“They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.”This verse unsettles me. As I was reading the last chapter of Revelation several days ago my eyes caught on it, as though I had been running along across the pages and unexpectedly stumbled. There was something surprising and frightening about it. Don’t get me wrong—I believe I will die someday. And, though it is somewhat more foggy, I also believe that I will be in heaven someday. These are words and concepts I am used to; they are theoretical. When I say that “I” will be in heaven someday I don’t actually picture myself there, I imagine a glorified spirit or some other such thing with my name. This verse says something less difficult to get used to: I will see God in the flesh. You will see Him, too.
I have been reading in Job recently. I turned back and re-read his famous desperate declaration,
“this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.”Yeah, it’s like that. :)
It may not be until after this mortal has put on immortality yet nevertheless I, and not another will see God. We will be together, you and I, and we will see Him face to face, and His name will be written on our foreheads. It will not be someone else with my name—in the future I will stand before him and remember my life in the past tense as a finished work, and I will meet my Creator and Redeemer and He will brand me as his own.
Consider how close at hand these events are! Even as you read this you have not read my words, but the testimony of an eye witness. Only four verses later the apostle John wrote,
“Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship….” At the end of the chapter Jesus Himself speaks, declaring,
“Surely I am coming quickly.”As I wondered what these things meant another question came to mind: What will I say, when I meet God? Of course on that wonderful and dreadful day I will fall down and worship, as John did, but that first glimpse will be only the beginning. Will we sing praises and throw crowns only? Adam and Eve talked with God in the cool of the day. Abraham believed God, we read, and it was accounted to him for righteousness,
“and he was called the friend of God.” Moses spoke with God inside the cloud of His presence. Enoch and Elijah did not die but were caught up to heaven, for they had this testimony, that they pleased God.
What did they say, these men of God, when they talked with Him? I can understand them listening to God, but what could a man possibly have on his mind that would interest God? Supposing God opened the heavens right now and I saw Him on His throne—would I not fall down and call out a curse on myself, as Isaiah? Suppose God lifted me up and rebuked my accuser. Suppose he put white robes on me and a clean turban, and touched my lips with a burning coal from the fire, what then? Surely I would be ready to prophesy and give Him glory and honor, but what would we TALK about? In what way could we be called friends, as Abraham, or speak in conversation, as Adam and Moses? Even if I were pure would God learn from my wisdom, or be interested in my observations?
We are said to be God’s children—perhaps he bears with our weak minds and small abilities as a parent delights in his child’s first attempts at speech. He loves us now and listens to our earnest prayers but He looks forward to the relationship he will have with us when we are no longer children, when we are glorified and able to stand in his presence. He nurtures, he teaches, and patiently waits for us to grow up. Through His word and Spirit we are growing now, and there will be all of eternity for us to study Him and continue to mature in wisdom and knowledge.
