Bible Discussion Thread

Did Adam and Eve see God face to face?

I believe Enoch and Moses were the only ones to look upon God.

I do not look at art someone has painted. I paint and I wouldn't imagine God. He is a consuming Fire.

All I have in my home is a painting of a loaf of bread. And a photograph of 3 mountains in DEATH VALLEY by Ansel Adams. It makes me think of the Valley of Dry Bones

This is a fascinating thing. I heard a sermon one time saying the words spoken about "if someone sees the face of GOD they cannot live" he said "they cannot live, the same" Is this the question you're looking deeper into? Genesis 32:20,30, Exodus 33:11, Exodus 34:28-30,35,

It would be very interesting to do a study on the words. Exodus 3:6, Exodus 33:20,23, Numbers 6:25, Deuteronomy 5:1-5, Deuteronomy 31:17,18, Deuteronomy 32:20, Deuteronomy 34:10, Judges 6:22, 1Kings 13:6, 1Chronicles 16:11, 2Chronicles 7:14, 2Chronicles 30:9, Psalms 13:1, Psalms 17:5, Psalms 22:24, Psalms 105:4, Isaiah 54:8, Isaiah 59:2, Jeremiah 21:10, Ezekiel 20:35,

Perhaps it's the word "man" that the emphasise is. Romans 8:14, Galatians 4:6, Hebrews 12:7, John 1:12, Philippians 2:15, 1John 3:1,2 , 1John 4:15, How sad it is when a living father says "see his face no more" or turns his face.

Genesis 3:8-10, interestingly, in this translation it says they heard "the voice of the LORD" they "hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God"

What's amazing is: Genesis 4:16, it appears even though they were cast out of the garden GOD's presence was still with them.

Psalms 139, Job 4:15,

Hopefully this is helpful

Genesis 3:8 seems to indicate that Adam talked with God in the cool of the day along with Eve. The earlier communication in 2:15 seemed to be a command from God. The animals named by Adam were due to God bringing them to him; not necessarily indicating that anything was communicated as a directive for that event. Then once again; God was the sole voice in His declarations to Adam; Eve and the serpent. Evidence of the Godhead is in the word "Elohim" in the beginning of Genesis; and after the fall when He said that man would become "as one of us" (v. 22).

As to which member of the Godhead was talked to; Exodus indicates that no man spoke face to face with God as Moses did ( Exodus 33:11; Deut. 34:10). It would appear that the preincarnate Christ would have been the one who can be approached; and certainly even in His case not in His full glory. Only the back of God could be revealed to Moses ( Exodus 33:12-23).

It should be noted that since man had not yet fallen before this; that there could have been a closer fellowship before Adam hid from God. There was only one restriction before this; and after man was doomed to his fate and eventual physical death after that spiritual death had occurred; the only further restriction at that time was preventing man from taking of the tree of life and living forever in a fallen state. Genesis 3:15 shows God's spiritual provision; and the skins from the first killed animal the outer provision or covering ( Genesis 3:21).

It seems clear that God spoke throughout the process that the Biblical canon was developed; and in fact since Creation. There were lapses; likely before the flood when all but Noah and his immediate family were saved; and later during the time of the Judges according to scripture. There was probably another long lag in the intertestamental period. The sobering thought is even Balaam spoke to God and Judas Iscariot was in His presence. Better to believe what is unseen than seen ( John 20)