Articles
Glory and Light
And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. (Revelation 21:23)
Life is short; eternity very long. Eternity with God is a never-ending state of bliss and light. Eternity without God is a never-ending state of torment and night. To anyone desiring life, being in God’s presence is the epitome of everlasting joy and glory.
John takes this hope and he closes the New Testament with it. After chapters and chapters of the battle being waged on Earth between good and evil, Rome and the church, the church is victorious and at rest. It has become as a New Jerusalem descending from the heavens, which is lit by the glory of God, and in which God is its temple. (This detail is key since the Temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed nearly two decades prior in 70 AD.) Kings of the earth bring their glory into the church and the nations walk by its light (v. 24). The gates remain open and nights are non-existent (v. 25; cf. Ezek. 44:1).
The picture is so grand and dynamic, and yet, there is a restriction: only those whose names are found in the Lamb’s book of life are permitted to enter (v. 27). But anyone unwilling to cleanse his robes in the blood of the Lamb is turned back to the darkness. And these are destined for an eternity of weeping and pain. Heaven or Hell. Light or Dark. Which do you want?
