Friday, April 17, 2020

Christians Will Indeed See the Full Glory of God In Heaven

Contrary to the heresy that Michael Mahoney said  at TMS chapel in 2015, the believer will indeed see God fully. Mahoney says (time mark 30:09):

"Theological question: When we get to heaven do you think we’ll really see God in all His glory? Theological question. Many people could debate about that.  Where I am in my studies is, I would say no. I don’t think so. I don’t believe any human being can ever behold the essence of God. For angels who are created without even one taint of sin cannot look upon His glory. They don’t even have the taint of sin and can’t look. I think we will see God who is our Lord Jesus Christ in all His glory and His fullness and will not feel any lack at all. We’ll see the glory of God through the filter of Jesus Christ who protects us in that moment and we will see Him for who He is in all His glory and it will be completely sufficient." 

This is a foolish, stupid question because it comes out of a heart of unbelief in what God has already said in Scripture. It's just another academic who thinks he's being cute and clever, when in fact he's teaching against clear Scripture. In fact, if you look at the video, he's smirking while introducing this heresy. His commentary and his thoughts are not just useless--no one should care what Mahoney thinks especially when he's supposedly in the middle of "expositing" Scripture (he didn't), but he took the focus off of Scripture and on to him and his opinion. That should be a red flag to all Christians. He turned what should've been about God, into something about Mike and his deep theological musings. What he didn't do was exposite Scripture nor go to Scripture for the answer. Scripture clearly states we will in fact see both the Father and the Son. John did. We will.

Mat 5:8  "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.


Col 3:4  When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. 

Exo 33:21  Then the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock;  Exo 33:22  and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.  Exo 33:23  "Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen." 

Isa 6:1  In the year of King Uzziah's death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 
Isa 6:2  Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 
Isa 6:3  And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory." 

1Jn 3:1  See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
1Jn 3:2  Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. 
1Jn 3:3  And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

John sees not just Christ Jesus but the Father, each on their thrones in Heaven:

Rev 21:22  And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its temple.


Rev 5:1  And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals.
Rev 5:2  And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?"
Rev 5:3  And no one in heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth, was able to open the book, or to look into it.
Rev 5:4  And I began to weep greatly, because no one was found worthy to open the book, or to look into it;
Rev 5:5  and one of the elders *said to me, "Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals."
Rev 5:6  And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.
Rev 5:7  And He came, and He took it out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.

Rev 5:13  And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever."



Rev 21:3  And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them, 

Rev 21:10  And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, 
Rev 21:11  having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper. 

Rev 21:22  And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its temple. 
Rev 21:23  And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. 
Rev 21:24  And the nations shall walk by its light, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it. 

Rev 22:1  And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb,
Rev 22:2  in the middle of its street. And on either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Rev 22:3  And there shall no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His bond-servants shall serve Him;
Rev 22:4  and they shall see His faceand His name shall be on their foreheads.

But even in his speech about angels, he missed that many angels DO see the face of God in Heaven:

Mat 18:10  "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you, that their angels in heaven continually behold the face of My Father who is in heaven.

Why is this doctrine so important? For many reasons, not the least of which, it's important because God gave us these words. Secondly 1John 3:3 answers it for us:  everyone who fixes his hope upon this future fact and it purifies him. Thirdly, it has to do with the doctrines of God (His nature, His Word), man, the new creation, angels, the Fall, and eschatology.







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