The Lamb is the Light
Revelation • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 13 viewsThe Lamb is ranked beside the Lord God Almighty as the Temple and the Light in the city of New Jerusalem. The Lamb is the Light!
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22 I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. 24 The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. 25 Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. 26 And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. 27 Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
This is part of John’s vision of the holy city
2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
, “that great city, New Jerusalem”
10 So he took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.
New Jerusalem is so vast, that John had to be placed on “a great and high mountain” in order to see it. Ezekiel had a similar experience
2 In a vision from God he took me to the land of Israel and set me down on a very high mountain. From there I could see toward the south what appeared to be a city.
The old Rabbinical scholars had envisaged the walls of Jerusalem stretching as far as Damascus, and reaching up to heaven itself. John’s detailed vision Revelation 21:16
16 When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long. In fact, its length and width and height were each 1,400 miles.
echoes this tradition, but stands in its own right as a demonstration that all man-made efforts to reach up to heaven will ultimately fail
4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.”
8 In that way, the Lord scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city.
It is God the Father who has reached down to us in the Person of His Son Jesus Christ - and He alone is able, by His Spirit, to reveal to us ‘the breadth, and length, and depth and height’ of our salvation
18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.
New Jerusalem descends out of heaven from God (Revelation 21:10). The dimensions of the city are magnificent, and its beauty almost beyond comprehension. Unlike old Jerusalem, here there is no need of a temple, because the ultimate sacrifice has been made in the Person of the resurrected Lamb (Revelation 21:22). The cubed shape city is itself the dwelling place of the Lord God Almighty, and here God Himself sets His tabernacle with men
3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.
The Lamb is ranked beside the Lord God Almighty as the Temple and the Light in the city of New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:22-23).
It is not just that God pitches His tent amongst our tents, but rather that His presence permeates all. There is no longer any need of sun or moon (Revelation 21:23) - those two ‘great lights’ which He created ‘to rule over the day and over the night’
16 God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars.
Instead the glory of God - ‘who is light and in whom is no darkness at all’
5 This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.
- enlightens the city, and “the Lamb is the light” thereof.
It is not just that God pitches His tent amongst our tents, but rather that His presence permeates all. There is no longer any need of sun or moon (Revelation 21:23) - those two ‘great lights’ which He created ‘to rule over the day and over the night’ (Genesis 1:16). Instead the glory of God - ‘who is light and in whom is no darkness at all’ (1 John 1:5) - enlightens the city, and “the Lamb is the light” thereof.
Here David, and the singers of Psalms, can meet with the LORD who is ‘our light and our salvation’
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?
“The nations of those who are saved” (Revelation 21:24) shall walk in the light of the city, which is the light of the Lamb. Jesus stands with God: ‘I AM the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life’
12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”
Now the kings of the earth bring their glory and honour (Revelation 21:24), which represents the glory and honour of the nations (Revelation 21:26), into New Jerusalem. The gates of the city remain open: the curfew bells never need to ring, because there is “no night there” (Revelation 21:25). The open gate does not suggest that just anyone can walk in - but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life (Revelation 21:27).
In the next chapter, we again encounter “the water of life”
1 Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
In Revelation 21:6 it was a fountain: now it is a river
5 Then he measured another 1,750 feet, and the river was too deep to walk across. It was deep enough to swim in, but too deep to walk through.
Jesus uses similar language to speak of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives
14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”
38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’ ” 39 (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)
This “pure river of the water of life” proceeds “out of the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Revelation 22:1). The Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son.
Either side of the river we encounter the tree of life
2 It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.
forbidden to us since man’s fall (Genesis 3:24). The tree bears fruit all year round, and the leaves are for the healing of the nations. The presence of kings (Revelation 21:24) and nations (Revelation 21:26; Revelation 22:2) indicates that the gospel is not limited to just one group of people, but is open to all who will come (Revelation 22:17).
All tears have been wiped away, death is banished, sorrow flees away, crying is no more, pain is gone (Revelation 21:4). Defilement, abomination and lies are forbidden (Revelation 21:27). “There shall be no more curse” (Revelation 22:3).
In New Jerusalem, the throne (singular) is inhabited by God and the Lamb, and His (singular) servants shall serve Him (
3 No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him.
Amazingly, we are told that “they shall see his face”
4 And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads.
Gone is the fear that ‘no-one can see the face of God and live’
20 But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.”
now His name is upon their foreheads (Revelation 22:4).
Again we are reminded of the presence of the Lord God as the light of the city. There is no need of candle nor light of the sun, for there is “no night there” (Revelation 22:5). The Lord “enlightens” His people, “and they shall reign to the ages of the ages” (Revelation 22:5).
Does this sound like a place you want to go to?
If so, the only way you will ever get there is to ask Jesus into your heart and to live for Him.
Does this sound like a place you want to go to?
If so, the only way you will ever get there is to ask Jesus into your heart and to live for Him.
Are you ready?