Seeing God's Face

     Moses had talked to God, who appeared as a cloud at Moses's tabernacle, "face to face" (Exod 33:11). Each Hebrew saw the cloud from their own tabernacle. To this day, Jews still celebrate Sukkot - the Feast of the Tabernacles - because that was a time when God's presence was with them in the form of a cloud by day and a fire by night. They all saw God, heard His voice, but God had yet to put on His "face." 

      God is a personal God and talked audibly and directly to many patriarchs and prophets. Moses was particularly interesting because over the centuries God remembered Moses:      

And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. (Mat 17:1-8)

     That occasion was the "transfiguration of Jesus." Of course, God had put on His "face" with the birth of Jesus, endowed Him with the Holy Spirit at John's Baptism of him, and now Jesus received new incorruptible flesh as God glorified him. The transfiguration was sort of Jesus's coming-out ceremony, and Moses and Elijah were there to witness God manifest His glory to the three apostles. The transfiguration was a peak experience for mankind and Moses because by grace; God finally showed His face unlike when Moses saw him centuries before:

And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. And he 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. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live... It shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by... And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen. (Exod 33:11,18-20, 22-23)

     Ironically, before God incarnated Himself, if anyone could have looked on his face, they would have died. That seems to be because Jesus - "Yahweh saves" - had yet to come to save mankind. That is not to say that Moses didn't know Jesus but that he had yet to see him clearly. His vision was cloudy so to speak. On the other hand, Moses had seen God's glory. At the transfiguration, it was God's glory that came down and glorified Jesus, endowing him with eternal flesh which would shortly defeat death for all mankind. It is still God's face in Jesus that is the salvation of mankind. Moses had a peek at God's glory long before he saw Jesus in his glory.
     It is imperative to acknowledge that Jesus is God. He is God showing his face to mankind. Peter asked Jesus if they should build tabernacles: one for him, one for Moses, and one for Elijah; just as they had long ago in the wilderness! Christians should celebrate Sukot (pronounced Sukos) as well because that celebrates the transfiguration.
     Isaiah knew all about God's coming out party: He came long after Moses but understood the significance of God's face entirely:

Isa 40:5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

     Isaiah was speaking of Jesus, the face of God in the flesh. Jesus was not born of a virgin in a natural manner. He was created within Mary's womb and Mary was merely a surrogate. God's Holy Spirit came down  on Mary just as it had on the dust of the ground, and  God re-created "Adam" only that time perfect and beyond temptation.
     We don't even know if God used Mary's ovum. He certainly didn't need to, and Jesus's conception was certainly not by coitus or then, like David, he would have been born in iniquity (Psalm 51:5). On the other hand, Jesus was "shapened" by God just as David was. It seems the Creator created a new perfect man! (Note: The creation is important because to regenerate, God re-creates, which is a re-genesis of mankind.)
     When Jesus was transfigured his re-creation was completed. He had Adam's body, God's Holy Spirit, and finally glorified flesh which was necessary to save mankind and provide glorification for our own resurrections!
    Moses, Elijah, and the three apostles saw God preparing Jesus as a lamb for slaughter. God took away the contamination of the world to make it a fitting sacrifice, not that Jesus had any blemishes, but that transfiguration was a type of spiritual washing in the presence of his Father. Again, we should not look at Jesus as a different person than his Father, but THE Person of God. God in three homeostasis (not persons)was ordained there on the mountain top as three identities of God became One.

(More about Elijah at a later time.)