Will We See God in Heaven?

I went to a Christian high school and every morning began with a short Bible reading or devotion. Out of all of those devotions I sat through I only remember a few but there is one of those that I vividly remember. You see, that morning the teacher told us what God looked like. God looks like a very old man with a long white beard…sitting in a wheelchair. He developed this idea partly from the vision of Ezekiel 1 (the wheels within wheels). I remember laughing. The idea that God is an old man in a wheelchair is ridiculous but what does God look like? When we get to eternity will we see Him?

The short answer. No, we won’t see God, at least not like we think of seeing now. I assume that if you’re asking the question that answer probably won’t suffice so here’s a slightly longer short answer.

Doesn’t the Bible say that we will see God as He is (1 Jn. 3:2) and see Him face to face (1 Cor. 13:12)? It does and Jesus even promises, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Matt. 5:8, see also Heb. 12:14). Moses saw the back of God but not His face (Ex. 33:18-23), David writes that God says seek His face (Ps. 27:8). Ezra speaks of God’s hand being upon him (Ezra 7:28) and in Isaiah we’re told that God’s arm isn’t short (Isa. 59:1), He inclines His ear to hear us (Ps. 116:2) and His eyes are on the righteous (1 Pet. 3:12). The Bible is full of these types of descriptions so what are we supposed to make of them? These descriptions are what we call anthropomorphisms (attributing human qualities to deity). That is, they are ways to describe the infinite and eternal God in ways that we can comprehend. As Paul tells us in Romans 1:20, what we see is designed to teach us about what we cannot see.

To get a better understanding of this we must take a leap out of our understanding and into the eternal and look at the nature of God. When the Bible speaks to us about who God is, not just what He does, we realise why He needs to use these anthropomorphisms. God is not only far above us but He is not like us. God is Spirit (Jn. 4:24) which Paul describes for us by saying that God is eternal, immortal, invisible (1 Tim. 1:17; also Heb. 11:27). Many of the visions God gives of heaven also help us understand as God isn’t described in physical form but in light (1 Tim. 6:16) and colours. Perhaps the most graphic of these visions are in Ezekiel 1 where He is described like cloud, lightning and glowing amber or gleaming metal (Ezek. 1:4) and like a rainbow surrounded in brightness (Ezek. 1:28) which we are told is the likeness of God’s glory. In John’s opening vision of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, again, the image of the throne is consumed by light, colour, thunder and lightning (Rev. 4:3-5). When Moses meets with God on Mount Sinai God is ‘seen’ as a mighty storm cloud so that the people will believe Moses (Ex. 19:9).

So, if face, hand, back, etc. are only descriptions of the eternal, immortal, invisible God for our understanding then what will we see when Jesus says that we will see God? In eternity we’re talking about being able to see spiritually not just physically. The veil of this temporal world is removed to see everything more clearly, more truly (1 Cor. 13:12). Will we see anything of God physically? Yes, Jesus. Jesus is the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15; Jn. 1:14, 18). Our eyes will behold Jesus. Perhaps at times the Father and Spirit may manifest in physical forms like cloud, fire or dove but if they don’t will it make any difference to the glory of our experience in eternity? I think Jesus answers this question for us in His conversation with Philip (John 14:8-10). Philip begs, “show us the Father” and Jesus answers “if you see me you see the Father”. The great joy and glory of eternity isn’t in seeing a face or body of God but being completely encompassed and entirely overwhelmed by the pure, unhindered glorious presence of God. I don’t know about you but my tiny little mind can’t grasp that so for now I’ll continue to ask for God to make His face shine on me (Deut. 6:24), to strengthen and guide me with His mighty right hand (Isa. 41:10) as I answer His call to seek His face (Ps. 27:8).

BPM

See question 1: What will the Holy Spirit do in heaven?