Is God Everywhere?

Brane universes poised to collide

Christians have historically been taught that God is a spirit that exists literally everywhere simultaneously. But how can that be if mankind is created in his image? (Gen 1:26) God spoke with Moses, as one man speaks to another, face to face. (Exod 33:11) When God removed His hand, Moses saw His back. (Exod 33:23) David spoke of God's feet. (1 Chron 28:2) And, when God became flesh, died, and rose again on the 3rd day, He took His body with Him for the tomb was empty. How can a personage with a body replete with face, hands, and feet fill this universe and everything beyond it?

To prove God is not everywhere, one would only need to identify a single spot where He’s not. How about hell? By definition, hell is called outer darkness because it lacks the light of God’s presence. Jesus experienced that for us on the cross as manifested by His cry, “My God, My God, Why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mt 27:46)

Although there are places God's person is not, there is no place of which He is not aware; “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” (Prv 15:3) God's personage doesn’t need to exist everywhere – the omnipresence of his cognizance and power are sufficient for His purposes. His spiritual “light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space” and via that power, His intelligence is in all things. (DC 88:11-13) To the extent that it serves His purposes, His cognizance and power extend even to the place where fallen angels suffer in spiritual darkness.

Scientists can tease a single subatomic particle to exist in two places at one time. (Discover Magazine, If an Electron Can Be in Two Places at Once, Why Can’t You? By Time Folger, June 2005) If an electron can do it, why can’t God? In fact, being a glorified being with a discrete form does not limit Him to one place at a time. His ability to navigate time and space would blow the mortal mind. In addition, He is certainly able to project a virtual instance of Himself telepathically.

With His ability to change His location easily and instantly, God could appear in multiple places at once by simply switching between places at 10 frames per second. And He would appear solid if He didn’t make any sudden motions at either location. A 240 frame rate is perceived as a solid image by humans even when objects in the picture are moving fast. Using this idea, God could appear at hundreds of different places simultaneously, a sort of super simulcast except that His message to each viewer could be different if He desired.

Is there biblical evidence that God’s literal person is not omnipresent? Yes. At the tomb, Jesus told Mary Magdalene, “I am not yet ascended to my Father.” (Jn 20:17) If He or His Father were everywhere, then they would have already been in each other’s presence and Jesus could have lingered longer to console the poor Mary. Instead He left for heaven and returned to Earth later.

God has been coming and going from the beginning to the end of the Bible. For example, “The Lord came down to see the city and the tower.” (Gn 11:5) And, at His ascension, the angel said, “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner.” (Acts 1:11) Taking the scriptures literally, every instance in which God was coming or going disproves the omnipresence of His personage.