The Bible does not give a clear idea of what Jesus Christ looks like; the closest we get to a physical description is found in Isaiah 53:2b, "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him."
However, prominent evangelist Billy Graham has encouraged Christians that one day, we will all know what the Son of God looks like.
In responding to a question posed in the "My Answers" portion of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's website, the 97-year-old evangelist acknowledged that the Bible does not offer a physical description of Jesus, and no artists alive during his time recreated an image of him.
"We shouldn't be surprised at this; in the ancient world only very wealthy or powerful people were able to have this done," Graham explains. "It also wasn't customary among the Jewish people. Any paintings or images you see of Jesus today are only the product of an artist's imagination (although some express his suffering or character in moving ways)."
So why doesn't the Bible tell us what Jesus looks like? One reason may be because God knew we'd try to make idols or images of Jesus - and that would be wrong, Graham argues.
"One of the Ten Commandments states, 'You shall not make for yourself an image. ... You shall not bow down to them or worship them' (Exodus 20:4-5). Never forget: Jesus is far greater than any image, for he is the son of God who came to save us from our sins."
The Bible does give us the assurance, however, that one day we will see Jesus in all his glory and majesty.
Graham concludes by asking: "Do you have that hope in your heart? You can, by turning to Christ and by faith committing your life to him. The Bible's promise is for you: 'We know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is' (1 John 3:2)."
Over the past several months, Graham, who recently turned 97, has focused much of his writing on the issue of eternity. Last year, he published his final book, titled Where I Am: Heaven, Eternity, and Our Life Beyond, in which he shared his thoughts on the past, the present, and the reality of eternity.
In a Facebook post shared on Valentine's Day, Graham's son, Franklin Graham, revealed that he visited his father at his home in Montreat, North Carolina on February 13th, where the two discussed eternity.
"It was good to visit my father," he shared. "One thing's for sure, at 97 years old and almost 9 years after her death, my father still misses my mother-his Valentine-more than words can say. They were married for nearly 64 years!"
While he misses his wife, the elder Graham confidently looks forward to seeing her in Heaven someday soon, his son revealed.
"That confidence of eternity in Heaven is something we all can have if we have surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ and received Him by faith as our Savior and Lord," Franklin Graham continued.
"The Word of God tells us, 'But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself' (Philippians 3:20-21)."
