Jesus was the heaven of heaven

JESUS WAS THE HEAVEN OF HEAVEN
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Revelation22:4 4
They will see his face, and his name
will be on their foreheads.
THE HEAVEN OF HEAVEN NO. 824
A SERMON DELIVERED ON LORD’S-DAYMORNING, AUGUST 9, 1868,
BY C. H. SPURGEON, AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE,
NEWINGTON.
“And they shall see His face.” Revelation22:4.
THE Italians so much admire the city of Naples that their proverb is, “See
Naples and die,” as if there remained nothing more to be seenafter that fair
bay and city had been gazedupon. To behold the far fairer sight mentioned in
the text, men might well be content to die a thousand times! If it shall please
God that we shall depart this life before the Master’s appearing, we may
laugh at death, and count it to be gain, seeing that it introduces us to the place
where we shall see His face. “You cannotsee My face and live,” said the Lord
of old, but that was true of mortals only, and refers not to immortals who have
put on incorruption! In yonder glory they see the face of God, and yet live;
yes, the sight is the essence andexcellence oftheir life! Here, that vision might
be too overpowering for the souland body, and might painfully separate them
with excess ofdelight, and so cause us death; but up yonder the disembodied
spirit is able to endure the blaze of splendor, and so will the body, when it
shall have been refined and strengthenedin its powers by resurrectionfrom

the dead. Then these eyes, which now would be struck with blindness should
they look upon the superlative glory, shall be strengthenedto behold eternally
the Lord of angels who is the brightness of His Father’s glory, and the express
Image of His person. Brothers and sisters, regardthe object of our
expectations!See the happiness which is promised us! Beholdthe heaven
which awaits us! Forget, for a while, your present cares;let all your
difficulties and your sorrows vanishfor a season, and live for a while in the
future which is so certified by faithful promises that you may rejoice in it even
now! The veil which parts us from our greatreward is very thin; hope gazes
through its gauzy fabric; faith, with eagle eyes, penetrates the mist which
hides eternal delights from longing eyes. “Eye has not seen, nor earheard,
neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared
for them who love Him; but He has revealedthem unto us by His Spirit, for
the Spirit searchesallthings, even the deep things of God.” And we, in the
powerof that Spirit, have known, believed, and anticipated the bliss which
every winged hour is bringing nearer to us. While our Lord was here below,
it would have been a greatdelight to spiritual minds to have seenHis face;I
can scarcelyimagine, but perhaps some of you mothers can, what must have
been the joy that flooded the heart of Mary when, for the first time, she gazed
upon the lovely face of the holy child Jesus. I suppose the infant Jesus to have
possessedan extraordinary beauty; a soul absolutely perfectas His was, must
surely have been enshrined in a body perfect in its symmetry, and attractive
in its features. The overshadowing Spirit, by whose miraculous agencyHe was
conceivedof the Virgin, would scarcely have createdan uncomely body, and
much less would He have fashionedan unlovely body for so delightful a
person as the Only-Begottenof the Father! I think as His virgin mother
lookedupon Him, and as the wise men, and the shepherds gazed into that
dear face, they might all have said with the spouse of old, “You are fairer than
the children of men.” That manger held an unrivalled form of beauty! Well
may painters strain their art to paint the mother, and her wondrous child, for
the spectaclebrought shepherds from their flocks, sagesfrom the far-off land,
and angels from their thrones—heavenand earth were alike intent to see His
face!
The Heaven of HeavenSermon #824

Tellsomeone today how much you love Jesus Christ. Volume 14
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It would have been no small joy, I think, to have seenthe face of Jesus of
Nazarethin the years of His maturity, when His countenance beamedwith
joy. “At that hour Jesus rejoicedin spirit, and said, Father, I thank You.” One
would like to have baskedin the radiance of a sinless smile—it was a vision fit
only for the pure in heart to have tracedthe fair marks of joy upon the face of
Jesus, and such a joy, so spiritual, so refined, so heavenly, and so divine!
“Father, I thank You,” blessing God for that eternal decree ofelectionby
which He has hidden the things of the kingdom from the wise and prudent,
and has revealed them unto babes, and saying, “Evenso, Father, for so it
seemedgoodin Your sight.” Equally rare must have been the vision which
Peter, and James, and John beheld when they lookedinto that Savior’s face,
and saw it transfigured—beams of light flashing from its every feature, and
His whole person made to glow with a superhuman splendor! The favored
spectatormight wellbe content to die at that moment! It was enoughto have
lived to have beheld His glory so divinely revealed! Beloved, have you not
sometimes felt as I have, that you could have wished to have seenthe
Wellbeloved’s face evenin its grief and agony? It was not long before the
beauty of Jesus beganto be marred by His inward griefs and His daily
hardships; He appears to have lookedlike a man of 50 when He was scarcely
thirty. The Jews said, “You are not yet 50 years old, and have You seen
Abraham?” His visage was more marred, we are told, than that of any man,
and His form more than the sons of men, for He took upon Himself our
sickness, andbore our sorrows;and all this substitutionary grief plowed deep
furrows upon that blessedbrow, and made the cheeks to sink, and the eyes to
become red with much weeping. Yet gladly would I have gazedinto the face of
the Man of Sorrows!Gladly would I have seenthose eyes which were “as the
eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washedwith milk and fitly set.” Gladly
would I have seenthose founts of pity, wells of love, and springs of grief!
Gladly would I have adoringly admired those cheeks whichwere as beds of
spices, as sweetflowers,and those lips like lilies dropping sweet-smelling

myrrh. All the suffering that He suffered could not take away from that
marred visage its majestyof grace and holiness, nor withdraw from it one
whit of that mental, moral, and spiritual beauty which were peculiar to the
perfect man. O how terribly lovely that beloved face must have lookedwhen it
was coveredwith the crimson of the bloody sweat, whenthe radiant hues of
His rosy sufferings suffused the lily of His perfection! What a vision must that
have been of the Man of Sorrows whenHe said, “My soul is exceedingly
sorrowful, even unto death”; what must it have been to have lookedinto His
face when His brow was girt about with the crown of thorns; when the ruby
drops followedeachother adownthose bruised cheeks whichhad been spit
upon by the shameful mouths of the scorners. Thatmust have been a spectacle
of woe, indeed, but perhaps, yet more ghastly still, was the face of the
Redeemerwhen He said, “I thirst!” Or when, in bitterest anguish, He
shrieked, “My God, My God, why have You forsakenMe?” Then, indeed, the
sun of the universe suffered a horrible eclipse!Then the light of heaven, for a
while, passedunder a black tempestuous cloud! That face in such a condition
we have not seen, nor shall see, but beloved, we shall see His face. I could
have wished to have been with Mary, and the holy women, and Joseph, and
Nicodemus when they took His blessedbody from the cross, and laid it in the
tomb. O for one gaze into that poor pale dead face—to have seenhow death
lookedwhen mirrored in that matchless clay! And to see how Jesus appeared
when conquered, and yet conquering; vanquished and yet the victor; yielding
up His body to the spoiler to be laid, for a while, in the treasure house of the
tomb, and yet bursting all the bars of the spoiler’s den! But, brothers and
sisters, there was a glorious change, no doubt, in the face of our Lord when it
was seenby severalbrethren after the resurrection. It was the same face, and
they knew Him to be the same Christ. Did they not put their fingers into the
nail prints, and thrust their hand into His side? Did they not know Him to be
veritable flesh and bone as they saw Him eatthe piece of fish and honeycomb?
But the face was restoredto its former majesty and radiance, for I suppose it
to have beamed with the dawn; flashes of that light which now flames forth
from it, of which John says, “His face was as the sun shining in its strength.”
There were, we believe, some soft unveilings of that unexampled glory which
glorified saints, day without night, are perpetually beholding in heaven. That
face was for the lasttime

Sermon #824 The Heaven of Heaven
Volume 14 Tell someone todayhow much you love Jesus Christ.
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seenwhen He ascended, andthe clouds concealedHim; then, gazing
downward, and scattering benedictions with both His hands, He appointed
His disciples to be His witnesses,and bade them go and preach His gospel, for
He would be with them always, even unto the end of the world. Such was the
face of Christ on earth—and the remembrance may serve to inspire in us a
holy panting after the beatific vision which the Lord has promised us, and of
which we are now about to speak as the Holy Spirit may graciouslygive us
utterance. First, this morning I purpose, brothers and sisters, to bring before
your minds the beatific vision itself—“Theyshall see His face”;then secondly,
we shall dwell for a moment, upon the surpassing clearnessofthe vision:
“Theyshall see His face”—ina sense more than usually emphatic; then
thirdly, upon the privileges, choice and precious, which are involved in the
vision; and lastly we shall have a word or two upon those favoredones who
shall enjoy the sight—“They,” andnone other—“Theyshall see His face.” I.
First, then, THE BEATIFIC VISION. “They shall see His face.” It is the
chief blessing of heaven, the cream of heaven, the heavenof heaven, that the
saints shall there see Jesus!There will be other things to see. Who dares
despise those foundations of chrysolite, and chrysoprasus, and jacinth? Who
shall speak lightly of streets of glassygold, and gates ofpearl? We would not
forgetthat we shall see angels, andseraphim, and cherubim; nor would we
fail to remember that we shall see apostles,martyrs, and confessorstogether
with those whom we have walkedwith, and communed with in our Lord while
here below. We shall assuredlybehold those of our departed kindred who
sleepin Jesus, dearto us here, and dear to us still—“notlost, but gone
before.” But still, for all this, the main thought which we now have of heaven,
and certainly the main fullness of it when we shall be there is just this—we
shall see Jesus!We shall care little for any of those imaginary occupations
which have such charms for a certainclass of minds, that they could even find

a heaven in them; I have read fanciful periods in which the writer has found
celestial joys to consistin an eternal progress in the knowledge ofthe laws of
God’s universe. Such is not my heaven! Knowledge is not happiness, but on
the contrary, is often an increase ofsorrow. Knowing, of itself, does not make
men happy or holy; for mere knowing’s sake, I would as soonnot know as
know, if I had my choice—betterto love an ounce than to know a pound!
Bettera little service than much knowledge!I desire to know what God
pleases to teachme, but beyond that, even ignorance shall be my bliss! Some
have talkedof flitting from star to star, seeing the wonders of God throughout
the universe; how He rules in this province of His wide domain; how He
governs in that other region of His vastdominion. It may be so, but it would
be no heavento me! So far as I canat present judge, I would rather stay at
home, and sit at the feet of Christ forever than roam over the wide creation—
“The spacious earthand spreading flood Proclaimthe wise and powerful
God, And Your rich glories from afar Sparkle in every rolling star. Yet in
Christ’s looks a glory stands, The noblest wonder of God’s hands; He, in the
person of His Son, Has all His mightiest works outdone.” If Jesus were not
infinite, we should not speak so, but since He is, in His person divine, and as to
His manhood so nearly allied to us that the closestpossible sympathy exists
betweenus, there will always be fresh subjects for thought, fresh sources for
enjoyment for those who are takenup with Him. Certainly, brothers and
sisters, to no believer would heaven be desirable if Jesus were notthere, or, if
being there, they could not enjoy the nearestand dearestfellowship with Him.
A sight of Him first turned our sorrow into joy; renewedcommunion with
Him lifts us above our present cares, and strengthens us to bear our heavy
burdens. What must heavenly communion be? When we have Christ with us,
we are content with a crumb, and satisfiedwith a cup of water, but if His face
is hidden, the whole world cannotafford a solace—weare widowedof our
beloved, our sun has set, our moon is eclipsed, and our candle is blown
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out! Christ is all in all to us here, and therefore we pant and long for a heaven
in which He shall be all in all to us forever—and such will the heaven of God
be! The paradise of God is not the Elysium of imagination, the Utopia of
intellect, or the Eden of poetry—it is the heaven of intense spiritual fellowship
with the Lord Jesus, a place where it is promised to faithful souls that “they
shall see His face.” In the beatific vision it is Christ whom they see!And
further, it is His face which they behold; they shall not see the hem of His robe
as Moses saw the back parts of Jehovah;they shall not be satisfiedto touch
the hem of His garment, or to sit far down at His feetwhere they canonly see
His sandals—no, they“shall see His face!” By this I understand two things;
first, that they shall literally and physically, with their risen bodies, actually
look into the face of Jesus;and secondly, that spiritually their mental faculties
shall be enlarged so that they shall be enabled to look into the very heart, and
soul, and characterof Christ, so as to understand Him, His work, His love, as
they never understood Him before. They shall literally, I say, see His face, for
Christ is no phantom! And in heaven, though divine, and therefore spiritual,
He is still a man, and therefore material like ourselves. The very flesh and
blood that suffered upon Calvary is in heaven! The hand that was pierced
with the nail, now at this moment grasps the scepterof all worlds! That very
head which was bowed down with anguish, is now crownedwith a royal
diadem, and the face that was no marvel is the very face which beams
resplendent amidst the thrones of heaven! Into that same countenance we
shall be permitted to gaze. O what a sight! Roll by years!Hasten on you
laggardmonths and days, to let us but for once behold Him—our Beloved, our
hearts’ care, who “redeemedus unto God by His blood.” Whose we are, and
whom we love with such a passionate desire, thatto be in His embrace we
would be satisfiedto suffer 10,000 deaths. We shallactually see Jesus! Yet the
spiritual sight will be sweeterstill; I think the text implies that in the next
world our powers of mind will be very different from what they are now. We
are, the best of us in our infancy as yet, and know but in part, but we shall be
men then—we shall “put away childish things.” We shall see and know even
as we are known, and among the greatthings that we shall know will be this
greatestofall—that we shall know Christ! We shall know the heights, and

depths, and lengths, and breadths of the love of Christ that passesknowledge!
O how delightful it will be then, to understand His everlasting love! How,
without beginning, or ever the earth was, His thoughts darted forward
towards His dear ones whom He had chosenin the sovereigntyof His choice,
that they should be His forever; what a subject for delightful meditation will
the covenantbe, and Christ’s surety engagements in that covenantwhen He
undertook to take the debts of all His people upon Himself, and to pay them
all, and to stand and suffer in their place. And what thoughts shall we have
then of our union with Christ—our federal, vital, conjugaloneness!We only
talk about these things now, we do not really understand them; we merely
plow the surface, and gathera topsoil harvest, but richer subsoil lies beneath.
Brothers and sisters, in heaven we shall dive into the deepestdepths of
fellowship with Jesus;“We shall see His face,” that is, we shall see clearlyand
plainly all that has to do with our Lord—and this shall be the topmost bliss of
heaven. In the blessedvision the saints see Jesus,and they see Him clearly.
We may also remark that they see Him always, for when the text says, “They
shall see His face,” it implies that they never, at any time are without the sight.
Neverfor a moment do they unlock their arm from the arm of their Beloved!
They are not as we are—sometimes nearthe throne, and then afar off by
backslidings;sometimes hot with love, and then cold with indifference; they
are not as we are, sometimes bright as seraphs, and then dull as clods, but
forever and everthey are in closestassociationwith the Master, for “they
shall see His face.” Bestof all, they see His face as it is now in all its glory.
John tells us what that will be like. In his first chapter he says, “His head and
His hair were white like wool, as white as snow,” to mark His antiquity, for
He is the Ancient of Days. “And His eyes were as a flame of fire; and His
countenance was as the sun shines in his strength.” Such is the vision which
the redeemedenjoy before the throne!
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Their Lord is all brightness, and in Him there is nothing to weepover, nothing
to mar His glory! Doubtless there are traces there, upon that wondrous face,
of all the griefs He once endured, but these only make Him more glorious;He
looks like a lamb that has been slain, and still wears His priesthood; but all
that has to do with the shame, and the spit, and slaughter, has been so
transformed that the sight is all blissful, all comforting, all glorious!In His
face there is nothing to excite a tear, or to beget a sigh. I wish my lips were
unloosed, and my thoughts were free, that I could tell you something more of
this sight, but indeed, it is not given unto mortal tongues to talk of these
things. I suppose that if we were caught up to see His face, and should come
back again, yet would we have to saylike Paul, that we had heard and seen
that which it was not lawful for us to utter. God will not as yet revealthese
things fully to us, but He reserves His best wine for the last; we canbut give
you a few glimpses, but O beloved, wait a little while—it shall not be long
before you shall see His face! II. Secondly, we turn to another thought—THE
SURPASSING CLEARNESSOF THAT VISION. “Theyshall see His face.”
The word, “see”sounds in my ears with a clear, full, melodious note. I think
we see but little here. This indeed, is not the world of sight—“we walk by
faith, not by sight.” Around us all is mist and cloud; what we do see, we see
only as if men were trees walking. If ever we get a glimpse of the spirit-world,
it is like yonder momentary lightning flash in the darkness ofthe tempest
which opens for an instant the gates ofheaven, and in the twinkling of an eye
they are closedagain. And then the darkness is denserthan before, as if it
were enough for us poor mortals to know that there is a brightness denied to
us as yet. The saints see the face of Jesus in heaven because theyare purified
from sin. The pure in heart are blessed, they shall see God, and none others. It
is because ofour impurity which still remains, that we cannot as yet see His
face, but their eyes are touched with eye salve, and therefore they see. Ah,
brothers and sisters, how often does our Lord Jesus hide Himself behind the
clouds of dust which we ourselves make by our unholy walking!If we become
proud, or selfish, or slothful, or fall into any other of our besetting sins, then
our eyes lose their capacityto behold the brightness of our Lord. But up
yonder they not only do not sin, but they cannot sin; they are not tempted, for
there is no space forthe tempter to work upon, even could he be admitted to
try them. They are without fault before the throne of God, and surely this

alone is a heaven—to be rid of inbred sin, and the plague of the heart, and to
have ended forever, the struggle of spiritual life, the crushing of the fleshly
powerof death! They may well see His face when the scalesofsin have been
takenfrom their eyes, and they have become pure as God Himself is pure!
They surely see His face more clearly, because allthe clouds of care are gone
from them. Some of you, while sitting here today, have been trying to lift up
your minds to heavenly contemplation, but you cannot; the business has gone
so wrong this week;the children have vexed you so much; sickness has beenin
the house so sorely; you feelin your body you are quite out of order for
devotion—these enemies break your concentration. Now they are vexed by
none of these things in heaven, and therefore they can see their Master’s face!
They are not cumbered with Martha’s cares;they still occupy Mary’s seatat
His feet. When you and I have laid aside the farm, and the merchandise, and
the marrying, and the burying which come so fastupon eachother’s heels, we
shall then, be forever with the Lord— “Farfrom a world of grief and sin,
With God eternally shut in”! Moreover, as they have done with sins and
cares, so have they done with sorrows. “There shallbe no more death, neither
sorrow, nor crying; neither shall there be any more pain, for the former
things are passedaway.” We are none of us quite strangers to grief, and with
some of us pain is an inseparable companion—we still dwell in the smoky
tents of Kedar. Perhaps it is well that we should be so tried while we are here,
for sanctifiedsorrow refines the soul, but in glory there is no affliction, for
pure gold needs not the furnace. Well may they then, behold Christ when
there are no tears to dim their eyes, no smoke of this world to rise up between
them and their beloved—they are alike, free from sin, and care,
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and sorrow!They see His face right gloriouslyin that cloudless atmosphere
and in the light which He Himself supplies. Moreover, the glorified see His
face the more clearlybecause there are no idols to stand betweenHim and

them. Our idolatrous love of worldly things is a chief cause ofour knowing so
little of spiritual things; because we love this and that so much, we see little of
Christ. You cannot fill your life cup from the pools of earth, and yet have
room in it for the crystalstreams of heaven; but they have no idols there—
nothing to occupy the heart, no rival for the Lord Jesus. He reigns supreme
within their spirits, and therefore they see His face. They have no veils of
ignorance or prejudice to darken their sight in heaven. Those of us who most
candidly endeavorto learn the truth of God, are nevertheless in some degree
biased and warped by education. Let us struggle as we may, yet still our
surroundings will not permit us to see things as they are. There is a deflection
in our vision, refractionin the air, a something everywhere which casts the
beam of light out of its straight line, so that we see the appearance ratherthan
the reality of the truth of God. We see not with open sight; our vision is
marred. But up yonder, among the golden harps, they “know, evenas they are
known.” They have no prejudices, but a full desire to know the truth—the
bias is gone, and therefore they are able to see His face. O blessedthought!
One could almost wish to sit down and say no more, but just roll that sweet
morsel under one’s tongue, and extract the essence andsweetness ofit! “They
see His face.” There is no long distance for the eye to travel over, for they are
near Him, they are in His bosom, they are sitting on His throne at His right
hand. No withdrawals there to mourn over—their sun shall no more go down!
Here He stands behind our wall; He shows Himself through the lattices, but
He hides not Himself in heaven! O when shall the long summer days of glory
be ours and Jesus our undying Joy foreverand ever? In heaventhey never
pray— “Oh may no earth-born cloud arise To hide You from Your servant’s
eyes,” but foreverand forever they bask in the sunlight, or rather, like
Milton’s angel, they live in the sun itself! They come not to the sea’s brink to
wade into it up to their ankles, but they swim in bliss forever! In waves of
everlasting rest, in richest, closestfellowshipwith Jesus, they display
themselves with ineffable delight! III. The third part of the subject which
commands our attention this morning is THE MATCHLESS PRIVILEGE
WHICH THIS VISION INVOLVES. We may understand the words, “they
shall see His face,” to contain five things. They mean, first, certain Salvation.
The face of Jesus Christ acts in two ways upon the sons of men; with some it is
a face of terror—“Before His face heavenand earth fled away.” It is written

concerning Him, “Who may abide the day of His coming? And who shall
stand when He appears? ForHe is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap.”
A sight of Christ’s face will be, to the ungodly, eternal absence from the
Presence ofthe Lord! But if there are some men who shall see His face;who
shall sit down and delight themselves in gazing upon the face of the great
Judge upon the throne, then those persons are assuredlysaved! They are
awaiting the day of His coming; they are dwelling with the eternal flame
without being consumed; they are resting on the bosom of our God who is a
consuming fire; and yet, like the burning bush of old, though glowing with the
glory, they are not consumedby the heat. O happy men who canlive where
others must expire—who can find their heaven where a carnalworld must
eternally find its hell! This is the first thing in the text. “They shall see His
face”—thenthey are everlastinglysafe. The secondprivilege is they shall
have a clearknowledge ofHim. I have dwelt upon that thought before, and
merely mention it to complete the summary. To look into the face of Christ
signifies to be wellacquainted with His person, His office, His character, His
work. So the saints in heaven shall have more knowledge ofChrist than the
most advancedbelow. As one has said, the babe in Christ admitted to heaven
discovers more of Christ in a single hour than is known by all the divines of
the assemblies ofthe church on earth. O yes, our catechisms and our creeds,
and even our Bible—all these reveal but very little of what we shall discover
when we shall see His face!Our text also implies conscious favor. Was
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not that the old benediction, “The Lord lift up His countenance upon you”?
He has lifted it up upon the glorified, and they see it world without end! Here
it is our joy of joys to have the Lord smiling upon us, for if He is with us, who
can be againstus? If we know that He loves us, and that He delights in us, it
matters not to us though earth and hell should hate us, and men castout our
names as evil. In heaven then, they have this to be their choice privilege; they

are courtiers who stand always in the Monarch’s palace, secure ofthe
monarch’s smile; they are children who live unbrokenly in their father’s love,
and know it, and rejoice to know it evermore! The fourth privilege involved
in the text is that of close fellowship. Theyare always near to Jesus;they are
never hoping that they are with Him, and yet fearing that they are not; they
have none of those inward struggles which make life so unhappy for some of
us; they never say— “‘Tis a point I long to know.” Theysee His face, and are
in hourly communion with their Lord. Perfectspirits are always walking with
the Lord, for they are always agreedwith Him. In glory they are all Enochs,
walking with God. There, foreverand forever they lie in the bosomof Jesus,
in the nearestpossible place of communion with Him who redeemedthem
with His blood. And this involves a fifth privilege, namely, complete
transformation. “Theyshall be like He, for they shall see Him as He is.” If
they see His face, they shall be “changedfrom glory to glory” by this face to
face vision of the Lord. Beholding Christ, His likeness is photographed upon
them—they become in all respects like He as they gaze upon Him world
without end! Thus have I very briefly mentioned the privileges involved in
seeing Christ face to face. IV. We must conclude by noting WHO THEY
ARE TO WHOM THIS CHOICE GIFT IS AFFORDED BYDIVINE
MERCY. “Theyshall see His face.” Who are they? They are all His elect, all
His redeemed, all His effectuallycalled, all the justified, all the sanctified.
They are the tens of thousands, and myriads who have died in Jesus, ofwhom
the Spirit says, “Blessedare the dead which die in the Lord.” Thank God we
are not strangers to those who now behold His face!As we look back to the
associationsofour youth, and to the friendships of our manhood, we
remember many whose privilege it has been to precede us, and to know long
before us the things which we desire, and expectso soonto learn. Some are
takenawayto see His face while yet young; we bless Godthat our babes shall
have the same heavenas our holy parents—they shall not be placed in the
back settlements of Canaan, but they shall with equal clearness, seethe face of
Jesus!Those dear boys and girls who learned to love Christ, and made a
professionof His name in their youth; who were never sparedto reachthe
ripeness of manhood and womanhood, they shall equally see His face with the
gravestand most reverend fathers of the church! I read of no secondaryjoys.
Whoevermay have invented the doctrine of degrees in heaven I do not know,

but I believe there is as much foundation for it in Scripture as there is for the
doctrine of “purgatory,” and no more! All the saints shall see their Master’s
face;the thief dying on the cross was with Christ in paradise, and Paul could
be no more! I sometimes like to think of heaven in the same way as old Ryland
did when he wrote his rhyming letter from Northampton— “Theyall shall be
there, The greatand the small: For I shall shake hands With the blessedSt.
Paul.” Doubtless we all shall; whether dying young or old, whether departing
after long service to Christ, or dying immediately after conversionas the thief,
of all the saints shall it be said in the words of the text, “They shall see His
face.” Whatmore can apostles and martyrs enjoy? Do you regretthat your
friends have departed? Do you lament that wife, and husband, and child, and
father, and grandparents have all entered into their rest? Be not so unkind, so
selfishto yourself, so cruel to them! No, rather, soldierof the cross, be
thankful that another has wonthe crownbefore you, and you press forward
to win it, too. Life is but a moment—how short it will appear in eternity! Even
here hope perceives it to be brief, and though impatience counts it long, yet
faith corrects her, and reminds her that
8
8
one hour with God will make the longestlife to seembut a point of time, a
mere nothing, a watchin the night, a thing that was, and was not, that has
come and gone! So we will close our sermon by observing that they who see
His face alreadymake only a part of the great“they” who shall see His face—
for many of us here below are on the way to the same reward! As many as
have felt the burden of sin, and have come to the foot of the cross, andlooked
to those five crimson founts—the wounds of Jesus;as many as cansay, “He is
all my salvation, and all my desire”;as many as can serve Him feeling that for
them to live is Christ; as many as shall fight, day by day, againstsin, and shall
overcome through the blood of the Lamb; as many as by the eternal Spirit’s
power, shall be keptby faith unto salvation—theyshall all see His face!It is

mine to hope to see it, and it is yours, too, beloved, and the hope shall not be
disappointed! It makes not ashamed!We shall see His face, and that vision
shall yield us perfect bliss! Yet I fear my text is not true of all here
assembled. Justthis word for the unconverted—I am afraid you may almost
say with Balaam, “Ishall see Him but not now; I shall behold Him, but not
near,” for every eye shall see Him, and they, also, which crucified Him—and
what will they saywhen they see Him? These ungodly ones—whatwillthey
do? They shall cry to the rocks, “Hide us!” And to the mountains, “Coverus
from the face of Him who sits on the throne.” Ah, my dear hearer, what a
dreadful thing it will be if that very face which is the heaven of your mother,
and the heaven of your husband, or the heaven of your wife, and of your child,
should be the hell to you from which you shall desire to be hidden! Now it will
be the case unless first of all, you seek His face on earth. Certain Greeks said
to the disciples, “Sir, we would see Jesus.”I wish you had that same desire this
morning in a spiritual sense, forHe Himself has said, “Look unto Me, and be
you saved, all the ends of the earth.” If you see Him now by simple faith, as
your Savior, you shall see Him at the last as your King, your Friend, your
Beloved!But you must first see Him to trust Him here, or you shall not see
Him to rejoice in Him hereafter— “You sinners, seek His face, Whose wrath
you cannotbear! Fly to the shelterof His cross, And find salvation there.”
May God, even our own God, bless you for Jesus’sake.Amen.
What does it mean in Revelation 22:4 when it
says that “they will see the face of God?”
by Jared Wellman
Doesn’tthe Bible saythat “no man cansee God and live?"
Important Contextual Interpretations
Revelation22:4 is a very specialverse. It is the culmination of the revelationof
God. Scholars deemit “The Beatific Vision.” To “see the face of God” will be
an incredible moment and experience, and it is not unreasonable to suggest
that this is more than what man has experiencedin the past.

It is first important to understand the contextof Revelation22:4. This
experience will take place in the New Heaven and New Earth. This means that
the verse is for believers and that the believers will be in their resurrected
bodies. Paul calls this “the change” (1 Corinthians 15:50-58). A simple biblical
survey of God’s revelation to man reveals that man in his former state cannot
look upon the face of God and live, nevertheless experience Him in His
fullness.
Considerthis brief overview:
• God’s Revelationin Eden (Genesis 2:16-17,3:8-24)
• God’s Revelationin Heaven (Isaiah 6)
• God’s Revelationon the Mountain (Exodus 33:18-23)
• God’s Revelationin the Tabernacle/Temple (2 Samuel 6:7; 2 Chronicles
26:16-23;Leviticus 10:1-3)
• God’s RevelationMoving (Ezekiel11:23)
• God’s Glory in Jesus (John 1:14)
• God’s Glory in Spirit (John 16:7)
• God’s Glory in Man (1 Corinthians 3:17)
• God’s Glory in Eternity (Revelation21:3)
Although far more verses canbe used to detail the history of God’s revelation
to man, these verses capture the essenceofhow man’s relationship with God
has been injured and limited. God went as far to tell Moses in Exodus 33 that
“no man cansee My face and live.” Even the Seraphim in Isaiah 6 “covered
their faces.”This sheds an important light on Revelation22:4. When man is
finally able to “see the face of God” it will indeed be an incredible moment.
This is because man will finally experience the fullnessof God. That is, we will
finally be able to look upon God the Fatherand live. John 16:7 arguably
reveals that man can only experience so much of God’s revelationat a time,
but in Revelation22:4 we will see and experience Him in full.
A distinction needs to be made here concerning the face of God the Father
and the face of God the Son. Some have suggestedthat Revelation22:4 is not
talking about the face of God the Father but instead the face of Jesus Christ.
While both God the Fatherand God the Son are one in the same, Revelation
22:4 is speaking about the face of the Father. The following observations give
biblical reasons as to why:
1.We saw Jesus’face during His first coming and will see it in His second
coming (not including after His resurrection). There would be no significance

or reasonfor John to write about seeing the face of God if we have already
seenit. This is not to degrade the value of seeing Jesus’face,only that seeing
Jesus’face is the way to seeing the Father’s face (John 14:6).
2. This is the same language used in Exodus 33:18-23 and John 1:18, which
both concernGod the Father. Revelation22:4 is the “bookend” to this
“story.” Moreover, Johnwrote John 1:18 after Jesus’first advent. Although
the chronologyof the verse is before Jesus made claim to be the Father, John
wrote the book after His claim, giving reasonto suggestthatthere is indeed a
distinction betweenseeing the face of Jesus and the face of God the Father.
Man has yet to see the Father’s face.
3. Revelation22:1 details the throne of “God and the Lamb,” meaning God
the Fatherand God the Son. John uses the word “God” for the face we will
see in 22:4, not “Lamb.” Moreover, the book of Revelationmakes a clear
distinction betweenGod the Father and God the Son (although they are one in
the same, they are different Persons in the Godhead). The author uses “God”
here, not “the Lamb.”
4. 1 Corinthians 15:24 is a prophetic verse speaking aboutthe events
unfolding in Revelation22. Regardless ofthe millennial perspective, the New
Heaven and New Earth follow the millennial reign of Christ and then Jesus
hands over the “kingdom keys.”
5. Jesus saidin Matthew 5:8 that the “pure in heart will see God.” Thatis,
God the Son made a contextualdistinction betweenseeing Him and seeing the
Father.
6. Throughout the Bible, man has attempted to see Godin all of His splendor,
but it has been impossible (Genesis 11:1-9;2 Samuel 6:7; 2 Chronicles 26:16-
23; Leviticus 10:1-3). In Revelation22:4 that will all change!
Some Observations and Questions Answered
1. Butif God is Spirit(John 2:24), how can He have a face? There are many
times in the Bible where God is saidto have “human” features. Isaiah59:1
mentions His hand and His ear. Zechariah2:8 says that He has an eye.
Matthew 4:4 mentions His mouth. In Genesis 3 He “walked”in the Garden.
While these are all, however, arguably anthropomorphisms (a word meaning
“human form” or a symbolic representationused to make God’s actions more
understandable to man), the idea is still presentthat man will be able to see
God in a way that we never have. In this thought, the “face” couldarguably
be an anthropomorphism, but this is still a sight that man has not been
capable of seeing in the past.

2. ButJesus said in John 14:9, “If you haveseen me you have seen the Father.”
This verse speaks to the various roles that eachPersonof the Godhead
performs. Jesus was the physical representationof God the Father, and
although when we see Him, we see God, we do not see the full and total
manifestation of the Father. That is, we do not see the Father in His full glory
(otherwise we would die). This is captured in John 1:18 when John says that
“no one has seenGod at any time.” Jesus, althoughGod, was “limited” or
“subjected” by the flesh. The full context of John 14 says that Jesus “explains”
the Father. This is much of what His earthly ministry was about.
3. Butthe book of Revelation isthe “revelation of Jesus,” so Revelation 22:4
mustbe about Him specifically. Yes, Revelationis indeed the book of the
unveiling of Jesus Christ, but because Jesus is God, you cannot talk about
Him without also including the other two Persons in the Godhead. They too
are unveiled in deep ways throughout the book, especiallyin the lasttwo
chapters when John talks about the Eternal Heaven and Earth. The thrust of
these chapters is that earth finally can be a place for God to dwell in His
fullness. He is arguably still in the current “intermediate” state of Heaven
during the Millennium (since it has yet to be destroyed), which is why it is so
significant that He comes down to dwell with man on earth during eternity.
4. Butdoesn’t this mean that there willbethree Gods? Absolutely not! God is
Triune. Scripture is evident about this. Even in Genesis 1:26 Godspeaks as
“Us” in creating mankind. Although Triune, He is completelyOne in unity.
That is, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit are all equal. We fail
to comprehend this completely because ofour corrupted minds. We cannot
understand perfect unity, or how three can be one, but God is perfectly
unified (Ephesians 4:5; James 2:19).
• /contributors/dr-craig-nelson-profile-4839?ref=SermonDetailsView all
Sermons
Jesus Is The Hope Of Heaven
Contributed by Dr. Craig Nelsonon Aug 11, 2019 /contributors/dr-
craig-nelson-profile-4839?ref=SermonDetails
(rate this sermon)
| 1,348 views

Scripture: Hebrews 6:11-12, Hebrews 11:1, 1 Timothy 1:1, Romans
8:24-25, Ephesians 3:17, 1 Peter1:3, 1 John 3:2, Romans 4:21, Hebrews
10:12-13
Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational
Summary: Heaven is not just a reward for those who have remained faithful.
It is the place where Christians hope to eternally dwell because Heavenis
Jesus!
• 1
• 2
• Next
The Merriam-Websterdictionary defines hope as “a desire accompaniedby
expectationof or belief in fulfillment, or “success”, or“obtainment”. Hope is
most often thought of as a wayof thinking, feeling, and acting that may help a
person find the means to live with difficult situations and challenges,no
matter how discouraging the future may seem. It is the belief that there might
be a remote chance of getting something desired.
Hope is far more than just a optimistic expectationof success,ora better
outcome of a current situation or challenge. Whenthe world uses the word
hope, it is actually an expressionof uncertainty rather than certainty. It
makes no sense unless there is a personaland loving God. Biblical hope is not
a denial of reality.
Strong's Bible dictionary states that the Greek wordfor Hope is “elpis”,
which is defined as ”meaning to anticipate, usually with pleasure; an
expectationor confidence.” Biblicalhope is not just a desire for something
goodin the future, but an honest, realistic confident expectationand desire for
something good, or a positive outcome in the future, to happen because the
promises of God are already in the process offulfillment.
More importantly however, is that hope is not a thing, or a feeling, or an
object, or way of thinking – simply put - hope is Jesus!The confident certainty
and expectationof hope that is provided to every Christian emanates from
experientially knowing and understanding the characterand nature of Jesus.
Hope is actually the placing of Trusting-Faith in Jesus because He is the
Believers hope!
Trusting-Faith is all about living in the moment, taking no thought for
tomorrow, casting all one’s cares upon Jesus and then leaving them at His
feet. However, the present world was never intended to satisfy man.

The Full Assurance of Hope
For the Christian hope is confident and fully assuredbecause Godis in
control. Hope and Trusting-Faith are virtually synonymous. The Bible
implores the Christian to diligently demonstrate the full assurance ofhope by
pursuing it as the Saints of old who, through Trusting-Faith and patience,
inherited the promises of God.
“And we desire that eachone of you show the same diligence to the full
assurance ofhope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate
those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (Heb 6:11-12
NKJV)
The term "full assurance"in the verse above is found in only one other
passageofScripture. However, instead of "full assurance ofhope" it says;
"let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance offaith…”.. “Let us hold
fast the confessionofour hope without wavering, for He who promised is
faithful.” (Heb 10:22,23 NKJV)
Hope is something that should not waverbecause it is rootedin the
faithfulness of God. It is a necessarypart of Trusting-Faith because it is
directed into the future. Biblical hope is a strong confidence in Jesus and not
wishful thinking. Hope and trust are related. Without trust in God hope is
futile and meaningless.
It is often said that the biblical definition of faith is found in Chapter 11 of the
Book ofHebrews. However, I would saythat it is more of an explanation of
the working of faith and not a true definition.
“Now faith is the assurance ofthings hoped for, the conviction of things not
seen.” (Heb 11:1 NKJV)
Take awayhope and the explanation of faith in the verse above is destroyed.
Christians are not just savedby grace through faith (Acts 15:11), they are
savedby grace through hope because hope is Jesus!
"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior,
and Lord Jesus Christ, OUR HOPE." (1 Tim. 1:1 NJKV - emphasis mine)
Father Abraham
The Bible says that the faith which justified Abraham was faith in the future
work of God. Abraham was "fully convincedthat God was able to do what he
had promised." (Rom 4:21 NKJV).
Abraham's faith was his strong confidence in the reliability of God's Word,
and Abraham's hope was his strong confidence in the fulfillment of God's

promises. In other words, wheneverTrusting-Faith in God looks to the future,
it can be calledhope. And whenever hope rests on the Word of God, it can be
calledTrusting-Faith.
Biblical hope is never based on what is possible with mankind. Biblical hope
looks only to the promises of God. When the Christian does this it becomes the
"full assurance ofhope" which is the expectationof great things from God.
Negative Hope
Fearand hope are very similar because they are both forms of anticipation of
the future. Fearis a form of negative hope. Quite often one’s thinking is
dominated either by hope of successorby fear of failure.
If a person’s hopes are dashed on the rocks ofreality they will often target
their angerat Godbecause they feel a sense ofbetrayal. This unrealistic
optimism and hope can have long lasting emotional, physical, and spiritual
effects.
Christians live in a state of tension and eternal longing in this world. The
natural instinct of mankind is to try and run awayfrom the tension and then
try to fulfill those longings with false hopes and things made by the hands of
man and not of God. This world was never designedto satisfyhuman longing
because people are meant for intimate and eternal communion with God.
“Forin this hope we were saved. But hope that is seenis no hope at all. Who
hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we
wait for it patiently.” (Rom 8:24-25 NIV)
It is God who provides every need by giving the means to obtain what is
needed at the appropriate time. God’s promises to work in the future are
more important than what He has done in the past. (See Rom 8:28) It is hope
which sustains and carries eachBelieverthrough life. Hope is about the
Future.
The Hope of Heaven
The Christian does not have to wait until death to enter Heavenfor Jesus to
come to them because He is already living in them! "Christ dwells in the heart
by faith" (Eph. 3:17).
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Heaven is not just a reward for those who have remained faithful. It is the
place where Christians hope to eternally dwell because Heavenis Jesus!One

day soonJesus will return and receive them to Himself because He is their
hope.
“Praise be to the God and Fatherof our Lord Jesus Christ! In his greatmercy
he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrectionof Jesus
Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3 NKJV)
"Beloved, now are we the sons of God; and it doth not yet appearwhat we
shall be; but we know, that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we
shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth
himself, even as he is pure". (1 Jn 3:2, 3)
What Did Jesus Say About Heaven?
4 March, 2010 / Julian Freeman / 14 Comments
Have you ever askedthat question? Was it easyto find an answer?
While the doctrine of heaven may be firmly establishedby using the whole of
the revealedwill of God, it is interesting to me how littleJesus himself says
about heaven–atleastin its future aspects.
For the most part, when Jesus talks about heaven, he is not concernedwith
what it will be like, but rather, (1) How you getyourself ‘in’, and, (2) the fact
that it has begun now–andwe are called to live in light of that reality.
It’s almostlike if you askedJesus,‘Whatis heavenlike?’ he’d answer,
‘You’re asking the wrong question.’ He would correctus, ‘Don’t think about
heaven as some etherealfuture hope–askwhetheror not you have reasonto
believe that it is your hope.’ And then he would add, ‘Heaven isn’t an ethereal
future hope–it is a present reality that begins when you live under my kingly
reign now and you begin to experience my blessings now.’
All that being said, if we query the text of the gospels, Ithink we can find some
details about the future reality of heavenfrom Jesus’teaching.
• Heaven is a place. According to the Sermon on the Mount (in particular,
Matthew 6) and John 14, heaven is an actualplace–notbodiless beings
floating through clouds. It is the place where Godis and his presence is
made known to bless.
• Heaven is a place of treasures. Again, from Matthew 6 we learn that the
treasures and rewards we store up in heaven now will never be taken
from us and they will never cease to give joy.

• Heaven is a place prepared for us. In Matthew 25 Jesus speaksof
heaven as the kingdom which has been prepared for us from before the
creationof the world. Again, then, we see it is a literal place where God
is intent on blessing us.
• Heaven is a place of joy and reward. Still in Matthew 25, Jesus tells the
parable where those who have been faithful with what they were given
are commended by their master. The blessedwords are this: ‘Well
done, goodand faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I
will setyou over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
• Heaven is a place of justice. In Luke 16, while teaching an entirely
different point altogether, Jesus tells the story of two men who receive a
just reversalof fortunes on the other side of judgement.
• Heaven is a place of single community. Luke 20 (cf. Matthew 22) teaches
that humans will not be married or given in marriage in heaven. That
being said, we are not community-less beings, but rather, we are like the
angels, in fellowship with one another and ultimately, with God.
Can you think of any more places where Jesus talks aboutheaven? Any other
details that can be gleanedfrom various places?
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•
• 14 Comments
•
• Nick
• 22 April, 2010 at9:01 pm
• Hey Julian,
• Sweetpostbrother! Do you think it is significant that many of us
speak of "going off to a better place" in contrastto what Jesus says in
the Lord's Prayer "your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as
it is in heaven"? It seems to me that the kingdom of God is about God's
gracious and saving presence coming to earth to reverse sin and its
effectsthe effects.
•
• julianlfreeman (Postauthor)
• 6 May, 2010 at4:50 pm
• Hey Nick,
• Yeah, I think there are some helpful correctives in
perspective and priority there. However, what I do want to
protect is the idea that while this reign of Jesus now, in this life, is
the beginning of the new creation, it is not all that there is to the
new creation. The New Heavens and the New Earth will indeed be
new… not just what we see around us now.

• Plus, while you're right to point us to Jesus'instructional
prayer there in Matthew 6, in the broader contextof the chapter
Jesus is encouraging people to live in light of 'a better place'(i.e.
heaven, where the Father is). So I think there's a healthy tension
that needs to be brought to bear. There is a reality to us 'going off
to a better place'but that doesn't remove us from the realities of
that place now; rather, it behoves us to bring about that reality
here and now howeverwe can.
• Does that make any sense atall?
•
• julianlfreeman (Postauthor)
• 6 May, 2010 at4:50 pm
• Hey Nick,
• Yeah, I think there are some helpful correctives in
perspective and priority there. However, what I do want to
protect is the idea that while this reign of Jesus now, in this life, is
the beginning of the new creation, it is not all that there is to the
new creation. The New Heavens and the New Earth will indeed be
new… not just what we see around us now.
• Plus, while you're right to point us to Jesus'instructional
prayer there in Matthew 6, in the broader contextof the chapter
Jesus is encouraging people to live in light of 'a better place'(i.e.
heaven, where the Father is). So I think there's a healthy tension
that needs to be brought to bear. There is a reality to us 'going off
to a better place'but that doesn't remove us from the realities of
that place now; rather, it behoves us to bring about that reality
here and now howeverwe can.
• Does that make any sense atall?
•
• Matthew

• 24 February, 2012 at 2:34 am
• Luke 17:21 nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,'
because the kingdom of God is within you."
•
• Richard Ligarzewski
• 17 November, 2012 at3:39 am
• I believe in Heaven with my whole heart, soul and mind. My faith
in JESUS is Unconditional. I myself had a near death experience at the
age of seven. I was swimming in a salt waterpool in Keansberg, NJ and
went on a slide into the deep end of the pool. I could'nt swim and I went
into a panic. I went down for the third time under waterand was
greatedby an Angel in a tunnel of pure light. I had no fear being in his
tunnel of light. The Angel was so kind and reassuring that I became
calm and happy to be with her. Then all of a sudden, a girl of about 16
pulled me up out of the waterand I came back as if nothing had ever
happened. I believe in the many stories that people have had a near
death experience and have lived to tell us . To me , these stories are a
continuation of the many miricals that Jesus had performed when He
was on earth.
•
• Bill Janzen
• 12 July, 2014 at4:05 pm
• Hey Julian, it's Bill Janzen. I happened across this post via Google
and was pleasantlysurprised to see it was written by someone I know.
Goodpost brother. God bless
•

• Julian (Post author)
• 12 July, 2014 at10:02 pm
• Thanks, Bill! Great to hear from you!
•
• Gregg C
• 17 November, 2014 at6:40 am
• In decades ofbeing a Christian, I never really researchedthis
question until just today. Google has "blessed" your post by showing up
high in the searchresults =)
• It is disappointing that so little is captured about what Jesus said
about heaven. Jesus'followers surelymust have askedHim about
Heaven many times? Was Jesus reallyso silent? If not silent, His
answers surelymust have captivatedhis disciples enough to write down
what He said?
• Only His response to the nagging questions from the Sadducees
seems to offer any clues:
• Matthew 22:30: "At the resurrectionpeople will neither marry
nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven."
• Luke 20:34-38:"Jesusreplied, “The people of this age marry and
are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of taking
part in the age to come and in the resurrectionfrom the dead will
neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for
they are like the angels. Theyare God’s children, since they are children
of the resurrection. But in the accountof the burning bush, even Moses
showedthat the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham,
and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’He is not the God of the
dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”
•
• ScottRussell

• 18 January, 2015 at2:49 am
• Matthew 8 10. I think it speaksofHeaven.
•
• Caroline
• 1 May, 2015 at1:36 am
• I was stunned to notice that these words from Jesus (John14:2) 'I
go to prepare a pace for you' would seemto indicate that heaven is not
yet complete!
• I was also further struck by the factthat 3 things that will remain
always are love, hope and faith – interesting! Love of course because
there will be relationship. But so interesting and wonderful that we will
still have hope and faith too don't you think?
•
• PastorChristian
• 9 December, 2015 at11:03 am
• Heaven I believe is going to be a wonderful place. Becausethe
glory of God will shine and we will worship Him day and night with the
angels.
I seemto be bufuled" ( if I am correct,)that people in my country are
not bothered about going to Heaven. Some are just OK where they are
buy forgetting that better things are in heaven.
God bless you Julian your post is going to help me teachlittle children
in my community here in Ghana about heaven.
•
• Mike Arden

• 18 March, 2016 at1:30 pm
• I have blasphemed againstthe holy spirit. According to the book
of Matthew, this is an unforgivable sin. I'm sorry guys, I can't go to
heaven with you. I'll be burning for eternity. I wish god could just
forgive me but the bible is clear. I can't go.
•
• Sarah
• 21 March, 2016 at8:44 am
• Mike Arden, I don't know you but you really need to talk to
a real clergyto talk this out. The Father knows your heart and
your actualwords. How many times as a child or teen have we
said, " I hate you" about or to our parents? Get on your knees
and ask for forgiveness and find someone who will not tickle your
ears but tell you what the Bible says. All the best to you.
•
• janelle davis
• 6 June, 2016 at3:17 pm
• Mike you can go ! We all have blasphemed againstthe Holy
Spirit !! The sin is staying there and not confessing it All God
wants you to do is sayIm sorry I was wrong you are the son of
God your blood was shed for me and I acceptyou !! read acts 8
and 9 Paul (saul ) hated Jesus he killed Gods people ! Godsaved
him and he will you too !! If you have any questions you can email
me janelledavis62@gmail.com
There he was, the pre-incarnate Messiahin heaven, in glory with God the
Father. Christ was working the creationof the universe. The pre-existent

Jesus in heaven was actively involved in all of the greatworks of the Christian
Trinity. The history of Jesus Christ includes his pre-incarnate existence, i.e.
life before birth.
Jesus Christ in Heaven
Lesson1.05
Welcome to our Jesus in Heaven Bible Study. Many people have asked, "Was
Jesus in heaven and alive before his birth to the Virgin Mary?" Quite a few
people believe Jesus didn't exist in heaven before he came to earth as a man.
Let's tackle this critical question.
Please readColossians1:15-23 before beginning GraspingGod.com's free
Bible study lessons, #1.05
Previous lesson: Father, Son, & Holy Spirit #1.04
Preliminary Bible Study Questions:
1) Why is Jesus'pre-existence important?
2) How does knowing the truth about Jesus Christ's nature benefit his
followers?
3) What happened to Jesus Christ's role after man sinned?
After becoming a Christian a savedsoul eventually learns that Jesus was, in
fact, existent before his birth.
There he was, the pre-incarnate Messiahin heaven, in glory with God the
Father. Christ was working the creationof the universe.
The pre-existent Jesus in heaven was actively involved in all of the great
works of the Christian Trinity.
The history of Jesus Christincludes his pre-incarnate existence, i.e. life before
birth. No other person(s) can boastof a pre-existent life. There is no such
thing for mere humans like us.
What's the Big Deal?
Why is a pre-incarnate Christ essentialteaching for us? There are several
reasons why we study such an important matter - I've listed them here:

If Jesus didn't exist before birth, then there is no eternalTrinity.
If Jesus didn't exist before birth, then he isn't God. God is eternal and that
requires the Christian Trinity members be eternal, as well.
If Jesus didn't exist before birth, then both he and the Bible are full of lies.
The Bible claims Jesus'eternal and pre-existent life in many places, and Jesus
claims it for himself, too. God's Word would be a book of fiction if it were
dishonest.
As you can see, protecting the true nature of Jesus Christ from false teachings
is important (1 Timothy 4:1-2). Additionally, the more truth we know about
Jesus the more our admiration of him grows. Knowing truth leads us to
praising our God. I know that when I discoveredthat Jesus is eternal it led me
to my knees in adoration and praise.
Evidences of Jesus'Pre-existence
As followers of Christ, we first and foremosthold to the teachings of the Bible,
because it is God's word to us. The following passages beginbuilding the case
for Christ's pre-incarnate life:
• Jesus'heavenly origins are setforth in these passages:(John 3:13,31).
• Jesus'work in creationis well establishedin the Scriptures. Christ's
omnipotence (aka all-power) was on display at the creationof the world
(John 1:3). All creationis for Jesus'purposes (Colossians 1:16). Jesus'
work with creationis ongoing because he sustains all matter and life
(Colossians1:17). Look at the entire creationas a love gift from the
Father to his Son, Jesus (Hebrews 1:2).
• Jesus'nature is that of God. Jesus is One with the Father and they share
equal glory (John 10:30).
• Jesus'attributes are eternally divine (Colossians2:9), evenafter his
incarnation (aka human birth).

• Jesus'pre-existence was attestedby John the Baptist(John 1:15,30).
Jesus was therefore superiorover John and all other prophets.
In summation, the pre-incarnate Jesus in heavencreatedthe angels,
humankind, animals, AND the entire universe. Jesus is a member of the
Trinity and shares equalglory with the Father and Spirit.
In Jesus'prayer to the Father he shares, "I broughtglory to you here on earth
by completingthe work you gaveme to do. Now, Father, bring meintothe glory
weshared before the world began." (John17:4-5). Christ's pre-existence in
heaven doesn'tget in clearerthan that statement.
Jesus in Heaven: the Only BegottenSon
John 3:16 (NASB) says, "For God so loved the world, that He gaveHisonly
begotten Son, that whoever believesin Him shall not perish, buthave eternal
life." False teacherssaythis word "begotten" (Greek:monogenes)means that
Jesus was a createdbeing and therefore NOT pre-existent, and also NOT fully
God.
These people fail to look at the true meaning of monogenesin the original
Greek. The word actually means, "pertaining to being the only one of its kind
or class, unique in kind." This version of John 3:16 states it better, "For God
loved the world so muchthat he gavehis one and onlySon, so that everyone who
believesin him willnotperish buthave eternal life."
Jesus was basking in perfect glory with the Fatherand Spirit prior to any
material thing being createdin our universe. They were enjoying a love
relationship before time began, before space began, and before life was
created. We have NO idea what that lookedlike because the Bible doesn't
share that information. Heaven, the home of God, is marvelous and beyond
our limited comprehensionand wildest imaginations.
The pre-existent Jesus in heaven is definitely hard to comprehend. We don't
know if he had a spiritual or physical body. Maybe both, who knows? We
really only know that Jesus is eternal, which basically means he existed before
time and will be in existence forevermore.
Jesus said, "Before Abraham was, IAM." And, "I am the alpha and omega, the
first and the last, the beginning andthe end." From our perspective, Jesus has
always existedand will always exist.

Jesus'Roles Changed
Jesus createdthe angels and the earth with everything on it, including
humanity. Unfortunately, the humans destroyed the love relationship they had
with God because they disobeyedGod's command. Jesus then shifted his roles
from being Creatorand Sustainerto that of Saviorand Mediator.
The rest is history!
Jesus had to leave heaven for a time and become our sacrifice forsin. He
accomplishedthat great missionand returned to be with his Father in heaven.
He is now defending his disciples againstthe accusationsofthe devil. Don't
worry, we'll be studying these greatthings very soon.
GraspThis!
The fact of Jesus living in heavenprior to creationis a biblical reality.
Additionally, many times throughout the Old Testamenthe revealedhimself
to certain people. Theologians callthese appearances Christophanies.
Jesus usually appearedto people as the Angel of the Lord. He showedhimself
to Adam, Abraham, Jacob, Mosesand many others, but we'll study those
things in this lesson:Christ in the Old Testament.
We would love to see him ourselves, for sure, but we'll have to be patient.
We're called to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Do you want to
be with Jesus in heaven? Tell him so in prayer.
The topic of Jesus'pre-existence should fascinate you. Knowing that your
Savior is eternally one with Godthe Father is life-changing. The knowledge
may open up an entire new personalperspective of Jesus. Hopefully, you'll
marvel more at Jesus with this new knowledge youpossess. Isn't this exciting
stuff?!
Join the next lesson: Angels In Heaven #1.06
Bible Study Questions:

1) How would the denial of Jesus in heaven, in his pre-existent state, effect
one's salvation?
2) How does Jesus in heavencontinue in his role of sustaining the world?
3) What does the phrase "begottenofthe Father" mean?
Inspirational Bible Verses:
You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave
up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born
as a human being. When he appearedin human form, he humbled himself in
obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God
elevatedhim to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all
other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and
on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess thatJesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11
Faith Quotes!
Faith is not belief without proof, but a continuous gaze of the heart at the
Triune God. - A.W.Tozer
The essenceoffaith is being satisfiedwith all Godis for us in Jesus. -John
Piper
Quotes about God:
God is not a theory; he is a person. As such, he is only knownand encountered
in a total relationship which involves and affects not only our mind but the life
and character, too. To know God's dossieris nothing; to know him is
everything. - R.T.France
Jesus Christ Quotes:
Therefore let us be fully resolvedon this point that, whenever we speak of
Jesus Christ we shall lift up our thoughts on high and worship this majesty
which he had from eternity, and this infinite essencewhich he enjoyed before
he clothed himself in human flesh. - John Calvin
The Son of God became the Son of Man so that the sons of men may become
sons of God. - C.S. Lewis
Faith is nothing but believing what God promises or says. Whatever
remarkable thing we read of happening in the Old or New Testament, we read
that it was done by faith - not by works, not by a generalfaith, but by faith
directed to the matter in hand. - Martin Luther

Prayers of Thanksgiving:
DearLord God, The thought that you and your Son are eternal is mind-
boggling. I now marvel that you were with Jesus in heaven before creation
began. That fact alone causes me to fall on my face before you, praising you,
praising your Son, by the power of the eternalSpirit. I'm not worthy, Lord,
not even worthy to callyou my God. My heart is full of thanksgiving to YOU!
In Christ's name. Amen.
Readmore: http://www.graspinggod.com/jesus-in-
heaven.html#ixzz69Yfeum87
Question:"Where is Jesus now? Is Jesus in heaven?"
Answer: According to Mark 16:19 and 1 Peter3:22, Jesus is in heavenright
now at the right hand of God the Father. Luke 24:51 and Acts 1:9-11 describe
the bodily ascensionof Jesus, whichoccurred40 days after His resurrection.
Jesus had told His disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them and
for all believers (John 14:2–3).
It is plain from Scripture that Jesus’ascensionwas a literal and bodily return
to heaven. He rose up from the ground gradually and was receivedinto a
cloud while His disciples and other astonishedonlookers gazedin wonder.
Then two angels appearedand promised Christ’s return “in just the same
way that you have watchedHim go” (Acts 1:11). This marked the end of the
human limitations Jesus had during His earthly ministry. Some of the
attributes He possessedas God had been temporarily suspended, but now the
suspensionwas over. His heavenly glory returned—a glimpse of which was
seenat the Transfiguration(Matthew 17:1–9).
King David saidin the Spirit, “The LORD says to my lord: ‘Sit at my right
hand until I make your enemies a footstoolfor your feet’” (Psalm 110:1). This
verse literally says, “Yahwehsays to Adonai.”This is a remarkable
conversationbetweentwo Persons ofthe Godhead. In Matthew 22:43–45,
Jesus applies this psalm to Himself, claiming that He is more than the son of
David, but that He is David’s Lord. Jesus’place is at the right hand of God,
the place of divine honor.

Other passagesthatindicate Jesus’presence in heaven are Matthew 26:64;
Luke 22:69; Ephesians 1:20;Colossians3:1; Hebrews 12:2; and Revelation
5:7. Also Stephen, just before he died, had a vision in which he “lookedup to
heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of
God” (Acts 7:55).
So, biblically, Jesus is in an actualplace calledheaven, a place of glory where
God dwells with His angels and redeemed children. In another sense, Jesus is
also with us here, in this world. Jesus, being God, has all of the attributes of
God, including omnipresence. So, Jesus andthe Father and the Holy Spirit
are everywhere and not just “in heaven.” As Solomon saidin 2 Chronicles 2:6,
“The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannotcontain him.”
https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-in-Heaven.html
Seeing Jesus
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"https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+7%3A59&version=ES
V"Acts 7:59 ESV / 22 helpful votes
And as they were stoning Stephen, he calledout, “Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit.”
John 12:44-45 ESV/ 21 helpful votes
And Jesus criedout and said, “Whoeverbelieves in me, believes not in me but
in him who sent me. And whoeversees me sees him who sent me.
John 14:9 ESV / 20 helpful votes
Jesus saidto him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know
me, Philip? Whoeverhas seenme has seenthe Father. How canyou say,
‘Show us the Father’?
2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV / 19 helpful votes
In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to
keepthem from seeing the light of the gospelof the glory of Christ, who is the
image of God.

Revelation4:2 ESV / 18 helpful votes
At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stoodin heaven, with one
seatedon the throne.
Romans 1:20 ESV / 18 helpful votes
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have
been clearly perceived, ever since the creationof the world, in the things that
have been made. So they are without excuse.
I and the Father are one.”
Matthew 23:9 ESV / 18 helpful votes
And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in
heaven.
Titus 2:13 ESV / 17 helpful votes
Waiting for our blessedhope, the appearing of the glory of our greatGod and
Savior Jesus Christ,
That togetheryou may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through
you.
Colossians 2:9 ESV / 16 helpful votes
For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,
Malachi2:10 ESV / 16 helpful votes
Have we not all one Father? Has not one God createdus? Why then are we
faithless to one another, profaning the covenantof our fathers?
Do you not believe that I am in the Fatherand the Fatheris in me? The words
that I sayto you I do not speak on my ownauthority, but the Fatherwho
dwells in me does his works.
Mark 1:11 ESV / 15 helpful votes
And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well
pleased.”

Zechariah 14:9 ESV / 15 helpful votes
And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one
and his name one.
Isaiah63:16 ESV / 15 helpful votes
For you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israeldoes
not acknowledgeus; you, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemerfrom of old
is your name.
After this I heard what seemedto be the loud voice of a great multitude in
heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and powerbelong to our
God,
1 John 5:7 ESV / 14 helpful votes
For there are three that testify:
Hebrews 2:9 ESV / 14 helpful votes
But we see him who for a little while was made lowerthan the angels, namely
Jesus, crownedwith glory and honor because ofthe suffering of death, so that
by the grace ofGod he might taste death for everyone.
He is the radiance of the glory of Godand the exactimprint of his nature, and
he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification
for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majestyon high,
1 Timothy 3:16 ESV / 14 helpful votes
Greatindeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:He was manifested in
the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seenby angels, proclaimedamong the
nations, believed on in the world, takenup in glory.
1 Thessalonians 3:13 ESV / 14 helpful votes
So that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and
Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
Ephesians 1:3 ESV / 14 helpful votes
Blessedbe the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessedus in
Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
The God and Fatherof the Lord Jesus, he who is blessedforever, knows that I
am not lying.

That is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their
trespassesagainstthem, and entrusting to us the messageofreconciliation.
Since God is one—who will justify the circumcisedby faith and the
uncircumcised through faith.
John 14:9-11 ESV / 14 helpful votes
Jesus saidto him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know
me, Philip? Whoeverhas seenme has seenthe Father. How canyou say,
‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the
Father is in me? The words that I sayto you I do not speak on my own
authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I
am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on accountof the
works themselves.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seenhis glory,
glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Luke 10:21-22 ESV/ 14 helpful votes
In that same hour he rejoicedin the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you,
Father, Lord of heavenand earth, that you have hidden these things from the
wise and understanding and revealedthem to little children; yes, Father, for
such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my
Father, and no one knows who the Son is exceptthe Father, or who the Father
is except the Son and anyone to whom the Sonchooses to revealhim.”
“Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who canforgive sins
but God alone?”
But as he consideredthese things, behold, an angelof the Lord appeared to
him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, sonof David, do not fear to take Mary as
your wife, for that which is conceivedin her is from the Holy Spirit.
Zechariah 14:5 ESV / 14 helpful votes
And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the
mountains shall reachto Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the

earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will
come, and all the holy ones with him.
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: “I am
the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretchedout the heavens, who
spread out the earth by myself,
I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to
carved idols.
For to us a child is born, to us a sonis given; and the government shall be
upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty
God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Deuteronomy 32:6 ESV / 14 helpful votes
Do you thus repay the Lord, you foolishand senselesspeople? Is not he your
father, who createdyou, who made you and establishedyou?
Genesis 1:26 ESV / 14 helpful votes
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let
them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens
and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing
that creeps on the earth.”
Revelation1:17-18 ESV / 13 helpful votes
When I saw him, I fell at his feetas though dead. But he laid his right hand on
me, saying, “Fearnot, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died,
and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
James 2:19 ESV / 13 helpful votes
You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and
shudder!
Titus 1:2 ESV / 13 helpful votes
In hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages
began
For there is one God, and there is one mediator betweenGod and men, the
man Christ Jesus,

For in him all the fullness of God was pleasedto dwell,
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—allthings
were createdthrough him and for him.
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Acts 9:5 ESV / 13 helpful votes
And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whomyou are
persecuting.
For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off,
everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
Thomas answeredhim, “My Lord and my God!”
You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not
born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—evenGod.”
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
No one has ascendedinto heaven excepthe who descendedfrom heaven, the
Son of Man.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God.
And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly saidthat
he is one, and there is no other besides him.
Jesus answered, “The mostimportant is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God,
the Lord is one.

Mark 2:5-11 ESV / 13 helpful votes
And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are
forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their
hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can
forgive sins but God alone?” And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit
that they thus questionedwithin themselves, saidto them, “Why do you
question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to sayto the paralytic,
‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? ...
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Fatherand of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the
gates ofhell shall not prevail againstit.
And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.
Matthew 3:16-17 ESV / 13 helpful votes
And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and
behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God
descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from
heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall callhis name
Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
Hosea 13:4 ESV / 13 helpful votes
But I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt; you know no God but
me, and besides me there is no savior.
For thus says the Lord, who createdthe heavens (he is God!), who formed the
earth and made it (he establishedit; he did not create it empty, he formed it to
be inhabited!): “I am the Lord, and there is no other.
Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:“I
am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.

“You are my witnesses,”declaresthe Lord, “and my servant whom I have
chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.
1 Kings 18:39 ESV / 13 helpful votes
And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he
is God; the Lord, he is God.”
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was
and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Jude 1:25 ESV / 12 helpful votes
To the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory,
majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding,
so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his
Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay
down our lives for the brothers.
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise
partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who
has the power of death, that is, the devil,
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were calledto the one hope that
belongs to your call—
Galatians 3:20 ESV / 12 helpful votes
Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.
Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has
no real existence,” andthat “there is no God but one.”

Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in
you?
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 ESV / 12 helpful votes
Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in
you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. ForGod's
temple is holy, and you are that temple.
Pay carefulattention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy
Spirit has made you overseers,to care for the church of God, which he
obtained with his own blood.
Luke 2:11 ESV / 12 helpful votes
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the
Lord.
Then Jesus saidto him, “Be gone, Satan!For it is written, “‘You shall worship
the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
Malachi3:16 ESV / 12 helpful votes
Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid
attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before
him of those who feared the Lord and esteemedhis name.
Fearnot, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declaredit? And
you are my witnesses!Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock;I know
not any.”
I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior.
Job 9:8 ESV / 12 helpful votes
Who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea;
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you,
whom you have from God? You are not your own,

For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves
or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks orto the church of God,
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”has shone in our hearts
to give the light of the knowledge ofthe glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ.
“A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you
will see me.”
“ForGod so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoeverbelieves
in him should not perish but have eternal life.
“I, I am he who blots out your transgressions formy own sake, and I will not
remember your sins.
Hebrews 1:1-14 ESV / 4 helpful votes
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, Godspoke to our fathers by the
prophets, but in these last days he has spokento us by his Son, whom he
appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he createdthe world. He
is the radiance of the glory of God and the exactimprint of his nature, and he
upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for
sins, he satdown at the right hand of the Majestyon high, having become as
much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellentthan
theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I
have begottenyou”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me
a son”? ...
Isaiah53:1-12 ESV / 4 helpful votes
Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of
the Lord been revealed? Forhe grew up before him like a young plant, and
like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look
at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despisedand
rejectedby men; a man of sorrows, andacquainted with grief; and as one

from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemedhim not.
Surely he has borne our griefs and carriedour sorrows;yet we esteemedhim
stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our
transgressions;he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the
chastisementthat brought us peace, andwith his stripes we are healed. ...
Isaiah1:1-31 ESV / 4 helpful votes
The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and
Jerusalemin the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken:“Children
have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled againstme. The ox
knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but Israeldoes not know,
my people do not understand.” Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity,
offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsakenthe
Lord, they have despisedthe Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged.
Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel? The whole
head is sick, and the whole heart faint. ...
Hebrews 1:1-3 ESV / 3 helpful votes
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, Godspoke to our fathers by the
prophets, but in these last days he has spokento us by his Son, whom he
appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he createdthe world. He
is the radiance of the glory of God and the exactimprint of his nature, and he
upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for
sins, he satdown at the right hand of the Majestyon high,
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof,
for correction, and for training in righteousness,
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
You heard me sayto you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you
loved me, you would have rejoiced, becauseI am going to the Father, for the
Father is greaterthan I.
All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made
that was made.

I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keepthem from
the evil one.
Jesus saidto him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to
the Fatherexcept through me.
John 5:1-47 ESV / 2 helpful votes
After this there was a feastof the Jews, andJesus wentup to Jerusalem. Now
there is in Jerusalemby the SheepGate a pool, in Aramaic calledBethesda,
which has five roofedcolonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind,
lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-
eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already
been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” ...
Will We See the Trinity in Heaven?
June 29, 2011 #new year#sexualpredators #trinity
Share l "
I recently added a feedback and suggestioncomponentto this site that allows
readers like you to suggesttopics for me to considerwriting about. This has
generateda lot of fantastic ideas, many of which are going to take a lot of
study to adequately answer. One that I wanted to address right away is this:
Will we be able to see all three members of the Trinity in heaven? Here is the
question as askedby Andrew T:
When we getto heaven, will we see all three persons of the Trinity, or
only Jesus? Willthe Father and Spirit still be invisible? It’s something
I’ve been wondering about for a long time, especiallysince I was raised
in Oneness Pentecostalism(UPCI), but have now come to a more
orthodox understanding of the Christian faith.
My immediate reactionto the question was a simple “No.” No, we will not see
all 3 members of the Trinity in heaven (and here I am assuming not the
intermediate heaven, but the new heavenand the new earth). But I wanted to
give it some thought and reflectionand I wanted to see who else has grappled
with the question. And at the end of it all I return to that answer:No, I do not
think we will see all 3 members of the Trinity in heaven. Why? Becausefor 2

of them there is nothing to see. Kind of. Let me explain myself. After I do so,
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
The Bible makes it clearthat as sinners we cannot see God’s face. Godis the
one who is “ofpurer eyes than to see evil and cannotlook at wrong”
(Habakkuk 1:13). He is the one “who dwells in unapproachable light, whom
no one has ever seenor cansee” (1 Timothy 6:16). Our sin keeps us from
being able to come before the holy presence of God. Yet there are several
parts of the Bible that hold out seeing God, beholding him, as a greatfuture
promise. Matthew 5:8 says, “Blessedare the pure in heart, for they shall see
God.” Revelation22 promises “the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in
it, and his servants will worship him. They willsee his face, and his name will
be on their foreheads.”
Scripture makes it clearthat it is the work of Jesus Christ that allows us to
come before the Father. It is Christ who accomplishes the work that makes us
holy so we cannow be acceptedby God. I am certain that in heaven we will
see Jesus Christface-to-face.Christis incarnated not just for the years of his
ministry here on earth, but forever. We will see him as a man eternally. And
through his completedwork on the cross we can embrace the biblical promise
of seeing God’s face.
But does this mean that we will be able to see all 3 members of the Trinity in
physical form?
No, for the simple reasonthat God the Fatherhas no body; he has no physical
form. The same is true of the Holy Spirit. It is possible that the Spirit may take
on physical form as he did at Jesus’baptism and at Pentecost, but the Holy
Spirit has no innate physical form. He is, after all, Spirit. And the Father is
not a man, he is not an old, bearded man sitting on a throne. So certainly we
will not behold him in that kind of a form.
So what does the text mean when it says that we will see God’s face? I take it
to mean that we will see and behold God’s glory, whateverthat entails. John
sought to describe this in his vision where he wrote “At once I was in the
Spirit, and behold, a throne stoodin heaven, with one seatedon the throne.
And he who sat there had the appearance ofjasper and carnelian, and around
the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance ofan emerald” (Revelation
4:2-3). Note that he did not describe a physical form–hands or head or feet,
but the effectof that form–glory, radiance, brilliance. God’s glory radiates
from his perfection, from his holiness, something that we will only truly be
able to experience as perfect, holy beings. Our perfection, accomplishedin the
work of Christ, will allow us to experience God’s perfection. So as I

understand it, this is what we will behold–not God the Father incarnated, but
God the Father’s glory–perhaps Godthe Father as glory. And I think we will
only really be able to understand this when we see and experience it. The
reality of it, the wonder of it, is too far beyond all we have experiencedhere on
earth.
John MacArthur says “Heavenwill provide us with that privilege–an
undiminished, unwearied sight of His infinite glory and beauty, bringing us
infinite and eternaldelight. We can begin to understand why Peter, after
seeing only a faint glimpse of that glory, wanted to make a camp on the Mount
of Transfiguration and stay there permanently!”
God’s glory is terrifying to the sinner but the deepestlonging of the one who
has been redeemed. And so we can say with the Psalmist“As a deer pants for
flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for
the living God. When shall I come and appearbefore God?” Soonenough.
Now I would loveyour take on this question–onethat wasa little bitmore
difficultto answerthan I wouldhavethought. Do you think wewillsee the 3
persons of the Trinityin heaven?
About Tim Challies
T i m C h a l l i e s
I am a followerof Jesus Christ, a husband
to Aileen and a father to three children. I worship and serve as a pastor at
Grace FellowshipChurch in Toronto, Ontario, and am a co-founder of
Cruciform Press. learnmore ›
Heaven is Being With Christ
AuthorThomas, Geoff
CategoryArticles
Date August 13, 2002
• HEAVEN IS BEING WITH CHRIST

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