What the Bible says about We shall see Him as He is
(From Forerunner Commentary)
The word for "God" in this verse is elohim, a Hebrew word that is plural in form but can be used in a group sense like the English word "church" or "team," which describe a number of people forming one unit. Elohim, we could say, is a "kind." According to God Himself, mankind was created "after the God-kind."
Adoption can be a wonderful thing, but humanity is much more than adopted. God has actually sired us! Luke writes in Luke 3:38 that "Adam [was] the son of God." Some say that adopted children are special because they were chosen by their parents, but the Bible says that more than being just the physical offspring of God, Christians have been chosen by God before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). That is an incredible idea to consider.
Nothing produces offspring that is destined to be something different from its parent; it is a law of nature. In fact, Webster's Dictionary tells us that one of the definitions of reproduction is "the process among living organisms by which new individuals of the same kind are generated."
In John 3:3-8, Jesus relates a Christian's life, upon spiritual regeneration, to the process of being born into a new life. He says that to enter into the Kingdom of God, we must be born again. The apostle Paul, writing about the same thing, says that we become a new creation (II Corinthians 5:17). In I Corinthians 15:47-49, Paul writes that, as we have borne the image of the first man, Adam, "we shall bear the image of the heavenly man," Jesus Christ.
Job knew that he needed to be changed, saying in Job 14:14, "If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, till my change comes." This hope helped him to have the patience and faith to endure his many trials. David knew that he would be resurrected in the likeness of God, as he writes in Psalm 17:15: "As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness." And of course, the apostle John says that although we do not know exactly what we will be like, when our change comes, "we shall be like [Christ], for we shall see Him as He is" (I John 3:2).
Quoting Psalm 8:4-6, Hebrews 2:5-9 says that man was made for a little while (margin) lower than the angels. In the Hebrew of Psalm 8, the word "angels" is elohim, which indicates that David referred, probably not to angels, but to God.
After stating this, the apostle goes on to remind us that Jesus Christ is the "Captain" of our salvation (Hebrews 2:10). This word "captain" is archegos, one who leads the way so that others may follow the same path. In an army, is the private, corporal, or sergeant any less of a human being than a lieutenant, captain, or even a general? Of course, the answer is "no." The soldier has less skill and authority than his superior officers, but they are just as human as he is. What is more, in keeping with the analogy, the soldier has the potential of someday becoming an officer.
God has and will always have supreme authority, and at His right hand, Christ is second-in-command. Everybody else will fit perfectly somewhere into the framework of how that Kingdom functions—but we will not be anything less than elohim—of the God-kind—any more than one human being is less than another.
Jesus Christ is the King of kings and Lord of lords. The prophecy in Revelation 5:9-10 says that God has made men to be kings and priests to God, and they shall reign on the earth. Christ gives the most conclusive proof that we will be much more than angels when He says in Revelation 3:9 that He would make those who persecuted the faithful members of His church worship before their feet. To worship anything less than God is idolatry, and Christ is certainly not condoning that, something He condemns elsewhere in the same book (Revelation 22:15).
God's Kingdom is a Family. God is the Father, Jerusalem above is our Mother (Galatians 4:26), Jesus Christ is "the firstborn among many brethren" (Romans 8:29), and we are His sisters and brothers (Mark 3:31-35). When we are changed to spirit at the resurrection from the dead, we will be full members of the God Family, Elohim. Truly, this is the highest expression of "like father, like son."
John Reiss
'Like Father, Like Son'
As Paul writes in I Corinthians 2:9, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." At the resurrection, we will be given the very nature of God and crowned with glory and power. The apostle John confirms in I John 3:2 that "when He is revealed, we shall be like Him." Thus, when our glorification comes, we will have an incorruptible, heavenly body (see I Corinthians 15:50-54). God will give us our inheritance, and it is no small thing—indeed, the author of Hebrews says it will be everything! We will go from nothing—less than nothing—to having "all things put under [us]"! Without a doubt, the incredible human potential in God's plan is the ultimate "rags to riches" story!
The huge gulf—that massive chasm between God's awesome greatness and our shameful insignificance—will be bridged. We will be full-fledged sons and daughters of God, presented "holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight" (Colossians 1:22). We will be one with God, never to be sundered by sin and death from God the Father and His Son.
Understanding this fact of our astounding potential, combined with the humility to recognize our current inadequacy, should motivate us to do as Hebrews 12:14-15 urges: "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one shall see the Lord; looking carefully, lest anyone should fall short of the grace of God. . . ." In addition, Hebrews 2:1 advises us, "Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away." Clearly, we could fail to reach the goal that God has set before us, so we cannot simply rely on God's mercy and grace to allow us to slip across the finish line. Notice that the apostle uses such action words as "pursue," "look . . . carefully," and "give . . . earnest heed."
Jesus gives us a template of godly virtues in Matthew 5, known as "The Beatitudes." They are each made up of two clauses, the first being a blessing on one who exhibits a certain virtue, and the second, a reward that results from the virtue. Each virtue contains an element of humility, whereas each reward is part of our glorification. Our Savior, in showing us the way, emphasizes first humility, then glorification. This principle is reflected elsewhere. Proverbs 15:33 reads, "The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility." The apostle Peter writes, "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time" (I Peter 5:6). Notice the Beatitudes:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3-10)He ends where He began, with the promise of inheriting God's Kingdom. If we want to live and rule with God for eternity, we need to develop these holy, righteous character traits, and we start with knowing where we stand in relation to Him: We are nothing, and He is everything (see Colossians 3:11). Once we have this firmly, unshakably anchored in our minds, then with God's help, we can begin building the character necessary to live as He does. In Hebrews 6:1, the apostle calls this challenging and life-consuming work "go[ing] on to perfection" (see also Romans 12:1-2). This is the period of our sanctification—our being made holy.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
The Unique Greatness of Our God (Part Six)Related Topics: Beatitudes, The | Beatitudes: Pure in Heart | Building Character | Eternal Life as a Gift from God | Family of God | Going On to Perfection | Humility Precedes Eternal Life | Humility Precedes Honor | Inheriting Salvation | Poor in Spirit | Saints, Glorification of | Sanctification | Seeing God Face to Face. | we shall be like him | We shall see Him as He is
This verse plainly states that "now we are children of God; and . . . we shall be like Him." Since God is going to be "all in all," and since we are already considered by Him to be part of the same organism as Christ, who is God, and will have bodies conformed to His glorious body, there is only one thing we can be after the resurrection - God! After all His preparation to mold us into His image, do we suddenly turn into something else, something less than what He is in terms of being a member of His Family?
John W. Ritenbaugh
All in All
We will be like Him! The process of identification with Christ has begun and is not yet complete, but it is moving in that direction. It is our responsibility to do what we can to submit to God, so we are living as He does.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Resurrection From the DeadRelated Topics: Children of God | Conformed to God's Image | Conforming to Christ's Image | Family of God | God's Children | God's Family | Living as Christ Lives | Living as God Lives | Spirit Beings | Spiritual Body | Spiritual Family | Spiritual Growth | Spiritual Growth, Process of | Spiritual Maturity | Spiritual Maturity, Process of | Submission to God | Transformed into His Likeness | We shall be like Him | We shall see Him as He is