I want to borrow a story I told on my Facebook page. Wes and Jess shared with our small group Sunday night that their daughter, Abi, asked them if we would really die if we saw God. She concluded it didn’t really matter because when we die we would go to heaven and see God anyway.
This child has far more wisdom than she imagines. Ever since the fall no person has been permitted to see the face of God (Ex. 33:20). Throughout biblical history, the slightest hint of divine presence, even an angel, elicits a singular, common response amongst all people- abject terror. This was John’s own response with the first sight of his apocalyptic vision. “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead (Rev. 1:17).” The prophet Isaiah surely speaks for all when he proclaimed during his vision of the heavenly temple, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts (Is. 6:5)!” The holy presence of God makes us acutely aware of how unworthy we are of His divine presence, and we instantly fear for our lives. Truth be told- we would prefer death over such intense transcendence, otherness, and perfection, or to use the biblical word, holiness.
Consider this- in heaven we shall see God’s face and not die of a heart attack. We will stand without shaking and speak without stuttering. God will surround us with His perfection and we will delight in it. His transcendence will envelop us and we will glory in it. God will embrace us and we will embrace Him back. We don’t appreciate just how mind blowing this really is. That we will be able to share in His presence without wetting our pants is a promise of the highest order.
There is also a historical backdrop to this reference. In the ancient world to “see the face” of the king was to be granted an audience with the king. It was to be invited to share in conversation. I’ve seen the face of several presidents from afar, but never have I been granted an audience with him. I’ve never been invited into the oval office asked to sit down and share my thoughts on the issues of the day. A president has never even emailed me for my opinion. In the new Jerusalem, however, we’ve not only been invited into the oval office of the universe. We’ve been invited to live there.
In James 5:7-11, James portrays the Lord’s coming as the reason we can endure the trials of this life.