Why doesn't Jesus appear now?

Jesus hasn't stopped appearing to people. He just has to be careful who he appears to. This will seem backwards, but to see Jesus physically does more harm than good to most people's faith. After it happens they tend to expect God to deal with them the same way from then on. It can take decades to get this idea out of their system. It is the rare individual who can experience Jesus this way and understand that it happened for a specific reason and may never happen again.


Sense knowledge is shallow and quite fragile. God wants us to put our trust in the blood covenant called the New Testament, not experiences. Once covenant knowledge gets inside a person, wild horses can't drag it out.

thinkfreelivefree said:

So after Jesus was resurrected, he appeared again as was recorded in different chapters of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, as well as

1 Corinthians 15: 3-6
[bible]For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.[/bible]

Why did he stop making appearances? Why did he appear to Paul and hundreds of people and then stop altogether? He actually made an appearance and it wasn't his "spirit" or people "felt" him there. Shouldn't it be just as easy now?

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Hi
Here's how I see it....2000 years ago, Jesus came to die and be resurrected, to give people salvation. He appeared to the Apostles, and others, to show that He indeed rise again...they saw, and believed. (some were skeptics before, but after the Resurrection they became strong believers, and faced persecution and death for their faith).

Now is the time He's giving us to make a free choice...would we choose to follow Him, or not? He doesn't want to force us. When He comes again, He would come in full glory, not like the first time. And when we'll see the glory of God, we would not be free to choose...

"but i wonder whether people who ask God to interfere openly and directly in our world quite realize what it will be like when He does. when that happens, it is the end of the world. when the author walks on to the stage the play is over. God is going to invade, all right: but what is the good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else - something it never entered your head to conceive - comes crashing in. something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? for this time it will be God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. it will be too late then to choose your side. there is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up. that will not be the time for choosing: it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realized it before or not. now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. it will not last forever. we must take it or leave it". (CS Lewis, 'Mere Christianity')

Hope that answers your question


monica

Jesus appeared after His death, AFTER the resurrection and BEFORE the acsension. After the ascension, our Lord Jesus told us that us that He would be at the right hand of the Father as our primary advocate. It is important to know that He doesn't appear to us now (before the second coming) because He gifted us with ANOTHER advocate: the Holy Spirit. For wisdom, discernment, and conviction, Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit. How AWESOME and PERFECT is His plan! Yes, "the kingdom of God IS in us."

Lastly, the reason why Jesus appeared to Paul is because it was after the day of pentecost (the day Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit), but the Holy Spirit was not yet in Paul's life.

I hope this helps. God Bless!

First off: Welcome to CF TALEdaily!

Lastly, the reason why Jesus appeared to Paul is because it was before the day of pentecost (the day Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit).

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Uhmmm wasn't the day of Pentecost a year or so before the road to Damascus?
tulc(just thought that needed pointing out)

Thanks for welcoming me, bro. And, yes, it was after the day of Pentecost. I apologize for my earlier statement. Paul was visited because he did not yet have the Holy Spirit in his life. Whether or not that still happens today, I don't know. But, I do think it can happen in the same manner as Paul's encounter. Do you agree?

Also, I mentioned earlier that Jesus is omniscient as the Father is, but this is not true. Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are ONE, but according to Matthew 24:36, only the Father knows the day and time in which the Son will return.

I have corrected these comments in my earlier statement. God Bless!

He does It doesn't happen often, it's true, but He has appeared to people in the flesh; to individuals and to groups of people.

Mind, you asked this question before I recommended the book Let me know what you make of it, k? You'll see how alive Jesus is even today

thinkfreelivefree said:

So after Jesus was resurrected, he appeared again as was recorded in different chapters of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, as well as

1 Corinthians 15: 3-6
[bible]For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.[/bible]

Why did he stop making appearances? Why did he appear to Paul and hundreds of people and then stop altogether? He actually made an appearance and it wasn't his "spirit" or people "felt" him there. Shouldn't it be just as easy now?

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Remember the words of Abraham to the rich damned man in hades recorded in Luke 16:31 -

"But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.' "

Most people, I believe, who do not believe in Jesus Christ choose to do so because they are accustomed to actuating their faith based upon visible or tangible evidence alone and this "Savior of the world" is normally unseen to human eyes. God the Creator wishes for us to put more confidence in His spoken word than we do in those things, (either animate or inanimate,) of His kingdom that can be seen and there is an excellant logic in all of this. It was the spoken word of God that produced our visible creation and not things visible which brought forth His recorded word, the Bible. That word, the Holy Bible, then must stand superior to all of the galaxies that it has created put together, and much more besides. For this reason it was a great affront to God that the sceptical, surviving Jewish brethren of this lost rich man in Luke 16 would stake their faith only upon a visible evidence rather than credit the word of God which, in reality, produced all that we see anywhere and at any time. They were, then, preferring an inferior and secondary evidence over and above a superior and primary evidence and this was a reverse of priority in God's sight. Similar to this in principle...If God the Father were to commonly and visibly manifest His Son all across this Earth, this would then only succeed in gaining more converts to Christianity of an inferior quality in place of those who would take the unseen statements of the Holy Bible as a sufficient testimony over visible evidences.

Four times in the Scriptures the statement is made that, "The just shall live by faith", and there is a very good reason why God so expects this of us. He expects us to trust in His unseen Person and His Word more than any other possible matters at all.

thinkfreelivefree said:

Why did he stop making appearances? Why did he appear to Paul and hundreds of people and then stop altogether? He actually made an appearance and it wasn't his "spirit" or people "felt" him there. Shouldn't it be just as easy now?

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_____________________________
Hi thinkfreelivefree,

My thoughts on this....

Jesus came to earth to show us who God is, and how we can get to God. His appearances after his death was to show the people that He had risen from the dead, just as He had told his disciples he would. This was a fulfillment of prophecy, and showed that He was the Son of God, and he was who He said He was. He had completed His work as a physical person on earth.
When His disciples were troubled that He was leaving them, Jesus said that if he didn't go, the Holy Spirit couldn't come - and the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth...

"But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.... In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me." (when Jesus returns to the earth to receive His children - 2nd coming) John 16: 7, 16.

Here are verses that may help you...
John 14 - Jesus comforts his disciples
John 15:26
John 16

imablondgirl

tulc said:

...OR Jesus does appear, you just don't see Him because He doesn't come how you expect?
tulc(sometimes we miss things)

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tulc may be onto something here... look at how many people he appeared to, and they did not recognize him.

Then after the ascension, the appearance description is quite different, yet he still appeared.
And this is so true

theVirginian said:

This will seem backwards, but to see Jesus physically does more harm than good to most people's faith.

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It can really mess a person up, this verse is totally correct.

"Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:29 - NIV)

And lastly, Jesus does still appear today, it may be not as rare as one thinks, as few people talk about it, if it occurs. Experience is indeed quite shallow.

2 Peter 3 says he will return when the church is complete. The delay is neither slowness or impotence, but purposeful awaiting the repentance of His elect.

I think if I knew then what I knew now, I think I would pray for the grace to survive on faith alone

thinkfreelivefree said:

So after Jesus was resurrected, he appeared again as was recorded in different chapters of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, as well as

1 Corinthians 15: 3-6
[bible]For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.[/bible]

Why did he stop making appearances? Why did he appear to Paul and hundreds of people and then stop altogether? He actually made an appearance and it wasn't his "spirit" or people "felt" him there. Shouldn't it be just as easy now?

Click to expand...

Jesus is quoted saying to the Jews [and us]. "I tell you I go and prepare a place for you, if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself". In Jewish custom, this is a wedding proposal pure and simple. The man would say this to his fiancee, and than he would GO AWAY to prepare a place for his beloved, than when he was all done he would come and bring her to her new home. Jesus died to ransom us, and than he goes away. why does he go away? To prepare a place for us! For the last 2000 years he's been building and molding a place for each and every single one of us. When he comes back he will be all done and we will enter the joy of our new homes built by the one who knows us better than we know ourselves. Until than? Well... he leaves us his Spirit as a sort of guide to help us.

thinkfreelivefree said:

So after Jesus was resurrected, he appeared again as was recorded in different chapters of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, as well as

1 Corinthians 15: 3-6
[bible]For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.[/bible]

Why did he stop making appearances? Why did he appear to Paul and hundreds of people and then stop altogether? He actually made an appearance and it wasn't his "spirit" or people "felt" him there. Shouldn't it be just as easy now?

Click to expand...

The Holy Spirit is here now, Jesus sent him, and GOD works through the Holy Spirit, whom we can't see. Jesus is at the Right Hand Side of the Father and he will stay there until its his time to come back!

Please seek a Church, be faithful, and Obey GOD.

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." I John 3:2

People usually are thinking of being like Jesus after their natural death. Actually, if we become like Him prior to our death then we will see Him as He is at that time.

All of us who love Him and serve Him and seek to please Him see Jesus in part NOW.

Remember that Jesus is the Word of God! Do none of us understand any part of God's Word yet? If we do then the 'glass darkly' through which we are looking is beginning to clear up.

We don't see Him clearly now because we have not yet fully surrendered everything in ourselves that is opposed to Him. When we do He will appear...

We cannot do this alone, but..."with God all things are possible" [Matt 19:26]