According to Google, “Is God real?” is searched 200 times per second. Why? Because we are wired to worship something greater than ourselves and we will search for that greater thing until we find it.

The topic of a recent Sunday School lesson was: If God is real why doesn’t He show up and prove it? It’s a question many atheists use to cast doubt while seeking to disprove the existence of God and the reality of the Christian faith. But the simple and powerful answer is: He already did!

Not only is His creation proof enough for us to know He is real, but He even sent His own Son to earth to dwell among us. Jesus humbled himself, trading the perfection of Heaven for this imperfect world, to teach, perform miracles, and fulfill prophecy in order to “show up and prove” that He’s the Messiah who has authority over all things (including death). Though He was tempted just as we are, He did it all without committing one sin. In this way, He showed us exactly who He is and what He’s about. It doesn’t get more real than that.

Even though God did “show up and prove it” in the first century, many didn’t believe. They saw the dead brought back to life, the blind receive sight, instantaneous healing and more. Is He supposed to do it to every generation and hope for better results?.  What about us? Would we believe Him?

What if God literally pulled back the curtain today and offered everyone a live glimpse into Heaven?

We live in a world of special effects, manipulated news stories, AI (Artificial Intelligence), conspiracy theories, deep fakes, and more. Even the image above is AI generated. Distrust for what’s seen on the internet is at an all-time high. Many who would be privileged to witness the majestic, holy, surreal event would pull out their phones to capture the majesty on video—the streets of gold, the angels worshiping, Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Father. The images and videos would go viral on social media as reactions like these would roll in:

"Yeah, I saw the videos, but they're fake. The news media said so."

"The people that claim they saw heaven must have been high on drugs."

"It had to have been some high-tech hologram."

"We actually live in a matrix and the sky is just a projection, so 'they' can do whatever they want with how it looks up there."

The excuses would be different, but the reception would be the same as it was when God actually sent His Son into the world 2000 years ago. How many believed the shepherds when they told about seeing a host of angels proclaiming the good news that the Christ Child was born? 

Imagine Jesus going from town to town healing the sick, the lame, the blind, and raising people from the dead. Everyone would explain away His power with some technological advances, sleight of hand, or special effects. In Jesus' day, there were none of those things. There was just His authority and power driving out demons, changing water to wine, controlling weather, and so much more. It's pretty clear, God’s timing was perfect as He sent His Son when there were fewer ways to “explain away” his stunning power. 

We also have the written Word of God as proof of His existence. John 21:25 says, Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. 

God has given us indisputable evidence that Jesus lived, performed miracles, taught  multitudes of followers, died on the cross, rose from the grave on the third day, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. That evidence is found in the Bible, His Creation, and in us. He’s proven Himself real by what He’s done for us, in us, and through us. In Romans 1:18-20, Paul proclaims we are without excuse from knowing God is real. But it takes eyes to see, ears to hear, and faith to believe.

So, if anyone asks you why a real God doesn’t show up and prove it, you can tell them “he already has” and recount the life changing story when he did.