Question and Answers

Yes, believers will spend eternity with the Lord, and we will see God. The clearest verse about this is Revelation 22:3–4: “The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads.” However, this does not resolve the question: Which person of the triune God will we see?

Scripture consistently teaches that no person has seen or can see God the Father. Jesus taught, “God is spirit” (John 4:24), meaning He is immaterial. In John 1:18 it says no one except the Lord Jesus “has ever seen God” (see also John 6:46; 1 John 4:12). Paul described the Father as “the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God” (1 Tim. 1:17) who “dwells in unapproachable light, whom none of mankind has seen or can see” (1 Tim. 6:16).

God told Moses, “You cannot see my face, for no one can see me and live” (Ex. 33:20), yet afterward God allowed Moses to see His back (33:21–23). Moses did not actually see God but saw His glory (33:22). When Moses brought the elders to Mount Sinai, “they saw the God of Israel” (Ex. 24:10). But the Hebrew verb chazah (“saw”) generally means to see in a vision (see Num. 24:4, 16). In the same way, when Isaiah (Isaiah 6) and Daniel (Daniel 7) saw the Lord, it was in a vision.

We will see God in our forever future, but it will be God the Son, the Lord Jesus. In response to Philip’s request to show them the Father, the Lord Jesus said, “The one who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). And in Revelation 22:3–4, mentioned above, a better translation would be, “The throne of God, even the Lamb, will be in the city, and His servants will serve Him. They will see His face.” It is the Lamb, the Lord Jesus, who is fully God, who will be seen. And when we see Him, I guarantee, we will not be disappointed.

Modern English translations describe the third person of the triune God as “the Holy Spirit.” However, the 1611 King James Version used the term “Holy Ghost” some 90 times and “Holy Spirit” seven times. The reason the KJV uses both terms is that it was translated by several teams and, apparently, they translated the term differently.

In the 17th century, the word ghost meant an immaterial being. When someone died, their immaterial part, the spirit or ghost of the deceased person, continued to live on. Maybe you’ve heard the phrase “give up the ghost,” which carries the same meaning. In modern times, the word “ghost” has come to mean an apparition. Thus, today, the better translation of the original Greek word pneuma is Spirit, not Ghost.

All that to say, there is no difference between the Holy Spirit and the Holy Ghost. He is the third person of the triune God, the Comforter sent by the Lord Jesus (John 14:16; 15:26; 16:7) who indwells all Jesus followers forever (John 14:17). He testifies of and glorifies the Lord Jesus, pointing to the Messiah rather than Himself (John 15:27; 16:14). The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, showing lost people their need for redemption through the Lord Jesus (John 16:8–11). He regenerates (Titus 3:5), indwells (Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19), baptizes (1 Cor. 12:13), and seals all Jesus followers (Eph. 1:13; 4:30), assuring their security until their day of redemption.

There is no verse in Scripture that directly prohibits gambling or playing the lottery. Perhaps a more important question centers on our motive. Virtually everyone who buys lottery tickets does so to gain wealth. This, according to Scripture, seems unwise. First, we are told to be good stewards of the money God has given us. Jesus taught that “if you have not been faithful with unrighteous money, who will trust you with what is genuine” (Luke 16:11)? Gambling is never a good investment.

Second, Scripture tells us that desiring wealth is dangerous. Paul wrote, “Those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap” (1 Tim. 6:9). The truth of this is evidenced by many lottery winners whose lives have been ruined as a result of winning. Third, gambling is unwise because it is unbalanced. We need to practice contentment with what the Lord has given us. For this reason, Paul reminded us that “godliness with contentment is a great gain” (1 Tim. 6:6).