God manifests Himself

The Scriptures tell us that God is a spirit. Being a Spirit, He has not shown Himself to any human in the world. In the early days of human existence, God and humans inter-communicated from time to time, but He was invisible to them. To us humans, a divine spirit is a supernatural being who is not composed of flesh and blood, not of a material substance that can be seen or felt by the senses. Some heavenly spirits have been seen by humans in exclusive circumstances but these apparitions may or may not be believed by some, leaving their credibility to individual judgment.

No one has seen God in His true identity. The Apostle John says No one has ever seen God, but God the Only Son made him known: the one who is in and with the Father. Humans got to know more about God only through Jesus Christ. Moses had only a glimpse of God but not face to face. Exodus 33 reads: "Then Yahweh said, "You cannot see my face because man cannot see me and live." God wilfully obstructed Moses from seeing Him as He wanted to protect Moses. But Moses saw God only after He passed by.

On Mount Sinai Moses saw a flame of fire in the middle of a bush which was not burning up. The flame represented an angel of God. As He got closer, God spoke to him from the middle of the bush saying, "Do not come near; take off your sandals because the place where you are standing is holy ground." Moses obeyed God and hid his face in fear;  so that he would not see Him (Exodus 3: 1- 6).

After God had delivered the Israelites from bondage in Egypt, He guided them on their way to Canaan, the Promised Land. By day, God went before them in a pillar of cloud to lead them all the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, enabling them to travel day and night. Neither the cloud by day nor the fire by night disappeared from sight of the Israelites (Exodus 13: 21 - 22).

After the Israelites had arrived at Mount Sinai, Moses asked the people to leave the camp and stand at the foot of the mountain to meet God. The mountain was completely covered in smoke because God had come down in fire and the smoke rose as from a furnace. The whole mountain shook violently, while the blast of the trumpet became louder and louder. Moses spoke to God and He replied in a sound like thunder. It was on this holy mountain that God gave His Ten Commandments to Moses. This was a mystifying experience to the people.

While the Israelites were in the desert, Moses asked Aaron to offer a sacrifice of a calf for sin and a ram for a burnt offering: both without blemish, on an erected altar. Having done this, he entered the Tent which was a sanctuary, with Moses. When they came out to bless the people, the glory of God appeared to them in a flame and consumed the burnt offering and the fat that was on the altar. On seeing this marvel, the people shouted for Joy and fell on their faces.

In the New Testament, the Transfiguration of Jesus was an event of great significance written in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. On that occasion, Jesus had gone up a high mountain with His Apostles Peter, James and John, as He wanted to pray. At that moment, His countenance radiated a bright and blinding glow and even His clothes appeared as white as no bleach could make them, to their astonishment.At the same time, they also saw Elijah and Moses talking to Jesus. A bright cloud formed above them and a voice from the cloud said: "This is my Son, the Beloved, my chosen One. Listen to Him." After the spectacle was over, the Apostles found Jesus alone.

Some theologians have expressed the view that the Transfiguration reflected the outcome of Jesus' divine mission. The presence of Elijah and Moses in their spiritual bodies was adequate evidence that they were exempt from the corruptive conditions of death to which Jesus too would not be subjected. The bright cloud was a symbol of the presence of God. It could be seen that the Transfiguration of Jesus took place by the Will of God.

We see from these Scriptures how God presented Himself to humans when the need arose. Being a spirit, humans saw Him in the configuration of fire, smoke and a cloud. He is also present outside these visible mediums without being seen but His voice could be heard.

Scripture reveals that God dwells in edifices made by the hands of men. In present times, Churches are His dwelling places in His omnipresence.