Why does God not Come to Earth?
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There is more than one way to answer this question, and I would like to think about it from a broader point of view than what I believe the questioner has in mind. God has certainly come to the earth in the past. In Genesis 3:8, the Bible says that God was “walking in the garden, in the cool of the day.” God’s intention all along was to have fellowship with His creation in a personal way, but sin created separation between God and mankind. This, however, didn’t stop God. In Genesis 18:1, the Bible says that the LORD appeared to Abraham in the plains of Mamre, and He visited with Abraham. The LORD also appeared to Moses in the burning bush, and to Joshua before he entered into the land of Canaan. So, God has come to earth many times throughout history to visit different people.
The culmination of God’s coming to earth occurred in the person of Christ Jesus. In Luke 1:35 we read, “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also the holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God.” Jesus is Immanuel, or “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). He is the ultimately fulfillment of God’s desire to be with His creation and walk among them as a man. In John 14:9, Jesus said, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” Jesus is God, and He really shows us who God is in His person.
We should also note that Jesus is coming back again. Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” He also writes in 2 Thessalonians 1: “the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.”
I believe, however, that the questioner has reference to today. That is, why does God not come to earth today? God is present right now. The Bible teaches that God is everywhere at all times. One of the great verses of the Bible that teaches this is Ephesians 4:6, “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” Hebrews 13:5 says, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” God is with us right now, and even every day of our lives. He sees everything we do, and knows all that we go through (Psalm 139:7-12).
However, I believe the questioner wants to know why God doesn’t appear to us right now where we can see Him with our own eyes. The only answer I know to give to that is that God wants us to have faith in Him, not in our five senses. The apostle Paul wrote, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Abraham said to the rich man, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead” (Luke 16:31). God wants us to have faith in Him and His word so that we will trust in Him and it for our salvation. Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Rom.10:17). Let’s believe His word and live for Him!