The beatific vision is the immediate knowledge of God promised to the saints in heaven, when they will see face to face rather than in a mirror darkly. Aquinas held that it is the ultimate end of human beings and requires the light of glory. Theologians debated whether any could see it in this life.
Beatific vision
The direct vision of God’s essence that, in Christian theology, is the final happiness of the blessed.
Also: visio Dei