Jesus was the lamp in the heavenly city

JESUS WAS THE LAMP IN THE HEAVENLY CITY
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Revelation21:2323The city does not need the sun or
the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it
light, and the Lamb is its lamp.
The Glory Light: A Sermon ForMidsummer Day
Revelation21:23
S. Conway
And the city had no need of the sun, etc. Todayis the longestday of the year -
the day in which the light of the sun lasts longerthan on any other day. It may
be allowed, therefore, to suggestthoughts concerning that place and time
when the sun shall no longerbe needed, its light being supersededby the light
of the glory of God. Now, it may be that our text is to be takenliterally. What
is here said is clearly not impossible, for there has been the resemblance ofit
already in the most holy place of the tabernacle. But if the sun be really no
longerneeded, then we may believe that there will be -
I. BETTERMEANS THAN THE PRESENTOF REVEALING WHAT IS TO
BE KNOWN. The sun is our revealerhere. Its light is that which makes all
things manifest. All light, artificial as well as natural, comes from one central
sun. Either from the sun's direct rays, as in daylight, or from those rays stored
up in primeval forestproducts, and now liberated againfor our use. But when
we see things in the light of God's glory, we shall see far more than we do now.
Our judgments of what is seenwill, after such vision, be changednot a little.

II. BETTER MEANS OF GROWTH. The sun is such a means. Harvests
spring and ripen beneathits beams. And because "growth" willbelong to the
better world - for we cannotconceive ofan everlasting halt and standstill -
even more than to this, there must be means of growth. The sun here
represents all such means, whether in things material, mental, or moral. But if
these means are superseded, then the glory of God must be - and in things
spiritual we canwell understand this - a better means.
III. AND OF ADORNMENT. It is the sun which, touching, tinges with all
loveliesthues even the dullest and dreariestthings. Out of the dreary rain it
calls forth the gorgeous"bow in the cloud," the seven-hued arch that spans
the heavens, so unspeakablylovely that St. John makes it againand againthe
symbol of the glory that overarches the throne of God. But in the light of
Christ and God, told of here, we shall become spiritually beautiful. Here we
may see all manner of beauty, and remain foul at heart -
"Where every prospectpleases,
And only man is vile." But that light likens those on whom it falls to him from
whom it comes. What, then, is the adornment of the natural sun compared to
that?
IV. AND OF SERVICE. "Work...while it is day: the night cometh, when no
man can work." So, and truly, spoke our Lord. Sunlight and strength alike
fail us, though service needs to be rendered and work waits to be done. So is it
here. But there the essentials ofservice will be present in degree and kind such
as here we have not known.
CONCLUSION.

1. In order to our possessionofall these, we must use the means we have. They
that cannotbear a weak light, will yet less beara strong one.
2. As there are better things provided for us, we may be sure that we shall be
made better likewise, so as to be fit for them. Our future home is a prepared
place for a prepared people. - S.C.
Biblical Illustrator
I saw no temple therein.
Revelation21:22, 23
Heaven, without a temple; why
R. Hall, M. A.
1. A temple is a place setapart for the residence of a Deity. In heaven there is
no temple, no particular place of worship. In Revelation 7. it is said, "they

serve Him in His temple." There heaven itself is the temple mentioned; here it
is meant that no portion in particular could be styled the temple.
2. A temple is a place where particular rites are observed. In Deuteronomy
12:13, it was expresslycommanded that no sacrifices shouldbe offeredbut in
the temple; elsewhere they would be a profanation. But in heaven no place
was setapart for religious services;they might be offered in all parts alike.
3. A temple is a place where the worshippers resortat seasons forworship:
three times a year the Israelites wentup to Jerusalemto appearbefore the
Lord from all parts of the holy land. In heaven there are no stated seasons of
worship; no need to saythere, "Come, let us go up to the house of the Lord":
the inhabitants are everywhere and always engagedin the service and worship
of God.
4. A. temple is set apart from common uses for sacredexercises.In heaven
there is no distinction betweenordinary and religious employments.Lessons:
1. Those must be essentiallydisqualified for heavenwho find no pleasure in
devotion.
2. What a reasonis here why we should improve the seasonsofdevotion, and
especiallythese Sabbath opportunities of religious improvement!
3. Finally, how happy are those that love God and His service!
(R. Hall, M. A.)

No temple in heaven
A. K. H. Boyd, D. D.
The explanation given of how this comes to be does not at the first satisfy us.
We all know that in this world, to say that every day should be kept as a
sabbath, comes to exactly the same thing as having no sabbath at all. Some of
you will think how a certaineminent man, setfree from work after many
years of weary and uncongenialdrudgery, said that he found that where all
your time is holiday, there are no holidays. And yet this is all the comfort
given us in the presence of the statement that in heaven there is no temple. We
are told that there will be no temple in particular, because the place will be all
temple. Now, the somewhatdisappointed feeling that rises at the first glance
at our text comes ofour applying our common worldly ways of thinking to the
better world — to a state of being that transcends our present thoughts. As we
are now, it is only for short isolatedtimes that we can be at our best in the
matter of spiritual mood and holy feeling. But in heaven all this is changed.
And it seems to me as if there were a sudden light castupon the state of the
redeemed, by the brief statement that as for heaven, the happiest and holiest
place in all the universe, there is no temple there. You know, that statement
might, standing by itself, read in either of two quite opposite ways. It might be
the very worst, or the very best, accountof the place of which it is written.
"No temple there," might mean no care about religion at all. "No temple
there," may mean that the whole place is one greattemple; and that the whole
life there is worship; and that the inhabitants are raisedquite above all
earthly imperfections, and above the need of those means which in this world
are so necessaryto keepgrace in the soulalive. All temple would, with
creatures like us, be equivalent to no temple at all. But with glorified souls, it
means that they are always at their best: always holy and happy: always up to
the mark of the noblestcommunion with their Saviour and their God! All this,
however, is but one truth set out by this text. Let us now proceedto an
entirely different view of it. It is something to remind us of the greatfact that
blest souls in heaven are lifted above the need of the means of grace. They
have reachedthe end of all these;and accordinglythe means are neededno
more. You have gotthe goodof them, indeed, but you do not need to use them
now. They were very wellin their time, but their time is gone by. Now, all the

means of grace — and God's house, with its praises, prayers, and
exhortations, among the rest — are just as steps towards heaven. And when
the soulhas reachedheaven their need is over. The church and its services are
no more than the means, and when we canhave the end without the means we
may well be content. You know the scaffolding which the workmenuse in
building up some tall church spire may be very ingenious, may serve its
purpose admirably well; but when the spire is finished you do not propose to
keepthe scaffolding up permanently. And the means of grace, allof them, and
God's house with the others, are no more than as the scaffolding by whose
means the soul is edified. And when the glorified soul has reachedthe highest
attainments of Christian character, and has always within reach the sublimest
depths of Christian feeling and solid enjoyment — as it has in heaven — then
the scaffolding by which it was built up to this may be takendown; the means
of grace, so needful in their time, may be done without, may go.
(A. K. H. Boyd, D. D.)
No temple in heaven
C. H. Parkhurst, D. D.
Our apostle's mind, then, had been Divinely enlarged until the old doctrinal
methods of worship had begun to tell upon him with the powerof a hindrance
and limitation. This prophecy of a city without a temple, like all true
prophecy, is the daughter of unit. It is the attempted escape outof form of a
mind or heart that feels strainedby present limitations. Pressure, suchas it
discovers itselfto be in our unrest, is the impulse outward of a mind that finds
its immediate quarters too small for it, and so moves, or undertakes to move,
into a house that is larger. As we grow we outgrow everything in the way of a
mode and form of worship. Worship up to the time of Christ had centred in
the temple at Jerusalem, a customof Divine origin. Now, St. John had had
that experience of the spiritual characterof God that disclosedto him the
utter incompatibility existing betweentrue worship and any admixture of the
building or house element; and because he realisedthat the temple and
perfect worship are incompatible, he saw that there was sure to be a time

when the temple would be everywhere, and it is thus explained to him. And
this prophecy of his, like all true prophecy, is but the name we give to that
powerby which a Divinely quickened mind rises againstthose restraints by
which its own thoughts and experiences have hitherto been bound. There is a
very important purpose subservedin having the ideal disclosedto us,
although not able to live by it. It gives us a direction like the polar star to the
fugitive escaping towards freedom, and lays down a pathway along which we,
too, may move in the direction of freer life. And the ideal is not only a distant
line of guidance, but instructs by the powerof contrast, for the brighter and
purer it is the more startling the contrastin which the non-ideal is seento
stand to it. I would not try to trust myself, nor would I recommend it to the
most spiritual-minded man or woman among you to trust yourself to any
system of worship or method of religion that is not, in part, formal or
methodical. The fact that some time we are going, we hope, to live in a city
that has no temple, or will need none, has nothing to do with it. The factthat
we already appreciate the incompatibility betweenstereotypedmethods and
places and religion has likewise nothing immediately to do with it. The great
matter of spirituality is what must determine the moral and spiritual law that
is to govern us. People in absenting themselves from the sanctuaryare saying
that, according to the words of the apostle, and even of the Lord Himself,
sanctuary worship makes up no true part of religion. Well, neither is the shell
the true part of the nut, and the nut will not always needthe shell. The
sanctuary and all its form and localappurtenances are not religion, but
simply its encasement, its integument, and is not for its own sake, but for the
sake ofreligion. When religion has become perfectly natural to us — that is to
say, when it is just as natural for us to be religious as it is to be irreligious,
when irreligion has become perfectly unnatural to us, and spiritual-
mindedness a secondinstinct, and obedience to God has become spontaneous,
and adorationbefore Him and the spirit of communion with Him works
within us with the enforced facility of new genius — then, having become ideal
men and able to live an ideal life, we need be amenable only to an ideal law.
Just to the degree that we are dominated by the Divine Spirit, we are free
from the obligations of the studied and the narrowed. But because religionis
going to be a purely spiritual thing some time, or because there are those to
whom it is mostly such now, that is not what it is to us, exceptas we are

ourselves spiritualised. Counting the time, I believe, is no true ingredient of
musical skill, but the factthat an accomplishedmusiciancan keeptime
without counting is no reasonwhy the novice should omit doing so until he has
so progressedthat he can keeptime without counting. As has been said before,
the ideal has no relevancyto us any farther than we ourselves getin the range
with the ideal, and become ourselves idealised. If we are ever competent to live
in an untempled city, it will be because ofour faithful use of the formal we
have graduated out of the necessityofthe formal, just as the grownman's
ability to getalong without parents to control him proceeds from the fidelity
with which he conformedhimself to parental instruction before he became a
man. Fidelity to His sanctuary is God's appointed means of making us free
from the necessityof the sanctuary, and forms faithfully observed, and
methods loyally and devoutly adhered to, are so many appliances Divinely
contrived for reinforcing human infirmity, and for the protection of the
renewedspirit, till that spirit shall have reachedsuchproportions of sanctity
and powerand have become so instilled with the life of God — that is, shall be
competent safelyto determine for itself its own methods, and its expanded
heavenly genius have become within it the secure law of its own individual
spiritual life.
(C. H. Parkhurst, D. D.)
No temple in heaven
James Aitken.
He who witnessedthe glorious vision recordedin this book had doubtless oft
travelled from Galilee to Jerusalemto present himself before the Lord in the
temple. He who had seenand rejoicedin the sight of the earthly Jerusalem
had now a different scene openedbefore him. What would the earthly
Jerusalemhave been without its temple? A body without a soul, a world
without a sun. In the world we have many institutions which are intended for
good, but their very presence is an indication of evil. In going through the
streets of a large city, you often find buildings, some of them like palaces, not
intended for the rich and gay; but, it may be, for orphans, or destitute old

men and women. What a blessedcity that would be where there was no need
of such institutions. And so is the absence ofthe temple the crowning glory of
the Holy Jerusalem. Thatwe may enter more into the meaning of the text, let
us glance at the uses of the temple.
1. It was a meeting-place betweenGodand His people. How grateful ought we
to be that God has appointed to man meeting. places. Are we strengthened,
enlivened, comforted, by meeting with fellow-Christians? If the temple and
the church now be a place for such purposes, how is it that the absence ofa
temple in the heavenly Jerusalemis a mark of its perfection? The history of
our earth tells, when there was no imperfection, no sin ill the world, there was
no temple; there was no need for it. A temple conveys the idea of limiting the
worship of God to a set time and place;and not only that, but it reminds us of
how many places there are where we seldom think of meeting with God. In
heaven there is no temple, because it is not needed. There is no need of a
meeting-place when God dwells among the inhabitants; no need of a temple,
for we shall never be forgetful of Him; no need of getting our hearts anew
enkindled with a devout and heavenly flame when every heart is full of love.
2. The temple a place of reconciliation. If two friends have quarrelled, how
delightful to see them reconciledand walking together!But the very fact of
your saying that they are reconciledshows that they have quarrelled. So it is
in the church and in the temple. You cannot listen, you cannot look upon the
ceremonies, withoutat once learning that man has quarrelled with God; that
he has sinned againstHim, and is now reconciled. But in the New Jerusalem
there is no need of the symbol, or the words that tell man has been reconciled
to God — brought back to God — for he is with God; what need of a place
where friends should come to be reconciled, when they are reconciledalready.
(James Aitken.)
And I saw no temple therein

J. Bannerman, D. D.
I. THE SYMBOLOF THE DIVINE GLORY, WHICH WAS SEEN IN THE
TEMPLE AT JERUSALEM, WILL BE EXCHANGED IN HEAVEN FOR
THE IMMEDIATE PRESENCE OF GOD AND OF CHRIST. There shall be
no display of supernatural light there, such as dwelt in fearful majesty of old
within the holy place of the temple; there shall be no symbol of mysterious
glory, as in the ancient sanctuary, fitted and designedrather to veil the face of
God than to reveal His character;the Almighty will not clothe and hide
Himself, as in former days, with the impenetrable cloud, or the equally
impenetrable brightness. But, without the intervention of any sign or symbol,
or even outward representation, the living God shall be there seenas He is;
the excellentglory that blazed betweenthe cherubim as the representative of
the Divine presence in ancienttimes will give place to the revealedform and
the open face of Jehovah.
II. THE SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS FOR SIN, WHICH FORMED A
PRINCIPALPART OF THE SERVICES OF THE TEMPLE AT
JERUSALEM, WILL BE EXCHANGED IN HEAVEN FOR THE FAVOUR
OF A RECONCILEDGOD AND AN EXALTED REDEEMER. The sacrifice
once presentedon the Cross by the Sonof God Himself has completely taken
awaythe guilt of sin and the Divine wrath that was due to it. The one shedding
of blood upon Calvary has perfectly done what the blood streaming upon a
thousand altars, and shed by ten thousand victims, in former ages, could
never accomplish. There shall be no temple in heaven, in respectthat there
shall be no need of sacrifice orshedding of blood there. But more than this.
We are assuredby the inspired apostle that, in the absence ofany other
temple, "the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb shall be the temple there";
and no small share of the happiness of the redeemed, as we learn from the
passagebefore us, will be that, in exchange for the sacrificesand offerings
presentedfor sin in the ancient temple, the saints of the Lord in heaven shall
enjoy the favour of a reconciledGod, and dwell in the presence ofan exalted
Saviour. And shall not the presence ofthe Lamb in the midst of heaven, the
appearance ofthe crucified Saviour in human form among the multitudes
whom His blood has saved, lend to them an assurance ofpeace andsafety, and

complete acquittal from the guilt of sin, which cannot fail to swelltheir hearts
with more than mortal gladness?
III. THE IMPERFECTREVELATIONS PECULIAR TO THE ANCIENT
TEMPLE AT JERUSALEM WILL BE SUPERSEDED IN THE CELESTIAL
WORLD BY THE FULL KNOWLEDGE OF GOD AND THE REDEEMER.
In this world of sin and imperfection the Christian sees only through a glass
darkly. He sees, therefore,but in part, and he knows but in part. Mortalears
are not capable of hearing the accents ofeternity; and there are sights there
which could not be unveiled to mortal eyes. The angels of heaven"desire to
look into them," and even they look in vain. And the redeemedof the Lord,
when they break away from the confinement of their present condition and
awakento the vastness oftheir future lot, shall enter upon a state of existence
in which new thoughts, new feelings, and new truths concerning God and
concerning the Saviour, shall occupy and enlarge their souls throughout
eternity.
IV. THE PARTICULAR PLACES AND SEASONS, WHICHWERE
PECULIAR TO THE DEVOTIONS OF THE TEMPLE AT JERUSALEM,
WILL BE DONE AWAY WITH IN THE WORSHIP OF HEAVEN. The
many mansions of that celestialcitywill be alike pervaded by the glory of the
Almighty, and alike sanctifiedand gladdened by it. The inhabitants of that
kingdom, which is eternal in the heavens, will not have to wait the slow return
of those annual seasonswhenHis ancient people were invited to appear before
God in Zion, and to hold fellowshipwith the MostHigh in His sanctuary; for
their life will be a seasonofcontinual and endless fellowshipwith their
Maker;and the day of glory which they shall spend in His presence — a day
which has no morning and no night — will be one everlasting and
uninterrupted Sabbath.
(J. Bannerman, D. D.)

The perfectionof the heavenly state
W. Jay.
I. THERE IS NO TEMPLE IN HELL. There is none for the devil. Here he
has innumerable followers;and the Scriptures callhim not only the prince of
this world, to show that they are his subjects, but the god of this world, to
show that they are his worshippers. There are days setapart for his honour,
and places ofworship open for his name. They will soonsee him as he is —
they will see whata wretch they have been serving here; how he has deceived
them — how he has destroyed them; and, after having been their tempter,
proving only their tormentor; and therefore Scripture says, "Theyshall look
upward, and curse their king and their god."
II. THERE IS NO TEMPLE IN HEAVEN.
1. There is no idol temple there.
2. There is no temple there for heresies and error.
3. There is no party temple there.
4. There will be no material temple there.The reasonis, because theywill be
unnecessary. Theyare now in the order of means, but then the end will be
accomplished.
III. NOW THERE ARE TEMPLES ON EARTHWHICH DESERVE OUR
ATTACHMENT AND OUR RESPECT.

1. It is even possible for us to err now on the side of excess. We do this
wheneverwe forgetthat their institutions and ceremonies are not to be
regardedfor their own sake. Theyare not ends, but means; they are not
religion, but the instrumentalities of religion; and these temples, therefore, are
not in all respects essentialto religioneven here.
2. We are more liable to err on the side of deficiency than of excess;and,
therefore, having opposedformality which rests in temples, we must assail
enthusiasm that would rise above them, and despise the things that are not
necessaryin eternity, though important and necessaryhere. Hereafter we
shall live without food and without sleep; but what should we think of a man
who affectedto be spiritual enough to despise these vulgarities now, and to
think that he could live without them? Let us take six views of man, eachof
which will show that, though our temples are to be dispensed with hereafter,
yet that they are important and necessarynow.(1)Let us view man physically.
Let us look at his very constitution; at his nature. It was reservedfor a
philosopher of our own times to prove that the possessionsofthe most
enlargedmind are from ideas originally admitted through the medium of the
senses,orfrom contemplating the operationof our own minds actedupon by
the medium of sensation. And what reasonin the world have we to suppose
that religion will not operate in the same way, and derive benefit from
external things? Now God has acted all along upon the truth of Locke's
principle, and He addresses us chiefly, in His word, by facts. The apostle
spoke of those things which he had seen, and heard, and handled, of the good
word of life. All the observancesofChristianity are founded upon facts which
interest and impress us entirely through the medium of sensationand
reflection.(2)Let us view man as an immortal being, who has deep wants, and
mysterious cravings, which distinguish from all the orders of inferior
creatures, but rendering him the subjectof hopes and fears which nothing
earthly canremove or satisfy. It is only the institutions of religionthat can
meet this hunger.(3) As a depraved being. Who candeny this? Forwhat is the
inference? If he be ignorant, he needs to be instructed; if he be wandering, he
needs to be reclaimed; if he be careless,he requires to be aroused;if he be
averse to duty, he stands in need of every address and motive that can excite

him and influence him. Can religion be safely left to the choice and the
disposition of such a being as this?(4)View man as a renewedbeing. Thus he
is made to differ from others, and from himself. But though he be a changed
creature now, he is not yet a glorified one. He is surrounded with numerous
diversions and temptations; he abounds with much evil. Religionis indeed
planted in him, but then it is an exotic, and a very tender one. Can religion be
kept alive and flourishing in the soul without aid — constantaid?(5) View
man in his civil being. Here you will meet with him among ranks and degrees
of life, and these ranks and degrees of life are proper. The Scripture enforces
an attention to them; no advantage is ever derived from the violation of them.
But then it will be acknowledgedthatthey may become excessive and
injurious, and I ask whatthere is that cancharm them, and sanctify them, like
public worship, where the rich and the poor meet together, etc.(6)Let us view
man publicly, in his connectionwith the State, for whose safetyand for whose
welfare he ought to be concerned. Now, if religion be essentialto the safety
and the welfare of a country, we contend that these institutions, and these
observances, are essentialto religion. And we would ask, What would any
nation, what would any neighbourhood be, if the Sabbath, and if our temples
were given up? How rude, how savage,how insubordinate, how insulting, are
found those in the different parts of the country that are brought up away
from the influence of the means of grace.
(W. Jay.)
The heavenly temple
H. Melvill, B. D.
I. THE USE OF TEMPLES IN MAN'S PRESENT STATE.
II. THE ABSENCE OF TEMPLES FROMMAN'S FUTURE STATE. What
changes then must have passedupon our condition ere temples may be swept
awaywithout injury, nay, rather, with greatbenefit, to vital religion. It tells
me there is no keeping of the earthly Sabbaths, for all its days alike are

holiness to the Lord: and telling me this it also tells me that if once admitted
within the gates ofpearl, and privileged to tread the streets ofgold, I shall be
free from every remainder of corruption; I shall no longer need external
ordinances to remind me of my allegiance, andstrengthen me for conflict; but
that, made equal to the angels, I shall love God without wavering, and serve
God without weariness.It is, however, when we considerchurches as the
places in which we are to gain acquaintance with God, that we find most of
interesting truth in the factthat there is no temple in heaven. Allowed not
direct and immediate intercourse with God, we cannow only avail ourselves
of instituted means, and hope to obtain in the use of ordinances faint glimpses
of that Being who withdraws Himself majesticallyfrom the searchings ofHis
creatures. And we may not doubt that God shall everlastinglycontinue a
mystery to all finite intelligences;so that we look not in the favoured
expatiations of the future for perfect acquaintance with Deity. We rather take
it as a self-evident truth, that God can be comprehensible by none other but
God; and that consequentlythere will always be betweenthe Creatorand the
createdthat immeasurable separationwhich forbids all approachto familiar
inspection. But nevertheless we may not doubt that although God must be
inscrutable even to the angeland the archangel, there are disclosures ofDeity
made to these illustrious orders of being such as we ourselves are neither
permitted nor qualified to enjoy. The manifestation of Godhead in that to us
unknown region which we designate heaven, and to those ranks of
subsistences whichwe believe associatedhighestin the scale ofcreation, must
be, we are sure, of that intenseness andthat vividness which give to
intercourse the characterof direct and personalcommunion. To such
manifestations we ourselves are privileged to expectadmission. It shall not be
needful in order to advance in acquaintance with the Deity, that the saints
gather themselves into a material sanctuary, and hearkento the teaching of
one of their brethren, and partake of sacramentalelements. Theycan go to
the fountain head, and therefore require not those channels through which
riving streams were before time transmitted. Presentwith the Lord, they need
no emblem of his presence:faith having given place to sight, the apparatus of
outward ordinances vanishes, like the shadows ofthe law when the substance
had appeared.

(H. Melvill, B. D.)
The negative glory of heaven
Homilist.
I. IN THAT WORLD THERE IS NO SPECIALITY IN THE FORMS OF
RELIGIOUS WORSHIP. A city without a temple would strike the common
notions of men as atheistic. To the Jewishmind especiallyit would give the
idea of a city to be avoided and denounced. Still, whatevermight be the
popular notions of men about temples, with their methods of worship:
1. Their existence implies spiritual blindness and imperfection, they are
remedies for evils.
2. Their history shows that men, in many instances, have turned them to a
most injurious account. They have nourished superstition; men have confined
the idea of sacredness andworship and God to these buildings. They have
nourished sectarianism. Whenit is said, therefore, that there is no temple in
heaven, it does not mean that there will be no worship in heaven, but that
there will be no temple like that on earth; always implying imperfections. The
reasonassignedforthe non-existence of a temple in heaven is a very
wonderful one, "The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it."
God and His Holy Son are not only the objects of heavenly worship, but the
very temple of devotion. All there feel, not only that they have to render to
God and His Son worship, but they are in them in the worship.
II. IN THAT WORLD THERE IS NO NECESSITYFOR SECOND-HAND
KNOWLEDGE. The fountain of all light is God Himself. He is the Father of
lights. Here, like Job, we hear of God by the hearing of the ear, there we shall
see Him as He is, and be like Him. He will be the light, the clear, direct,

unbounded medium, through which we shall see ourselves,our fellow
worshippers, and the universe.
III. IN THAT WORLD THERE WILL BE NO APPREHENSION OF
DANGER FROM ANY PART. "And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by
day: for there shall be no night there." No fear of temptation; here we are
bound to watchand pray lest we fall into temptation. Why? Because ofthe
greateramount of motive that now exists in heavento bind the virtuous to
virtue, the Christian to Christ, the godly to God.
1. There is a motive from the contrastbetweenthe present and the past.
2. There is the motive from the appearance ofthe Lamb in the midst of the
throne. There is no fear of affliction; we are told there "shallbe no sorrow,
nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain."
IV. THAT IN THAT WORLD THERE WILL BE NONE OF THE
INCONVENIENCESOF DARKNESS. "There shallbe no night there."
1. Night interrupts our vision. It hides the world from our view, and is the
symbol of ignorance. The world is full of existence and beauty, but night hides
all.
2. Night interrupts our labour. We go forth unto our labour until the evening.
V. THAT IN THAT WORLD THERE WILL BE NO ADMISSION OF
IMPURITY OF ANY KIND. "And there shall in no wise enter into it any

thing that defileth, neither whatsoeverworkethabomination, or maketha lie;
but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."
(Homilist.)
The mission of the temple accomplished
John Thomas, M. A.
The first of these ideas is that of speciallocalmanifestations of God's presence
and power. This idea was strongly suggestedby the ancient Jewishtemple,
and particularly by the Shechinah which always blazed above the mercy-seat.
It was the earthly palace of the heavenly King, where He held His earthly
court. This temporary idea was necessaryfor the development of the human
sense ofthe Divine presence onthe earth, as the scaffolding is required for the
constructionof a building, or a ladder may be needed to reach the summit of a
cliff. The spiritual sense of humanity was not sufficiently developed to see the
glory of God everywhere and in everything, to behold every common bush
afire with God. Only a greatspiritual eye can read the name of God in the
common everyday writing of human history. In order that men should see it
at all it was necessaryto write it here and there in great capitals. Justas a
man pursuing his way in the midst of gathering electric forces may know
nothing of them until the lightning flashes bright from the thick cloud, so men,
as yet untrained to feelthe invisible, would have become regardless,and
perchance ignorant, of the Divine presence were it not for its specialand
pronounced manifestation in the "temple" and other holy places. The attempt
to force men at once to recogniseanequal Divine presence everywhere would
have resulted in their not recognising it anywhere. In the interminable and
pathless jungle of human life they would forget a God that might be present
everywhere but was conspicuous nowhere.
(John Thomas, M. A.)

The God-enlightenedcity
E. Payson, D. D.
—
The God-enlightenedcity: —
I. The principal purpose here mentioned, for which the heavenly bodies were
created, and for which we need them in this lowerworld is, TO GIVE LIGHT
UPON THE EARTH. But agreeable andnecessaryas they are to us, the New
Jerusalemneeds them not for this purpose; for the glory of Goddoth lighten
it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. The unfathomable flood of light and
glory which unceasinglyflows from the Father, is collectedand concentrated
in the personof His Son; for He is the brightness of the Father's glory and the
express image of His person. Heaven is, therefore, illuminated not only with
God's glory, but with the brightness of His glory, with the most dazzling
effulgence of Divine, uncreated light, a light which enlightens and cheers the
soul as well as the body. Of the nature and degree of this light, who but the
happy beings that enjoy it can form any conception? As the inhabitants of
heaven will not need the light of createdluminaries, so, we may add, they will
no more need the assistanceofhuman teachers, orof the means of grace.
Little do they need human teachers, who know incomparably more of Divine
things than all the prophets and apostles united knew, while here below. Little
do they need the Bible, who have foreverescapedall its threatenings, who are
enjoying all its promises, who intuitively understand all its doctrines, and who
have arrived at that heaven to which it points out the way.
II. Another purpose for which God formed the sun was, we are told, TO
DIVIDE THE DAY FROM THE NIGHT. To creatures constitutedas we are,
the vicissitude of day and night, which is thus produced by the sun, is equally
necessaryand agreeable;and we ought ever to acknowledgethe wisdom and
goodness to which it is owing. Our bodies and our minds are soonfatigued,
and indispensably require the refreshment of sleep. But we may easily

perceive that it would be a greatprivilege to be freed from the necessityof
sleeping, and especiallyfrom that subjectionto wearinessand fatigue which
occasionthe necessity. Do the rays of light grow wearyin their flight from the
sun? or does the thunder-bolt need to pause and seek refreshment in the midst
of its career? As little do the inhabitants of heaven become wearyin praising
and enjoying God. As little do they need refreshment or repose;for their
spiritual bodies will be far more active and refined than the purest light; and
their labour itself will be the sweetestrest.
III. Another purpose for which the heavenly bodies were createdwas TO
SERVE FOR SIGNS, AND FOR THE REGULATION OF THE SEASONS.
In this, as in other respects, they are eminently useful to a world like ours. The
heat of the sun is no less necessarythan its light; but the convenience and
happiness of man require that this heat should be communicated to us in
different degrees atdifferent periods. But howevernecessarythe celestial
luminaries may be for signs and seasons onearth, they are needed for neither
of these purposes by the inhabitants of heaven. They need no pole starto
guide their rapid flight through the immeasurable oceanof etherealspace;for
God, their sun, is everywhere, and where He is, there is heaven; there they are
at home. They need no signs to warn them of approaching storms, or
impending dangers;for they enjoy uninterrupted sunshine and perpetual
peace.
IV. Another purpose for which the heavenly bodies were createdwas TO
SHOW THE FLIGHT, AND MARK THE DIVISIONS OF TIME. But though
such divisions of time, as days and years, are thus necessaryonearth, they will
be perfectly needless to the inhabitants of heaven. With them, time has ended
and eternity begun; and eternity neither needs, nor is capable of division.
They know with the utmost certainty that their happiness will never, never
end. Why then should they wish to know, what possible advantage could it be
to them to know, at any given period, how many days or years had passed
awaysince they arrived in heaven?

(E. Payson, D. D.)
The light of the New Jerusalem
H. Bonar, D. D.
I. IT IS PECULIAR LIGHT. There is none like it. Its blaze is not earthly. Yet
it is truly light for men. It is Divine, but it is also human. All createdand all
uncreated brilliance is concentratedin it. The Man Christ Jesus is there. God
over all is there.
II. IT IS UNCHANGING LIGHT. He from whom it emanates is the same
yesterday, to-day, and for ever. Here there is no rising nor setting; no
clouding nor eclipsing.
III. IT IS FESTALLIGHT. The feastis spread; the marriage of the Lamb is
come, and His wife hath made herself ready.
IV. IT IS ALL-PERVADING LIGHT. It is not confined to a few favoured
dwellings; to one regionof the city. The whole city shall be full of fight.
V. IT IS THE LIGHT OF LIFE. It is living light, fife-giving light; not dead
and inert like that of our sun, and moon, and stars, but living; instinct with
fife, and health, and immortality. It fills the whole man with life — body, soul,
and spirit.
VI. IT IS THE LIGHT OF LOVE. Forthat name, "the Lamb," contains
within it the revelation of the love of God. That lamp, which is the Lamb, then
must be love; its light must be the light of redeeming love.

(H. Bonar, D. D.)
Christ the light of heaven
C. Bradley, M. A.
I. WHAT CHRIST IS IN HEAVEN. He is the Son of Man, it says;for it calls
Him "the Lamb," the same name that was applied to Him in His human
nature on earth, and a name which will not admit of being applied to Him as
the everlasting God. It involves in it an idea, not at variance with divinity, but
yet quite foreignto it. Further, this name sets Him forth as retaining in
heaven the marks of His sufferings on earth. This teaches us not only the
blessedtruth that we shall see in heaven the Saviour who bled for us, but that
we shall see Him as the Saviour who bled for us; we shall never look on Him
without beholding in Him that which will remind us of His dying love. But
again— our Lord is styled also in this text "the glory of God." I say, our Lord
is so styled, because it seems quite evident that the glory of God and the Lamb
mean here one and the same object. The apostle evidently speaks as though by
God and the Lamb he meant the same Person;as though he could not
separate them in his mind; as though, in fact, they had been presented to him
in this vision but as one object, and were but one object. And we are to infer
more from this, than that the ascendedJesus is acknowledgedin heavento be
God and Lord; we are warranted to infer that no other God or Lord is seenor
thought of in heaven; and more also — that Christ's human nature is as
complete a manifestation of the Divine glory as even heavenitself can
understand or bear.
II. WHAT CHRIST IS TO HEAVEN. He is in it as the Son of Man, the once
crucified Son of Men, the glory of God; He is to it a light, and all the light it
has. There are two ideas generallyconnectedwith the word "light" in
Scripture, when used in a spiritual sense — one primary idea, knowledge,
because light shows us things as they are; and then a secondaryidea, joy,
because a right knowledge ofspiritual things imparts joy. When therefore we

are told that there is light in heaven, that God dwells in light there, that the
inheritance of the saints there is an inheritance in light, we are to understand
that heaven is a world of knowledge, andsuch knowledge as gives rise to
pleasure and joy; that we shall not lose our characteras intellectual beings
there; that our minds and understandings will go with us to heaven, and be
calledinto exercise in heaven, and have everything brought before them that
can expand, and elevate, and delight them. But whence is this knowledge to
come? The text tells us. It traces it, observe, to the glorified Jesus as its source.
God in Christ, it says, and in Christ as the Son of Man, is the author of it.
"The city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it." In this
imperfect state of the Church, we need the sun and the moon, all the help we
can obtain. We want the assistanceof createdthings to impart knowledge and
joy to us — Scriptures, and ministers, and sacraments, and ordinances. But
not so in heaven.
III. THE GREATNESSOF THIS HEAVENLY HAPPINESS. This is
evidently the point to which the text is intended to bring us. Its design is to
show us how much happier a world heaven is than earth, and how much
happier the Church in heavenis than the Church on earth. It supposes, you
observe, the Church to have some blessedness here. It has its sun and it has its
moon, some sources ofknowledge and joy, and these quite sufficient, not to
meet its desires, but to answerthe purposes of its present condition. But then
it implies that these sink into nothing, when compared with the light which
will shine on it, the knowledge andjoy which will be imparted to it in the
heavenly city.
1. The light that flows immediately from Christ in glory, is clearerand
brighter than any ether light can be. There is more of it, and what there is of it
is of a purer nature.

2. The knowledge we shall have in heaven is not only more accurate than any
we can attain here, it is a knowledge more easilyacquired. How difficult do we
sometimes find it now to lay hold of Divine truth! What a process we are
obliged to pass through in order to arrive at a clearcomprehensionof the
simplest truths of the gospel!Now in heaven a glance will teachyou.
Knowledge will flow like a stream into our minds, and bring happiness with it,
and this every moment, and this for ever, without mixture, without
interruption, withoutend.
(C. Bradley, M. A.)
The Lamb -- the light
C. H. Spurgeon.
In that millennial state of which the text speaks,JesusChrist is to be the light
thereof, and all its glory is to proceedfrom Him; and if the text speaketh
concerning heaven and the blessednesshereafter, allits light, and blessings,
and glory, streamfrom Him: "The Lamb is the light thereof."
I. THE MILLENNIAL PERIOD. Jesus, in a millennial age, shallbe the light
and the glory of the city of the new Jerusalem.
1. Observe, then, that Jesus makes the light of the millennium, because His
presence will be that which distinguishes that age from the present. That age
is to be akin to paradise. It is true we have the presence ofChrist in the
Church now — "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."
We have the promise of His constantindwelling: "Where two or three are
gatheredtogetherin My name, there am I in the midst of them." But still that
is vicariously by His Spirit, but soonHe is to be personally with us.

2. The presence of Christ it is which will be the means of the peace ofthe age.
In that sense Christ will be the light of it, for He is our peace. It will be
through His presence that the lion shall cat straw like an ex, that the leopard
shall lie down with the kid.
3. Again, Christ's presence is to that period its specialinstruction. When He
comes, superstitionwill not need an earnesttestimony to confute it — it will
hide its head. Idolatry will not need the missionary to preach againstit — the
idols He shall utterly abolish, and castthem to the moles and bats.
4. Once again, Christ will be the light of that period in the sense of being its
glory. Think of the splendour of that time! Oh! to be present and to see Him in
His own light, the King of kings, and Lord of lords!
II. THE STATE OF THE GLORIFIED IN HEAVEN ITSELF, "The city hath
no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it."
1. The inhabitants of the better world are independent of creature comforts.
We have no reasonto believe that they daily pray, "Give us this day our daily
bread." Their bodies shall dwell in perpetual youth. They shall have no need
of raiment; their white robes shall never wearout, neither shall they ever be
defiled.
2. While in heaven, it is clearthat the glorified are quite independent of
creature aid, do not forget that they are entirely dependent for their joy upon
Jesus Christ. He is their sole spiritual light. They have nothing else in heaven
to give them perfect satisfactionbut Himself. The language here used, "the
Lamb is the light thereof," may be read in two or three ways. By your
patience, let us so read it. In heavenJesus is the light in the sense of joy, for

light is ever in Scripture the emblem of joy. Darknessbetokens sorrow, but
the rising of the sun indicates the return of holy joy. Christ is the joy of
heaven. Another meaning of light in Scripture is knowledge.Ignorance is
darkness. Oh! what manifestations of God there will be! Dark dealings of
providence which you never understood before will then be seenwithout the
light, of a candle or of the sun. Many doctrines puzzled you; but there all will
be simple.
III. THE HEAVENLY MAN'S STATE MAY BE SET FORTHIN THESE
WORDS. First, then, even on earth the heavenly man's joy does not depend
upon the creature. In a certainsense we can sayto-day that "the city hath no
need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it." As we can do without
these two most eminent creatures, so we canbe happy without other earthly
blessings. Our dear friends are very precious to us — we love our wife and
children, our parents and our friends, but we do not need them. May God
spare them to us I but if they were taken, it does not come to a matter of
absolute need, for you know there is many a Christian who has been bereft of
all, and he thought, as the props were takenawayone after another, that he
should die of very grief; but he did not die, his faith surmounted every wave,
and he still rejoices in his God. We finish by observing that such a man,
however, has great need of Christ — he cannot geton without Christ. We can
do without light, without friendship, without life, but we cannot live without
our Saviour,
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
The light of the city
John Thomas, M. A.
"And the city hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine upon it."
The sun and the moon are obviously the symbols of earthly resources. It is not

through the city's sun and moon that God will flood her streets with the light
of the jasperstone. It is not through the development of knowledge, the
progress ofthought, and the growth of the Arts, that God will raise city and
State to an ideal condition. The impartation of God's glory to the earth is not
dependent upon sun and moon. "The city hath no need of the sun." The
"jasper" gloryis obtained by direct communication with God. It is imparted
immediately by the Divine Spirit to the spirit of man, and canonly be received
by spiritual trust and personaldevotion. The "jasper" brightness will give
new splendour to sun and moon, but the latter cannever create the former.
(John Thomas, M. A.)
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(23) And the city had no need of the sun . . .—Rather, And the city hath not
need of the sun, nor of the moon that they should shine on (or, for) her; for the
glory of God enlightened her, and her lamp is the Lamb. The Shechinahis
againalluded to. Light is the emblem of knowledge and holiness. Godis light,
and in Him is no darkness at all (1John 1:5). Christ the Lamb, came as the
Light of the World. Now in the heavenly Jerusalemis the light seenas a lamp
that burneth. The imagery is drawn from Isaiah. “The sun shall be no more
thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee;
but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory”
(Isaiah 60:19). No more will there be neededsubsidiary or intermediate
luminaries. He who makes the righteous to shine like stars, and causes His
churches to shine like lights in the world, will be Himself the Light and Sun of
His people:they shall see Him as He is. It is againto be noticed that the
emblem of the Lamb is used to describe our Lord in this verse, and in the last,
as it was also in Revelation21:14. The memory of Christ’s work on earth is
never obliterated: still in the intense splendour and joy of that city of light the

remembrance of Him who was led as a lamb to the slaughter gives depth and
fulness to its joy.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
21:22-27 Perfectand direct communion with God, will more than supply the
place of gospelinstitutions. And what words can more full express the union
and co-equality of the Son with the Father, in the Godhead? What a dismal
world would this be, if it were not for the light of the sun! What is there in
heaven that supplies its place? The glory of God lightens that city, and the
Lamb is the Light thereof. God in Christ will be an everlasting Fountain of
knowledge and joy to the saints in heaven. There is no night, therefore no
need of shutting the gates;all is at peace and secure. The whole shows us that
we should be more and more led to think of heavenas filled with the glory of
God, and enlightened by the presence of the Lord Jesus. Nothing sinful or
unclean, idolatrous, or false and deceitful, canenter. All the inhabitants are
made perfect in holiness. Now the saints feela sad mixture of corruption,
which hinders them in the service of God, and interrupts their communion
with him; but, at their entrance into the holy of holies, they are washedin the
laver of Christ's blood, and presented to the Father without spot. None are
admitted into heaven who work abominations. It is free from hypocrites, such
as make lies. As nothing unclean can enter heaven, let us be stirred up by
these glimpses of heavenly things, to use all diligence, and to perfect holiness
in the fear of God.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it - This
imagery seems to be derived from Isaiah9:19-20. See notes on those verses.
No language could give a more striking or beautiful representationof the
heavenly state than what is here employed.
For the glory of God did lighten it - By the visible splendor of his glory. See
the notes on Revelation21:11. That supplied the place of the sun and the
moon.

And the Lamb is the light thereof - The Son of God; the Messiah. Seethe
Revelation5:6 note; Isaiah 60:19 note.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
23. in it—so Vulgate. But A, B, and Andreas read, "(shine) on it," or literally,
"for her."
the light—Greek, "the lamp" (Isa 60:19, 20). The direct light of God and the
Lamb shall make the saints independent of God's creatures, the sun and
moon, for light.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
The sun and the moon are the two greatluminaries of the world, which God
hath made, the one to rule the day, the other to rule the night; in heaven there
will be no need of any of these.
Light, in Scripture, (in its metaphorical notion), signifies knowledge or
comfort; there will in heaven be no need of any createdbeings, to help us to
either of these;God and Christ shall there fill the souls of his saints with
knowledge and joy not to be expressed.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it,....
Which may be understood either literally of these two luminaries, which all
earthly cities need; and which, though they may be in being in the new
heavens, yet will not have the use with respectto this city they now have. The
Jews say(u), the orb of the sun is in this world; and the gloss adds, but not in
the future state, for the lights shall be renewed: and they further say (w), as
here, that

"in the world to come, "Israel, will have no need of the light of the sun, nor of
the light of the moon", neither by day nor by night,''
as they say (x), the Israelites had not in the wilderness. So they representthe
Lord speaking to Moses, and saying (y),
"thy days shall cease, but thy light shall not cease;for thou shall have no need
for everof the light of the sun, nor of the light of the moon, and of the stars.''
Or else it may be understoodmystically, but not of Christ, the sun of
righteousness, whomthe saints will always need and enjoy; but of the
governors and discipline of the church in its present state;and of the written
word, which is a light unto them now, and the ministration of it, and the
ordinances of the Gospel, by which light and knowledge are conveyed;but in
this state all will be immediately taught of God; nor shall everyone teachhis
neighbour, but all shall know the Lord perfectly; and also of political
governors, who will be no more; see 1 Corinthians 15:24.
For the glory of God did lighten it; the Shekinah, or glorious presence ofGod,
which filled the temple of Solomon, and shone round about the shepherds at
the incarnation of Christ; with the presence ofGod, who is light itself, which
will be enjoyed in a much more glorious manner, will the church now be
enlightened; and this will be an everlasting light unto her: and the Lamb is the
light thereof; in whose light they will see the face of God, and see Godface to
face;they will see Christ as he is, and behold his glory; and look upon the
angels, those glorious forms of light, and all the glorified saints, and know and
converse with eachother; and they will look into, and clearly discernall the
mysteries and doctrines of grace, andall the various scenes ofProvidence,
which will all be opened and laid before them. And this light will be always
without any change and variation; which is no small part of the

commendation of this city, which is the inheritance of the saints in light. So
the holy blessedGod is said by the Jews (z) to be , "the light of Jerusalem";he
is the light of the new Jerusalem;see Isaiah60:19 and the light of, the world to
come is, by (a) them, called"the greatlight".
(u) T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 101. 1.((w)Raziel, fol. 17. 2.((x) Yalkut Simeoni,
par. 2. fol. 57. 2.((y) PetiratMoseh, fol. 23. 2.((z) Yalkut Simeoni, par. 2. fol.
57. 2. & 98. 1.((a) BenGorion apud Aben Ezram in Psal. xlix. 19.
Geneva Study Bible
{16} And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it:
for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
(16) The secondform of particular description (as I said) see Geneva Re 21:12
from exterior and outward actions which are these, light from God himself, to
this verse glory from men, Re 21:24. Finally such truth and incorruption of
glory Re 21:26 as can bear and abide with it, nothing that is inglorious, Re
21:27.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Expositor's Greek Testament
Another fulfilment of the O.T. ideal (Isaiah 60:19-20). It is a Jewish-Christian
symbol for Paul’s thought—God shall be all and in all. So in 4 Ezra 7 :[42] at
the lastjudgment there is neither sun nor moon nor any natural light, “but
only the splendour of the glory of the MostHigh”. “As the sun of
righteousness Christhas been able to vanquish the solinuictus of the Roman
Cæsar-cultus” (Usener, Gôtternamen, p. 184). A cruder form of the idea
occurs in the pseudo-Philonic Biblic. Antiquit. where “non erat necessarium
lumen (for the night-march), ita exsplendebat genuinum lapidum lumen” (i.e.,

of the jewels on the Amorite idols), jewels which were replacedby twelve
precious stones eachengravedwith the name of one of the twelve tribes.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
23. no need of the sun &c.]Isaiah 60:19. It is impossible to say whether it is
here meant that the sun and moon do not shine, or only that the city is not
dependent on them.
the light thereof]The word is that commonly rendered candle or lamp. This
makes it unlikely that the analogyis meant to be suggested, that the Lord God
is the Sun of the city, and the Lamb the Moon.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 23. - And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine
in it; hath no need. So Isaiah60:19, 20, "The sun shall be no more thy light by
day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord
shall be unto thee an everlasting Light, and thy God thy Glory." Forthe glory
of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the Light thereof. The glory of God (cf.
ver. 11). No distinction is to be made betweenGod and the Lamb; both are the
Light (cf. John 1:5).
Vincent's Word Studies
The glory of God did lighten it
Compare Isaiah 60:19, Isaiah60:20.
The light (ὁ λύχνος)
Rev., better, lamp. See on John 5:35.

PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
THOMAS CONSTABLE
Verse 23
Evidently there will be no sun and moon (and stars)in the new heaven
because God"s glorywill illuminate the whole earth (cf. Isaiah 60:19). The
need for createdlight sources will end when the CreatorHimself lives among
His people. God illuminated the camp of Israelwith His presence in the pillar
of fire, and He lit the holy of holies with His presence betweenthe cherubim.
He will similarly dispel all darkness of all kinds in the new city. The Lamb is
the radiance of the Father"s glory( Hebrews 1:3), but the Fatheris also the
light ( Revelation22:5).
"It truly will be the Jesus Christ Light and PowerCompany then." [Note:
McGee, 5:1072.]
Arno Gaebelein's Annotated Bible
And there was no temple in that city; the Lord GodAlmighty and the Lamb
are the temple of it. There is no need any longer of a certain access into the
presence ofGod, as it was on earth, but there is a free and unhindered
fellowship with Godand with His ever-blessedSon, the Lamb. Precious it is to
hear Him againmentioned as the Lamb. His blessedwork which He
accomplishedcannever be forgottenby the saints in glory. And the light is not
createdlight, but the light is the glory of God and the lamp thereof is the

Lamb. The glory of God and Christ, the Lamb of God, will be the light and
supersede all createdlight.
TONY GARLAND
Revelation21:23 Open Bible at Rev. 21:23 Listen to Rev. 21:23
The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it
Although most take this passageto indicate there will be no more sun or
moon, the passage neednot preclude the existence ofthe sun and moon. It
merely indicates that the city had no need of their light because of the
Shekinahglory of God in the midst of the city.
The form of expressionwould not make impossible the existence of the sun
and the moon, as this scripture merely says there is no need of them.70
Neither the sun nor the moon will ever really be destroyed, of course, since
God has promised that they, as wellas all the starry heavens, will endure
forever (Psalm148:3-6;Daniel 12:3‣ ). It is just that their light is no longer
needed to illumine the holy city, for the city itself radiates light to all the
surrounding regions (Rev. 21:24‣ ). However, the sun and moon will continue
to serve their present functions with respectto the nether regions of the earth,
serving there as lights by day and night, respectively.71
It is difficult to be dogmatic as to whether the sun and moon will necessarily
exist in the eternalstate. It may be that there is no sun and moon, as in the
early part of creationweek.72“The city will be bright enough to supply
illumination for the whole new creation (Alford, Lee).”73 Godcreatedlight on

the first day (Gen. 1:3), but the sun and moon were not createduntil the
fourth day (Gen. 1:14):
On the fourth day the luminaries were made; because God, who possesses
foreknowledge, knew the follies of the vain philosophers, that they were going
to say, that the things which grow on the earth are produced from the
heavenly bodies, so as to exclude God. In order, therefore, that the truth
might be obvious, the plants and seeds were produced prior to the heavenly
bodies, for what is posteriorcannot produce that which is prior.—Theophilus
of Antioch74
Here we see one of the primary characteristics ofthe eternal state:it stands as
the restorationof many things from the early creation. See Genesis and
Revelationas Bookends.
Severalpassagesuse the sun and moon as witnesses ofeternalpromises:
Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light by day, the ordinances of
the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, and its
waves roar(The LORD of hosts is His name): “If those ordinances depart
from before Me, says the LORD, then the seedof Israelshall also ceasefrom
being a nation before Me forever.” Thus says the LORD: “If heavenabove
can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searchedout beneath, I will
also castoff all the seedof Israelfor all that they have done, says the LORD.”
(Jer. 31:35-37)[emphasis added]
“Once I have sworn by My holiness;I will not lie to David: His seedshall
endure forever, And his throne as the sun before Me; it shall be established
forever like the moon, even [like] the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah. (Ps.
89:35-37)[emphasis added]
These passagestie God’s faithfulness in promises regarding Israel and the
Davidic throne to the continuance of the sun and moon: “It shall be

establishedforever like the moon.” Whether these promises are meant to
extend only to the end of the present order (Rev. 21:1‣ )or beyond into the
eternal order is difficult to determine. The specifics of these promises may no
longerpertain after the Millennial Kingdom, once Israel’s promises have been
fulfilled and the Lamb’s Davidic throne is merged with the Father’s throne
(Rev. 22:3‣ ). The reliance of these promises on the sun and moon may infer
their continued existence in the eternalstate.
Another piece of evidence which points to the continuance of the moon in the
eternal state is the tree of life. The tree is said to yield its fruit every month
(Rev. 22:2‣ ). Month is μῆνα [mēna]: “using the moon’s cycle as a measure of
time month (Luke 1:24); in reference to religious festivals held at the time of
the new moon new moon (Gal. 4:10).”75 Mentionof a monthly cycle implies
that the moon may still be presentand continue to serve for “signs and
seasons”(Gen. 1:14). The existence ofthe moon for calendricalreasons would
imply the continuance of the sun as well, since the moon reflects the light of
the sun.
the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.
Isaiahsaw a day, after the punishment of the “hostof exaltedones” (probably
fallen angels), when the brightness of the Shekinahglory would make the
moon disgracedand the sun ashamed(Isa. 24:23). Now, the glory of the Lord
serves in their stead. Whether or not the sun and moon actually ceaseto exist,
the Shekinahglory of God will serve in their place in the city and its vicinity:
The sun shall no longerbe your light by day, nor for brightness shall the
moon give light to you; but the Lord will be to you an everlasting light, and
your God your glory. Your sun shall no longer go down, nor shall your moon
withdraw itself; for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and the days of
your mourning shall be ended. (Isa. 60:19-20)
Similarly, the glory of the Lord illuminated the holy of holies within the
original Tabernacle:

The dwelling-place of God’s glory in the Tabernacle and the Temple on earth
had no light of sun or moon; for the Shechinah or glory of God was
sufficient.76
What has happened? Man has been brought fully into the holy of holies which
is lit only by God’s glory! Again, we see the emphasis on the communion of
man with a holy God. There is no longer any separationofany sort because
sin has been completely done awaywith. This is why there was still a
Millennial Temple during the thousand years, but not Temple building in the
New Jerusalem. In the Millennium, sin still existed (Isa. 65:20; Rev. 20:7-
10‣ ).
In our own day, the Lamb serves as the spiritual light bringing revelationto
men (Luke 2:32; John 1:4-5; 8:12). “Godis light and in Him is no darkness at
all” (1Jn. 1:5). God’s glory had been seenin the millennial Jerusalem, but the
New Jerusalemwill eclipse everything from the previous order:
Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen
upon you. Forbehold, the darkness shallcover the earth, and deep darkness
the people;but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seenupon
you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your
rising. (Isa. 60:1-3)
OLIVER GREENE
In verse 23 we have the sixth new thing: “And the city had no need of the sun,
neither of the
moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the
light thereof.”

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” Where Jesus is there can be no
darkness, and there
will be no darkness in eternity. There will be no morning, noon and night, but
one long day of
eternal light, eternal glory, eternalbliss. Jesus and God will be the light - not
only of the Pearly
white City, but of all things made new. Shekinah glory will illuminate every
square inch of all
things made new.
FLOYD HITCHCOCK
The ShekinahGlory of God Will Be There
It is indeed interesting to know that such a large city arrangedin such a
glorious manner will have no need of artificial lights such as we have now in
this present dispensation. Imagine, if you can, the very Shekinahglory of God
shining at the top of the pyramid of this greatcity, with such brightness and
glory that all the city will be lighted by it, so that there will be no need for any
other kind of light whatsoever. Thus, my friends, we see that the presence of
God and the Lamb will make that city bright with their glory, so that it will be
a beautiful and a glorious place for the saints of God to dwell in.
F. B. HOLE

Verses Revelation21:22-23 unfold to us that wherein the glory of the city
consists. The earthly Jerusalemof the millennial age will have the Temple of
Jehovahas its crowning glory. Ezekielsees this in vision, and records it and
the measurements of it in Ezekiel40:1-49—48. The gloryof the heavenly
Jerusalemis that it has no temple for the Lord GodAlmighty and the Lamb
are the Temple of it, that is, there They shine in Their glory without the
necessityofa covering or screen. In “Lord God Almighty” we have reference
to the three names under which God was revealedin Old Testamenttimes,
and with Him is coupled on equal terms the once humbled Lamb, depreciated
and setat nought by men. There is no mention of God as Father here, but that
is, we judge, because the emphasis is not on the relationship, in which the
church is set, but on the administration, which is committed to it.
Amongst men administration is so often a failure by reasonofunrighteousness
or ignorance. Here all is marked by the perfect light of God. The glory of God
illuminates the city, and the “light,” or more accurately“lamp” of it is the
Lamb. In Him the light will be concentratedand made available for the city.
All natural light is supersededand no longerneeded there. Verse Revelation
21:24 shows that though the light has its seatin the city it is diffused upon
earth so that the savednations enjoy it. All their activities will be governedby
it, and thus we see how at lastheaven and earth shall be brought into sweet
accord, as was hinted in Hosea 2:21, Hosea 2:22.
But just as the light of Godstreams out of the heavenly city so into it shall
flow the glory and honour of the kings of the earth and of the nations. In
Revelation17:2, we saw the kings of the earth trafficking with the false
Babylon before the advent of Christ. They have now departed to their doom,
as also the nations who forgot God. The kings and nations of our chapter are
those who have passedinto millennial blessednessin happy subjectionto the
Lord. Heavenly light shines forth upon them and glory and honour streams
back into the city from them on earth. Here is a scene portrayed which may
well enrapture every heart; only to be exceededby the joys of the city itself.

HARRY IRONSIDE
On earth the church is pictured as a holy temple unto the Lord. In that day
there will be no temple seen, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the
temple (22). Nearness to Godwill characterize every saint. None will be shut
out. Our Lord said, “Thouhast loved them as thou hast loved me” (John
17:23). So we can sing even now,
So near, so very near to God,
I could not nearerbe;
For in the personof His Son,
I am as near as He.
When we gethome there will be no separating veil and there will be no outer
court beyond which we dare not come. We will all be at home with God and
the Lamb forevermore. That city will have no need of createdlight-bearers,
such as sun and moon to shine in it. These lights are for this world, not for
that which is to come. The glory of God will be the light displayed everywhere,
and the Lamb Himself will be the lamp. For the rendering, “the Lamb is the
light” hardly conveys the full thought. The glory of God is the light, and the
Lamb is the One on whom that glory is centralized. He is the lamp from which
it all shines. The glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus is our light even now.

It is a light that has pierced our darkened hearts, and we will enjoy that light
eternally in the home of the saints above. The nations who are spared to enter
the millennial kingdom will walk in its light. All earth’s rulers will bring their
glory and honor to that throne city and light their tapers at that celestialfire.
The gates, we are told, will not be shut at all by day, and night will be
unknown there (25). I do not dwell on this now, for we have the same
expressionrepeatedin the next chapter. In that city of holiness and blessing,
no unclean thing will ever enter in to defile. No deceiving serpent will enter
into that paradise of God, nor any who display kinship with Satan, the father
of lies. Only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life; those who have
judged themselves in the presence of God; those who have put their trust in
Him who shed His precious blood for our sins on that cross ofshame may rest
assuredthat in His book their names are written even now. Their names will
be displayed there in the holy city.
J HAMPTON KEATHLEY III
THE LIGHT OF THE CITY (23-24)
Again we have a contrast. In fact everything about the eternal state can be
nothing but a glorious contrastto what we know today on this earth. The
contrastconsists in part in the things which are missing. Walvoordpoints out
that “there will be no temple, no sacrifice, no sun, no moon, no darkness, no
gates to shut, no abomination.”250 We might also add that there will be
nothing hidden (everything will be transparent), no shadows, no sin, no
sorrows, no pain, no sickness, no disappointments.
Actually the passagedoes notsay that there will be no sun or moon, only that
there will be no need of the sun and moon because the glory of God will
illuminate the city. The sun and moon in comparisonwith the light of the

glory of God will be like turning on an outdoor light in the broad light of the
sun in our world today.
The word “has” in the phrase “has no need” is a presenttense of continual
action. The implication is that our eternal state will never have need of either
because it will be always illumined by the unveiled radiance of the glory of
God’s personal presence. God’s manifestedglory will be the source of light.
That God Himself would be the Light of the city is entirely fitting with the rest
of Scripture (John 1:7-9; 3:19; 8:12; 12:35;1 John 1:5; Rom. 13:12;Heb. 1:3).
This refers to both physical and spiritual light.
Remember that in the earthly tabernacle and temple there was artificial
lighting in the holy place, the seven-branchedlampstand which spoke of
Christ as the Light of the world. Yet, even in the Holy of Holies, there was no
such lighting because the Shekinah glory of God gave it its light, the light of
God’s own presence. In the eternal city, the entire city will be the temple, the
dwelling place of Godwith the radiance of God’s glory radiating throughout
the city in all its transparent beauty.
Scripture repeatedly makes application of this contrast, and you know, it is
important that we remember this. Todayis a time of darkness, a time of night
because ofthe presence ofsin, Satan, sorrow, death and man’s viewpoint. But
all believers are positionally lights in the Lord, and by our new spiritual
capacityand position we are of the day (1 Thess. 5:4-8;Phil. 2:15; Rom. 13:12
with Eph. 5:8f, Rom. 13:13-14). So we are exhorted and commanded to walk
in the light, to manifest light now because ofour glorious future in the city of
light. Let us live now in a manner consistentwith our future, that we might
see others brought out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of
light, the kingdom of God’s beloved Son (Col. 1:12-13).

The greatprinciple which should be determinative and dominating in our
behavior, goals, priorities and values is that the quality of our future life in the
eternal city is such that it makes even the best of this life seemas only
darkness. Whata motivation this should be to us to live as sojourners, to
persevere through the many trials of this life, and to be totally committed to
our Lord. Our life in the eternalstate will be everything this life cannot be. It
will be a life untouched by death, unstained by evil, and unimpaired by time.
IVP NEW TESTAMENTCOMMENTARIES
John's Interpretation of the Vision
This vision, unlike the one in chapter 17, is no "mystery" (see 17:5, 7). John is
not amazedor beguiled by what he has seen(as in 17:6), nor does he need to
have anything explained to him (as in 17:7-18). As a prophet, he is given the
correctunderstanding to pass along to his readers. Curiously, the
interpretation rests first of all on what he does not see. No "holy city," leastof
all Jerusalem, should be without a temple, but John sees no temple and
concludes from this that the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple
(v. 22). With these few words he gathers up Ezekiel's elaborate prophecyof a
renewedtemple in Jerusalem(Ezek 40--48)into its concluding disclosure of
the city's name: THE LORD IS THERE (Ezek 48:35;compare Rev 3:12). If
God and the Lamb are the temple of the holy city, they are also its light (vv.
23-25). There is no need of the sun or moon, either as sources oflight or as
objects of worship, no specialfeasts determined by solaror lunar calendar, no
more cycle of day and night. Normally a city's gates are open during the day
for commerce and closedat night againstenemy attack. But because there is
no night there (v. 25), this city's gates are always open. Far from being a
fortress, the new Jerusalemis an open city without enemies (contrast20:9),
for its enemies are in the lake of fire (see 20:15; 21:8).

To be sure, there are former enemies in the picture who are not residents of
the holy city. They are the nations and the kings of the earth, who appear as
friendly vassals (v. 24). The kings of the earth had earlierbeen deceivedinto
immorality with Babylon the prostitute (17:2; 18:3, 9) and had fought
(unsuccessfully)againstGod and the Lamb (16:14;17:12-14;19:19-21). Now
at last they have given their allegiance to the true "ruler of the kings of the
earth" (1:5), who is "King of kings and Lord of lords" (19:16). The nations, or
"Gentiles," were similarly deceivedmore than once (14:8; 18:3, 23;20:3, 8)
and were thrown into turmoil (11:18). Yet all along their destiny has been that
Jesus and those who follow him would "strike down" (19:15) and ultimately
"rule" (12:5; 19:15)them "with an iron scepter" (fulfilling Ps 2:1-2, 8-9).
In short, John finds in this vision the realization of the "song ofMoses the
servant of God and the song of the Lamb" sung by the redeemedin chapter
15: "All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts
have been revealed" (15:4). Here too the hopes of the biblical prophets for
Jerusalemhave come true, above all Isaiah60:3: "Nations will come to your
light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn" and 60:11:"Your gates will
always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, so that men may
bring you the wealthof the nations--their kings led in triumphal procession."
John concludes his interpretation with a reminder that while Jerusalem is
open to the kings of the earth and their splendor (v. 24), as wellas to the glory
and honor of the nations (v. 26), it is not open to anything unclean or to
anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful (v. 27). Only those whose
names are written in the Lamb's book of life will enter the city. The
implication is that both the residents of the city and the Gentiles who bring
their wealth and tribute into it are those who are written in the Lamb's book
of life. John's vision includes not only the redemption of Christian saints and
martyrs, but in some sense the redemption of the rebellious and often deceived
Gentile nations as well (see Bauckham1993:98-104). The two groups are

allied in that both worship the God of Israeland the Lamb, but the precise
relationship betweenthem is left to our imagination.
CLARENCE LARKIN
Revelation21:23 Open Bible at Rev. 21:23 Listen to Rev. 21:23
The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it
Although most take this passageto indicate there will be no more sun or
moon, the passage neednot preclude the existence ofthe sun and moon. It
merely indicates that the city had no need of their light because of the
Shekinahglory of God in the midst of the city.
The form of expressionwould not make impossible the existence of the sun
and the moon, as this scripture merely says there is no need of them.70
Neither the sun nor the moon will ever really be destroyed, of course, since
God has promised that they, as wellas all the starry heavens, will endure
forever (Psalm148:3-6;Daniel 12:3‣ ). It is just that their light is no longer
needed to illumine the holy city, for the city itself radiates light to all the
surrounding regions (Rev. 21:24‣ ). However, the sun and moon will continue
to serve their present functions with respectto the nether regions of the earth,
serving there as lights by day and night, respectively.71
It is difficult to be dogmatic as to whether the sun and moon will necessarily
exist in the eternalstate. It may be that there is no sun and moon, as in the
early part of creationweek.72“The city will be bright enough to supply
illumination for the whole new creation (Alford, Lee).”73 Godcreatedlight on

the first day (Gen. 1:3), but the sun and moon were not createduntil the
fourth day (Gen. 1:14):
On the fourth day the luminaries were made; because God, who possesses
foreknowledge, knew the follies of the vain philosophers, that they were going
to say, that the things which grow on the earth are produced from the
heavenly bodies, so as to exclude God. In order, therefore, that the truth
might be obvious, the plants and seeds were produced prior to the heavenly
bodies, for what is posteriorcannot produce that which is prior.—Theophilus
of Antioch74
Here we see one of the primary characteristics ofthe eternal state:it stands as
the restorationof many things from the early creation. See Genesis and
Revelationas Bookends.
Severalpassagesuse the sun and moon as witnesses ofeternalpromises:
Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light by day, the ordinances of
the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, and its
waves roar(The LORD of hosts is His name): “If those ordinances depart
from before Me, says the LORD, then the seedof Israelshall also ceasefrom
being a nation before Me forever.” Thus says the LORD: “If heavenabove
can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searchedoutbeneath, I will
also castoff all the seedof Israelfor all that they have done, says the LORD.”
(Jer. 31:35-37)[emphasis added]
“Once I have sworn by My holiness;I will not lie to David: His seedshall
endure forever, And his throne as the sun before Me; it shall be established
forever like the moon, even [like] the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah. (Ps.
89:35-37)[emphasis added]
These passagestie God’s faithfulness in promises regarding Israel and the
Davidic throne to the continuance of the sun and moon: “It shall be

establishedforever like the moon.” Whether these promises are meant to
extend only to the end of the present order (Rev. 21:1‣ )or beyond into the
eternal order is difficult to determine. The specifics of these promises may no
longerpertain after the Millennial Kingdom, once Israel’s promises have been
fulfilled and the Lamb’s Davidic throne is merged with the Father’s throne
(Rev. 22:3‣ ). The reliance of these promises on the sun and moon may infer
their continued existence in the eternalstate.
Another piece of evidence which points to the continuance of the moon in the
eternal state is the tree of life. The tree is said to yield its fruit every month
(Rev. 22:2‣ ). Month is μῆνα [mēna]: “using the moon’s cycle as a measure of
time month (Luke 1:24); in reference to religious festivals held at the time of
the new moon new moon (Gal. 4:10).”75 Mentionof a monthly cycle implies
that the moon may still be presentand continue to serve for “signs and
seasons”(Gen. 1:14). The existence ofthe moon for calendricalreasons would
imply the continuance of the sun as well, since the moon reflects the light of
the sun.
the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.
Isaiahsaw a day, after the punishment of the “hostof exaltedones” (probably
fallen angels), when the brightness of the Shekinah glory would make the
moon disgracedand the sun ashamed(Isa. 24:23). Now, the glory of the Lord
serves in their stead. Whether or not the sun and moon actually ceaseto exist,
the Shekinahglory of God will serve in their place in the city and its vicinity:
The sun shall no longerbe your light by day, nor for brightness shall the
moon give light to you; but the Lord will be to you an everlasting light, and
your God your glory. Your sun shall no longer go down, nor shall your moon
withdraw itself; for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and the days of
your mourning shall be ended. (Isa. 60:19-20)
Similarly, the glory of the Lord illuminated the holy of holies within the
original Tabernacle:

The dwelling-place of God’s glory in the Tabernacle and the Temple on earth
had no light of sun or moon; for the Shechinah or glory of God was
sufficient.76
What has happened? Man has been brought fully into the holy of holies which
is lit only by God’s glory! Again, we see the emphasis on the communion of
man with a holy God. There is no longer any separationofany sort because
sin has been completely done awaywith. This is why there was still a
Millennial Temple during the thousand years, but not Temple building in the
New Jerusalem. In the Millennium, sin still existed (Isa. 65:20; Rev. 20:7-
10‣ ).
In our own day, the Lamb serves as the spiritual light bringing revelationto
men (Luke 2:32; John 1:4-5; 8:12). “Godis light and in Him is no darkness at
all” (1Jn. 1:5). God’s glory had been seenin the millennial Jerusalem, but the
New Jerusalemwill eclipse everything from the previous order:
Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen
upon you. Forbehold, the darkness shallcover the earth, and deep darkness
the people;but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seenupon
you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your
rising. (Isa. 60:1-3)
JOHN MACARTHUR
And then in verse 23, he goes back to that glory that’s blazing out of the
middle of the city, which he talkedabout in his initial perspective in verses 9
to 11. He says this, “And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to
shine upon it, for the glory of Godhas illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.”
Now, that’ll tell you a little bit about the new earth, because whateverthe new
earth is, it won’t be an earth like we know now, because the earth as we know

it now depends upon the sun and the moon. It depends upon time for the sun
to shine, and time for darkness to run its normal cycles. So, whatevergoeson
in that new earth will be dependent upon a completely different structure, a
completely different creationthan anything we know today. There will be no
sun. There will be no moon. They’re not necessaryfor light because the glory
of God has illumined it, and its lamp if the Lamb. And again, it’s God and the
Lamb. And you see that pretty much through all the visions of the book of
Revelation. You see the Father’s throne, but the Lamb is sitting on the throne.
And you see them share the responsibility. The tabernacle of God is with men,
but so is the tabernacle of Jesus Christ. He dwells with them as well.
You see the greatwhite throne and Him who satupon it is no other than the
Creator. And yet God has committed all judgment unto His own Son. And so,
you see them together. The Creatorand the Lamb then are the light of that
eternal city. And remember now, the New Jerusalemis a prism of utterly
dazzling light.
JIM BOMKAMP
VS 21:23-26 - “23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine
upon it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24
And the nations shall walk by its light, and the kings of the earth shall bring
their glory into it. 25 And in the daytime (for there shall be no night there) its
gates shallnever be closed. 26 and they shall bring the glory and the honor of
the nations into it” - The Lord shall be the light of the city

19.1. In verse 25 it mentions day time, so there is a sun and probably a moon
which do shine upon the earth, howeverthe Lord causes there to be light on
earth at all times emanating from His presence within the city.
19.1.1.There willnever againbe night in the city.
19.2. Tim Lahaye quotes Dr. Lehman Strauss concerning the light that the
Lord shall radiate the new heavens and earth with, “In that city which Christ
has prepared for His own there will be no createdlight, simply because Christ
Himself, who is the uncreated light (John 8:12) will be there…The created
lights of God and of men are as darkness when comparedwith our Blessed
Lord. The light He defuses throughout eternity is the unclouded, undimmed
glory of His own Holy presence. In consequenceofthe fullness of that light,
there shall be no night.”
RICH CATHERS
:23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory
of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.
:23 no need of the sun
This will be the fulfillment of a prophecy by Isaiah:

(Is 60:19–20 NKJV)—19 “The sun shall no longerbe your light by day, Nor
for brightness shall the moon give light to you; But the LORD will be to you
an everlasting light, And your God your glory. 20 Your sun shall no longer go
down, Nor shall your moon withdraw itself; Forthe LORD will be your
everlasting light, And the days of your mourning shall be ended.
It might be that there will be no sun or moon, or it could just mean that the
city doesn’tneed the light of the sun or moon to function.
Revelation21:22-23
by Grant Richison| Feb 10, 1999 |Revelation| 1 comment
ReadIntroduction to Revelation
“But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its
temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the
glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light“
Now the angelleads John into the city of New Jerusalemitself. He notices
streets paved with pure gold like transparent glass (21:21). He sees thatthere
is no temple in this city.
21:22

But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its
temple.
There will be no temple in the New Jerusalembecause the immediate presence
of God Almighty and of the Lamb will be its temple. God’s presence is not
limited by temple walls. There is no need for a temple if we have the eternal
presence ofGod with us.
21:23
The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of
God illuminated it.
There is no need for light from the sun or moon because the glory of God will
illuminate the New Jerusalem.
The Lamb is its light.
The Lamb will light the city. There is no sacrifice in this temple because the
Lamb is its light (John 1:7-9; 3:19; 8:12; 12:35). Heaven is Christ centered. He
will be the centerof attraction for all eternity.
Principle:
We should make the Lord Jesus Christ the center of our lives.
Application:
Is Jesus the central figure of your life? If He is, we are in goodpractice for
eternity – for that will be our main occupationin the eternalstate. The
fellowship that we experience in Heaven will far surpass the fellowship known
on earth. Our worship will be perfect there.
“And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the
firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence”
(Colossians1:18).

WALTER SCOTT
THE CITY: NO CREATED LIGHT.
Revelation21:23. — "And the city has no need of the sun nor of the moon to
shine on it, for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamp thereof (is) the
Lamb." No independent yet createdlight as the sun, nor borrowed light as the
moon, is required in the heavenly city. God is the source of her light, and the
Lamb Who died for us is the lamp of the divine glory. It is He who diffuses the
light throughout every part of the city. It is concentratedin God, it is made
known by the Lamb, the remembrance of whose sacrifice is eternal.
KEITH SIMONS
Light that comes from God
Revelation21:23
In Genesis 1:15, God provided the sun and moon to give light on the earth.
Their light would show people how to carry out their activities. Also, the effect
would be to separate light from darkness (Genesis 1:18).
God intended that people would learn about him from these things (Psalm
19:1-6). It is God who, by his commands, really shows us how to live (Psalm
19:8). It is God’s word that should direct a person’s life (Psalm 119:105).

In the Bible, darkness is a word-picture for people’s evil deeds (Isaiah 8:19-22,
Proverbs 2:12-13). Light is a word-picture for the knowledge ofGod (Isaiah
9:1-2). We all know that light overcomes darknesscompletely(John 1:5).
Christ is calledthe true light that gives light to all people (John 1:9).
Similarly, 1 John 1:5 declares that Godis light, without any darkness
whatever. God’s perfect light came into the world by means of Jesus, although
most people did not then recogniseit (John 1:10). They acted like people in
darkness, whenthe day was beginning (contrast1 Thessalonians 5:4-9).
That day is a description of God’s city, the New Jerusalem, where there is no
darkness (Isaiah60:19-20). Everyone there will serve God; they all will know
him perfectly (Jeremiah 31:34). They will not depend on the sun or moon to
show them how to live. Instead, they will depend on God himself; he will show
them how to live. Christ, here againcalledthe Lamb, will guide them (7:17).
The sun and moon do not provide constant light. Their light may fail when we
need it most. However, God will not disappoint his people. The light that
comes from him shines constantly. In the New Jerusalem, there will never be
darkness.
THE LAMB—THE LIGHT
NO. 583
DELIVERED ON SUNDAY MORNING, JULY 31, 1864,
BY THE REV. C. H. SPURGEON,

AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE,NEWINGTON.
“And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for
the
glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.”
Revelation21:23.
TO the lover of Jesus, it is very pleasantto observe how the Lord Jesus Christ
has always stood
foremostin glory from before the foundation of the world, and will do so as
long as eternity shall last. If
we look back by faith to the time of the creation, we find our Lord with His
Father as One brought up
with Him. “Whenthere were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were
no fountains abounding
with water. While as yet He had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the
highest part of the dust of the
world. When He prepared the heavens, I was there: when He set a compass
upon the face of the depth:
when He establishedthe clouds above:when He strengthenedthe fountains of
the deep.” He was that
wisdom who was never absentfrom the Father’s counsels in the greatwork of
creation, whether it was
the birth of angels or the making of worlds of men. One of the first events ever
recordedin Scripture history is, “When He brings in the first-begotteninto
the world, He says, Let all the angels of God worship
Him.” Such words were never spokenof any creature, but only of Him who is
co-equaland co-eternal

with the Father, glorious forever—the first-born of every creature, the Head
of the householdof God,
the express image of His person, and the fullness of His glory. In the earliest
periods of which we possessanyknowledge, JesusChrist stoodexaltedfar
above all principalities, and powers, and every name
that is named. When human history dawns, and the history of God’s Church
commences, youstill find
Christ preeminent. All the types of the early Church are only to be opened up
by Him as the key. It
would have been nothing to be of the seedof Israel, if it had not been for the
promise of the Shiloh that
was to come;it would have been in vain that the sacrifices were offeredin the
wilderness, that the ark
abode betweenthe curtains, or that the golden pot which had the manna was
coveredwith the mercy
seat, if there had not been a real significationof Christ in all these.
The religion of the Jew would have been very emptiness if it had not been for
Christ, who is the substance ofthe former shadows. Runon to the period of
the prophets, and in all their prophesying do you
not see additional glimpses of the glory of Christ? When they mount to the
greatestheights of eloquence, do they not speak of Him? Whenevertheir soul
is carried up, as in a chariotof fire, is not the
mantle left behind them a word telling of the glory of Jesus? Theycould never
glow with fervent heat
exceptconcerning Him. Even when they denounced the judgments of God,
they paused betweenthe
crashes ofGod’s thunder to let some drops of mercy fall on man in words of
promise concerning Him

who was to come!It is always Christ from the opening leaf of Genesis to the
closing note of Malachi—
Christ, Christ, Christ—and nothing but Christ! It is very delightful, brethren,
when we come to such a
text as this, to observe that what was in the beginning is now, and ever shall
be, world without end.
Amen. In that millennial state of which the text speaks,Jesus Christis to be
the light thereof, and all its
glory is to proceedfrom Him; and if the text speaks concerning heavenand
the blessednesshereafter, all
its light, and blessings, andglory streamfrom Him—“The Lamb is the light
thereof.” If we read the text
and think of its connectionwith us today, we must confess that all our joy and
peace flow from the same
fountain! Jesus Christ is the Sun of Righteousnessto us as well as to the saints
above.
I shall try, then—though I am conscious ofmy feeblenessto handle so greata
matter—I shall try as
best I canto extol the Lord Jesus, first of all, in the excellence ofHis glory in
the millennial state. Next,
in heaven, and then, thirdly, in the condition of every heavenly-minded man
who is on his way to paradise—inall these cases, “The Lamb is the light
thereof.”
I. First, then, a few words concerning THE MILLENNIAL PERIOD.
We are not given to prophesying in this place. There are some of our brothers
who delight much in

them. Perhaps it is well that there should be some who should devote their
time and thoughts to that portion of God’s Word which abounds in mysteries;
but for our part, we have been so engagedin seeking to
The Lamb—The Light Sermon #583
Tell someone todayhow much you love Jesus Christ. Volume 10
2
2
win souls, and in endeavoring to contend with the common errors of the day,
that we have scarcelyventured to land upon the rock of Patmos, orto peer
into the dark recesses ofDanieland Ezekiel. Yet this
much we have ever learnedmost clearly—thaton this earth, where sin and
Satangained victory over
God through the fall of man, Christ is to achieve a complete triumph over all
His foes—notonanother
battlefield, but on this. The fight is not over. It commencedby Satan’s attack
upon our mother, Eve; and
Christ has never left the field from that day until now. The fight has lasted
thousands of years;it grows
sterner every day, it is not over; and it never shall be over until the serpent’s
head is effectually bruised,
and Christ Jesus shall have gottenunto Himself a perfect victory. Do not
think the Lord will allow Satan
to have even as much as one battle to call his own. In the greatcampaign,
when the history shall be written, it shall be said, “The Lord reigns.” All along
the line, He has gotten the victory. There shall be victory in every place and
spot; and the conquest of Jesus shallbe complete and perfect. We believe,
then,

that in this very earth, where superstition has setup its idols, Jesus Christ
shall be adored. Here, where
blasphemy has defiled human lips, songs of praise shall rise from islands of
the sea, and from the dwellers among the rocks. In this very country, among
those very men who became the tools of Satan, and
whose dwelling places were dens of mischief, there shall be found instruments
of righteousness, lips to
praise God, and occasions ofeternalglory unto the MostHigh. O Satan, you
may boastof what you
have done, and you may think your scepterstill secure, but He comes, evenHe
who rides upon the white
horse of victory; and when He comes, you shall not stand againstHim, for the
two-edgedsword, which
goes out of His mouth, shall drive you and your hosts back to the place from
where you came. Let us
rejoice that Scripture is so clearand so explicit upon this greatdoctrine of the
future triumph of Christ
over the whole world!
We are not bound to enter into any particulars concerning what form that
triumph shall assume. We
believe that the Jews will be converted, and that they will be restoredto their
own land. We believe that
Jerusalemwill be the central metropolis of Christ’s kingdom; we also believe
that all the nations shall
walk in the light of the glorious city which shall be built at Jerusalem. We
expectthat the glory which

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