What does omnipresent mean?

Question

Genesis 4:16 "Cain left the presence of Yahweh and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden."

Ok, maybe I was giving you guys too much credit.

How did Cain leave the presence of an omnipresent diety?

Yes, omnipresent means present everywhere at once.

No, omnipresent doesn't mean all-knowing.

Why can't Christians ever just give a straight answer? Or better yet, admit when they are wrong?

The scripture I quoted is clearly refering to the PHYSICAL act of leaving one location for another.

Answer 1

Cain could not leave the spiritual "always present" nature of the Lord, but from that time on, he was not able to directly conveerse with the Lord in the same way that he did in the moments immediately preceding..... We do the same thing when we are in sin and out of fellowship with the Lord. He IS omni present and has not gone anywhere, but WE have moved out of His presence.

Answer 2

Omnipresent means always present. There are many different degrees of present. In heart/mind/ability to rescue etc.
We often get confused by Gen. 4 and other passages. The Bible of faith begins when God sets a covenant w/ Abraham. Before that, there is a fairly strong similarity to the much older texts from Ur of Chaldees where Abraham grew up.
Bottom line: Contrary to common misconception, the Bible nowhere states Eden was the only location. It merely states God planted a Garden there. Cain went off toward other tribes/city states and the like.
This passage looks forward to the time of strictly territorial Gods which drove the Joshua - Jericho slaughter and much of the OT. Jesus struggled with it when everyone wanted him to restore the God of the Jews in the Land of the Jews where God was present. Jesus refused. God is omnipresent - for one and all.

Answer 3

As others have said, God alone is omnipresent, we ,mankind can turn away from Him but "the heaven and earth cannot contain God (1 King 8:27)yet He fills them both (Ps. 139:7-10; Acts 17:27-28). While God is at every place, He is not present in the same degree or manner everywhere.

His special or more conscious presence can be detected in only certain locations,such as heaven (Mathew 6:9) or in the life of a believer (John 14:16-18,20,23)/



He is also Omniscient-Eternal, there is no increase in His knowledge. God is never shocked by any act from the realm of creation, for all things lie before Him, past,present and future. Every act of man fully done in God's penetrating sight. He knows the thoughts and intents of the heart.I have many scripture references for these facts-contact me if you want that info.

Further consideer, you can live with someone a lifetime but tune out and in essence you have left them but the Bible says, of the believer, God never leaves us nor foresakes us and He always provides a way for us, through repentance and asking His forgiveness, to be fully restored in ongoing fellowship with Him.

Answer 4

Obviously you know what it means. But in this case, the verse you mention, it means that Cain was turned away from God. God was angry with Cain, but Cain could never really be out of God's presence.

Answer 5

You and God are up on a mountain looking down at an object that is a circle. Inside that circle way down inside is there are all these Planets. Inside that swirrling mass off Planets is the Planet Earth. down on Planet Earth is a certain mountain range. In that certain place, up on one of the mountains, you and God are looking down through the circle at the planets. Something like that is how God sees things. He is everywhere at the same time.

Answer 6

Interesting how you pointed out a verse in the Bible that shows God is not omnipresent but Christians are ignoring it.

Answer 7

God is omnipresent in the sense that He is outside of space and time and thus is everywhere at once. BUT, when He reveals Himself to humans He picks a spot and 'pushes back the curtain' as it were.

Answer 8

Omnipresent refers to an all powerful entity which permeates every physical and spiritual entity both living and elemental.... for example a God who is everywhere. Here there and everywhere... hither, thither and yon.

Answer 9

Another clear contradiction in the Bible...

Omnipresent doesn't mean he is everywhere, would you say God is the bathroom, or in your cupboards? See what I mean? Rather it means by his All-Knowing he knows what is going on everywhere, and you never be in a such place that God does not know what is happening.


Some Mention of Omnipresence in the Qu'ran.
Omnipresence:

And He has said:

"There is no secret conference of three but He is their fourth, nor of five but He is their sixth, nor of less or more but He is with them wherever they be: And afterward, on the Day of Resurrection, He will inform them of what they did. Indeed, Allah is Knower of All Things." (al-Mujadalah 58/7)

And He has said addressing Abu Bakr in the cave during the Hijrah:

"Grieve not. Indeed, Allah is with us." (at-Tawbah 9/40)

And He has said:

"Indeed, I will be with you, Hearing and Seeing." (Ta Ha 20/46)

And He has said:

"Indeed, Allah is with those who protect themselves and with those who do good." (an-Nahl 16/128)

And He has said:

"Be patient and persevering, for Allah is with those who patiently persevere.15 (al-Anfal 8/46)

And He has said:

"How often a small company overcame a big one by Allah's Help! Allah is with those who steadfastly persevere." (al-Baqarah 2/249)

Answer 10

The prefix of that word, "omni" comes from the Greek meaning "all" or "everywhere", therefore the word "omnipresent" means "everywhere" or "surrounding".