The Lamb—the light

‘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.’ Revelation 21:23

Suggested Further Reading: Luke 20:27–38

They need no social ties in heaven. We need here the associations of friendship and of family love, but they are neither married nor are given in marriage there: their God is enough. They shall need no teachers there; they shall doubtless commune with one another concerning the things of God, and tell to one another the strange things which the Lord has wrought for them, but they shall not need this by way of instruction; they shall all be taught of the Lord, for in heaven ‘the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.’ There is an utter independence in heaven, then, of all the creatures. No sun and no moon are wanted—no creatures whatever. Here we lean upon the friendly arm, but there they lean upon their beloved and upon him alone. Here we must have the help of our companions, but there they find all they want in Christ alone. Here we look to the meat which perishes, and to the raiment which decays before the moth, but there they find everything in God. We have to use the bucket to get water from the well, but there they drink from the well-head, and put their lips down to the living water. Here the angels bring us blessings, but we shall want no messengers from heaven then. O what a blessed time that shall be, when we shall have mounted above every second cause and shall hang upon the bare arm of God! What a glorious hour when God, and not his creatures, God, and not his works, but God himself, Christ himself shall be our eternal joy.

For meditation: God’s people, having his perfect presence in heaven, will no longer need the pleasant things they enjoyed on earth and will no longer face the unpleasant things they suffered on earth, such as hunger, thirst, excessive heat, tears (Revelation 7:15–17), death, sorrow, crying and pain (Revelation 21:3–4). The lost in hell will suffer all of these and miss all that they enjoyed in their earthly lives (Luke 16:23–25).

Sermon no. 583
31 July (1864)