The Lord Jesus Christ said of Himself, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12) Today we learn that not only will there be no temple in the New Jerusalem, there will also be no need for the light of the sun or the moon or electric bulbs, for the One who is the light of the world will our light.
"I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord Almighty and the Lamb are its temple." (Revelation 21:22) In the Old Testament the Lord instructed the people of Israel to construct the tabernacle so He would have a place to meet with them. He said to Moses, "Have them make a sanctuary for Me, and I will dwell among them." (Exodus 25:8) This tabernacle in the wilderness, and later the temple at Jerusalem, were a continual reminder to the people that God was holy and different and separate from them. They had to approach Him with repentance and offerings and sacrifices. At all times they were aware of God's perfect and righteous nature and their own fallen natures. They were thankful that God allowed them to come into His presence to have their sins forgiven and their prayers heard, but there was always a distance between them and the Lord.
Later, after Christ gave His life and rose from the dead, the Holy Spirit began to indwell believers, thus making the bodies of believers the "temple of God". (1 Corinthians 6:19) We are able to commune with Him more personally and intimately than anyone of Old Testament times ever could, and yet as long as we live in these mortal bodies we are still prone to making mistakes. And as long as we live in these physical bodies we don't see our Redeemer face to face. But someday there will be no barriers of any kind between us and our Redeemer. There will be no need for us to go to a temple to pray and bring offerings and ask for forgiveness. We will never sin again. Every sin we ever committed will be forgiven and put behind us forever. We will behold the face of our Redeemer for all eternity. Why have a temple when our God is right there in front of us?
A few days ago we discussed the fact that in the eternal kingdom we will no longer have hospitals, funeral homes, or cemeteries. It looks like we won't have electric bills either because the Lord Himself, who once spoke, "Let there be light!" into the darkness and nothingness that existed before the universe began, will be the light. "The 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 nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there." (Revelation 21:23-25)
Some scholars take this passage to mean that the sun and moon won't exist anymore. The entire creation has been remade by this point, so there may not be a sun and moon, but John doesn't say that they no longer exist, just that their light is not needed. The light of our Lord is so bright that the sun and moon are put to shame. His glory eclipses all else. Throughout the ages there have been pagan religions whose followers worshiped false gods of the sun and moon. In the eternal kingdom no one will even notice the sun and moon anymore, so great will be the light of Christ. Throughout the ages there have been idolaters who fashioned false gods out of gold and silver and precious jewels, but as we learned yesterday, the streets of the New Jerusalem will be paved with gold and the foundations and walls of the city will be laid with the finest of gemstones. Objects that once were worshiped or considered precious will be as common as concrete and blocks and wood. Never again will anyone bow to a golden idol. Never again will anyone carve a gemstone into the shape of a false god. The Lord alone will be worshiped as He should be---as He always should have been.
Christ will reign over the world from the New Jerusalem. His bride (the church) will live there with Him. But the Old Testament saints, those who came to faith during the Great Tribulation, and those who came to faith during the Millennium, who are living all over the world, will be free to come and go from the beautiful city. "The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it." (Revelation 21:26) The New Jerusalem, the great city that is 1,400 miles long and 1,400 miles wide, will be the world capitol. It will be the holy city. Naturally every citizen of the earth will want to visit it whenever possible.
The Jerusalem that is in the world today has seen many wars. Blood has been shed on its streets. Cries of grief and despair have gone up from its dwellings. Prayers have been prayed in Jerusalem for deliverance from persecution and for vengeance upon enemies. Such things can't be said about the New Jerusalem. "Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Revelation 21:27) John isn't suggesting that sin and shame still exist in the world. He's rejoicing in the fact that not only has the entire earth and its atmosphere been made new, but that the capitol city where our Lord is seated on the throne is a place that has never known sin or shame or death or despair. No blood was ever shed on its streets. No cry of alarm has ever been sounded from its walls. No bitter tears have ever fallen inside its dwellings in the night. None of these things will ever happen there. The gates won't ever be shut because no threat exists. No sin will ever enter the city because no sin exists. As the Lord said earlier in our chapter, "There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:4) Where there is no sin, there is no death, no disaster, and no despair. Sin is dead. Death is dead. But we will be alive with Christ forevermore. Amen!
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