This is the glory of the goal--face to face with Himself. It begins now. It is a very real thing. This is a bit of the meaning of that mountain beatitude, "the pure in heart ... shall _see God_." Yet only he who sees understands what seeing means. The subtle intensity of God's presence cannot be explained, only understood by the purified in heart. Only the opened eyes see. But this is only a beginning. There will be the far greater glory of the final goal, as we come into His immediate presence, literally face to face. That may be when we are called away from the lower road up to the higher reaches, above the clouds and the blue, the glory-reaches, up where He now sits. It may be by that goal coming nearer, by Himself actually coming on the clouds in great glory, for His own and for the next chapter in His great world-plan. Then we shall be caught up into His presence. Then we shall be fully like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And we shall be sharers in His glory, in the Kingdom time of glad earth service. But we shall be thinking only of Himself--face to face. Footnotes [1] John i. 1, 2, 14, 18; Colossians i. 15; II Corinthians iv. 4; Philippians ii. 6; Hebrews i. 3. [2] John xv. 15; Psalm xxv. 14; Isaiah xli. 8; II Chronicles xx. 7; James ii. 23. [3] Matthew iv. 4; where the emphatic word is "man," standing in contrast with "Son of God" in verse 3. [4] Acts xvii. 28; Job xii. 10; Daniel v. 23 l.c.; Psalm cxxxix. 1-16. [5] Philippians ii. 6-8. [6] Romans xii. 19; Deuteronomy xxxii. 35; Psalm xciv. 1; Proverbs xx. 22; I Peter ii. 23; I Corinthians xiii. 5, second clause. [7] John xi. 41, 42; xii. 27, 28; Luke x. 21. [8] Deuteronomy viii. 17, 18. [9] Matthew v. 3. [10] John viii. 28, 29. [11] Genesis i. 26-28. [12] 1 Philippians ii. 8; Hebrews v. 8; Romans v. 19 l.c.; John x. 18 l.c. [13] Hebrews ii. 18. [14] Hebrews xii. 29. [15] Romans iii. 26, latter half; free reading--"that He (God) might be seen to be just and righteous in forgiving a man's sin when he trusted in Jesus." [16] Eden: delight. [17] Genesis ii. 8-20. [18] Genesis iii. 8, 9 [19] Genesis iv.-vi. [20] Genesis vi. 6; Deuteronomy v. 29; Psalm lxxxi. 13; Isaiah xlviii. 18. [21] Mark xii. 1-8; II Chronicles xxxvi. 15, 16--These passages, and many similar, while speaking directly of the one nation Israel, are giving a picture of the heart of God toward all men, and His habit of action. Israel itself was the messenger-nation, whose life was meant to be God's message of love to all the race. [22] John i. 1-18, especially verses 1-5, 14. [23] John i. 14 f.c. [24] Matthew ii. 22, 23. [25] John i. 19-28. [26] E. C. Clephane. [27] Psalm xl. 8 f.c.; John iv. 34; Hebrews xii. 2. [28] Matthew xi. 28. [29] Matthew iv. 19, with Luke v. 1-11. [30] Matthew xi. 29, 30. [31] John xiii. 31-xvi. 33. [32] John xx. 21. [33] Matthew xxviii. 18-20. [34] John i. 35-42. [35] Matthew iv. 18-22, with Luke v. 1-11.