“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.”
My Notes
What Does Revelation 21:23 Mean?
The new Jerusalem needs no sun or moon — the glory of God illuminates it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. The most essential elements of the current creation — the sources of all light on earth — are rendered unnecessary by God's own radiance.
"The glory of God did lighten it" — God's glory provides the illumination. Not a created light source. The creator himself is the light. The city is bathed in divine presence rather than solar radiation.
"The Lamb is the light thereof" — Jesus, the slain Lamb, is the city's lamp. The one who was killed is the source of eternal light. The sacrifice becomes the illumination.
The verse combines the Father's glory and the Lamb's light — both are present, both illuminate, both make other light sources obsolete. In the new creation, the source of all light is personal, not mechanical.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does it mean that the sun and moon are unnecessary — what does God's glory replace?
- 2.How does the Lamb being the light connect sacrifice to illumination?
- 3.What does a city with no darkness feel like compared to your current experience?
- 4.How does the personal nature of the light — a person, not a star — change the quality of the new creation?
Devotional
The city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it. No sun. No moon. The most basic elements of the created order — the things you have depended on every day of your life — are unnecessary. Because something brighter is there.
The glory of God did lighten it. The city is lit by God's own radiance. Not reflected light. Not generated light. The direct, unmediated glory of God filling every corner, eliminating every shadow.
The Lamb is the light thereof. The slain Lamb — the one who was broken, killed, sacrificed — is the lamp of the eternal city. The light of the new creation is not impersonal energy. It is a person. And that person bears the scars of sacrifice.
No shadow. No night. No darkness of any kind. The city where God dwells is lit by his presence and by the Lamb's radiance. Every fear you associate with darkness — confusion, danger, lostness — is permanently eliminated.
The new creation is not just reformed. It is fundamentally different. A city where the sun is unnecessary because God's glory is brighter. A city where the lamp is a person — the Lamb who loved you enough to die and now lights your way forever.
That is where the story ends. Not in darkness. In light that never goes out.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And the nations of them which are saved,.... In distinction from them that will be deceived by Satan, Rev 20:8. These…
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it - This imagery seems to be derived from Isa…
No need of the sun - This is also one of the traditions of the ancient Jews, that "in the world to come the Israelites…
We have already considered the introduction to the vision of the new Jerusalem in a more general idea of the heavenly…
no need of the sun&c. Isa 60:19. It is impossible to say whether it is here meant that the sun and moon do not shine, or…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture