“And they shall see His face; and His Name shall be in their foreheads” (Rev. 22:4).
What has been called the beatific vision speaks of a time and experience when seeing “through a glass darkly” shall give place to seeing God “face to face”, and when knowing “in part” shall suffer obsolescence, making way for knowing “even as we are known” of God. It is “the direct knowledge of God enjoyed by the blessed in heaven” (Merriam-Webster). From an adaptation of an Internet source, it has been said that a person possessing the beatific vision reaches, as a member of redeemed humanity in the communion of saints, perfect salvation in its entirety, i.e. heaven. The notion of vision stresses the intellectual component of salvation, though it encompasses the whole of human experience of joy, happiness coming from seeing God finally face to face and not imperfectly through faith (see I Cor. 13:11–12).
We are speaking here of what is specifically declared in such places as Revelation 21, 22, and elsewhere regarding the final state of blessedness of redeemed personalities. “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever (Rev. 22:1-5).
“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen” (Rev. 7:9-12).
"But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away" (I Cor. 13:10). "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known" (I Cor. 13:12).
"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (I Cor. 2:9-10). There are incomprehensibly marvelous things that God has prepared for them that love Him. " "Oh how great isthy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!" (Ps. 31:19).
How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light" (Ps. 36:7-9).
Those who are in Christ Jesus yearn for this time when they shall appear with Christ in glory, being glorified together with the blessed Savior. As Brother Tony Parker once well said, "The new creature is preset for glory." Those who are begotten of God find within themselves, by virtue of their new birth, new desires and longings that can only be satisfied in the world to come, when they shall be "forever with the Lord".
Those who are presently living by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are waiting, yea, they are longing for the time when, in the diction of the Apostle, that which is perfect shall indeed have come. Their new birth has translated them into the kingdom of God's dear Son, and has imparted to them a heavenly status and citizenship, constituting them as sojourners and pilgrims here in this present evil world. Whereas they once ran with the citizens of this present world to the same excess of riot, they now feel themselves to be strangers and foreigners. By many in the world they are now, because of their heavenly status, regarded as offscouring and filth (see Lam. 3:45; I Cor. 4:13).
Judicially they are reckoned to be complete in God's beloved Son, with the substantiveness of that completeness being tasted of by faith, but not by sight. In the present time God's redeemed sons and daughters are acutely made to sense and know that what they have received of Him in their partakement of His great salvation in Christ is "in part". They have been given the first fruits of the Spirit, which is the earnest, or down payment of their inheritance. They, who were once darkness, have now been illuminated; they are children of light. Such ones have been given to taste of the good Word of God, of the heavenly gift, and of the powers of the world to come (see Heb. 6:4-5).
They have been given a new spirit, a new perspective of all things, and a new and holy desire. They now have within them new longings that the things of this world cannot satisfy. Satisfaction is now derived from their consideration of Christ, and their awareness by faith of their identification with Him, and with the salvation that He has accomplished in their behalf.
“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."
