Is it possible to see God's 'face'?

[Redemptionsong]

In John 1:18, it says, 'No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him'.

If John is correct, as I believe he is, then we need to understand more about the 'face' of God. For the 'face' and 'countenance' of the LORD appears numerous times in scripture. Here's a taster:

Genesis 32:30. 'And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face [Heb. panim], and my life is preserved'.

Exodus 33:11. 'And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face [Heb. panim] , as a man speaketh unto his friend'.

Exodus 33:20. 'And he said, Thou [Moses] canst not see my face [Heb. panim]: for there shall no man see me, and live'.

Numbers 6:25. 'The LORD make his face [Heb. panim] shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:'

Psalm 17:15. 'As for me, I will behold thy face [Heb. panim] in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness'.

Psalm 105:4. 'Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face [Heb. panim] evermore'.

Ezekiel 39:29. 'Neither will I hide my face [Heb. panim] any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD'.

1 Corinthians 13:12. 'For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face [Gk. prosopon]: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known'.

Is it possible to see God's 'face'?

 

[101G]

answer, John 6:46 "Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father."

Hosea 12:10 "I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets."
did not Abraham see God in a similitude on his way to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah? did not the 70 elders see God? Exodus 24:9 "Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:" Exodus 24:10 "And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness." Exodus 24:11 "And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink."

yes, in a similitude, just as John 6:46a said, "Not that any man hath seen the Father". but in the resurrection, we will see him FACE to FACE, without a similitude, Revelation 22:4 "And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads."

notice also, his, his, his, FACE, and not THEIR Faces.

101G.

 

[Redemptionsong]

answer, John 6:46 "Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father."

Hosea 12:10 "I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets."
did not Abraham see God in a similitude on his way to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah? did not the 70 elders see God? Exodus 24:9 "Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:" Exodus 24:10 "And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness." Exodus 24:11 "And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink."

yes, in a similitude, just as John 6:46a said, "Not that any man hath seen the Father". but in the resurrection, we will see him FACE to FACE, without a similitude, Revelation 22:4 "And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads."

notice also, his, his, his, FACE, and not THEIR Faces.

101G.

If the man 'which is of God' hath seen the Father, would you say that you have seen the Father?

 

[F1fan]

No gods are known to exist, so get your imagination to work. We atheists will keep you guys rooted in reality.

 

[Sand Dancer]

In John 1:18, it says, 'No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him'.

If John is correct, as I believe he is, then we need to understand more about the 'face' of God. For the 'face' and 'countenance' of the LORD appears numerous times in scripture. Here's a taster:

Genesis 32:30. 'And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face [Heb. panim], and my life is preserved'.

Exodus 33:11. 'And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face [Heb. panim] , as a man speaketh unto his friend'.

Exodus 33:20. 'And he said, Thou [Moses] canst not see my face [Heb. panim]: for there shall no man see me, and live'.

Numbers 6:25. 'The LORD make his face [Heb. panim] shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:'

Psalm 17:15. 'As for me, I will behold thy face [Heb. panim] in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness'.

Psalm 105:4. 'Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face [Heb. panim] evermore'.

Ezekiel 39:29. 'Neither will I hide my face [Heb. panim] any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD'.

1 Corinthians 13:12. 'For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face [Gk. prosopon]: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known'.

Is it possible to see God's 'face'?

Hard to say. If Yahweh is spirit, he has no face, yet there are many verses regarding his body parts and what he does with them.

 

[101G]

If the man 'which is of God' hath seen the Father, would you say that you have seen the Father?

the "Lord" Jesus has, who is God, for, John 14:7 "If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him." now, my question is this, CAN JESUS LIE? ...... NO.

101G

 

[101G]

to all, if 101G meets you face to face, have you seen 101G? answer, yes, and no. yes in the Flesh, but no in the spirit.

when God "SHARED" himself in flesh we see God, supportive scripture. John 14:8 "Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us." John 14:9 "Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?"

this is in flesh, a similitudes, understand we're in a CREATION, this is not the REAL WORLD. the body we're in now are not the bodies that shall be, that God gives us see 1 Corinthians 15:37.

101G.

 

[Redemptionsong]

the "Lord" Jesus has, who is God, for, John 14:7 "If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him." now, my question is this, CAN JESUS LIE? ...... NO.

101G

I'll take that as a 'Yes'.

If the Church is the 'body of Christ', then to be in the body one must 'know' Jesus spiritually. We should not have to wait for resurrection to see his glory, for Jesus said, 'l am the resurrection, and the life'. Do we not enter into his resurrection by faith?

To my understanding, to see the face of God is to recognise and know Christ. A believer may only know him 'through a glass' (dimly) at the moment, but at his return he will know his Lord without the 'darkness'.

 

[Kenny]

In John 1:18, it says, 'No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him'.

If John is correct, as I believe he is, then we need to understand more about the 'face' of God. For the 'face' and 'countenance' of the LORD appears numerous times in scripture. Here's a taster:

Genesis 32:30. 'And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face [Heb. panim], and my life is preserved'.

Exodus 33:11. 'And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face [Heb. panim] , as a man speaketh unto his friend'.

Exodus 33:20. 'And he said, Thou [Moses] canst not see my face [Heb. panim]: for there shall no man see me, and live'.

Numbers 6:25. 'The LORD make his face [Heb. panim] shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:'

Psalm 17:15. 'As for me, I will behold thy face [Heb. panim] in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness'.

Psalm 105:4. 'Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face [Heb. panim] evermore'.

Ezekiel 39:29. 'Neither will I hide my face [Heb. panim] any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD'.

1 Corinthians 13:12. 'For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face [Gk. prosopon]: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known'.

Is it possible to see God's 'face'?

8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.

John 14:9
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?

 

[Dawnofhope]

In John 1:18, it says, 'No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him'.

If John is correct, as I believe he is, then we need to understand more about the 'face' of God. For the 'face' and 'countenance' of the LORD appears numerous times in scripture. Here's a taster:

Genesis 32:30. 'And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face [Heb. panim], and my life is preserved'.

Exodus 33:11. 'And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face [Heb. panim] , as a man speaketh unto his friend'.

Exodus 33:20. 'And he said, Thou [Moses] canst not see my face [Heb. panim]: for there shall no man see me, and live'.

Numbers 6:25. 'The LORD make his face [Heb. panim] shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:'

Psalm 17:15. 'As for me, I will behold thy face [Heb. panim] in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness'.

Psalm 105:4. 'Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face [Heb. panim] evermore'.

Ezekiel 39:29. 'Neither will I hide my face [Heb. panim] any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD'.

1 Corinthians 13:12. 'For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face [Gk. prosopon]: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known'.

Is it possible to see God's 'face'?

God is immeasurably exalted beyond the comprehension of human beings. The idea that God has a face is a metaphor, not a reality. As humans we tend to anthropomorhise God and imagine He is like us but in doing so we bring God down to our level.

From a Biblical perspective Jesus is a perfect reflection of God so to behold Jesus is to behold God Himself. So whether we can literally behold God the face of God hinges on our understanding of the Gospel of John and whether Jesus is literally God incarnate. John 1:18 and Exodus 33:20 you have quoted suggests Jesus can't be literally God incarnate. A better understanding is through Christ's close association (Sonship) with God, He reflects God to an extent that is not humanly possible.

 

[Nakosis]

In John 1:18, it says, 'No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him'.

If John is correct, as I believe he is, then we need to understand more about the 'face' of God. For the 'face' and 'countenance' of the LORD appears numerous times in scripture. Here's a taster:

Genesis 32:30. 'And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face [Heb. panim], and my life is preserved'.

Exodus 33:11. 'And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face [Heb. panim] , as a man speaketh unto his friend'.

Exodus 33:20. 'And he said, Thou [Moses] canst not see my face [Heb. panim]: for there shall no man see me, and live'.

Numbers 6:25. 'The LORD make his face [Heb. panim] shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:'

Psalm 17:15. 'As for me, I will behold thy face [Heb. panim] in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness'.

Psalm 105:4. 'Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face [Heb. panim] evermore'.

Ezekiel 39:29. 'Neither will I hide my face [Heb. panim] any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD'.

1 Corinthians 13:12. 'For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face [Gk. prosopon]: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known'.

Is it possible to see God's 'face'?

Ta Da!

Michelangelo painted God in 1512.

Well...
How do you know it doesn't look like God?

 

[101G]

I'll take that as a 'Yes'.

If the Church is the 'body of Christ', then to be in the body one must 'know' Jesus spiritually. We should not have to wait for resurrection to see his glory, for Jesus said, 'l am the resurrection, and the life'. Do we not enter into his resurrection by faith?

To my understanding, to see the face of God is to recognise and know Christ. A believer may only know him 'through a glass' (dimly) at the moment, but at his return he will know his Lord without the 'darkness'.

100%, for God is a Spirit, and if one, as John said, "is of, of, God" then you have seen him

understand, when John on the Island of Patmos, he had an OUT OF BODY experience when he saw the Lord. now watch this in REVERSE. when the Lord Jesus came, he had an IN-BODY experience with us...... see it now?

101G.

 

[101G]

Ta Da!

Michelangelo painted God in 1512.

Well...
How do you know it doesn't look like God?

Ta Da!

Michelangelo painted God in 1512.

Well...
How do you know it doesn't look like God?

Exodus 20:2 "I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." Exodus 20:3 "Thou shalt have no other gods before me. "Exodus 20:4 "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:" Exodus 20:5 "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;"

101G.

 

[stvdv]

Is it possible to see God's 'face'?

First you need to know God. Otherwise you don't know for what kind of face you must look (animal, human, extraterrestrial being, etc.)

As God created the huge Universe, it might be that God is huge too...maybe too huge for us humans to recognize/see His Face. And if God is that huge it might be impossible to sit in your backyard talking to you while "facing" you

Just a few complication I foresee in expecting to see God's Face

 

[Redemptionsong]

8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.

John 14:9
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?

Do you think that Jesus meant 'seeing' as spiritual or physical?

I see your avatar has the words, Face to face with my Father!

 

[Redemptionsong]

Ta Da!

Michelangelo painted God in 1512.

Well...
How do you know it doesn't look like God?

Too many wrinkles.

 

[Wildswanderer]

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
Colossians 1:15

So to see Jesus was to see God, only not in his glorified form.

Matt 17 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

 

[Redemptionsong]

100%, for God is a Spirit, and if one, as John said, "is of, of, God" then you have seen him

understand, when John on the Island of Patmos, he had an OUT OF BODY experience when he saw the Lord. now watch this in REVERSE. when the Lord Jesus came, he had an IN-BODY experience with us...... see it now?

101G.

Yes, but it wasn't the first time that Christ had appeared to men.

If we are to say that Christ is the face of God, are we to say that no image identifies the face. When the Lord appeared to Abraham at Mamre, he may have had a different look to the appearance of Jesus. And when the Lord appears at the second coming, will he look like the earthly Jesus or have a completely different spiritual look? Are his piercings the only way to identify him as the Lamb of God?

 

[Redemptionsong]

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
Colossians 1:15

So to see Jesus was to see God, only not in his glorified form.

Matt 17 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

The transfiguration is an interesting event. Do you think we can draw the conclusion that the Lord who returns will appear in a similar fashion.

 

[TransmutingSoul]

In John 1:18, it says, 'No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him'.

If John is correct, as I believe he is, then we need to understand more about the 'face' of God. For the 'face' and 'countenance' of the LORD appears numerous times in scripture. Here's a taster:

Genesis 32:30. 'And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face [Heb. panim], and my life is preserved'.

Exodus 33:11. 'And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face [Heb. panim] , as a man speaketh unto his friend'.

Exodus 33:20. 'And he said, Thou [Moses] canst not see my face [Heb. panim]: for there shall no man see me, and live'.

Numbers 6:25. 'The LORD make his face [Heb. panim] shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:'

Psalm 17:15. 'As for me, I will behold thy face [Heb. panim] in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness'.

Psalm 105:4. 'Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face [Heb. panim] evermore'.

Ezekiel 39:29. 'Neither will I hide my face [Heb. panim] any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD'.

1 Corinthians 13:12. 'For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face [Gk. prosopon]: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known'.

Is it possible to see God's 'face'?

I can offer this finds clarity in the Baha'i Message. No one can see God, not even the Messengers.

Thus the Face of God we can see is God's chosen Messengers, they are the representation of God to humanity.

Many of the past Messengers talk of the Father and seeing the Father. The Father is a another Messenger as promised by the Son. The Son becomes the Father (Another Messenger), the Son does not become God.

So the Face of God they talk about is the Messiah of the end of ages, the one that will fulfill the promises as recorded in all the scriptures.

This is a massive subject, it is really the foundations of all Faiths and how we come to know God by the many names and attributes of the Messengers.

This is what the Father has offered.
For us to consider.

"VERILY I say, this is the Day in which mankind can behold the Face, and hear the Voice, of the Promised One. The Call of God hath been raised, and the light of His countenance hath been lifted up upon men. It behooveth every man to blot out the trace of every idle word from the tablet of his heart, and to gaze, with an open and unbiased mind, on the signs of His Revelation, the proofs of His Mission, and the tokens of His glory.

Spoiler: Remainder of quote

Great indeed is this Day! The allusions made to it in all the sacred Scriptures as the Day of God attest its greatness. The soul of every Prophet of God, of every Divine Messenger, hath thirsted for this wondrous Day. All the divers kindreds of the earth have, likewise, yearned to attain it. No sooner, however, had the Daystar of His Revelation manifested itself in the heaven of God’s Will, than all, except those whom the Almighty was pleased to guide, were found dumbfounded and heedless.

O thou that hast remembered Me! The most grievous veil hath shut out the peoples of the earth from His glory, and hindered them from hearkening to His call. God grant that the light of unity may envelop the whole earth, and that the seal, “the Kingdom is God’s,” may be stamped upon the brow of all its peoples

Regards Tony