The Omnipresence of God

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.” (Psalm 139:7-12)

Defining Divine Omnipresence

Our topic for this article is the omnipresence of God, which is defined in the Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible as an “aspect of God’s infinity in which he transcends the limitations of space and is present in all places at all times.”^[1]

Or how about this declaration found at the biblehub website: “Omnipresence refers to the attribute of God by which He is present everywhere at all times. This characteristic is foundational to understanding the nature of God as revealed in the Bible. It signifies that God is not confined by space or time and that His presence permeates the entire universe.”^[2]

Is God Present in Hell?

So I have an assignment for you: name a place where God is not; a place where you will not find God. Ready? Let’s all say it together at the count of three: 1, 2, 3, HELL! Whoa! Raise your right hand if that’s the answer you came up with. 

So, is God present in hell in any way, shape, or form? I don’t want to spend a lot of time on this, but it is a question we need to address. Note the following verses. Do these imply that God may in fact be presence in hell in some way? (All emphases added.)

• Proverbs 15:3 – The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.
• Amos 9:2 – Though they dig down to the depths below, from there my hand will take them. Though they climb up to the heavens above, from there I will bring them down.
• 2 Thessalonians 1:9 – They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence [that is, face] of the Lord and from the glory of his might
• Hebrews 4:13 – Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
• Revelation 14:9-11 – A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. 

The Bible does not give us a clear unequivocal answer to the question, so the best we can do is take our best guess. John Piper says this: 

“So what shall we say, then, about the question whether God’s presence is in hell? I suppose you could say there are two senses in which God is “present.” First, he upholds everything by the word of his power through Jesus (Hebrews 1:3). So, hell would have no existence if God were not keeping it in existence. And second, hell is described as punishment and judgment—as not just consequence, but punishment. And so there will be an awareness of those in hell of God’s righteous disapproval present. His disapproval, his judgment, his punishment—that will be present to their minds forever.

“But neither of those two ways of thinking about God’s presence suggests his personal presence. So, we can say that God is not present in this sense: His beauty will not be seen or known. His fellowship will not be enjoyed. His relief and his mercy will not be experienced. If there’s any sense in which God’s presence is felt as an upholding force, it will be the presence of his righteous judgment and wrath.”^[3]

God’s Presence in Creation and His People

But let’s go to the broader view. The Bible very clearly tells us that God is everywhere throughout the whole earth, and throughout the whole universe. He’s also everywhere within His people here on earth! Here’s just a sampling:

• Deuteronomy 4:39 – Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.
• Psalm 33:13-14 – From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth
• Psalm 139:1-6 – You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
• Isaiah 43:2 – When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
• Jeremiah 23:23-24 – “Am I only a God nearby,” declares the Lord, “and not a God far away? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?” declares the Lord. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord.
• John 1:14 – The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The Comfort of God’s Constant Care

Powerful, isn’t it? Your God, the one who made you, is everywhere. There is simply no place you can go to get away from His presence. There is simply no place you can go where you are not in His protective care! 

One of my favorite verses is Isaiah 49:16 which says, “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” I often think of that in terms of something like a tattoo (or, if you prefer, the scars from the crucifixion). Once there, it cannot be removed. No scrubbing, no shaking, no surgery can take it away. (Well, these days you can have tattoos removed by laser, but that still leaves scars!)  You are there, right in His hand. In His care. On His mind. 

Yes, God’s omnipresence can be a bit daunting, especially if you are doing something you know is wrong. But, on the other hand, when our omnipresent God has you engraved on the palms of His hands, you can say with absolute assurance: 

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35-39)

Where can you go—where would you want to go—from His presence?

Endnotes

1. Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, “Omnipresence,” in Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), p. 1588.↑
2. https://biblehub.com/topical/o/omnipresence.htm.↑
3. John Piper, “Is God Present or Absent in Hell?” https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/is-god-present-or-absent-in-hell. See further: John Piper, “Is God Everywhere and Absent from Hell?” https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/is-god-everywhere-and-absent-from-hell; R.C. Sproul, “Is God Present in Hell? https://learn.ligonier.org/qas/is-god-present-in-hell; Michael Horton, “Hell Is Not Separation from God”, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/hell-not-separation-god/.↑

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