"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." - (Matthew 5:8) 'No one has ever seen God but "the Only begotten Son", who is at the Father's side, has made him known.' - (John 1:18) That means, not even Adam and Eve saw God but they only heard him walk and speak ! 'The man and the woman heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day ...' - (Genesis 3:8), but they never saw God face to face! Or else Jesus would not have said: "No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father." - (John 6:46) Moses wanted to see God's face but He forbade him saying: "You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." - (Exodus 33:20) Why? The countenance of God's face is brighter than the sun and our bodies cannot withstand that brilliance! However, just as we would like to see the face of those we love, the longing of the saints to see the face of God will be fulfilled when they will see him in their glorified bodies but 'the wicked will not stand in judgement nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous' - (Psalm 1:5) 'for our God is a consuming fire' (Deuteronomy 4:24/ Hebrews 12:29) and nothing unholy can stand before him!
'Dear friends, now we are children of God and what we will be has not been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure' (1 John 3:2-3) because 'without holiness no one will see the Lord.' - (Hebrews 12:14) The Psalmists often asked God to provide refuge in times of trouble, but they also looked forward to seeing his face - a goal that is valuable only to someone who deeply loved God. For instance David wrote: "And I - in righteousness will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness." - (Psalm 17:15) To see God's face is to see and know him personally, deeply and without the clouds of mystery that so often makes faith difficult. 'Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now we know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.' - (1 Corinthians 13:12) 'Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.' - (2 Corinthians 7:1) Amen.
Comments