This is the basic argument of To Gaze upon God: that we who now see as if behind a veil will one day enjoy the unveiled splendor of God himself, who will dwell with us forever.
If you have had the misfortune of encountering me on social media, you might have noticed my bio line does not list a particular denomination to which I belong, nor does it mention the word Christian. Instead, I describe myself as a “pilgrim seeking the beatific vision.”
Perhaps chalk it up to my interest in all things medieval or my stubborn determination to be different, but the doctrine of the beatific vision is certainly something I think about often, and as such I was pleased to recently read a new book by Samuel G. Parkison, To Gaze Upon God: The Beatific Vision in Doctrine, Tradition, and Practice.
The title alone is enough to scare off many, but while the subject matter is indeed weighty, the author is adamant that this oft-ignored doctrine should play an important role in church practice and the Christian life. This is because the beatific vision is nothing other than what we will experience in eternity.
“The beatific vision … is the sight of God himself,” Parkison explains. “The beatific vision is God’s incomprehensible and ineffable glory beheld directly” (pg. 30). Or to put it another way, “What makes heaven, heaven is that there we shall see the face of God. That blessed vision is the culmination of all our godly enjoyments in this life and the satiation of all our desire” (pg. 1).
Though it may seem like an esoteric topic, perhaps verging on mysticism or pure speculation, the beatific vision has in fact been accepted as biblical doctrine by every major orthodox group of Christians, including the Lutheran, Reformed, and Anglican traditions. This is because it simply refers to our experience of God in eternity, a topic that Parkison notes has substantial biblical support.
Early in the book, he makes a case for the validity of the beatific vision by examining passages in the Old and New Testaments: Moses’ encounter with the burning bush and his later view of God’s ‘back’ from the cleft of a rock, Elijah’s hearing of God as a gentle blowing, Isaiah’s vision of the heavenly throne, the Transfiguration of Christ, and the meditations of St. Paul and St. John up-on the Christian’s hope. One of Parkison’s key points is that what the Old Testament heroes experienced in visions, we now experience by faith in the power of the Spirit: the presence of God. And what we now experience by faith, we will experience by sight in eternity.
“In order to see God’s glory, God must accommodate our finitude and our weakness. He does this for Moses in the form of hiding him in the cleft of a Rock, and he does this for us by hiding us in the refuge of his Son (cf. Ps 2:12),” Parkison notes, stressing that because we are limited and fallen creatures, our experience of God is always mediated through the person of Jesus Christ.
Because our experience of God by sight (whether literal or figurative) lies ahead of us in eternity, it represents the end of human existence, both in the sense of a chronological climax and in terms of our telos (ultimate purpose). We were made to worship God, enjoy him, and dwell with him for eternity. While our justification allows us to stand before God with confidence, the point of standing before God is not just to escape condemnation, but to positively commune with him, praising him forever as we experience him in new ways. As Parkison explains, “Rightful desire, in man, is the soul striving toward its telos, which it ultimately realizes in the beatific vision.” (19) That means that all our rightful desires here on earth are ultimately a longing for heaven and God himself. Here Parkison draws upon C.S. Lewis to explain:
The sense of divine estrangement that has come to mark our disenchanted age is so devastating because it is so profoundly unhuman. Lewis was right, therefore, when he observed that ‘if I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.’ [1]
Parkison therefore sees a renewed focus on the beatific vision as an antidote for our current impoverished existence. As technological change, individualism, and the like make us feel an absence of awe and divine presence in our lives, the doctrines and practices of the Church can draw us back. The preaching of the Word reorients us toward eternity. Baptism speaks to a changed reality. The Lord’s Supper points forward to the great wedding feast of the Lamb. In all these ways, we experience by faith and in physical signs what we will have on a higher level in eternity.
This beatific vision is also Trinitarian. “We shall behold the glory of God in his essence, and we shall behold this glory in the face of Jesus Christ by the unveiling and illumining ministry of the Holy Spirit.” (pg. 156, emphasis in original) Parkison is at pains to stress the Trinitarian nature of our faith, for while it is the Son who mediates for us and allows us to enter into divine blessedness through our union with him, the Father and Spirit are also active agents in salvation, and the beatific vision will allow us to enter into the life of the Trinity in a new way.
Parkison looks both to Scripture as well as to the history of the Church and the writings of some of its greatest theologians. In addition to figures such as St. Augustine and St. Anselm, who are often cited in such discussions, Parkison also devotes time to the Lutheran theologian Johannes Gerhard (1582-1637 A.D./C.E.). Like C.S. Lewis, Gerhard saw a link between our desires here on earth and their ultimate satisfaction in our experience of God in eternity:
You see, anything joyful and good that happens in this life, anything desirable and lovable, all of it is set forth as a foreshadow of the blessedness and happiness of eternal life so that there may be a hint that eternal life is going to be the fullness of all good things, the treasury of every happiness, the end and fulfillment of every desire. [2]
Parkison’s discussion can be dense at times. He dives into aspects of theology proper (the doctrines related to God’s existence and attributes) that, while fully orthodox, can be confusing for novices. As one would expect for a book about heaven and eternity, there is also some speculative thinking that might be off-putting for certain readers. Parkison does not provide these speculations as a matter of definite doctrine, but rather asserts that they are of secondary or tertiary importance to our understanding of the beatific vision, and we will never have perfect answers in this life. Instead, he roots this doctrine in scriptural revelation.
He also implores the reader to take a broader view of what counts as practical theology. The modern focus on practicality, Parkison argues, can be a hindrance to rightful meditation, for understanding God as Scripture has revealed him and then responding in praise is essential for human thriving. “Theology is not practical in the sense that it becomes a service to some daily pursuit. Rather, for creatures who are made for God, theology is practical by definition. This is the singular telos of the human being: his delighted contemplation of God.” (pg 178, emphasis in original)
St. Paul writes, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” (1 Cor. 13:12) This is the basic argument of To Gaze upon God: that we who now see as if behind a veil will one day enjoy the unveiled splendor of God himself, who will dwell with us forever. Our vision of God is itself transformative. “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:17-18) That is why Parkison writes,
In both visions, the subject of the vision is transformed by its object: beholding the glory of God transforms the saint. Yet, the mode of the vision differs: in this life, we behold the glory of God by faith, mediately, partially, and indirectly; in the next we shall behold the glory of God in the beatific vision, immediately, fully (that is, entirely according to our creaturely mode of knowing), and directly. (pg. 169)
I would recommend this book for those who seek to be encouraged in faith by a meditation upon who God is and what we will enjoy in eternity. With allowances made for Parkison’s unique perspective, which is most closely aligned with the Reformed and Baptist traditions, people of all denominations will benefit from his insights. While it may be tough sledding at times for the beginner, it is worth the effort, and for the seasoned theologian, it will be a delight.
[1] 21. Interior citation: C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: HarperCollins, 2001), 136-7.
[2] Johann Gerhard, Theological Commonplaces XXXIV: On Eternal Life, ed. Joshua Hayes and Heath R. Curtis, trans. Richard J. Dinda (St. Louis: Concordia, 2022), 51.93.
