one of the false doctrines being taught at Colossae . In the book of Revelation, an angel warns John not to worship him: You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God .
We shouldnt pray to angels, either. God is able to answer prayer. Paul warns us against thinking that any other mediator can come between us and God, for there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus . If we were to pray to angels, it would implicitly give them a status equal to God. There are no examples in Scripture of anyone praying to an angel or asking angels for help.
Moreover, Scripture gives us no warrant to seek appearances of angels. They manifest themselves unsought. To seek such appearances would seem to indicate an unhealthy curiosity or a desire for some kind of spectacular event rather than a love for God and devotion to him and his work. Though angels did appear to people at various times in Scripture, the people apparently never sought those appearances. Our role is rather to talk to the Lord, who is himself the commander of all angelic forces. However, it would not seem wrong to ask God to fulfill his promise in Psalm 91:11 to send angels to protect us in times of need.
Theism Deism And Pantheism
Theism generally holds that God exists realistically, objectively, and independently of human thought that God created and sustains everything that God is omnipotent and eternal and that God is personal and interacting with the universe through, for example, religious experience and the prayers of humans. Theism holds that God is both transcendent and immanent thus, God is simultaneously infinite and, in some way, present in the affairs of the world. Not all theists subscribe to all of these propositions, but each usually subscribes to some of them . Catholic theology holds that God is infinitely simple and is not involuntarily subject to time. Most theists hold that God is omnipotent, omniscient, and benevolent, although this belief raises questions about God’s responsibility for evil and suffering in the world. Some theists ascribe to God a self-conscious or purposeful limiting of omnipotence, omniscience, or benevolence. Open Theism, by contrast, contends that, due to the nature of time, God’s omniscience does not mean the deity can predict the future. Theism is sometimes used to refer in general to any belief in a god or gods, i.e., monotheism or polytheism.
God Blessing the Seventh Day
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What The Kingdom Of God Is Like
With what can we compare the kingdom of God? Mark 4:30-31
We know that Gods kingdom is not of this world. But what does it look like in the world? Jesus said that the kingdom of God is like the smallest of all seeds . Jesus only had a handful of disciples. What difference can a few believers make in this vast world?
Jesus also said that Gods kingdom is like a living seed . It may be small, but because it is living, it will grow. And this seed will become larger than all the garden plants . So Jesus is telling us, Gods kingdom has a small beginning in our hearts, but it will grow. What God is doing in you will spread through you into the lives of others.
Only God can make things grow, and this is why we pray, Your kingdom come. We can plant the seed of Gods truth. We can water it with our prayers. But only God can make it grow. Your kingdom come is a prayer for loved ones who do not yet know Jesus. Your kingdom come is a prayer for the advance of the gospel in the world.
Why would a person want to be part of this kingdom?
At the center of the Bible story, God, our great and glorious King, came into the world in the person of Jesus Christ. He gave us a sample of what life under His rule will be likeHe stilled the storm, He fed the hungry, He healed the sick, and He raised the dead.
The risen Lord Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. He will return in power and glory. And when He does, the full blessing of His kingdom will be known by all.
Is The Tabernacle Still There
The tabernacle was destroyed by the Philistines in 1050 B.C., Stripling told Fox News, around the same time that they briefly captured the Ark of the Covenant from the Israelites in a battle nearby. Later, the tabernacle was set up in other places, but we assume that it was rebuilt, reconstructed.
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Word Of God Is Like Seven Images In Bible
A Picture is worth a thousand words Saying from Chinese Proverb
- Bible often portrays various visual images or pictures to describe themes or topics .
- Old Testament is full of images or visual representation of the things to come. In fact, Bible offers different images for the Word of God itself.
- We find seven different images for the Word of God in the bible. This bible study lesson is the list of these images found in the bible.
Angels Are Examples For Us
Angels show us what perfect obedience looks like. Jesus teaches us to pray, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven , and in heaven Gods will is done by angels, immediately, joyfully, and without question. Their delight is to be Gods humble servants, faithfully performing their assigned tasks, great or small. Our desire and prayer should be that we will do the same.
Angels also model worship. John sees around Gods throne a great angelic army, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing! . If the angels find it their highest joy to praise God continuously, shouldnt we, too?
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