12 Encounter:
God’s Holiness

 

For the most part: God hides his Majesty, his glory, and his overwhelming, powerful presence.

It has been said that if God did not shield us from his complete (total raw power) based in His Essence, and described as His Majesty, Glory, Holiness and Righteousness, and if men came into his presence unshielded, they would not survive the encounter here. Therefore, it is always been in God’s best interest to shield himself from others and their personal encounters with God. And according to the holiness present in each individual, and through the faith and desire and nature through the pursuit of God, certain individuals have been granted, a short but limit and limited encounter with God.

But even some of the most holy, most dedicated, and most separated, men and women of God who have encountered him, for example Daniel the prophet, and John the apostle, even with all their separation from the world, dedication to the kingdom, deep personal commitment to prayer and personal holiness: Even these individuals fell in the presence of God as though dead. They fell on their faces and could basically not breathe in the presence of God, until the hand of God gave them an extra measure of grace in which allowed them to withstand the glory of God and their encounters.

It is no wonder that not everybody has such an encounter with the holy one of Israel. And the logic seems clear: most people could not handle and may not survive such an encounter. For that reason, alone, it makes sense that God would tail and limit the amount of exposure. He allows different individuals to experience. In other words, God cares enough about us to shield us from the immense greatness of his presence, power and authority.

Only on rare occasions, and with rare individuals does God breach the gap of separation between himself and his chosen, created instruments, or messengers of his kingdom. A.k.a. the prohets.

In some cases, God allowed his prophets to write down and record some of their experiences with God, but definitely not all of them. And God has his reasons for limiting these messages. We don’t know exactly why this is so, but we have enough information from his word in total to piece together answers that will satisfy us until we meet him face-to-face. Everything in God’s word is presented there to help prepare us for what is to come. Most all the focus is future based. In other words, every decision, every personal choice, every individual action, is often called upon, to be weighed in light of our eternal future with God in heaven forever. And how each action and encounter we have with men, and even with God is to be weighed in the light of eternity.

God is humble by nature, and wanting to engage men through personal righteousness, which simply means right standing with God.

Because of that God does not show up into our world, on a regular basis as an overwhelming, powerful and unlimited wise and holy being. He veil. and his true nature are often hidden. He often disguises himself as a humble man (The Angel of The Lord). Until he takes on the full bodily form of man and becomes a servant to all mankind. No other religion compares to the God of heaven and Earth and rightful owner, ruler, and ultimate judge of everything he created, including mankind.

12 Personal Encounters with God’s Holiness, Awesomeness, and Fearfulness in the King James Bible

Below is a list of significant personal encounters in the King James Bible where individuals came face-to-face with the holiness, awe, and fear of God. Each entry highlights the nature of the encounter, the individual’s response, and the scriptural context.

1. Moses

• Encounter: Burning bush; Mount Sinai (the giving of the Law).
• Response: Moses hid his face, afraid to look upon God; the people trembled at Sinai.
• Scripture: Exodus 3:2-6; Exodus 19–20.
• Notes: God declared the ground holy; Moses was filled with fear and awe in God’s presence12.

2. Daniel

• Encounter: Vision of a heavenly being (often interpreted as Gabriel).
• Response: Daniel was afraid, trembled, and was reassured with “fear not.”
• Scripture: Daniel 10:7-12.
• Notes: Daniel’s humility and fear are met with divine reassurance34.

3. Joshua

• Encounter: Meeting the commander of the Lord’s army before Jericho.
• Response: Joshua fell on his face, removed his sandals in reverence.
• Scripture: Joshua 5:13-15.
• Notes: Joshua is reminded of God’s holiness and responds in awe5.

4. Abraham

• Encounter: God’s call, covenant, and the command to sacrifice Isaac (Akedah).
• Response: Abraham’s obedience is seen as the ultimate expression of the fear of God (especially in the willingness to offer his one and only son the son of the promise, the son of the covenant which is a mirror image of what God would do with his one and only begotten son, the son of the promise, the son of the covenant, that he would send to the Earth to become a ransom for many. Abraham, likely more than any other human being on earth, had a revelation through his encounter with God on Mount Moriah, the mountain of vision, which later we know, became Jerusalem,, and where god offered up his own son on the hill of Cota, in Hebrew, the place of the skull, some 4000 years after Abraham’s offering of Isaac, on the altar, where God provided a lamb, actually a ram, a male sheep in place of Isaac. That’s another layer of how and why Jesus is called the lamb of God that takes away the sense of the world. Later on Moses would put the blood of the lamb on the door posts of the homes of the Israelites in order to save them from the angel of death that would go throughout the kingdom of his Egypt, and take the first born of all the families of all the Egyptians, who did not have the blood of the lamb on their door post.).
• Scripture: Genesis 15, 17, 22.
• Notes: Abraham’s fear and awe are especially highlighted in the Akedah (Genesis 22:12)67.

5. Jacob

• Encounter: Vision of the ladder to heaven at Bethel.
• Response: Jacob was afraid and said, “How dreadful is this place!”
• Scripture: Genesis 28:10-17.
• Notes: Jacob’s awe and fear lead him to worship and consecrate the place8.

6. Hagar

• Encounter: The Angel of the Lord in the wilderness.
• Response: Hagar recognizes God as “El Roi” (the God who sees me); she is awed and comforted.
• Scripture: Genesis 16:7-13.
• Notes: Hagar’s encounter is marked by awe and the recognition of God’s personal attention9.

7. John, the Apostle

• Encounter: Vision of the risen Christ on Patmos.
• Response: John fell at Jesus’ feet as if dead, overwhelmed by fear and awe.
• Scripture: Revelation 1:12-18.
• Notes: Jesus reassures John, saying, “Fear not”1011.

8. Isaiah

• Encounter: Vision of the Lord in the temple, surrounded by seraphim.
• Response: Isaiah cried, “Woe is me! for I am undone,” recognizing his own sinfulness in light of God’s holiness.
• Scripture: Isaiah 6:1-5.
• Notes: Isaiah’s encounter is a classic example of awe and fear before God’s holiness2.

9. Ezekiel

• Encounter: Visions of God’s glory by the River Chebar.
• Response: Ezekiel fell on his face, overwhelmed by the vision.
• Scripture: Ezekiel 1:26-28.
• Notes: The appearance of God’s glory produces awe and reverence.

10. Aaron and Sons (Nadab and Abihu)

• Encounter: Priestly service; Nadab and Abihu offer unauthorized fire.
• Response: Nadab and Abihu are consumed by fire from the Lord; Aaron is silent in awe and fear.
• Scripture: Leviticus 10:1-3.
• Notes: This event underscores the seriousness of God’s holiness and the consequences of irreverence.

11. Korah, Abiram, and Company

• Encounter: Rebellion against Moses and Aaron; confrontation with God’s holiness.
• Response: The earth opens and swallows the rebels, demonstrating God’s fearful power.
• Scripture: Numbers 16:1-35.
• Notes: The event is a dramatic display of God’s holiness and judgment.

12. Jonah

• Encounter: Jonah fled from God’s presence, and God’s mission and commandment
• Response: a big fish, or possibly a whale swallowed Jonah hole as he’s sinking below the ocean surface and gets a ride to his original God ordained intended destination. Where he fearfully and obediently carries out the wheel of God, but is also disgruntled about the whole affair.
• Scripture: the whole book of Jonah
• Notes: This event is a dramatic display of God’s commitment to bringing a spirit of repentance to a whole nation, even to one as unholy as the people and rulers, of Nineveh.

A bonus extra encounter:  BALAAM

• Encounter:  BALAAM a pagan prohet six the god of Israel, to get permission to go to the king of Moab and prophecy.Burning bush; Mount Sinai (the giving of the Law).
• Response: Moses hid his face, afraid to look upon God; the people trembled at Sinai.
• Scripture: Exodus 3:2-6; Exodus 19–20.
• Notes: God declared the ground holy; Moses was filled with fear and awe in God’s presence12.

Summary Table

Name	Encounter Location/Event	Response to God’s Holiness/Awesome Presence
Moses	Burning bush, Sinai	Hid face, fear, reverence
Daniel	Vision of angel	Trembled, reassured “fear not”
Joshua	Commander of Lord’s army	Fell on face, removed sandals
Abraham	Covenant, Akedah	Obedience, awe, fear of God
Jacob	Ladder at Bethel	Afraid, “How dreadful is this place!”
Hagar	Angel in wilderness	Awe, comfort, names God “El Roi”
John (Apostle)	Vision of Christ	Fell as dead, reassured “fear not”
Isaiah	Vision in temple	“Woe is me!”, awe at God’s holiness
Ezekiel	Vision by the river	Fell on face, awe
Aaron & Sons	Tabernacle, unauthorized fire	Nadab & Abihu consumed, Aaron silent in awe
Korah & Abiram	Rebellion	Swallowed by earth, fear of God’s judgment

These encounters collectively illustrate how the holiness, awesomeness, and fearfulness of God evoke awe, reverence, humility, and sometimes terror in those who experience His presence directly in the biblical narrative