History has seen numerous attempts at depicting God’s physical form; the Bible does not provide an explicit depiction, however; instead using anthropomorphic language to highlight His attributes.
Ezekiel and John employ terms like “as”, “like”, or “resembled”. This reveals their desire not to create an exact depiction.
Table of Contents
Ezekiel 1:26-28
The Old Testament provides several descriptions of God. Most often, He is described as either a blazing fire or great light – images which represent Him as all-powerful, holy, and supreme, yet they also show us He does not reside solely within any particular location or timeframe. John further elaborates this picture when describing Him as jasper; an elegant gemstone with a depth and purity reflective of God himself.
Ezekiel had a vision in which he saw God sitting on a throne dressed in white with pure woolen locks affixed. Surrounded by a fiery aura that symbolized His holiness and purity, this depiction of Him gave Ezekiel an idea of what it would feel like to stand before such an almighty force; Ezekiel felt humbled before His magnificence as his knees buckled with shock at what they witnessed – similar reactions have been reported from Daniel and Isaiah among others who have seen God for themselves.
Other images used to depict what God might look like include a fiery flame, glowing halo and majestic throne – symbols which represent His all-powerfulness, knowledge and compassion for humanity – but more importantly – remind us that He reigns supreme as King with justice and compassion over the entire cosmos; furthermore He cares deeply for His children!
The Bible does not give an exact physical depiction of God, but does provide some insights into his appearance. First and foremost is showing that He is spirit rather than flesh and blood; light also symbolizes holiness and purity while life also shows His non-corporeal nature.
The Bible illuminates various aspects of God’s character to us so we may trust and love Him with all our hearts. According to Revelation 22:4 of the New Testament, this promises an even greater blessing in eternity!
Daniel 7:9-14
Daniel gives us an intimation of God as He sits upon His throne to judge. In Daniel’s vision, the Ancient of Days is surrounded by thousands upon thousands of attendants–most likely angels. Known as his “Household of Justice”, these attendants wear white garments and possess pure hair as white as snow while donning crowns of gold – quite different from Ezekiel’s depiction that depicted Him as human with an illuminated throne.
It can be easy to overlook the significance of this vision, which serves as a powerful reminder that God is both powerful and present, ruling over all kingdoms throughout creation with an eternal reign that does not end upon our death; indeed, heaven itself will reflect this same kind of kingdom!
We hope for a kingdom that features perfect peace between humans and all aspects of creation, where people from across nations worship the Lord with reverence and seek His face – something which we look forward to today.
We see in this vision that the Lord is enveloped by light, which symbolizes His all-encompassing and holy nature, His light encasing him like an aura and serving as a reminder that He is merciful and compassionate toward his people.
When we read about this vision, it’s important to keep in mind that God alone knows exactly what its appearance will be like. All we can do is speculate as we attempt to imagine what it would be like if He revealed himself fully – yet the Bible tells us we can experience some glimpses through faith-filled individuals who follow His ways.
God promises in Isaiah 40:21 that those who remain true to Him will witness His glory, though the Bible makes clear this is yet another future event. At that point, we will know precisely who and why it’s worthy to worship Him – until then, however, we must focus on worshipping our current and revealed Gods – the one found both within the Scripture and ourselves.
Revelation 4:3
As we read the Bible, we gain insight into God’s beauty and majesty as well as His nature and character; for instance, John 4:8 states that He is love while Exodus 34:7 describes Him as faithful.
According to the Bible, when people encounter God they should fall to their knees in reverence. He is holy and omnipotent – meaning He possesses all power – so understanding His appearance helps ensure we worship Him correctly. This is why knowing how He looks allows us to worship Him more accurately.
The book of Revelation gives us a vivid portrayal of God as described by its author John in Revelation 1:1-6, including its most detailed depiction of Him as a “light that guides its people”. Although bright and dazzling, its illumination doesn’t blind or harsh them because God shares His holiness with His people rather than keeping it hidden away from them (Colossians 1:15-17). Finally, Revelation reminds us that He is also our source of life and creates all that exists (Colossians 1:16)
In Revelation 4, God’s throne can be found sitting atop a sea of glass, surrounded by seven lamps of fire and seraphim, spiritual beings who can be described as burning ones. These seven lamps of fire represent God’s various gifts, graces, and operations through His Spirit while four living creatures standing before the throne show praise to him by throwing their crowns before Him as an expression of their authority and royalty.
Finally, the book of Revelation reminds us that God is an everlasting and unchanging being. This message from Revelation was meant to offer comfort to believers being persecuted for their faith; to assure them they were never alone with their beliefs – that He is always with them and will never leave (Revelation 7:17).
So what does God look like? According to the Bible, He is described as being like a light shining on His people, with majestic and loving presence protecting them all. He reigns supreme as King of all creation and rules over it all from start to finish – He truly is Alpha and Omega – the beginning and the end.
John 1:4
The Bible contains striking descriptions of what God looks like. While they don’t exactly paint an accurate picture, these powerful depictions give us a glimpse of what it might feel like to encounter the divine. These descriptions aim to stir our faith. Biblical prophets used words such as “like”, “as” and “resembled” to try and capture what it may look like to experience God’s presence – knowing full well that no amount of words could adequately capture what they saw.
God first presents as light. His light illuminates in the darkness, showing us the path toward salvation and life. This image conveys how it must feel to be in his presence – showing no darkness at all within Him and emphasizing His holiness and purity.
John introduces Jesus in the first chapter as the “light of men,” using Greek for lamp. John implies that Jesus provides both physical and spiritual illumination – thus opening up access to God for anyone willing to accept Him, which the Bible refers to as the gospel message.
This is why the Bible states: “Light shineth in darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it.” Darkness refers to those who do not accept Jesus Christ, while light of God reveals their sinfulness so they may turn from it and turn towards him instead. Darkness represents ignorance while light exposes our true natures.
John goes on to compare Jesus’ character with that of a lamb, another common symbolism throughout Scriptures. The lamb represents both victorious apocalyptic destruction in Rev 5-7 and paschal lamb sacrifice for sins of Israel (Ex 12), reflecting Jesus as God’s suffering servant. The evangelist used this term because it symbolized how suffering servants like himself represented God.
John 1:4 of John’s Gospel describes Jesus as being “the light of men”, one of seven names the evangelist gives Him. Here, “light” refers to lamp or candle lighting. Once more, John reminds us that He is our source of life.
