What a thought-provoking question that combines aspects of theology, human capability, revelation, and Scriptural accounts! Or it might be that you’re curious and wondering what God meant when He told Moses in Exodus 33:20 that, “No man can see Me and live!” Maybe you just watched Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. Either way, the answer to your question is a resounding ‘Yes!’, but also a regretful ‘No!’.
The Old Testament offers several accounts of people encountering God. Some of these were in the form of visions, dreams, or angels of the Lord. However, other accounts specifically mention an encounter with God on a very close and personal level, appearing as the Lord Almighty. But how can this be if God himself said that He can not be seen? Is this a contradiction?
To approach this question, we first have to come to an understanding of the nature of God, existing in the Trinity (the Lord existing as the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit) and the magnitude of His glory.
On the one side, those who have seen Jesus, have seen God, because He is the Son and the Incarnate One, the person of the Trinity that has the full nature of both a human and God. The apostle Paul talks Jesus as being the image of the invisible God in Colossians 1:15. This refers to the encompassing spiritual nature of God. Some interpretations refer to some of the encounters of God in the OT as meeting with the Son. The first chapter of John talks about Jesus as God being made flesh. And yes, people saw Him and lived to tell about it: that’s why we have the gospels.
But it is also true that God has not been seen. This specifically deals with His complete glory and holiness, attributed to the Father in heaven. He has not been seen, nor can be seen due to humanity’s fallen and sinful nature. If the fullness of God was revealed to us, we would be consumed. Even though we long to know God even more, we will only be able to see God when we are completely made holy and new (sanctified), with the resurrection of the body.
Here is a good SITE to check out that takes a look at the verses which recount times in which people have seen God and compares them to verses which claim that no one has seen God or cannot see Him for that matter.
Also, check out this ONE, which talks about if anyone has seen God.
[Answered by Jon, who believes in what is seen and unseen]
