The Bible contains multiple references to seeing the “face of God,” but the concept is layered and varies across different passages. Seeing God’s face is often associated with experiencing His presence, but it’s also suggested that a direct view of God’s full glory would be overwhelming or even fatal for humans. Here are some key passages and themes:
God Doesn’t Have a Body
The first—and maybe most important thing to point out—is that God the Father does NOT have a body. Jesus definitively declares that “God is spirit” (John 4:24). Furthermore, a body comprises material, and all physical matter is created, and God is the Uncreated Creator and Jesus alone is the incarnate Person of the triune God head. According to he law of non-contradiction (contradictory propositions cannot be true in the same sense at the same time), any language in scripture that describes God using human-like attributes (anthropomorphism – ascribing human-like attributes to non-human beings or things) must be analogical/metaphorical (see my post here on all theology being analogical). To “walk with God” means to “have fellowship with God,” or to “sit at the right hand of the Father” is to be in a position of unmatched authority and preeminence. These metaphors are ways of expressing mysteries with the limitations of human language (a created thing).
The prohibition to create graven images (Exod. 20:4) exactly expresses the point that God is Uncreated and not composed of material. Nothing in the creation can capture Him because all created things are finite and mutable, while God is infinite and immutable.
Once again, the principle of non-contradiction is operative here.
The “Face” of God Meaning “Glory” or “Presence”
In light of the previous section, what does the Bible mean when it talks about the “face” of God. It cannot mean that God has a literal, physical “face” because a “face” is part of a body, and therefore created. The language of God’s “face” in the Bible, then, is to be understood as being idiomatic for expressing his presence and/or his glory. To be “before the face of God” means to be in his presence, not that God has physical eyes, ears, nose, mouth, skin, etc. So, when we consider passages like Revelation 22:4, we understand that it means that we will have unmediated access to the presence of God in a way unlike we experience his presence in this fallen state.
God’s Glory Is Overwhelming
In Exodus 33:20, God tells Moses, “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” This reflects the idea that God’s glory is so powerful that a direct, unmediated encounter would be too much for a human to bear. However, God does allow Moses to see His “back” while shielding His face, symbolizing a limited revelation of His presence.
Jesus says in John 1:18, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”
Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:16m “…who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.”
All of these verses speak to the fact that God’s glory is so infinite that the human mind cannot comprehend it. Therefore, “no one can see his face” must equal “God’s infinite glory is incomprehensible to the human mind”.
Having incomprehensible bee glory does NOT mean that we cannot have unmediated fellowship with God!
Visions of God’s Presence
Some figures in the Bible, like Isaiah, Ezekiel, and John, are granted visions of God (or His throne, as in Isaiah 6 or Revelation 4). In these visions, they often experience awe and trembling but see God indirectly or in a form that protects them from the full intensity of His presence.
Seeing God in Jesus Christ
In the New Testament, Jesus is described as the “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15) and as the ultimate revelation of God to humanity. John 1:18 says, “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.” This indicates that while God’s essence remains beyond human vision, His character and will are made accessible through Jesus.
Promises of Seeing God in Eternity
In the New Testament, there is hope for a direct experience of God’s presence in eternity. 1 John 3:2 says, “We shall see him as he is,” and Revelation 22:4 describes a vision of the redeemed in heaven: “They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” This suggests that in a glorified state, believers will be able to see God in a way unhindered and unlike how we “see” Him now as we live in a fallen state. “Seeing” God’s “face” in heaven is a way of expressing perfect union and fellowship with God that is unhindered by the corruption of sin.
In summary, the Bible suggests that while seeing God fully in this life is beyond human capacity, He has made Himself known through Jesus and through limited glimpses of His presence. In the age to come, believers are promised an unmediated vision of God’s “face” in eternity.
