The problem is, they don’t know how to answer this one so they muddle through. They go into “Joseph Smith was quickened in the spirit.” Only problem is, no one else in the Bible has been graced by this “quickening” enough to see God, except Christ who has already been resurrected.
Every person who has “seen” God has either seen God’s Glory or seen Christ. And of course as Evan said, Stephen saw God’s Glory and Christ.
Xavier,
I add this article about the subject.
The most commonly used Biblical citation invoked by the critics is probably John 1:18, which reads “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”
Early Christian author Irenaeus wrote in A.D. 180 that this scripture should be read “For “no man,” he says, “hath seen God at any time,” unless “the only-begotten Son of God, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared [Him].”[1]
Interestingly, Joseph Smith’s revision of the Bible agrees with Irenaeus’ reading:
No man hath seen God at any time except he hath borne record of the Son . . .(italics represent changes in JST)
Irenaeus’ “unless” (or Joseph’s “except”) makes all the difference. Irenaeus knew that righteous men had seen God in the past:
Acts 7:55-56
Genesis 32:30
Genesis 17:1
Genesis 18:1
Acts 7:2
Exodus 3:6
Exodus 19:11
Exodus 33:11
Num. 12:7-8
1 Kings 9:2
1 Kings 11:9
Isaiah 6:1,5
Exodus 24:10-11
Deut. 34:10
Deut. 5:4
Jud. 13:22
Genesis 3 :
Heb. 11:27
Job 42:5
Job 33:26
Job 19:26
Ezekiel 1:1
Ezekiel 8:1-4
Josh. 5:12-15
Rev. 22:4)
Furthermore, by adopting this approach, Irenaeus’ interpretation of John 1:18 harmonized with the rest of the Bible and the qualifications which the Bible provides for those who may see God. The requirements are:
Must be “of God” “Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.” (John 6:46.) Some critics will argue that only Jesus “is of God”, but that position is unscriptural. Moses too was “of God”(Deut 33:1), as well as Samuel (1Sam 9:10), Shemaiah (1Kings 12:22), and Elijah (1Kings 17:24).
Must have “peace and holiness” within you “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which, no man shall see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14.)
Must be pure in heart “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8.)
As the numerous Biblical references demonstrate, the idea of seeing God is hardly foreign to Hebrew or early Christian thought. There are also non-scriptural examples: Philo the Jew taught that the name Israel was compounded of 3 words “ish” “rah” “El”, which means “man seeing God;” this view is also found in the apocryphal Prayer of Joseph. [2] And, an early Christian document called the Clementine Homilies portrays the apostle Peter as agreeing with Irenaeus’ view:
For I maintain that the eyes of mortals cannot see the incorporeal form of the Father or Son, because it is illumined by exceeding great light. . . . For he who sees God cannot live. For the excess of light dissolves the flesh of him who sees; unless by the secret power of God the flesh be changed into the nature of light, so that it can see light.[3]
Joseph Smith revealed the same essential truth (D&C 67:11, D&C 84:22).
It is the critics’ view of John 1:18 that is novel and at odds with the earliest Christian understanding of the scripture, not Joseph Smith’s.
en.fairmormon.org/Nature_of_God/No_man_has_seen_God
