We Shall See Him As He Is

Have you ever stopped to think about what it will be like to "stand in glory and see His face?"  

1 John 3:2 says that when we are in His presence, we will see Him as He is. We will see Him in all of His glory, beauty, and holiness. 

I can't think of anything more precious, glorious, and indescribable to fill my sight. 

Gold streets and private mansions are for later...much, much later.  

That moment when our faith will be sight, when we see Him face to face, the God in whose name we, by faith, have trusted in, declared, suffered for, and worshiped—oh, it will be indescribably and unfathomably glorious.

There will be no more need for the purifying hope of being in His presence: we will be in His presence.  

And we will be forevermore.

Can you even begin to wrap your mind around what it will be like to be in His very presence? What will it be like to worship Almighty God for all of eternity? 

I think we may start out by responding as Isaiah did and declare, while prostrate on our faces before Him, "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips...for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!" (Isaiah 6:6) Then we may spend some time worshiping His name in Psalmist-like style by declaring His majestic name, singing praise to His name, recounting all of His wonderful deeds, and shouting for joy because of His great salvation. 

And that is just the beginning.

 

We may continue worshiping Him by praising Him for leading us in paths of righteousness, for His name's sake (Psalm 23:3). We may be able to finally fully "ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; worship Him in the splendor of holiness." (Psalm 29:2) Our thirst for Him will be quenched and our flesh will no longer faint (Psalm 63:1), for we will be His presence and will be beholding Him in all of His beauty and glory. We may declare, as the Psalmist  did, that "Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you?" (Psalm 71:19)

And finally, I think we will join the multitude who will declare that "to Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever."  (Revelation 5:13) 

Oh, what a glorious thought to anticipate spending all of eternity in worship of God Almighty, the I Am who was before the beginning of time and who will be for all of eternity. We will worship the eternal Word who became flesh for us, who lived among us (John 1:14), and became the sacrificial Lamb so that we might live forever with Him. We will worship the One who has made Himself to be our God and who has made us to be His people.  He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End (Revelation 21:6). 

This is the One in Whose presence we will forever be.  

This is He whom we will worship for all eternity. 

Yes, we are right now living every moment in His presence. But when we finally see Him, that will be wholly and gloriously different! Scripture itself says so, for, when we see Him as He is, we will then be like Him (1 John 3:2).  

Even though we are right now robed in His divine righteousness and are slowly being changed into His image day by day, we are definitely not like Him in the same way that we will be when we see Him. 

Something will change.

 

Oh, what a moment that will be when this wretched body of ours is transformed into the likeness of His glorious body (Philippians 3:21). There will be no more stain of sin and struggle with the flesh. There will be no more need to continually offer ourselves up as instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:13). We will no longer yearn for that unseen hope of the redemption of our groaning bodies (Romans 8:23-25), for that hope is now sight: our bodies have been transformed into His glorious likeness. 

We will be glorified. 

We will be made into His likeness. 

What will that be like?  

I cannot help but marvel at the thought. 

What would cause the self-sufficient and sovereign God of the universe to make a plan before the foundation of the world that involved taking His enemies—me and you—and making us His children, joint-heirs with His beloved Son, Jesus Christ?  Not only that, but He also ensured that these enemies would be transformed into the image of His dear Son (Romans 8:29-30) and would then live forever in His presence, worshiping Him.

 

Nothing except divine love can explain such actions. 

Yes, to Him be glory and might forever and ever.