Our entire Text, over the past month or so, has been Revelation 21:1 through Revelation 22:5.
Today … one last sentence, written by God Himself (as is all Scripture). “And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.” Revelation 22:5
A City (New Jerusalem) where there is never any night!
Presumably then, no need of rest (physically speaking) … constantly serving and worshipping our Lord! Remember Revelation 22:3, just two verses ago?
The noun “candle” is “luchnos,” from “leukos,” the Greek word for “light.” No lamps, floodlights, man-made illumination of any sort! There’s simply no need for such! The Greek word for “need” actually pictures an “open hand!” Lacking, begging!
The noun for “light” in reference to the sun (in Greek “helios”) is spelled “phos.” As in “photography!” Or “phosphorus.” Or “photosynthesis.” All being self explanatory, dealing with “light.”
No sunshine!
But plenty of SONSHINE, Jesus!
The “Lord God” … The Light Source!
Note too that this Light is a “GIFT!” (Think of the innumerable “gifts” God lavishes on us daily! The greatest of which is our soul’s salvation! In fact: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17)
The Greek for “giving light” is “photizo,” simply meaning “to shine, to illuminate!” No wonder Jesus proclaimed over 2,000 years ago: “I am the Light of the world.” John 8:12
Our whole verse again: “And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.”
But that’s not all, not yet …
Something about them (the saved of all ages) “reigning” (no doubt along with our Lord). John, earlier in Revelation had this to say: “And (Jesus) hath made us KINGS and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 1:6, virtually repeated in Revelation 5:10.
The verb “reign” is “basileuo,” meaning “to occupy a throne, to exercise kingly power!”
And this is not the brief 1,000 year reign in which we shall have already participated, the Millennium. This is eternal, “for ever and ever!” The Greek has it: “into the ages of the ages!” Never ending!
That’s why I have named this series of studies “OUR ETERNAL HOME!”
In one sense, we’re “servants!”
In another, “Kings!”
HEAVEN … A PLACE OF BLESSED CONTRADICTIONS!
A PLACE OF GLORIOUS _____________________, GO BACK AND READ OUR ENTIRE TEXT NOW, REVELATION 21:1 THROUGH REVELATION 22:5. THEN YOU CAN FILL IN THE “BLANK” AS GOD LEADS YOU!
Hallelujah!
— Dr. Mike Bagwell