God is able to see everything, and act anywhere he chooses.(Proverbs 15:3; Hebrews 4:13) However, the Bible does not teach that God is omnipresent. Instead, it shows that he is a person and that he resides in a dwelling place. Visions of God in the Bible consistently portray him as having a distinct location. He is never depicted as existing everywhere. (Isaiah 6:1,2; Revelation 4:2,3) God resides in the spirit realm which is distinct from physical creation. Within that realm, God has a "dwelling place in the Heavens." (1 Kings 8:30) The Bible mentions an occasion when angels "entered to take there station before Jehovah," which also shows in a sense, that God resides in a specific place. God doesn't need to be omnipresent in order to know all things and be all powerful. God's holy spirit, or active force, is God's power in action. Through his holy spirit, God can perceive and do anything, anywhere, at any time, without being present in person. (Psalm 139:7) Some believe that the very next verse - Psalm 139:8 - teaches that God is omnipresent. However, this is not talking about God's location. It's poetically teaching that no place is too remote for God to act on our behalf.
We analyzed this question in our (unchurched) Zoom meetings (every monday and friday) and we assume that God is not omnipresent as per the bible. Regarding his dwelling place in heaven: that place is really „up there“ as the heaven above can be ripped opened (baptism of Jesus) and behind that veil is the dwelling place of God. Jesus ascended upwards from earth to the dwelling place of God in Acts 1. God is hearing prayers „from his holy mountain“. God goes to places (Sodom) and he leaves places (Seir, Teman). There are times when God acts upon noticing things („When I saw it“). When the bible says God fills heaven and earth, remember mankind is supposed to fill earth and fish are supposed to fill the waters. They are not omnipresent. God comes out of Zion (Psalms 50) and he sits enthroned above the cherubim (Ps 80, Ps 99) There could be much more said. Many people are very uncomfortable with this but they forget that God sends angels to report to him and some even are seeing his face, so the omnipresence dogma denies the importance of angels (whom we will judge) Our prayers are taken to the lamb by angels and are ceremonially presented to God in smoke as per Revelation 5 and Revelation 8. Rethink omniscience as well as it seems to be a false dogma as well. Our God rules by giving commands
Interesting video. Thanks ! If God is by essence omnipresent, then I don't think the Bible teaches such thing about Him. The Bible does teach about God being located in specific places such as sanctuaries, and so on. Therefore, such view of God's omnipresence, as supported in the video, is, I believe, a mixture between a philosophical worldview, and a biblical one.
This was actually a really popular perspective, that omnipresence and immanence don't contradict transcendence, as written about by many of the pre-orthodox (prior to 500 AD) such as St. John of the Cross, Gregory of Nazianzus, Gregory of Nyssa, St. Irenaeus. It really flew in the face of the stoics, who were still stuck on hierarchy and so thinking that transcendence negates imminence. And you're right it can truly get lost in the shuffle today. But some are still catching the verses and relating them, for example: ruclips.net/video/eU8t0Y2jweM/видео.html
Who is VOSS that you keep referencing ?
God is able to see everything, and act anywhere he chooses.(Proverbs 15:3; Hebrews 4:13) However, the Bible does not teach that God is omnipresent. Instead, it shows that he is a person and that he resides in a dwelling place. Visions of God in the Bible consistently portray him as having a distinct location. He is never depicted as existing everywhere. (Isaiah 6:1,2; Revelation 4:2,3)
God resides in the spirit realm which is distinct from physical creation. Within that realm, God has a "dwelling place in the Heavens." (1 Kings 8:30) The Bible mentions an occasion when angels "entered to take there station before Jehovah," which also shows in a sense, that God resides in a specific place.
God doesn't need to be omnipresent in order to know all things and be all powerful. God's holy spirit, or active force, is God's power in action. Through his holy spirit, God can perceive and do anything, anywhere, at any time, without being present in person. (Psalm 139:7)
Some believe that the very next verse - Psalm 139:8 - teaches that God is omnipresent. However, this is not talking about God's location. It's poetically teaching that no place is too remote for God to act on our behalf.
Thank you. So few question what they are taught or look for answers. I would love to know who and how these doctrines started.
We analyzed this question in our (unchurched) Zoom meetings (every monday and friday) and we assume that God is not omnipresent as per the bible.
Regarding his dwelling place in heaven: that place is really „up there“ as the heaven above can be ripped opened (baptism of Jesus) and behind that veil is the dwelling place of God. Jesus ascended upwards from earth to the dwelling place of God in Acts 1. God is hearing prayers „from his holy mountain“. God goes to places (Sodom) and he leaves places (Seir, Teman). There are times when God acts upon noticing things („When I saw it“).
When the bible says God fills heaven and earth, remember mankind is supposed to fill earth and fish are supposed to fill the waters. They are not omnipresent.
God comes out of Zion (Psalms 50) and he sits enthroned above the cherubim (Ps 80, Ps 99)
There could be much more said. Many people are very uncomfortable with this but they forget that God sends angels to report to him and some even are seeing his face, so the omnipresence dogma denies the importance of angels (whom we will judge)
Our prayers are taken to the lamb by angels and are ceremonially presented to God in smoke as per Revelation 5 and Revelation 8.
Rethink omniscience as well as it seems to be a false dogma as well.
Our God rules by giving commands
Interesting video. Thanks ! If God is by essence omnipresent, then I don't think the Bible teaches such thing about Him. The Bible does teach about God being located in specific places such as sanctuaries, and so on. Therefore, such view of God's omnipresence, as supported in the video, is, I believe, a mixture between a philosophical worldview, and a biblical one.
This was actually a really popular perspective, that omnipresence and immanence don't contradict transcendence, as written about by many of the pre-orthodox (prior to 500 AD) such as St. John of the Cross, Gregory of Nazianzus, Gregory of Nyssa, St. Irenaeus. It really flew in the face of the stoics, who were still stuck on hierarchy and so thinking that transcendence negates imminence. And you're right it can truly get lost in the shuffle today. But some are still catching the verses and relating them, for example:
ruclips.net/video/eU8t0Y2jweM/видео.html
Isaiah 57:15 The transcendent one becomes imminent in order to revive the spirit of the lowly in order to revive the heart of the contrite.