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Revelation 21:1–22:5
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 (vv. 22–23).
John’s description of the New Jerusalem is striking for its emphasis on things that are not present in the city. What are these things and why are they absent?
Just as John saw the city coming down from heaven, a voice declared, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them” (21:3). God’s tabernacle once was pitched in the midst of Israel’s tribes and the temple once stood at the center of Jerusalem. But there is no temple in the New Jerusalem. Why? The Father and the Son are the temple (21:22). The temple was a visible sign of the presence of the invisible God. But now the reality is present. So the tent curtains and veils have been torn away and God resides among His people, with them in every sense. And as He dwells with them, He ministers to them. John says He brings comfort, wiping every tear from their eyes. There is no sorrow or crying at all in the New Jerusalem. And there is no pain or death, for death is a byproduct of sin. Also, John says the city has no need of the sun or moon, for the glory of God provides light (21:23). Paul said the glory of Christ that fell upon him on the Damascus road was “brighter than the sun” (Acts 26:13). No longer is this glory veiled, as it was when Jesus walked the earth; now it shines forth and illuminates the New Jerusalem, such that there is no night (Rev. 21:25; 22:5). Moreover, the city does not contain anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie (21:27). The serpent and those who were hardened citizens of the city of man are not present.
At least one other thing is missing from the New Jerusalem—the curse (22:3). The malediction that God pronounced when Adam and Eve believed the serpent and sought to throw off His authority has been taken away by the Messiah, Jesus Christ. He absorbed the full weight of God’s wrath against the sin of His people. The curse that belonged to us fell upon Him—so that we might be freed of it. Here we see a depiction of that joyous day of complete liberty.
In the city there flows a river of water of life (22:1). The tree of life grows there (22:2). And the thrones of the Father and Son sit there, and their people serve them and gaze upon the Lamb’s face (22:3–4). The city of God has been realized in all its wondrous fullness.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
One of the most cherished promises for Christians through the ages has been that of the beatific vision—gazing upon Jesus’ glorious face. Is your love for your Savior such that you long to see Him in all His glory, high and lifted up? With saints throughout the ages, lift your voice to pray, “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20).
For Further Study
- Isa. 60:19
- 1 Cor. 3:12
- 1 John 3:2