Seeing and knowing God
Some have conflated knowing1 the Lord with seeing him. While seeing someone is a component of knowing them, it by no means is the same as knowing them or even the most important part. Anyone who has cultivated a real friendship with someone they’ve only met online, and never seen in person, can attest that it is possible to know a great deal about what someone is like without ever seeing them in person. Meanwhile, you can see someone many times without even knowing their name, such as a person at work.
Knowing someone is not a question of knowing what they look like, but knowing what their character is like. To truly know a person requires you to accurately anticipate how they will think, feel, or act in all situations.
There is a broad range of depth of character, ranging from extremely shallow to exceptionally deep. The deeper someone’s character, the harder they are to know. With most people, you can come to understand a great deal about them in a short amount of time. While it is easy to learn the character of a simple person, you cannot know a deep person simply by meeting them.2 As God is the deepest being, it is astonishing that anyone believes they can know him just through meeting him.
How well you know the Lord has little to do with whether you have seen him or not. Our relationship with God is a function of how much of his character we have learned, which is determined by how thoroughly we live according to the portion of his character we already know about. While seeing him is something that has either happened or not, you can know him a lot, a little, or not at all.
What is the meaning of “face”?
The scriptures are full of rich words and phrases that conveyed much more information to those who wrote them than they do to those who read them today. One such word is “face.” In modern English, the noun means the front part of a head and the verb means to confront or orient oneself towards something. Such narrow definitions make it nearly impossible to extract the power and clarity of ancient phrases that describe our relationship with God, his relationship with us, and even the purpose of life.
The Hebrew and Greek counterparts3 extend beyond the English definition of face in interesting and important ways. To face something is not just to turn or pay attention to, but also to return to, to approach, to dawn, to clear away, and to prepare for. The noun form is not just used for the front of someone’s head or a surface,4 but also someone’s
expression,5 attitude,6 attention,7 presence,8 aura of presence,9 direction of travel or progression,10 and priority in time11 or attention.12 While these extended meanings are intriguing in and of themselves, they have clear, interesting, and important overlap with the concepts of desire, purpose, motive, and character.
Seek the face of God by learning and living his character
A more accurate and expanded definition of “the face of God” provides practical next steps in our progression towards God. A key example is found in the idea of “seeking the face of God.”
Many have been inspired by God’s promise that those who forsake their sins, come unto him, call on his name, obey his voice, and keep his commandments will “see my face and know that I am.”13 Few are willing and able to read the conditions provided beyond the ambiguous but inapplicable familiarity with which we tend to endlessly rehash scripture. The conditions of the promise are to learn and live the Lord’s character.14 If you understand that Jesus is one with the Father because he has learned and lives the character of the Father, and that he is “the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world,” you know that the only way to obtain this promise is by learning and living the character of Christ. By doing so you won’t just know that he exists, but “that I AM.”15 You will see as he sees and know as he knows,16 even if you don’t see his literal face. You will know how he is,17 even if you don’t know what he looks like.
You seek the face of God by finding and emulating the examples of those who know him better than you. Since the beginning, God has carefully arranged creation such that all people always have access to whatever human or heavenly messengers may be required so that each person can learn as much about God as they are willing to live.18 The Lord’s messengers help you prepare for the Lord’s presence by walking ahead in19 and turning others toward20 the path that leads closer to him.21
Seeking the face of God is not an overtly religious practice, but rather an activity that spans every domain in your life. To seek the face
of God is to seek improvement in yourself, others, and the world itself.22 The path toward God’s face is the path of improvement.23 You seek the face of God by learning more about the potential and relative worth of all things, and working toward helping everything be as good as it can be.24
The benefits of facing God
Recall that one of the meanings of “face” is to adopt a direction of travel or progression. To face God consists of more than just turning toward him, but actively moving toward him in the same direction he is traveling.25 To seek the Lord’s face is not about obtaining an outcome, but about following a process.26 The process of facing the Lord consists of adopting everything you know about him as he continues to teach you more about himself.27
You draw nearer to the Lord by becoming more like him. As you become more like him, you encounter more of everything that is good,28 including new or better information about how he is, enabling you to grow still more like him.29
Everything of worth is found in the path toward God.30 The more like him you become, the more you will ask what he wills and the more you will receive what you ask.31 Greater and more enduring peace32 and joy33 are found in increasing intensity the nearer you draw toward him.
Fall on your face
To fall on your face is a phrase that means to prostrate yourself in total submission to another, crouching down as low as you can on the floor.34 There are multiple scriptural references to falling on one’s face. For example, Joseph’s brothers prostrated themselves to him after finding out who he was,35 Abraham prostrated himself to God as God spoke with him,36 John prostrated himself before the angel who showed him the vision he recorded,37 the chief steward of King Ahab prostrated himself before the prophet Elijah,38 and the people prostrated themselves before God when Elijah called down fire from heaven.39
As with the face, the forehead carries metaphorical significance as the location of your understanding. The surfaces upon which we walk are known for their uncleanliness, especially in the street, and even more so in ancient times when they were the dumping areas for human and animal waste. Falling on your face is a visceral admission of submission that physically acknowledges that your best understanding is as dung compared to the one to whom you bow. It is unfortunately and exceptionally rare for anyone to come to feel this way, even with God, and even for the moment required to signify it by falling on their face.
It is rare for a person to be willing to exercise the humility required to fall on their face before God, let alone anyone else. The importance and process of submitting to God is discussed in the chapter Submit to God by learning and living his presence and elsewhere in this book.
Turning your face toward God through repentance
Repentance means to turn toward God. To turn toward God obviously includes more than simply feeling sorry for being turned away from him in the past. The Hebrew and Greek words related to repentance are not limited to regret, emphasizing the need to change one’s desires40 and actions41 toward God.42 To turn toward God is to learn more about and adopt his purpose, qualities, thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Repentance is not a limited or partial action, but corresponds to an active and total adoption of his character, as far as you understand it, at all times and in all places. It is to share his motive, value what he values, desire what he desires, and use your attention and other resources as he would. You can’t “face” God while “facing” anything else.43 You must either serve God or someone else, but you can’t serve both.44
The opposite of repentance is rebellion, which is turning your face away from God. You might believe that rebellion against God requires an active choice. This is not so. Our nature is so inclined against God that we rebel against him by default.45 The very absence of active turning toward God is rebellion against him. Any rebellion against God increases your distance from him, dimming his light within you, making it more difficult to see what is best and easier to turn further away from it.
God’s will is that you remove the differences between you and him. Jesus has already provided everything necessary for you to have the power and reasons to reconcile your known differences with him.46 He will continue to provide everything necessary for you to continue to align with him as you learn more about him. The steps towards becoming more like God consist of iteratively perceiving more differences between how you are and how God is and reconciling yourself to how you now perceive him to be.47 The bridge from where you are to where God is necessarily begins where you are.
The more you repent of the differences you know of between you and God, the more additional differences will be revealed to you.48 The more you approach the light of God’s presence, the more of your remaining faults will be exposed. The fire of his presence will both illuminate ways you can improve and assist you in removing what cannot endure a greater relationship with him. Repentance is a dawning of a new approach to God that includes adding what is required for a closer relationship with him and clearing away anything that prevents it, preparing you to continue this process as you learn more about him.
Face to face as familiarity with God
God’s relationship with you is filtered by certain protocols designed to protect you49 from the negative effects of accessing more of his glory than you are prepared to bear.50
The existence of these barriers becomes more evident by describing what it is like to have them removed. This degree of relationship with God is referred to in scripture by the phrase “face to face.” “Face to face” can be interpreted as a measure of intimacy. In this sense, to see God face to face is to see him as fully as he sees you, to communicate with him as you would another person, and to have him communicate with you as your closest friend would.51 This would include the ability to ask him about anything, and have him fully explain it to you, up to the limits of your understanding.52
The artificial distance imposed between us and God includes, but is not limited to, frequency of his contact with you, manner of his contact with you, breadth or depth of what he says to you, and formality of his contact with you. God desires the reduction and eventual removal of these barriers between you and him. God places these barriers between you and him for your benefit, and they are removed as soon as you are capable of bearing more of his glory.
To reduce the barriers between you and God:
- Reduce the differences between you and God. You will never see much more of him than you live up to.
- Learn to value holiness based on how much better it is, not artificial qualities such as the popularity or recognized authority of the messenger or the riches or comfort provided by the message.
- Learn to notice holiness even when it is not presented loudly or with pomp. Those dependent on specific settings, rituals, or clothing are not ready for greater familiarity with God.
It is possible for you to come to stand in the presence of God and speak with him face to face as plainly as you would another person.53 Until you are ready to do so, the Lord will continue to do all he can to teach you the next increment of how he is, providing you with continual incremental invitations to improve,54 forming an unbroken ramp towards how he is that you can travel as fast as you are willing to notice and implement them.55 This path is exemplified by Jacob, who met the Lord face to face.56 While Jacob’s famous wrestle with the Lord was an event that happened in one night, it was just the next step of a process that had been unfolding his whole life—a life of facing challenges that lay beyond his limits and incrementally overcoming them through learning more about and living like God.
You spit in God’s face by undervaluing his life, sacrifice, and gospel
Isaiah provided a prophetic description of the torment the Lord would face during his ministry when he wrote:
I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. (Isaiah 50:6)
The shame inflicted on the Lord was not limited to physical spit in his literal face—which was the worst possible insult of his time—but, more significantly, included ignoring the inestimable gift of his demonstration of the character of the Father.57
All who learn and live the character of Christ will face similar treatment as he did at the hands of those who are not like him.58 The scriptures provide examples of the Lord’s servants being rejected and persecuted just as he was.59 The more like Jesus a person becomes, the more people will treat them like they would treat him.60 If you fail to notice his servants, you will fail to notice him. If you reject his servants, you will reject him.61
It is imperative to notice those who know Jesus better than you instead of ignoring them.62 It is essential to heed their teachings rather than rejecting them.63 It is important to support them64 instead of persecuting them.65 The Lord said that how we treat his servants is how we treat him.66
God withdraws his blessing by setting his face against you
If you turn your back on the Lord, the Lord will turn his back on you.67 This isn’t because he doesn’t love you, but precisely because he does. To bless those who rebel against God would be to encourage them and others to increasingly do so.
As we refuse to change based on the teachings and examples of others,68 he is left with only one remaining way to persuade us: pain. In order to best assist those who continue in rebellion against him, the Lord increasingly exposes them to a greater share of the consequences of their choices. This is symbolically described as both his “setting his face against you” and “hiding his face from you.” The Lord’s face is “set against you” when his perceived role changes from being the provider of blessings to being the provider of punishments.69 The Lord “hides his face from you” when he withdraws from you the merciful unearned blessings he provides to those who seek him.70
The Lord turns his face back towards those who turn back towards him.71 Life features a myriad of ways to increase our appreciation for options for improvement.72 Those who continue to buck against life’s lessons are exposed to ever greater measures of the consequences of doing so,73 while those who turn back to God begin once again to enjoy the blessings of his countenance.74
Multiplying on the face of the earth, and being destroyed from the face of the earth
Many Christians have grown the size of their families based on interpreting God’s injunction to Adam75 and again to Noah76 to “be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth.” Far fewer Christians have improved their families based on what that injunction actually meant. The mistaken oversimplification of this instruction to mean that parents are meant to have the largest possible families is a terrible mistake that can actually lead to the polar opposite of God’s intent, creating unnecessary misery and children who are least likely to reach their potential instead of maximizing joy through making all things as good as they can be.
God’s purpose in creating the earth was to provide an opportunity for people to learn and live more like him. God’s charge to Adam and Noah was not simply to reproduce, nor to reproduce abundantly, but rather to advance his purpose through all means at their disposal.
We have well established that God’s face does not just mean the forward part of his head. In like manner, the earth’s face doesn’t just mean its surface. To “multiply on the face of the earth” (Genesis 6:1) doesn’t just mean to produce posterity on the earth’s surface, as there is no alternative location to do so. Rather, it means to develop families according to and in advancement of the plan and purpose of God. Remember, one meaning of “face” is the direction of, flowing through time or in increasing intensity or other progression.
The Lord’s improving influence is what demarcated a difference between what was “in the beginning” and what came to be through the various stages of creation. It was his influence on the raw materials that preceded the earth that yielded what would become the earth,77 with each interaction consisting of inputs from God and responses from matter, then plants, animals, and humans. In our phase of God’s continued creation, we operate under the instructions to make things on earth more like they are in heaven.78 The task of mankind is to obtain the image of the Lord in themselves, and to act in the world so as to bring about his image in the earth. In short, we are charged to align the face of the earth with the face of the Lord.
There are bounds within which the purposes of the earth can be achieved. When a person operates outside of those bounds, God makes the necessary changes to prevent them from impeding his purposes.79 When a person’s rebellion from God is sufficiently extreme, God can end their life. The same occurs when a group, city, or country violates God’s constraints: he warns them through messengers and mercifully minimized consequences, and if they continue in their rebellion, he destroys them. In the days of Noah, mankind as a whole had become so corrupted that it was no longer possible for the earth to fulfill its purpose, and God destroyed everyone except Noah, his three sons, and their wives.
With a better understanding of the concept of “face,” you can understand the purpose and necessity of the flood better than you ever have before. Read the KJV version of Genesis 6, where the italicized words are all the same Hebrew word for “face:”
5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the _face_ of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 The earth also was corrupt _before_ God, and the earth was filled with violence.
12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. 13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence _through them_; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. (Genesis 6)
Now read this clearer rendering:
5 And when God saw man that he had made, it caused him great pain.
6 For the wickedness of man was so great that his every desire was completely evil all the time, and God was compelled to decree their destruction, notwithstanding the deep sorrow it caused him.
7 For he had loved mankind, creating all things for their sake, from birds and creeping things to beast, and man himself.
8 But Noah had pleased God by finding out about and becoming like him.
9 Noah walked with God; He was full of the revelations of God, and he lived in perfect accordance at all times to what God taught him.
11 And the earth had turned aside from the knowledge of God’s character and plan that had been plainly revealed and adequately demonstrated to them; all mankind was filled with injustice and malice.
12 And God recognized that the earth had become unable to attain its potential in its present state, because all men had so fully turned away from the path to becoming how he is that they had made it impossible for them to see what was good sufficiently to choose it of their own will; they had turned away from such plain and evident instruction toward improvement that their damaged senses could not be repaired through any righteous means.
13 And God said to Noah: the end of the procession of human life has come due to the fulness of rebellion against the revelation of my way, for they have allowed themselves to be used as a conduit to fill the earth with malevolence and injustice to the point where their children cannot choose what is right, and now I must destroy them. (Genesis 6, Author’s Reflection)
The destiny of the earth is for God to dwell upon it.80 When he returns, everything that cannot dwell in his glory will be destroyed from off the face of the earth. In Noah’s day, the Lord swept the earth clean with water.81 When he returns, he will do so with the fire82 of his glory.83 Until then, it is the duty of his servants to flood the earth with truth,84 offering persuasive arguments towards the next increment of improvement to all people,85 such that every person has everything needed to become as much like Jesus as they are willing to.86
Seek the face of God by remembering what he has done and making his goodness known to others
It is critical to recall and consider the many good things God has done for you and others.87 Those who recount the Lord’s good works will find themselves with greater trust in God and greater willingness to submit to him.88 Proclaiming the good God has done for you and others89 will help more people receive these same benefits.90
Failing to give God credit for the good things he has done for you and others is a form of turning away from God.91 Those who refuse to credit God for what he has done will find themselves with less gratitude, less joy, less trust in God, less willingness to help others, and less willingness to obey God.
Eternal life in the presence of the Lord
Seeking the face of God is the path of eternal life.92 Those who seek his presence will find themselves continually striving for and benefiting from the best possible situation in their circumstances. We read:
I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. (Psalm 16:8)
There is much more to this scripture than modern translations indicate. Here “before me” is one of the several words we have analyzed in this chapter relating to the presence of God. Coupled with the idiom of the right hand, the author is stating that he always acts as he believes the Lord would in his place. The accompanying promise is also richer than it might otherwise seem. The word “moved” here is translated from a Hebrew word that means to be carried away, cast out, turn out of course, fall into decay, or fall down. Here is a clearer rendition:
I circumscribe my behavior to what I believe the Lord would do in my place, and because I do all that I imagine he would, I will not be overcome, and I cannot go astray. (Psalm 16:8, Author’s Reflection)
The way of God is the way of growth, and his way is narrow.93 To turn away from the Lord is to turn away from what is the very best. Any path that leads away from God leads to decay. Turn toward the Lord’s face and enjoy his favor.94
Footnotes
- 1. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. (John 17:3) ↩
- 2. The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings is unsearchable. (Proverbs 25:3) ↩
- 3. Panim (Strong’s Hebrew 6440), panah (Strong’s Hebrew 6437), and prosópon (Strong’s Greek 4383). ↩
- 4. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. (Genesis 1:29) ↩
- 5. But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? (Genesis 4:5-6) ↩
- 6. And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.... And said unto them, I see your father’s countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me. (Genesis 31:2, 5) ↩
- 7. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. (Revelation 12:14) ↩
- 8. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. (Genesis 3:8) ↩
- 9. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. (Genesis 45:3) ↩
- 10. So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the river, and set his face toward the mount Gilead. (Genesis 31:21) ↩
- 11. And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. (Genesis 29:26) ↩
- 12. And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh. (Genesis 48:20) ↩
- 13. Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am; And that I am the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world; And that I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one— (D&C 93:1-3) ↩
- 14. And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things. Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will. (D&C 88:67-68) ↩
- 15. And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you. (Exodus 3:14) ↩
- 16. They who dwell in his presence are the church of the Firstborn; and they see as they are seen, and know as they are known, having received of his fulness and of his grace; (D&C 76:94) ↩
- 17. And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever. Amen. (Ether 12:41) ↩
- 18. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. (Genesis 3:24) ↩
- 19. Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. (Exodus 23:20) ↩
- 20. For behold, angels are declaring it unto many at this time in our land; and this is for the purpose of preparing the hearts of the children of men to receive his word at the time of his coming in his glory. (Alma 13:24) ↩
- 21. “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 3:1) Here, “prepare the way before me” literally means “to walk in and turn others into the way toward my presence.” ↩
- 22. But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God. (Moroni 7:13) ↩
- 23. And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me. I am the same that leadeth men to all good; he that will not believe my words will not believe me—that I am; and he that will not believe me will not believe the Father who sent me. For behold, I am the Father, I am the light, and the life, and the truth of the world. (Ether 4:12) ↩
- 24. Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God. (3 John 11) ↩
- 25. And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (Luke 9:23) If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. (John 12:26) ↩
- 26. And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save. Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. (2 Nephi 31:19-20) ↩
- 27. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes. (Psalm 119:135) ↩
- 28. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. (Acts 2:28) ↩
- 29. And it came to pass that Jesus blessed them as they did pray unto him; and his countenance did smile upon them, and the light of his countenance did shine upon them, and behold they were as white as the countenance and also the garments of Jesus; and behold the whiteness thereof did exceed all the whiteness, yea, even there could be nothing upon earth so white as the whiteness thereof. (3 Nephi 19:25) ↩
- 30. Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place. (1 Chronicles 16:27) ↩
- 31. And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. (John 16:23-28) ↩
- 32. The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. (Numbers 6:26) ↩
- 33. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. (Acts 2:28) ↩
- 34. And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. (Ezra 9:6) ↩
- 35. And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. (Genesis 50:18) ↩
- 36. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him... (Genesis 17:3) ↩
- 37. And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. (Revelation 22:8) ↩
- 38. And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah? (1 Kings 18:7) ↩
- 39. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God. (1 Kings 18:39) ↩
- 40. And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: (Daniel 9:3) ↩
- 41. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. (James 1:23-25) ↩
- 42. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:22) ↩
- 43. No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:24) ↩
- 44. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. (Isaiah 56:11) ↩
- 45. For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. (Mosiah 3:19) ↩
- 46. For, there is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5, NLT) Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved. (2 Nephi 10:23-24) ↩
- 47. If we remove every difference between us and God revealed as he shows us more of his glory, he will show us more and more of his glory, and we will be gradually transformed into his image, just as the Lord was, from his spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18, Author’s Reflection) ↩
- 48. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. (Psalm 90:8) ↩
- 49. 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. (1 Corinthians 13:12) ↩
- 50. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. (John 16:12) ↩
- 51. And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle. (Exodus 33:11) ↩
- 52. To whom I answered, It is not the manner of the Romans to deliver any man to die, before that he which is accused have the accusers face to face, and have licence to answer for himself concerning the crime laid against him. (Acts 25:16) ↩
- 53. ...I have seen Jesus, and that he hath talked with me face to face, and that he told me in plain humility, even as a man telleth another in mine own language, concerning these things; (Ether 12:39) And I saw the Lord; and he stood before my face, and he talked with me, even as a man talketh one with another, face to face; and he said unto me: Look, and I will show unto thee the world for the space of many generations. (Moses 7:4) ↩
- 54. Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged....Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you. (John 16:7-11, 13-15) ↩
- 55. And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours. (D&C 78:18) ↩
- 56. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. (Genesis 32:30) ↩
- 57. And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men. (1 Nephi 19:9) ↩
- 58. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. (Matthew 5:10-12) ↩
- 59. Now when the people had said this, and withstood all his words, and reviled him, and spit upon him, and caused that he should be cast out of their city, he departed thence and took his journey towards the city which was called Aaron. (Alma 8:13) And we have entered into their houses and taught them, and we have taught them in their streets; yea, and we have taught them upon their hills; and we have also entered into their temples and their synagogues and taught them; and we have been cast out, and mocked, and spit upon, and smote upon our cheeks; and we have been stoned, and taken and bound with strong cords, and cast into prison; and through the power and wisdom of God we have been delivered again. (Alma 26:29) ...And they spit upon him, and cast him out from among them, and also all those who believed in the words which had been spoken by Alma and Amulek; and they cast them out, and sent men to cast stones at them. (Alma 14:7) ↩
- 60. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. (John 15:20) ↩
- 61. He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me. (Luke 10:16) ↩
- 62. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. (1 John 4:6) ↩
- 63. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. (John 13:20) ↩
- 64. Whoso receiveth you receiveth me; and the same will feed you, and clothe you, and give you money. And he who feeds you, or clothes you, or gives you money, shall in nowise lose his reward. And he that doeth not these things is not my disciple; by this you may know my disciples. (D&C 84:89-91) ↩
- 65. Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 18:10) ↩
- 66. He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me. (Luke 10:16) ↩
- 67. And they have turned unto me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction. (Jeremiah 32:33) ↩
- 68. But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted. Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads. As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears. (Ezekiel 3:7-10) ↩
- 69. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. (Psalm 34:16) And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you. (Leviticus 26:17) For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the Lord: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. (Jeremiah 21:10) And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am Lord. (Ezekiel 14:8) ↩
- 70. Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us? And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods. (Deuteronomy 31:17-18) ↩
- 71. ....Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts....(Malachi 3:7) ↩
- 72. I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early. (Hosea 5:15) ↩
- 73. And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword. According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them. (Ezekiel 39:23-24) And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith. They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them. They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust. The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs. (Deuteronomy 32:20-25) ↩
- 74. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. (Isaiah 54:8) If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14) ↩
- 75. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:28) ↩
- 76. And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. (Genesis 9:1) ↩
- 77. “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2) Important details can be derived from understanding that “face” here can mean more than “surface.” ↩
- 78. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. (Luke 11:2) ↩
- 79. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. (Genesis 4:14) And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. (Genesis 4:16) ↩
- 80. Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. (Zechariah 2:10) ↩
- 81. ...I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth. (Genesis 7:4) ↩
- 82. For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. (Malachi 4:1) ↩
- 83. Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; (2 Thessalonians 1:9) ↩
- 84. And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men; and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem. (Moses 7:62) ↩
- 85. Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor. (D&C 88:81) ↩
- 86. Therefore, they are left without excuse, and their sins are upon their own heads. (D&C 88:82) ↩
- 87. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth; (1 Chronicles 16:10-12) ↩
- 88. And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel. And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true. And ye will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably, and to render to every man according to that which is his due. (Mosiah 4:11-13) ↩
- 89. And it came to pass that Orihah did walk humbly before the Lord, and did remember how great things the Lord had done for his father, and also taught his people how great things the Lord had done for their fathers. (Ether 6:30) ↩
- 90. Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works. (1 Chronicles 16:8-9) ↩
- 91. And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments. (D&C 59:21) Saying to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us. (Jeremiah 2:27) ↩
- 92. And seek the face of the Lord always, that in patience ye may possess your souls, and ye shall have eternal life. (D&C 101:38) ↩
- 93. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Matthew 7:14) ↩
- 94. In the light of the king’s countenance is life; and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain. (Proverbs 16:15) ↩