The Appearance of God

How will we know Jesus when we see him in Heaven? Will he look the same? Will we see God since no man can see him without dying? Let's look now at "seeing God".

Adam and Eve saw God, and on a routine basis. God walked through the Garden, so He originally was more than Power and Mind: "and they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day (Gen 3:8). It was the Word who was speaking and walking in the Garden. We know from John 1 that He was Jesus before God was made flesh. God could be seen because Adam and Eve had "bright eyes":

1 Adam & Eve 8:1 Then Adam cried and said, "O God, when we lived in the garden, and our hearts were lifted up, we saw the angels that sang praises in heaven, but now we can't see like we used to; no, when we entered the cave, all creation became hidden from us." 2 Then God the Lord said to Adam, "When you were under subjection to Me, you had a bright nature within you, and for that reason could you see things far away. But after your transgression your bright nature was withdrawn from you; and it was not left to you to see things far away, but only near at hand; after the ability of the flesh; for it is brutish."

After they sinned, their "bright nature" - innocence, was gone, and with that their "bright eyes". Before they could see God, even unto the heavenly realms, along with His angels.  Jesus Is God manifested to mankind. Adam and Eve saw Jesus! I think perhaps, Revelation describes how Jesus appeared to them:

Rev 1:13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. 17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18  I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Of course, scripture doesn't say that they "saw" God but only heard and spoke with him. However, according to sacred writings, they could see God! That makes sense since the Word was there, and they exchanged conversations with Him. After all, they had yet to sin, so their outlook was different.

After the fall of mankind, the bright eyes were gone along with their bright nature. Not only could they no longer see God, but because of their sin, would die if they did:

Exod 33:18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. 19 And he (the Word) said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. 20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

The Word means things when He says them, and God would not say meaningless things. As such, every Word in Holy Scripture has profound meaning. When we are born-again, our spiritual blindness is not cured but improved. God gives the gifts of prophecy and discernment. Obviously, all prophecy has been fulfilled, so that remaining is the gift of understanding prophecy! Christian's eyes are brightened, and we "see" Jesus more clearly than before we first believed. In fact, the longer we walk the Way of Jesus, the more clearly we see him! We behold Him in the end.

When God said things (Exod 33:19), that was "the Word" speaking. The Voice of God is Jesus before God was made flesh.  Therein, it must be understood, since God and Jesus are the same Spirit, Jesus was speaking!

God's "goodness" spoken of above, is His likeness. Jesus said, "only God is Good", implying that he is God (Mat 19:17). Hence, God's likeness is "Goodness" - the Glory of God:

Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high...

Jesus is "the brightness of His (God's) glory, and the express image of His person". Moses, at the exodus, wanted to see God but the time had not yet come! Moses had sin in his life - he killed the Egyptian. So he was not pure enough to actually see Jesus's "Person".  God spoke to the "fathers" but they had not seen Him face to face. In God's time, mankind would get to see Jesus face-to-face!

 Exod 33:19 goes on to say, "I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee". We know from Exod 3:14 that God Is without Name. However, God keeps referring to His Name! Why so? God would come to be "called Jesus" (Luke 2:21). As God passed by Moses, he proclaimed Jesus which is "the Name of the Lord". Moses heard Jesus. He wanted to see him face-to-face. What did Jesus look like? I believe Rev 1:13-18 (above) described Jesus then and now. Moses would have looked upon purity: clad in white raiment, his beard and hair as the purest white wool, and flaming eyes! In John's vision he saw God Himself : "and when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead" (Rev 1:17).

Just as with Moses who would die if he looked upon God, John looked upon Jesus, and was as if dead! It's obvious that Moses would have seen who John saw, and His appearance was the same. Guess what? When the time came, Moses saw Jesus just as he was in patriarchal times!

Luke 9:28 And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. 29 And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. 30 And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: 31 Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him. 33 And it came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said. 34 While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud. 35 And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. 36 And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen.

I believe that Moses finally saw Jesus face to face. God showed Himself in His Glory, as He appears in Heaven.  The transfigured Jesus appeared as He was in the Old Testament and Revelation. His flesh was transformed into a glorious body. John saw at the transfiguration who he saw in the vision. Jesus looked the same in Heaven as he did on God's Holy Mountain. I firmly believe that the mount of transfiguration was Mt. Herman - the Holy Mountain of Seth's line.

Don't be misled, when Peter, John, James, Moses, and Elias saw Jesus transformed, they saw God in all His Glory!  Jesus said that when people saw him, they see God. They saw God as He Is:

1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

God in the flesh was so that sinners could look upon Him. Only the holy ones on God's Holy Mountain could see God as He Is. John saw Jesus as He Is in his vision! When He looked upon Jesus he was seeing God. Peter attested to that:

2 Pet 1:16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17  For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.

Peter recounted the transfiguration. They were "eyewitnesses to His Majesty". They saw the King in the Kingdom of God dressed in royal attire and purity. What happened at the transfiguration? Jesus "received from God the Father honor and glory". This was how Jesus would look on the throne after he is changed from Servant to Royalty. They didn't see the Father for He was in a cloud but they heard His voice from Heaven. There is something about Mt. Herman, the Holy Mountain, that is a type of heaven. It's where Enoch was taken up to the Heavens to see God and the angels.

Secrets of Enoch 22:1 On the tenth Heaven, Aravoth (God), I saw the appearance of the Lord's face (Jesus's), like iron made to glow in fire, and brought out, emitting sparks, and it burns. 2 Thus I saw the Lord's face, but the Lord's face is ineffable, marvellous and very awful, and very, very terrible. 3 And who am I to tell of the Lord's unspeakable being, and of his very wonderful face? And I cannot tell the quantity of his many instructions, and various voices, the Lord's throne very great and not made with hands, nor the quantity of those standing round him, troops of cherubim and seraphim, nor their incessant singing, nor his immutable beauty, and who shall tell of the ineffable greatness of his glory? 4 And I fell prone and bowed down to the Lord, and the Lord with his lips said to me: 5 'Have courage, Enoch, do not fear, arise and stand before my face into eternity.'

It would seem, although described somewhat differently, that Enoch saw with his eyes, the face of Jesus in the Tenth Heaven where God sits on His throne. The terribleness Enoch saw was the vision of the "two-edged sword".

We should not think of God as three "persons" with Jesus physically sitting on God's right side, but when we look at God, we see Jesus. God's identities are Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.  In the Old Testament (OT) He is viewed as Creator God, in the New Testament gospels - the Son, and in Acts as the Holy Ghost. In Heaven, God in One appears as all three. It can be assumed that if the Son is seen on God's right, that the Holy Spirit is on God's left since the three in one are God!

God is never-changing, being the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8). Therefore, when John saw God, he saw Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. John knew that the one he saw was "like unto the Son of Man" because he recognized Jesus from the transfiguration! God's eyes were "as a flame of fire". The Holy Spirit Acts 2 is presented as fire. John saw God's Holy Spirit!

His feet of brass described the Son. Jesus was symbolized by the brass snake in the OT and John 3. His voice  portrayed Jesus as well because Jesus is "the Word" whose "Voice" spoke back in the Garden. His "countenance was as the sun". Since the Creator Father is the Light that shines forth, John saw the Father as well in his vision. In this vision, John saw the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the very substances of Almighty God!