GOD DOES HAVE A BODY.

[EricH]

Heavenly bodies, Earthly bodies, everything has a body.

"But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another" (1 Cor. 15-35-41).

"It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly" (1 Cor. 15:44-49)

Jesus must be a lier if He has no body, because he said to Thomas and the disciples, "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have" (Luke 24:39). He later ascended up to Heaven where H SITS AT HIS FATHERS RIGHT HAND? "So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God" (Mark 16:19). "Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God" (Luke 22:69).

It is prophesied in Zechariah that Jesus will have the scares which He recieved on the Earth, ON HIS BODY for all eternuity! "And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends" (Zech. 13:6).

Jesus in His glorified flesh and bone body in Heaven, sitting at His Fathers right hand? The Father in His spirit body; ["God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24)], sitting beside Jesus!

If these Scriptures are lies, then I better get busy and cross them out of my Bibles as well?

Haz.

God is in a different class than us. Jesus was God incarnate.

[EricH]

maybe this is another problem of semantics. when i say God does not have a body, i am saying he is not confined to a body. i am not saying he cannot manifest himself in a body if and when he wanted to since he has clearly done so in the past, will do so in the future and for all i know, does it occasionally in the present.

(hazard, when God speaks of us taking shelter under his wings, do you think he has a body like an eagle?)

Well said!!!

Maybe God thinks He is a chicken with wings as well?

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not" (Matthew 23:37).

In answer to your question, NO!

Jesus is also the chief corner stone; [" And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone" (Ephesians 2:20)], that does not make Him stone either? No contest!

Haz.

So how do you decide when a figure is being used, and when it is not

[HAZARD]

Heavenly bodies, Earthly bodies, everything has a body.

"But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another" (1 Cor. 15-35-41).

"It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly" (1 Cor. 15:44-49)

Jesus must be a lier if He has no body, because he said to Thomas and the disciples, "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have" (Luke 24:39). He later ascended up to Heaven where H SITS AT HIS FATHERS RIGHT HAND? "So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God" (Mark 16:19). "Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God" (Luke 22:69).

It is prophesied in Zechariah that Jesus will have the scares which He recieved on the Earth, ON HIS BODY for all eternuity! "And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends" (Zech. 13:6).

Jesus in His glorified flesh and bone body in Heaven, sitting at His Fathers right hand? The Father in His spirit body; ["God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24)], sitting beside Jesus!

If these Scriptures are lies, then I better get busy and cross them out of my Bibles as well?

Haz.

God is in a different class than us. Jesus was God incarnate.

No where in Scripture is the word "incarnate" mentioned. Jesus who was the Word and was with God in the beginning (John 1:1), became flesh and dwelt with us (John 1:14). Jesus was "begotton," " God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee" (Acts 13:33), not incarnated! A father cannot have a son and also be the same person. Simply put, a son cannot be his father, nor can a father be his own son. Jesus and the Father are not one being in one body? They sit beside each other in Heaven. How anyone can believe a person can sit beside themselves, one a Spirit being, the other a glorified flesh and bone being, is believing in anything, just because someone says so! The Scriptures say different.

[HAZARD]

maybe this is another problem of semantics. when i say God does not have a body, i am saying he is not confined to a body. i am not saying he cannot manifest himself in a body if and when he wanted to since he has clearly done so in the past, will do so in the future and for all i know, does it occasionally in the present.

(hazard, when God speaks of us taking shelter under his wings, do you think he has a body like an eagle?)

Well said!!!

Maybe God thinks He is a chicken with wings as well?

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not" (Matthew 23:37).

In answer to your question, NO!

Jesus is also the chief corner stone; [" And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone" (Ephesians 2:20)], that does not make Him stone either? No contest!

Haz.

So how do you decide when a figure is being used, and when it is not

What kind of question is this? We all know God is not a chicken, that Jesus is not a stone or a door, etc.,

The only time I decide when a figure, any figure is being used is when I use it! If someone else uses a figure, then they must have decided to use it.

When I say my arm aches like it is on fire does not mean my arm is actually on fire, or is a fire?

I have a horse which runs like the wind, but we all know my horse is not the wind, nor does it have anything to do with the wind. He also fart's like the wind , so I suppose he does have a little to do with wind after all.

One of my grandson's moves like lightning when demonstrating his black-belt karate moves, but he is still my grandson and when I touch him, I don't fry up and burn as if he was lightning?

Haz.

[Guest shiloh357]

maybe this is another problem of semantics. when i say God does not have a body, i am saying he is not confined to a body. i am not saying he cannot manifest himself in a body if and when he wanted to since he has clearly done so in the past, will do so in the future and for all i know, does it occasionally in the present.

(hazard, when God speaks of us taking shelter under his wings, do you think he has a body like an eagle?)

Well said!!!

Maybe God thinks He is a chicken with wings as well?

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not" (Matthew 23:37).

In answer to your question, NO!

Jesus is also the chief corner stone; [" And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone" (Ephesians 2:20)], that does not make Him stone either? No contest!

Haz.

So how do you decide when a figure is being used, and when it is not

What kind of question is this? We all know God is not a chicken, that Jesus is not a stone or a door, etc.,

The only time I decide when a figure, any figure is being used is when I use it! If someone else uses a figure, then they must have decided to use it.

When I say my arm aches like it is on fire does not mean my arm is actually on fire, or is a fire?

I have a horse which runs like the wind, but we all know my horse is not the wind, nor does it have anything to do with the wind. He also fart's like the wind , so I suppose he does have a little to do with wind after all.

One of my grandson's moves like lightning when demonstrating his black-belt karate moves, but he is still my grandson and when I touch him, I don't fry up and burn as if he was lightning?

Haz.

Yes, but what EricH is demonstrating that you are not internally consistent with how you are approaching your treatment of these issues. Your response above demonstrates a subjective interprative process. You want to believe that God has a body so you interpret the Scripture to make it fit. That is the completely backwards to how it is to be done. When the Bible references those "wings" it uses the same type of imagery language as used when the Bible mentions God's "eyes" moving to and fro or His "right arm." You interpret the "wings" as nonliteral but the eyes and arm as literal, and you simply demonstrate a violation of basic hermeneutics in the process. Identical literary types fall under the same rule of interpretation and in this case, the same rule applied for God's eyes and arm have to applied when discussing the "wings" mentioned by Jesus in the book of Matthew. You cannot alter the interpretative process to when it doesn't fit your theological position.

[EricH]

maybe this is another problem of semantics. when i say God does not have a body, i am saying he is not confined to a body. i am not saying he cannot manifest himself in a body if and when he wanted to since he has clearly done so in the past, will do so in the future and for all i know, does it occasionally in the present.

(hazard, when God speaks of us taking shelter under his wings, do you think he has a body like an eagle?)

Well said!!!

Maybe God thinks He is a chicken with wings as well?

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not" (Matthew 23:37).

In answer to your question, NO!

Jesus is also the chief corner stone; [" And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone" (Ephesians 2:20)], that does not make Him stone either? No contest!

Haz.

So how do you decide when a figure is being used, and when it is not

What kind of question is this? We all know God is not a chicken, that Jesus is not a stone or a door, etc.,

The only time I decide when a figure, any figure is being used is when I use it! If someone else uses a figure, then they must have decided to use it.

When I say my arm aches like it is on fire does not mean my arm is actually on fire, or is a fire?

I have a horse which runs like the wind, but we all know my horse is not the wind, nor does it have anything to do with the wind. He also fart's like the wind , so I suppose he does have a little to do with wind after all.

One of my grandson's moves like lightning when demonstrating his black-belt karate moves, but he is still my grandson and when I touch him, I don't fry up and burn as if he was lightning?

Haz.

Yes, but what EricH is demonstrating that you are not internally consistent with how you are approaching your treatment of these issues. Your response above demonstrates a subjective interprative process. You want to believe that God has a body so you interpret the Scripture to make it fit. That is the completely backwards to how it is to be done. When the Bible references those "wings" it uses the same type of imagery language as used when the Bible mentions God's "eyes" moving to and fro or His "right arm." You interpret the "wings" as nonliteral but the eyes and arm as literal, and you simply demonstrate a violation of basic hermeneutics in the process. Identical literary types fall under the same rule of interpretation and in this case, the same rule applied for God's eyes and arm have to applied when discussing the "wings" mentioned by Jesus in the book of Matthew. You cannot alter the interpretative process to when it doesn't fit your theological position.

Exactly

[HAZARD]

So, all these plain simple statements of Scripture are just interpretations of what God realy means? And we are not made in His image and likeness, we just think we are? Very interesting?

God has a spirit body with bodily parts like a man. This is proved by hundreds of Scriptures that do not need interpretation. God is a Spirit being, infinate, eternal, immutable, self-existent, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, invisible, impartial, imortal, absolutly holy, full of wisdom, full of knowledge, and just in all things. God is known in Scripture by over two hundred names. He is describes as being like any other person as to having a body, soul, and spirit (Job 13:8; Heb. 1:3; Dan. 7:9-14; 10:5-7). He is a spirit being with a body (Dan. 7:9-14; 10:5-6, 9-19, Exodus 24:11; Gen. 18' 32:24-32; Ezek. 1:26-28; Acts 7:54-59; Rev. 4:2-4; 5:1, 5-7; 22:4-5); shape (John 5:37); form (Phil. 2:5-7, same Greek word as in Mark 16:12, which refers to bodily form); and an image and likeness of a man (Gen. 1:26; 9:6; Ezek. 1:26-28; 1 Cor. 11:7; jas. 3:9; Dan. 7:9-14; 10:5-6). Note, the difference between a spirit body and a flesh and blood body is substance. Spirit is an eternal substance, flesh and blood is temporal. And we are to become glorified flesh and blood as Jesus is.

God has a heart (Gen. 6:6; 8:21); he has hands and fingers (Exod. 31:18; Psalms 8:3-6; Rev. 5:1, 6-7); Nostrils (Ps. 18:8); mouth (Num. 12:8); lips and a toung (Isa. 30:27; feet (Ezek. 1:27; Exodus 24:10); eyes, eyelids, sight (Ps. 11:4; 18:24; 33:18); voice (Ps. 29; Rev. 10:3-4; Gen. 1); breath (Gen. 2:70; ears (Ps. 18:6); head, hair, face, arms (Dan. 7:9-14; 10:5-19; Rev. 5:1; loins (Ezek. 1:26:28; 8:1-4); bodily presence (Gen. 3:8; 18:1-22; Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7; Exodus 24:10-11); and many other bodily parts as required by Him to be a person with a body.

Jacob saw God FACE TO FACE and lived! "And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved" (Gen. 32:30). Abraham made a dinner for God and two angels and they ate food (Gen. 18). Moses talked with God face to face (Exodus 33:11-23). Seventy four elders had a banquet with God in Sinai (Exodus 24:9-11). Joshua and all Israel saw God with a sword in His hand (Josh. 5:13-15).

Gidion (Judg. 6:11-23), Manoah and wife (Judg. 13:3-23), David (1 Chron. 21:16-17), Job (42:5), Isaiah (6:1-13), Amos (9:1), and others saw God standing on the ground, sitting on thrones, and having a body with bodily parts like a man. Ezekiel saw God on a chariot and described Him as having an "appearance of a man" with loins and the upper and lower parts of a body like a man (Ezek 1:26-28; 10:1, 20; 40:3). Daniel saw both God the Father and the Son of man as two separate beiongs at the same time and at the same place. God was on a throne, and had on white cloths, and His hair was white. The Son of man also had a body, had cloths on, and had hair on His head (Dan. 7:9-14; 10:5-6). Stephen saw bith God and Christ at the same time and place with thesame eyes (Acts 7:56-59).

God goes from place to place just like any one else (Gen. 3:8; 11:5; 18:1-22, 33; 19:24; 32:24-32; 35:13; Zech. 14:5; Titus 2:13). God is omnipresent but not omnibody, that is His presence can be felt everywhere but His body is not everywhere. God wears cloths (Dan. 7:9-14; 10:5-19; God eats food (Gen. 18:1-22; Exodus 24:11).

There is not one Scripture in the Bible which states that God is intangible, immaterial, without a body, or bodily parts, and pasions except John 4:24, "God is a spirit," and this certainly does not teach that He is without a body.

Paul speaks of the human flesh and bone bodies in the resurrection as being "Spiritual" (1 Cor. 15:42-44), like unto Christs glorious body (Luke 24:39; Phil. 3:20-21); so if human bodies that become spiritualized are still material and tangible, then cretianly God and other spirits have bodies just as real and still be spirit beings. John 4:24 is a statement of fact that God is a Spirit, but it does not define or analyze a spirit.

Turn to Genesis, chapter one. God had been busy for a number of days during that re-creation week, making various CREATURES of the land, sea, and air. Nothing is said about them having the form of God Himself. After all those creatures were created notice what God says in verses 26,27, "....Let us MAKE MAN in OUR IMAGE, after OUR LIKENESS.. ..So God created MAN in His OWN IMAGE, in the IMAGE OF GOD created he him; male and female...."

Right at the very beginning of the Bible, the Eternal God tells us that He created mankind in, not the likeness or image of the angels or any other spirit being, but He formed and gave mankind the IMAGE or LIKENESS of HIMSELF. God took the dirt of the ground and moulded the shape and form of man from it to resemble the image or shape of very GOD.

God first revealed Himself in a mighty way to Moses from the burning bush. From that time on the Eternal and Moses were friends with a "buddy-buddy" relationship. This relationship between the Lord and Moses was so personal that it is recorded, "And the Lord spoke unto Moses FACE to FACE, as a man speaks unto a friend...."(Ex.33:11). Now our "no body" for God teachers will say either this is just a metaphor or God appeared as a human, but when in the "spirit" He has no body or face. Of course that is the answer they will give to any section of scripture where God appeared to men. But there was a time when God appeared to Moses IN THE SPIRIT FORM - the Lord opening up his eyes to see Himself in the spirit dimension, that the human eye can not

usually see, Read the example of the servant of Elisha in 2 Kings 6.

So close a relationship did Moses have with God that Moses was so bold as to ask the Lord to show Himself to him, not as a human but as He really IS. Moses' request is found in Exodus 33:18. Notice the reply from the Eternal: "....You can not SEE MY FACE; for no man can see me and

live."(verse 20). God did not say to Moses that He did not have a body and so did not have a face and so could not show Himself in the spirit form as having a shape. To the CONTRARY, the answer to Moses SHOWS CLEARLY GOD DOES HAVE A FACE AND BODY! He told Moses that no man could look upon the face of God in spirit form, in all His glory, and live. How very simple is the word of God be in this matter? No theological degree needed to understand these verses, we just need to believe them for what they say.

In Exodus 33 18, Moses asked God to show him His Glory. "And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory." And God said to Moses; "I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; etc. God also said to Moses, "Thou canst not see my face; for there shall no man see me and live." Exodus 33:18-20.

Moses asked to see God's glory as expressed in His face or countenance, not to see His face apart from His glory. That Moses could have seen God's literal face is clearly stated in verse 11, where it says, "And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face as a man speaketh unto his friend, and that he had seen Gods glory in a limited sense is clear from Exodus 16:10; and 24:17; so the request was for something he had not uet seen. Many others have also seen Gods face and spirit body apart from the glory of God.

Regarding the impossibility of man beholding the face of God when He "dwells in a light whom no man has seen nor can see" (1 Tim. 6:16, Moses became an example of this himself when his face could not be looked upon by the people, Israel, because of its brightness (Exodus 34:29-35; and 2 Cor. 3:6-18). God showed Moses His glory as expressed in His back parts, or the glorious after effects and glimpse of the glory after it had passed by (Verse 20-23). God gave Moses a further revelation of His character and infinate nature in, (Verse 19). The Hebrew word for goodness is "tuwb," superlative good; the best of a person; and absolute beauty. This referes to the infinate beauty or glory of God which was to pass before Moses while he was hidden in the cleft of the rock (Verse 22).

Jacob saw God FACE TO FACE and lived! "And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved" (Gen. 32:30). Abraham made a dinner for God and two angels and they ate food (Gen. 18). Moses talked with God face to face (Exodus 33:11-23). Seventy four elders had a banquet with God in Sinai (Exodus 24:9-11). Joshua and all Israel saw God with a sword in His hand (Josh. 5:13-15).

Gidion (Judg. 6:11-23), Manoah and wife (Judg. 13:3-23), David (1 Chron. 21:16-17), Job (42:5), Isaiah (6:1-13), Amos (9:1), and others saw God standing on the ground, sitting on thrones, and having a body with bodily parts like a man. Ezekiel saw God on a chariot and described Him as having an "appearance of a man" with loins and the upper and lower parts of a body like a man (Ezek 1:26-28; 10:1, 20; 40:3). Daniel saw both God the Father and the Son of man as two separate beiongs at the same time and at the same place. God was on a throne, and had on white cloths, and His hair was white. The Son of man also had a body, had cloths on, and had hair on His head (Dan. 7:9-14; 10:5-6). Stephen saw bith God and Christ at the same time and place with the same eyes (Acts 7:56-59).

And as well, all these Scriptures dont mean what they say either?? Even more interesting??

So what does God mean when He says that He is a Spirit being, that He is infinate, eternal, immutable, self-existent, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, invisible, impartial, imortal, absolutly holy, full of wisdom, full of knowledge, and just in all things. God is known in Scripture by over two hundred names. He is describes as being like any other person as to having a body, soul, and spirit (Job 13:8; Heb. 1:3; Dan. 7:9-14; 10:5-7). He is a spirit being with a body (Dan. 7:9-14; 10:5-6, 9-19, Exodus 24:11; Gen. 18' 32:24-32; Ezek. 1:26-28; Acts 7:54-59; Rev. 4:2-4; 5:1, 5-7; 22:4-5); shape (John 5:37); form (Phil. 2:5-7, same Greek word as in Mark 16:12, which refers to bodily form); and an image and likeness of a man (Gen. 1:26; 9:6; Ezek. 1:26-28; 1 Cor. 11:7; Jas. 3:9; Dan. 7:9-14; 10:5-6)?

Should be easy to imagine away all these Scriptures?

[EricH]

So, all these plain simple statements of Scripture are just interpretations of what God realy means? And we are not made in His image and likeness, we just think we are? Very interesting?

God has a spirit body with bodily parts like a man. This is proved by hundreds of Scriptures that do not need interpretation. God is a Spirit being, infinate, eternal, immutable, self-existent, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, invisible, impartial, imortal, absolutly holy, full of wisdom, full of knowledge, and just in all things. God is known in Scripture by over two hundred names. He is describes as being like any other person as to having a body, soul, and spirit (Job 13:8; Heb. 1:3; Dan. 7:9-14; 10:5-7). He is a spirit being with a body (Dan. 7:9-14; 10:5-6, 9-19, Exodus 24:11; Gen. 18' 32:24-32; Ezek. 1:26-28; Acts 7:54-59; Rev. 4:2-4; 5:1, 5-7; 22:4-5); shape (John 5:37); form (Phil. 2:5-7, same Greek word as in Mark 16:12, which refers to bodily form); and an image and likeness of a man (Gen. 1:26; 9:6; Ezek. 1:26-28; 1 Cor. 11:7; jas. 3:9; Dan. 7:9-14; 10:5-6). Note, the difference between a spirit body and a flesh and blood body is substance. Spirit is an eternal substance, flesh and blood is temporal. And we are to become glorified flesh and blood as Jesus is.

God has a heart (Gen. 6:6; 8:21); he has hands and fingers (Exod. 31:18; Psalms 8:3-6; Rev. 5:1, 6-7); Nostrils (Ps. 18:8); mouth (Num. 12:8); lips and a toung (Isa. 30:27; feet (Ezek. 1:27; Exodus 24:10); eyes, eyelids, sight (Ps. 11:4; 18:24; 33:18); voice (Ps. 29; Rev. 10:3-4; Gen. 1); breath (Gen. 2:70; ears (Ps. 18:6); head, hair, face, arms (Dan. 7:9-14; 10:5-19; Rev. 5:1; loins (Ezek. 1:26:28; 8:1-4); bodily presence (Gen. 3:8; 18:1-22; Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7; Exodus 24:10-11); and many other bodily parts as required by Him to be a person with a body.

Jacob saw God FACE TO FACE and lived! "And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved" (Gen. 32:30). Abraham made a dinner for God and two angels and they ate food (Gen. 18). Moses talked with God face to face (Exodus 33:11-23). Seventy four elders had a banquet with God in Sinai (Exodus 24:9-11). Joshua and all Israel saw God with a sword in His hand (Josh. 5:13-15).

Gidion (Judg. 6:11-23), Manoah and wife (Judg. 13:3-23), David (1 Chron. 21:16-17), Job (42:5), Isaiah (6:1-13), Amos (9:1), and others saw God standing on the ground, sitting on thrones, and having a body with bodily parts like a man. Ezekiel saw God on a chariot and described Him as having an "appearance of a man" with loins and the upper and lower parts of a body like a man (Ezek 1:26-28; 10:1, 20; 40:3). Daniel saw both God the Father and the Son of man as two separate beiongs at the same time and at the same place. God was on a throne, and had on white cloths, and His hair was white. The Son of man also had a body, had cloths on, and had hair on His head (Dan. 7:9-14; 10:5-6). Stephen saw bith God and Christ at the same time and place with thesame eyes (Acts 7:56-59).

God goes from place to place just like any one else (Gen. 3:8; 11:5; 18:1-22, 33; 19:24; 32:24-32; 35:13; Zech. 14:5; Titus 2:13). God is omnipresent but not omnibody, that is His presence can be felt everywhere but His body is not everywhere. God wears cloths (Dan. 7:9-14; 10:5-19; God eats food (Gen. 18:1-22; Exodus 24:11).

There is not one Scripture in the Bible which states that God is intangible, immaterial, without a body, or bodily parts, and pasions except John 4:24, "God is a spirit," and this certainly does not teach that He is without a body.

Paul speaks of the human flesh and bone bodies in the resurrection as being "Spiritual" (1 Cor. 15:42-44), like unto Christs glorious body (Luke 24:39; Phil. 3:20-21); so if human bodies that become spiritualized are still material and tangible, then cretianly God and other spirits have bodies just as real and still be spirit beings. John 4:24 is a statement of fact that God is a Spirit, but it does not define or analyze a spirit.

Turn to Genesis, chapter one. God had been busy for a number of days during that re-creation week, making various CREATURES of the land, sea, and air. Nothing is said about them having the form of God Himself. After all those creatures were created notice what God says in verses 26,27, "....Let us MAKE MAN in OUR IMAGE, after OUR LIKENESS.. ..So God created MAN in His OWN IMAGE, in the IMAGE OF GOD created he him; male and female...."

Right at the very beginning of the Bible, the Eternal God tells us that He created mankind in, not the likeness or image of the angels or any other spirit being, but He formed and gave mankind the IMAGE or LIKENESS of HIMSELF. God took the dirt of the ground and moulded the shape and form of man from it to resemble the image or shape of very GOD.

God first revealed Himself in a mighty way to Moses from the burning bush. From that time on the Eternal and Moses were friends with a "buddy-buddy" relationship. This relationship between the Lord and Moses was so personal that it is recorded, "And the Lord spoke unto Moses FACE to FACE, as a man speaks unto a friend...."(Ex.33:11). Now our "no body" for God teachers will say either this is just a metaphor or God appeared as a human, but when in the "spirit" He has no body or face. Of course that is the answer they will give to any section of scripture where God appeared to men. But there was a time when God appeared to Moses IN THE SPIRIT FORM - the Lord opening up his eyes to see Himself in the spirit dimension, that the human eye can not

usually see, Read the example of the servant of Elisha in 2 Kings 6.

So close a relationship did Moses have with God that Moses was so bold as to ask the Lord to show Himself to him, not as a human but as He really IS. Moses' request is found in Exodus 33:18. Notice the reply from the Eternal: "....You can not SEE MY FACE; for no man can see me and

live."(verse 20). God did not say to Moses that He did not have a body and so did not have a face and so could not show Himself in the spirit form as having a shape. To the CONTRARY, the answer to Moses SHOWS CLEARLY GOD DOES HAVE A FACE AND BODY! He told Moses that no man could look upon the face of God in spirit form, in all His glory, and live. How very simple is the word of God be in this matter? No theological degree needed to understand these verses, we just need to believe them for what they say.

In Exodus 33 18, Moses asked God to show him His Glory. "And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory." And God said to Moses; "I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; etc. God also said to Moses, "Thou canst not see my face; for there shall no man see me and live." Exodus 33:18-20.

Moses asked to see God's glory as expressed in His face or countenance, not to see His face apart from His glory. That Moses could have seen God's literal face is clearly stated in verse 11, where it says, "And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face as a man speaketh unto his friend, and that he had seen Gods glory in a limited sense is clear from Exodus 16:10; and 24:17; so the request was for something he had not uet seen. Many others have also seen Gods face and spirit body apart from the glory of God.

Regarding the impossibility of man beholding the face of God when He "dwells in a light whom no man has seen nor can see" (1 Tim. 6:16, Moses became an example of this himself when his face could not be looked upon by the people, Israel, because of its brightness (Exodus 34:29-35; and 2 Cor. 3:6-18). God showed Moses His glory as expressed in His back parts, or the glorious after effects and glimpse of the glory after it had passed by (Verse 20-23). God gave Moses a further revelation of His character and infinate nature in, (Verse 19). The Hebrew word for goodness is "tuwb," superlative good; the best of a person; and absolute beauty. This referes to the infinate beauty or glory of God which was to pass before Moses while he was hidden in the cleft of the rock (Verse 22).

Jacob saw God FACE TO FACE and lived! "And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved" (Gen. 32:30). Abraham made a dinner for God and two angels and they ate food (Gen. 18). Moses talked with God face to face (Exodus 33:11-23). Seventy four elders had a banquet with God in Sinai (Exodus 24:9-11). Joshua and all Israel saw God with a sword in His hand (Josh. 5:13-15).

Gidion (Judg. 6:11-23), Manoah and wife (Judg. 13:3-23), David (1 Chron. 21:16-17), Job (42:5), Isaiah (6:1-13), Amos (9:1), and others saw God standing on the ground, sitting on thrones, and having a body with bodily parts like a man. Ezekiel saw God on a chariot and described Him as having an "appearance of a man" with loins and the upper and lower parts of a body like a man (Ezek 1:26-28; 10:1, 20; 40:3). Daniel saw both God the Father and the Son of man as two separate beiongs at the same time and at the same place. God was on a throne, and had on white cloths, and His hair was white. The Son of man also had a body, had cloths on, and had hair on His head (Dan. 7:9-14; 10:5-6). Stephen saw bith God and Christ at the same time and place with the same eyes (Acts 7:56-59).

And as well, all these Scriptures dont mean what they say either?? Even more interesting??

So what does God mean when He says that He is a Spirit being, that He is infinate, eternal, immutable, self-existent, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, invisible, impartial, imortal, absolutly holy, full of wisdom, full of knowledge, and just in all things. God is known in Scripture by over two hundred names. He is describes as being like any other person as to having a body, soul, and spirit (Job 13:8; Heb. 1:3; Dan. 7:9-14; 10:5-7). He is a spirit being with a body (Dan. 7:9-14; 10:5-6, 9-19, Exodus 24:11; Gen. 18' 32:24-32; Ezek. 1:26-28; Acts 7:54-59; Rev. 4:2-4; 5:1, 5-7; 22:4-5); shape (John 5:37); form (Phil. 2:5-7, same Greek word as in Mark 16:12, which refers to bodily form); and an image and likeness of a man (Gen. 1:26; 9:6; Ezek. 1:26-28; 1 Cor. 11:7; Jas. 3:9; Dan. 7:9-14; 10:5-6)?

Should be easy to imagine away all these Scriptures?

You really have not answered th question on how you determins what is a figure of speech and what is not. Until you do, discussion is almost impossible

[Guest shiloh357]

So, all these plain simple statements of Scripture are just interpretations of what God realy means?

No, that is not what I said. I said that they are not meant to be understood in the hyper literal sense that you are insisting that they mean. As I stated before, when you are confronted with descriptions of God that are parallel in form to the verses you cite, you are not consistent in your approach. Statements about God's "eyes" and "arm" are mentioned in the same style and language/linguistic form as it does when it uses inanimate NONHUMAN objects or animals to describe God. The problem lies in the fact that you treat the same figurative device differently depending on what you want to accept as true.

And we are not made in His image and likeness, we just think we are? Very interesting?

Itis not that we are not made in God's image. We are made in His image, but in a moral sense. I have already pointed out that we are separate from the rest of creation due to our intellectual, emotional, and spirtual superiority. God made us higher than all other life forms on earth.

The error you are making is demanding the "image" MUST mean "physcial image."

[eric]

I am not absolutely sure but I think, when you are referring one noun with another noun, discriptively, it is called a simile or metaphor. Sorta like saying some people are as thick as two planks, or someone has a heart of gold. Sometines one has to use a little imagination. If man were made in the image of God, literally, we would have the same omni-powers of God and He would become redundant. God parted the red sea, but He didn't do it with brute force and man power.