Revelation 21, 22: The Seventh Facet

Week 10, Wednesday: Glory All Around!
This passage partakes of both “not yet” and “already” aspects. It has much in common with a passage like Micah 4.1-8. John is clearly seeing into eternal time, but he seems also to be glimpsing some aspects of present history. The City of God is coming; but it’s not just coming then and there.

It’s coming here and now as well.

Read Revelation 21

Meditate on Revelation 21.22-27
1.      What kind of “light” is John describing here (vv. 22-24)? Paul says we are children of the light, and that we should “walk” in the light (Eph. 5.8, 9). Jesus said we should “work” while it’s still “light” (Jn. 9.4, 5; Jn. 14.12). John wrote that the light has been increasing in the world since the days of the apostles (1 Jn. 2.8). Is this merely a “then and there” calling? What are the implications of this “end result” for our “here and now” walk with and work for the Lord?

2.      In what sense do the “kings of the earth” have “honor and glory” to bring into the City of God (vv. 24, 26)?  

3.      The “gates” of God’s City have the names of the 12 tribes of Israel written on them (Rev. 21.12). This points us back to the Old Covenant and the promises made to Abraham (Gen. 12.1-3). The covenant motto – “I will be your God and you shall be My people” (cf. v. 3) is placed on this Bride and City. Evidently, people enter through the “gates” of God’s promises in order to take up citizenship in the City of God. Those gates must never be shut (v. 25). In what sense are you called to be a “gatekeeper” in the City of God?

4.      What is forbidden in the City of God (v. 27)? In eternal time, this will not be a threat (cf. v. 8). But it remains a threat in time as we now experience it. How can we guard ourselves, our families, and our churches from such a threat, while at the same time, keeping the gates to the City open to others?

5.      Here’s a meditation exercise that I find, frankly, exhilarating: The source of light in the City of God to come is neither the sun nor the moon. What brings light to the City in eternal time? Since that light shines everywhere, without obstruction, will there be a place for shadows in the City to Come – for even the remotest hint of darkness? What will that be like? What does this suggest about what it means for Christ to be our Light here and now? For us to be His lights in the world?

My Reflection
Meditate on Matthew 5.13-16. What does it mean for you to be the light of Christ in your Personal Mission Field? What can keep you from “shining” that light?

The Glory of God
What are you learning about the glory of God, what it is, how we should expect to experience it and to hope for it, and what Paul intends in 1 Corinthians 10.31?

Glory to Glory
How will it be evident today that the light of Christ and the glory of God are shining in and through you?

Memorize
Recite your memory verse aloud: Revelation 21.6, 7. Share it with a Christian friend. Share any way that this verse has begun to affect your daily walk with the Lord, or any questions you may have regarding the understanding of this verse.

Closing Prayer
Those who trust in the LORD
Are like Mount Zion,
Which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
So the Lord surrounds His people
From this time forth and forever.
For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest
On the land allotted to the righteous,
Lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity.
Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,
And to those who are upright in their hearts.

Psalm 125.1-4

T. M. Moore

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The book of Revelation is the culminating episode in the story of God’s covenant. To learn more about that covenant, and to discover the way it integrates all of Scripture into the Gospel of Jesus Christ, order a copy of T. M.’s book, I Will Be Your God, by clicking here.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.