The Bible describes many attributes and actions of God; however, there isn’t much information regarding His physical features.
Some believe God exists solely as a spirit, while others see Him as having both physical and non-physical forms. Still others think He combines both attributes into Himself.
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What did God look like in the Old Testament?
The Bible does not provide us with many specific details of God’s appearance; instead, it uses descriptions which evoke or allude to what He may look like. Ezekiel and John wrote words like “brilliant light,” “consuming fire” and “the glory of the Lord,” to refer to what they saw of Him. These descriptions do not match exactly but serve as close approximates for what they saw.
Scripture records eight instances in which God took on human form to reveal Himself to individuals. On such occasions, He appeared as an angel or took human form when visiting Abraham at Mamre Terebinth Trees or Moses and Gideon for counseling or Jacob at Peniel.
Scripture often describes God’s appearance in terms of what He was wearing or doing, yet one passage specifically tells us He was naked – something not often depicted by artists and imagined in art works or men’s imaginations.
God is Spirit and does not possess physical attributes like us humans do. In fact, the Bible prohibits idol worship or attributing divine attributes to inanimate objects or humans.
In the Bible, Jesus is described as being “the image of an invisible God,” suggesting He represents what that God looks like in terms of splendor and magnificence. Jesus also revealed Himself in His glorified form in the New Testament – this being so, we don’t expect any specific depictions of how Old Testament gods looked or what an average human being looks like today.
What did God look like in the New Testament?
The Bible refers to God as both a brilliant light and consuming fire on numerous occasions, while He appeared physically eight times. On many of these occassions He was called an “Angel of the Lord,” while He even appeared as a person when appearing to three Hebrews after Nebuchadnezzar cast them into a fiery furnace for not worshipping his golden image. These descriptions do not refer to His physical features but instead serve to reveal who He is and His relationship with mankind.
Scripture rarely provides specific details regarding God’s appearance; most often only providing general descriptions. People who have witnessed Him have often described Him as appearing like a fiery furnace, light source, consuming fire or cloud of smoke.
Scripture offers one of the few fuller descriptions when Prophet Ezekiel was given a vision of Heaven’s Throne, made of blue lapis lazuli with a figure resembling man seated upon it. Holy fire surrounded it while seven lamps of fire and seraphim (spiritual/angelic beings who name means burning ones) burned before it.
Ezekiel also observed that God revealed Himself through this figure as it appeared from waist down as though made of polished metal and filled with fire, while from waist up it looked more like crystal. Thus He made clear He is holy and distinct from any idols or things in this world, while He forbad us from ascribing divine attributes to any other entity other than Him; His glory lies solely within Himself alone.
Note that Jesus did not appear physically for this specific event, nor embodied His spirit. Rather, His appearance as a man served a specific purpose and most other references in Scripture refer more spiritually to what He does than physically.
What did God look like in the Book of Revelation?
The Bible gives some details about God’s physical appearance. Most come from the Book of Revelation, although other sources also provide descriptions. Ezekiel wrote briefly about what his vision of His throne room might look like and then added more specifics from Ezekiel later in his account of Ezekiel’s visions in Ezekiel chapter 16–while later still the New Testament added further descriptions.
Revelation describes what Jesus looks like as He ascends to heaven with His glorified body. The robe He wears is white like snow and His head and hair look similar to what they did as He entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (Matt 27:55).
John compares Jesus’ appearance to jasper, a precious stone with radiant clarity that symbolizes His holiness and purity. John further states that His every action are illuminated by His holy light illuminating everything He does.
God is beautiful and majestic to inspire those with faith in Him, and the Book of Revelation shows some glimpses into what he looks like to help us better comprehend him and draw nearer to him. However, what’s most important is remembering He is love despite our inability to fully know what His features look like.
Revelation is a book of visions that often don’t make much logical sense, which makes the writing style known as apocalyptic so effective at conveying its messages. Apocalyptic literature allows sudden shifts and unexpected combinations to take place without needing to conform with reality; that freedom allows it to effectively conveying power-packed visions contained within its pages.
No matter if it’s an image of God’s throne room, a description of His beauty or an assurance that we will live eternally together – these visions serve as powerful encouragements in times of persecution or trial. Believers need to know what their Savior looks like so that they may look up to Him during difficult times and feel inspired and upheld during those trying moments in life.
What did God look like in the Book of Ezekiel?
The Book of Ezekiel tells us that God shows Himself in ways our human minds can’t comprehend. For instance, He appears as four living creatures on a throne with radiant splendor or glory to help us believe He exists and cares for us. These visions aim to help us believe He exists and cares for us.
God appeared to Ezekiel during a storm near the River Chebar as a reminder that He is with us no matter our circumstance; He can provide relief in times of difficulty while offering hope to his followers.
People who have seen God have described Him as an old man with a beard, with an attached rainbow as a sign of His mercy and forgiveness. Others have described Him as a fiery consuming fire – which speaks volumes for His love and commitment to justice.
Many have likened God to an everyday person, with one artist creating an image depicting Him dressed up like Santa Claus, Abraham Lincoln and Kenny Rogers. Other have suggested He looks like a face at sunset; others still compare Him with rappers who use “god” to promote themselves.
While these descriptions of God may be intriguing, they cannot give an accurate representation. According to Scripture, no other creature on earth reflects His likeness as much as man does – He chose us for this privilege!
God not only revealed himself through Ezekiel but also revealed himself through other prophets and Jesus himself during His resurrection. But to truly know what God looks like, we need to look at how He treats us and His plans for our future.
Once we recognize God as being generous and forgiving, our perspective will shift and we’ll become more open to serving him and trusting in his plans for our lives – He truly is our best Friend.