Face to Face

By George Stiekes | June 3, 2022

And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend (Exodus 33:11). And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face (Deuteronomy 34:10).

Coram Deo are two Latin words. The word coram means, before or in the presence of, or before the face. Deo means, to or for God. When placed together, they mean, before the face of God. It is God’s will that His children, who through faith in Christ Jesus, live all of their lives in the presence of God.

We are not certain as to the meaning of the phrase, Face to face in Exodus 33:11. It cannot be that he actually saw God’s face for God is a Spirit. John 1:18 states: No man hath seen God at any time. It very well could be a figure of speech indicating openly and honestly. Honesty and openness are requirements for experiencing God’s presence. If you are a friend of the world, you will not be a friend of God.

  • Samson’s parents thought they would die for they claimed to have seen God (Judges 13:22). However, the text clearly states that it was the angel of the LORD, indicating a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ, a theophany.
  • Jacob wrestled with a messenger of God. This as well would have been an angel of the Lord or a theophany since the messenger was obviously deity. Jacob declared, I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved (Genesis 32:30). God certainly came as close to Jacob as possible without being seen.
  • In Deuteronomy 33:11, Moses claimed that the LORD had spoken to him, face to face. This represents close communion for Exodus 33:20 states: Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see Me, and live. Yet God and Moses spoke to one another as if they were two human beings having a close conversation. We know that when God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, that Moses hid his face for fear to look upon God (Exodus 3:6).

In the Gospels, when people saw Jesus, they were seeing God in the flesh. Philip saith unto Him, LORD, show us the Father (John 14:8). Jesus answered him: Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? he that hath see me hath seen the Father (John 14:9).

I John 3:2 reveals that the day is coming when we will see our Lord and Savior face to face at which time we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. But even now, God expects us to live with the knowledge that we are always in His presence. Until then, as we faithfully walk with Him and love Him, He has promised to manifest Himself to us (John 14:21, 23). There ought to be an inward desire and an expectation to see Him face to face. The more you grow in your relationship with the Lord, the greater will become that expectation.

Thank God for His constant presence in your life (Hebrews 13:5). Live with the awareness that He is constantly with you. Recognize both His leadership and communion with Him today and tell Him that you long to see Him face to face.

George Stiekes serves as a Lay Pastor at Bethany Bible Church in Hendersonville, NC. See here for a more complete bio of brother Stiekes extensive ministry. We republish his material by permission.

This photo is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication

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