Jesus alone is immortal? No one can see Him right now?

[B-A-C]

I include these four verses for context.

1Tim 6:13; I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate,
1Tim 6:14; that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Tim 6:15; which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
1Tim 6:16; who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.

Where do I begin with the controversy here? Some people don't like it that Paul says "keep the commandment" ( without stain or reproach). Which commandment? ( all of them? )
How long should we do this? Until the appearing of "our Lord Jesus Christ". - The good news is... Jesus is going to reappear to us. Over 16 passages confirm that Jesus is coming back.

But verse 16 is even more controversial.
( Jesus ) alone, is the only One who currently possesses immortality.

The NIrV puts it like this. ( The NIrV changes the context to "God" ), but I believe Jesus is God, so that's OK.
(NIrV) God is the only one who can't die. He lives in light that no one can get close to. No one has seen him. No one can see him. Give honor and power to him forever. Amen.

There are a number of scriptures that say we don't receive eternal life, until "the next age".
Mark 10:30; but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.
Luke 18:30; who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life."
Luke 20:35; but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage;
Luke 20:36; for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

So then, what happens to people when they die? Many believe in something called soul sleep, where you just lie in the ground "dead" until the resurrection on the "last day".
But many others say, when Christians die, they immediately go to be with Jesus. Yet 1Tim 6:16; above says no one can currently be with, or see Jesus in heaven. It says he is unapproachable.
It says no one can currently see Him. I have to admit, this gives me reason to doubt the validity of stories where people say they have died and seen Jesus in heaven.

A lot of doctrine is built around 2Corinthians 2:5-8;

2Cor 5:6; Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—
2Cor 5:7; for we walk by faith, not by sight—
2Cor 5:8; we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.

This passage seems to conflict with 1Tim 6:16; above. Jesus is unapproachable and no one can get close to Him right now.
So then which is it? Perhaps when we die, we are not yet absent from the body? Maybe we are truly raised up on the last day? ( John 6:39-44; John 6:54; John 11:24; )
The NLT Bible has 3 or 4 passages that are worded differently from most mainstream Bibles, this is one of them.

[NLT]
1Tim 6:15; For, At just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords.
1Tim 6:16; He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him. No human eye has ever seen him, nor ever will. All honor and power to him forever! Amen.

I have 22 Bible translations, and the NLT is only one that says "nor ever will". This seems to say, no one will ever see Jesus, which would conflict with the verse right above it. Which says
"Christ will be revealed from heaven". So again, which is it? We will never see Jesus, or Jesus will reappear to us at some point in the future? There are over 16 other verses that say Jesus is coming back for us.
Some scholars take this to mean we will see Jesus Himself, but we will not ever be able to see the "unapproachable light" that He currently dwells in. I suppose that could be possible.

 

[Searchingtoo]

I include these four verses for context.

1Tim 6:13; I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate,
1Tim 6:14; that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Tim 6:15; which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
1Tim 6:16; who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.

Where do I begin with the controversy here? Some people don't like it that Paul says "keep the commandment" ( without stain or reproach). Which commandment? ( all of them? )
How long should we do this? Until the appearing of "our Lord Jesus Christ". - The good news is... Jesus is going to reappear to us. Over 16 passages confirm that Jesus is coming back.

But verse 16 is even more controversial.
( Jesus ) alone, is the only One who currently possesses immortality.

The NIrV puts it like this. ( The NIrV changes the context to "God" ), but I believe Jesus is God, so that's OK.
(NIrV) God is the only one who can't die. He lives in light that no one can get close to. No one has seen him. No one can see him. Give honor and power to him forever. Amen.

There are a number of scriptures that say we don't receive eternal life, until "the next age".
Mark 10:30; but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.
Luke 18:30; who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life."
Luke 20:35; but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage;
Luke 20:36; for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

So then, what happens to people when they die? Many believe in something called soul sleep, where you just lie in the ground "dead" until the resurrection on the "last day".
But many others say, when Christians die, they immediately go to be with Jesus. Yet 1Tim 6:16; above says no one can currently be with, or see Jesus in heaven. It says he is unapproachable.
It says no one can currently see Him. I have to admit, this gives me reason to doubt the validity of stories where people say they have died and seen Jesus in heaven.

A lot of doctrine is built around 2Corinthians 2:5-8;

2Cor 5:6; Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—
2Cor 5:7; for we walk by faith, not by sight—
2Cor 5:8; we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.

This passage seems to conflict with 1Tim 6:16; above. Jesus is unapproachable and no one can get close to Him right now.
So then which is it? Perhaps when we die, we are not yet absent from the body? Maybe we are truly raised up on the last day? ( John 6:39-44; John 6:54; John 11:24; )
The NLT Bible has 3 or 4 passages that are worded differently from most mainstream Bibles, this is one of them.

[NLT]
1Tim 6:15; For, At just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords.
1Tim 6:16; He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him. No human eye has ever seen him, nor ever will. All honor and power to him forever! Amen.

I have 22 Bible translations, and the NLT is only one that says "nor ever will". This seems to say, no one will ever see Jesus, which would conflict with the verse right above it. Which says
"Christ will be revealed from heaven". So again, which is it? We will never see Jesus, or Jesus will reappear to us at some point in the future? There are over 16 other verses that say Jesus is coming back for us.
Some scholars take this to mean we will see Jesus Himself, but we will not ever be able to see the "unapproachable light" that He currently dwells in. I suppose that could be possible.

Revelations 20:6 says " Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years." So it seems that these have immortality once resurrection.

Most Christians believe they are resurrected to heavenly at death, although according to scripture this is impossible for the following reasons:

First, Jesus said in John 14:3 "if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." This has not happened yet.

Second, in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 Paul wrote "According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." Again this has not happened.

Third, Jesus said Matthew 11:11 "Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

Fourth, John 3:13 says " No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man"

There is more to be said but I have to go.

 

[Curtis]

Jesus talking about his soon departure says this....

John 14:18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
John 14:19 "A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also.
John 14:20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
John 14:21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."
John 14:22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"
John 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. (NKJV)

The "NLT" version says it like this........

John 14:18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.
John 14:19 Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live.
John 14:20 When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
John 14:21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”

If God lives in unapproachable light that NO man can see, or can see. That must be men who are in the world and do not keep His Word, but we will see him because he reveals Himself to us who keep his word.

 

[B-A-C]

This has not happened yet.

I tend to agree.

2Tim 2:18; men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.

 

[B-A-C]

John 14:18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
John 14:19 "A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also.

"Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"
John 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. (NKJV)

I agree with all of this, but do you think this has already happened?

Phrases like "I will come" and "you will live", seem to imply these things "will" happen at some point in the future.

 

[Curtis]

I agree with all of this, but do you think this has already happened?

Phrases like "I will come" and "you will live", seem to imply these things "will" happen at some point in the future.

I believe those who experience this in their lives are anyone who keeps (guards) God's word within themselves.
Jesus said he would love us in return if we kept His Word by revealing Himself to us. If there was anyone who understood this more than anyone else, it was the Apostle John as he was a "word man". Everything John wrote about in the Gospel and in his epistles was all about the "word". Jesus showed his love back to John by revealing himself to him after his glorification, which in turn caused John to write the Book Revelations (which means to reveal, to make manifest ) to the Church.
The Apostle Paul also learned this as Paul kept saying that he would come to visions and revelations of the Lord.

 

[B-A-C]

I believe those who experience this in their lives are anyone who keeps (guards) God's word within themselves.
Jesus said he would love us in return if we kept His Word by revealing Himself to us. If there was anyone who understood this more than anyone else, it was the Apostle John as he was a "word man". Everything John wrote about in the Gospel and in his epistles was all about the "word". Jesus showed his love back to John by revealing himself to him after his glorification, which in turn caused John to write the Book Revelations (which means to reveal, to make manifest ) to the Church.
The Apostle Paul also learned this as Paul kept saying that he would come to visions and revelations of the Lord.

I believe all of this also, Jesus lives inside us, and manifest Himself to our spirit. Spirit bears witness to spirit.

But I also believe in the 2nd coming. I believe Jesus will manifest Himself physical to the entire world. I believe He will rule and reign over the world ( even non-believers ) for a thousand years.
I believe Satan will be imprisoned during this thousand year period. After the thousand years, many people ( possibly the vast majority of them ) will rebel and try to fight against Him.

But even so, you didn't answer my question.. "...do you think this has already happened?"

 

[Curtis]

I believe all of this also, Jesus lives inside us, and manifest Himself to our spirit. Spirit bears witness to spirit.

But I also believe in the 2nd coming. I believe Jesus will manifest Himself physical to the entire world. I believe He will rule and reign over the world ( even non-believers ) for a thousand years.
I believe Satan will be imprisoned during this thousand year period. After the thousand years, many people ( possibly the vast majority of them ) will rebel and try to fight against Him.

But even so, you didn't answer my question.. "...do you think this has already happened?"

I do not believe many believers will claim that "Jesus manifested himself to me", or "Jesus appeared unto me." Many if not all believers will say the Holy Spirit beareth witness with my spirit that I am a child of God. Bearing witness with our spirit is not the same thing as Jesus manifesting or appearing to a person. Manifesting would be like when the Apostle Paul said that he came to visions and revelations of Jesus. Or when Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a mountain to appeared himself to them in his Glory, or when Jesus manifested himself to the Apostle John at the beginning of the Book of Revelations. Jesus manifests himself to a person who has guarded, and kept His Word in them. The rapture, or the second coming will happen to a large group of people all at the same time who are his.

So, has this happened yet? Yes for some and no for others.