Perceiving God in all his fulness. Scripture stresses that God, as spirit, is invisible to sinful human beings. He has, however, been revealed in Jesus Christ, who is his perfect likeness, and he will be seen in all his glory at the end of history when he comes in judgment.
No human can see the face of God in all his fulness
1 Timothy 6:15–16 See also Deuteronomy 4:10–12; John 6:46; 1 Timothy 1:17; 1 John 4:12
which the blessed and only Sovereign One— the King of kings and Lord of lords— will bring about in His own time. He alone is immortal and dwells in unapproachable light. No one has ever seen Him, nor can anyone see Him. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
Privileged individuals may catch a glimpse of God
Exodus 33:21–23 See also Genesis 16:13–14 Hagar; Numbers 12:5–8 Moses; Judges 6:11–24 Gideon; Judges 13:2–23 Manoah and his wife
The LORD continued, “There is a place near Me where you are to stand upon a rock, and when My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away, and you will see My back; but My face must not be seen.”
Threat of death on seeing the face of God
Exodus 33:20 See also Genesis 32:24–30; Exodus 19:21, Exodus 24:9–11
But He added, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.”
Seeing God in a vision
Isaiah 6:1 See also 1 Kings 22:19 parallel 2 Chronicles 18:18 Micaiah; Ezekiel 1:1–28 Ezekiel; Acts 7:55–56 Stephen
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted; and the train of His robe filled the temple.
God may be seen in Jesus Christ
John 14:8–9; Colossians 1:15 See also John 1:1–18; 1 John 5:20
Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus replied, “Philip, I have been with you all this time, and still you do not know Me? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
The hope of seeing God at the resurrection
1 Corinthians 13:12 See also Job 19:26–27; Psalm 17:15; Matthew 5:8; 1 Corinthians 13:12; Hebrews 12:14; Revelation 1:7
Now we see but a dim reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.