There will be no temple in the new earth. God Himself is the temple. We gain a glimpse into life in the new earth, which is vibrant and filled with activity and industry. We also get a warning that some will not be allowed to enter the new Jerusalem.
John writes in Revelation 21:22: I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple (v. 22).
God will no longer designate a place on earth for His presence to dwell, while He also dwells in heaven, as He did when He instructed Israel to build a tabernacle in the wilderness (Exodus 25:8-9). Rather, God will physically dwell upon the new earth, apparently with His glory completely unveiled. After Israel settled the land, God placed His glory in Solomon’s Temple (2 Chronicles 7:3). Now, God’s presence is physically upon the earth, so He Himself is the temple (Revelation 21:3, 22).
The temple is described as the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. The Lamb is Jesus, the second person of the Trinity. So the Lamb is also a part of the Lord God the Almighty as God. It is likely here that the Lamb is added, because Jesus is not only fully a part of the Lord God Almighty but is also fully human. He came to earth as a human and learned obedience, even to death on the cross as a Lamb (Philippians 2:5-8). As a result of His willingness to follow His Father fully and completely, His name was lifted above every name (Philippians 2:9-10). He was given all authority in heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18).
Through the suffering of death, the Lamb was rewarded to be the “Son” over the earth (Hebrews 1:5, 13). Through the “suffering of death,” Jesus restored the right of humans to fulfill their design, which is to reign in the earth in harmony with God, nature, and one another (Hebrews 2:5-9). Because of His obedience even to death on the cross, Jesus was worthy to break the seals of the scroll that has, at this point in Revelation, led to the end of the old age and the inauguration of this new age with a new earth in which righteousness dwells (Revelation 5:9-10).
John infers that God’s presence will be unveiled, and His glory will fill the city: And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb (v. 23).
The sun and moon were created to govern day and night (Genesis 1:16), providing light for the earth. Yet, in this final reality, the glory of God outshines any created light. Because of the brilliant light coming from God, the city has no need of the sun or the moon to shine on it. This could mean that there is no sun or moon in the new heaven; it is important to recall that John saw not only a new earth, but also a new heaven (Revelation 21:1). However, it could be that there are one or more suns and moons, but none of them are necessary to light the new earth.
Since most of the energy of the current earth ultimately comes from our sun, we can infer now that God Himself is the primary source of energy upon the earth. A lamp requires fuel. It must be lit and tended in order to function properly. In the current earth, most lamp fuel historically comes from photosynthesis, whether that is ancient olive oil or modern petroleum. But now its lamp is the Lamb. Jesus is so bright that He fills the earth with light and energy.
In our current bodies, we cannot approach God or Jesus in unveiled glory. We see this in 1 Timothy, where Paul says this of Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords:
“who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:16)
We see this sentiment in Exodus as well, when Moses asks to see God’s face, and God tells him “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” (Exodus 33:20). Both of these verses tell us that, in our current human state in the present earth, humans cannot be in God’s presence and live.
We can infer the people in the new earth will be completely changed because they will now be able to be in God’s presence. Revelation 21:3 said that God “will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them.” Our new, resurrected bodies will be capable of enduring God’s revealed glory. Paul calls the resurrected body we can look forward to a “spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:44). It seems the nature of this spiritual body will allow believers to be in God’s unveiled glory.
We can presume that those permitted to enter the city will greatly benefit from being in the light of God. Perhaps we will be able to absorb His energy directly? Perhaps His radiance will not only reflect brilliance from the jewels of the walls and the crystals that make up the city, but also radiate in His people?
As we will see in Revelation 21:27, nothing unclean will be allowed into the city. This could partly be because no one required to remain outside the city can survive close proximity to the Lamb whose brilliance is such that it is the lamp of the entire 1500 mile square and 1500 mile high city. It could be that those outside the city are without the capacity to survive being in the unveiled presence of the glory of God and the Lamb.
The phrase its lamp is the Lamb now brings into physical reality Jesus’s claim, “I am the Light of the world” (John 8:12). On the old earth, Jesus was the light to show the way to life (Matthew 7:13-14). In the new earth, He actually provides the physical light as well.
There will be no more night in the new Jerusalem (Revelation 21:25). In the old earth, night concealed danger and bred unrighteousness. In the new Jerusalem, the Lamb’s light continuously fills the city. The inference is that the new Jerusalem will be filled with clarity and fellowship, which is righteousness (2 Peter 3:13).
John now makes a statement that hints at the vibrancy and energy that will fill the new earth: The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it (vv. 24-26).
The Greek word translated glory in verses 24-26 is “doxa,” which refers to something or someone’s essence being observed. An example is 1 Corinthians 15:41, which says the sun and moon have different sorts of glory. This is because the sun and moon a) differ in essence and b) their differing essence can be observed.
What gives a nation or a nation’s king glory in the current earth primarily relates to its people and their accomplishments. Perhaps there are other sorts of glory in the new earth. But regardless of what activities make up the glory of the nations, there is no room for the idea of people sitting around on clouds playing harps. There is a spectacular earth that has been meticulously constructed, inferring creative works. God designed humans to work, so there is every reason to believe that the capacity to work and the extent of accomplishment will expand greatly (Genesis 2:15).
There will still be nations in the new earth. We saw in Revelation 12:5 that the promised Messiah would “rule all the nations.” The Greek word translated nations is “ethnos.” It is most often translated “Gentiles” (examples are Matthew 4:15, 6:32, 10:15, 18). It refers to the peoples of the earth, but typically excludes Israel. Clearly the nations will be admitted into the city because the kings will bring their glory into it and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.
This seems to infer that it will be the kings that lead their people into the city. The kings will bring their glory into the city but it is said that they will bring both glory as well as the honor of the nations into it. The Greek word translated honor is “time,” which is also rendered as “value” or “price.” It would fit well with the idea that the nations will create works that will be brought into the city. This could include works of music, art, construction, clothing, etc.
Perhaps food is part of the glory and honor brought into the city. Revelation 22:2 tells us that the leaves of the tree of life will heal the nations, indicating that people will still have need, but those needs will be fully provided for by God. Perhaps the nations bring food into the city and take “leaves” out of the city to provide immortality for their population.
These works and deeds, along with the accomplishments of the people of the nations, might reflect as the glory and the honor of the nations that the kings bring into the city. Perhaps the kings lead their nations into the city to exchange goods, similar to nations that trade with one another in the current earth. Perhaps the new Jerusalem includes a gathering place where all the nations can exchange many sorts of mutual benefits with one another.
We might get a clue that the nations will primarily dwell outside the city because both its and it in the phrase The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it both appear to refer to the city, the new Jerusalem. If the nations had permanent dwellings in the city, it would not seem necessary to tell us that the nations will walk by the light of the city—that would seem to be a given. The light of the new city comes from the Lamb and the nations will walk by that light.
That there are kings of the earth indicates that there will still be governing order in the new earth. We saw this in Revelation 12:5, which tells us that the Messiah will rule the new earth with a “rod of iron.” This is a reason why the new earth fills with righteousness (2 Peter 3:13). Unrighteousness is not accommodated. Those who are kings of the earth are likely those who gained that responsibility through being faithful stewards (Matthew 25:21) and who overcame as Jesus overcame (Revelation 3:21).
Translations that use the majority text add a clause like “the nations of the saved” as being those who will walk by its light. (The majority text holds that the manuscripts with the most instances of the same text are the most reliable, while other translations hold that older texts are more reliable).
Fortunately, there are very few differences among translations and, as with this difference, there is no change in meaning. Immediate context makes it clear that only the redeemed will be allowed to enter the city that is the new Jerusalem (Revelation 20:15, 21:27).
The sentence In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed is consistent with the Lamb being a constant light for the city that is the new Jerusalem, as we saw in Revelation 21:23. Jesus does not change, and His light always shines. Therefore, there will be no night there. This also infers that one of the ways we will be changed is that the resurrected, spiritual body will no longer need to sleep, or at least not to sleep for long periods.
Perhaps the ability to absorb energy from the Lamb, who is the source of light for the city, will eliminate the need to “recharge” at night for the residents of the city. It will always be daytime in the new Jerusalem.
The absence of night may also be the absence of sin and spiritual darkness. Now only righteousness dwells. There is no more sorrow or death for God’s people (Revelation 21:4). This might be the complete fulfillment of Isaiah’s vision that
“No longer will you have the sun for light by day, Nor for brightness will the moon give you light; But you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, And your God for your glory.” (Isaiah 60:19)
In the next verse, Isaiah adds “you will have the LORD for an everlasting light.” This equates the Lamb with the LORD. The Hebrew word translated “LORD” in Isaiah 60:20 is Yahweh, the “I Am” of Exodus 3:14. He is the God who made a covenant with Israel, promising to bless them if they kept His commands (Exodus 19:8). And He is the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Jesus is fully God and fully human. As the Lamb, He is the light of the world, now physically as well as spiritually, and the creator of all things (Colossians 1:16-17).
That the gates will never be closed also tells us that there is nothing in the new earth that threatens the security of the new Jerusalem. Further, John adds and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life (v. 27).
The gates will remain open, but apparently there are occupants of the new earth that will not be allowed entrance into the city. This could be due to angelic or human guards. It could also be that the light of the Lamb and the unveiled glory of God is too bright in the city, and these occupants are not capable of entering; they cannot endure the pain of entering.
It appears that in the new earth there will be those who are unclean, as well as a group who practices abomination and lying. These behaviors are similar to the description in Revelation 21:8, which says that people with this sort of behavior’s “part” will be in the “lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” If we connect Revelation 21:8 with Revelation 21:27, it seems that these people are on the new earth. They apparently live there, but are not allowed into the new Jerusalem, even though the gates are always open.
We can piece together a number of clues to come up with a hypothesis or mental-model of how it might be that a new earth in which righteousness dwells, and where there is no more death or pain for believers, might also house the presence of people who dwell in and are consumed by the lake of fire. It could be that the unveiled presence of God, which is death to those on the current earth, but life to the redeemed in the new earth, is a second death to those whose names are not written in the book of life (Exodus 33:20, Revelation 20:15).
“Death” is separation from God’s (good) design. Physical death is the separation of our spirit from our body (James 2:26). It was not God’s design for our spirit and body to be separated. In the new earth, the spirits of believers will be united with a new, resurrected body (1 Corinthians 15:20-22, 42). God’s design was also for humans to work and live in relationship and fellowship with Him (Genesis 3:8-9).
When humans fell, that relationship and fellowship was broken, and required the death of Jesus to restore it. In this life, our relationship is restored when we have sufficient faith to accept God’s promise of eternal life, by having enough faith to look at Jesus, hoping to be healed from the poisonous venom of sin (John 3:14-15). It is the restoration given freely to all willing to ask for a drink of the water of life (Revelation 21:6).
In this life, believers who are redeemed by grace, through faith, enjoy fellowship with God and with one another when we walk in the light (1 John 1:7). That fellowship can be broken when we walk in darkness. In the new earth, the relationship and fellowship between God and His people will be fully restored. Believers will dwell in ongoing, unending fellowship with Him. Even those outside who are those who practice abomination and lying will have no ability to interrupt that fellowship.
This restoration will be the source of the peace/shalom in the new earth (Revelation 21:3-5). This might be in part because of the reign of overcomers who are servant kings, who serve Jesus and reign with Him with a “rod of iron” (Revelation 2:26-27).
It could be that this aspect of the new earth is pictured by the three Hebrews of Daniel 3:24-25. These three were faithful witnesses, refusing to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s idol. So, Nebuchadnezzar threw them into a fiery furnace, then observed them walking in the fire of the furnace with a supernatural being while his own soldiers were perishing from the heat (Daniel 3:19-25). The perishing soldiers might represent the unredeemed, who are eternally slain in the brilliance of God’s glory, while the redeemed enjoy the fellowship of God in His unveiled presence.
Isaiah 14:16 indicates that at some point Satan will be visible to those who pass by. They will wonder that this once-mighty figure is now helpless to impact his surroundings. We know that Satan is thrown into the lake of fire as his eternal destination (Revelation 20:10). There he will be “tormented day and night forever and ever.”
This could indicate a number of things. First, that Satan is at large in the new earth but a) unable to enter the city and b) unable to affect his surroundings. Part of Jesus’s “rod of iron” (Revelation 2:26-27, 12:5) with which He will rule the earth might be to disable Satan from being able to create any impact. It could be that the new earth is so bright to Satan that he might not be able to discern what is taking place in his surroundings; perhaps he cannot see but he can be seen.
Revelation 20:10 could also indicate that there is still “day and night” in the new earth, but no night in the new Jerusalem (Revelation 21:25). There are hints that those who dwell in the new Jerusalem are the overcomers:
Revelation 2:7 promises that those who overcome will be given to eat from the tree of life. Revelation 22:1-2 places the tree of life near the throne of God, which will be in the new Jerusalem.
Revelation 3:12 indicates that the overcomer will gain the reward of remaining in God’s presence in the new Jerusalem, where God is its temple, and “not go out from it.”
This mental model of God’s unveiled presence being the lake of fire to those who are not redeemed could also explain Psalm 139:8, which says, speaking of God:
“If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.”
“Sheol” is the place of the dead in the Old Testament. It could be that rather than the lake of fire somehow being separated from God, it is instead the all-encompassing and unveiled presence of God, which is death to those who are not redeemed and changed through the resurrection power of Jesus.
That the lake of fire is called the “second death” in Revelation 21:8 might indicate that this is a next-level separation from God. It is, perhaps, to be fully immersed in His presence without being able to benefit from or endure it. What is light and life to God’s servants has now become death and torment to those whose name is not in the book of life.
Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life are allowed into the city.
As we saw in Revelation 21:8, those who are “cowardly and unbelieving” will have a part in the lake of fire. We are not told specifically what the lake of fire is. We are told that the beast and false prophet are cast alive into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20) We are told that the devil is cast into the lake of fire where he will be tormented day and night forever (Revelation 20:10). We are told that death and hades are thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14).
If the lake of fire is the unveiled presence of God, then it could be that the devil, and those whose names are not written in the book of life, will have their permanent dwelling in the fully unveiled presence of God. Because they are not redeemed, to them it will be like the fire of the furnace was to the soldiers who were slain in its heat while the three Hebrews comfortably conferred with the Lord within the furnace.
It might be that believers who are “cowardly” will have their cowardice burned away by God’s presence at His judgment seat (1 Corinthians 3:15, 2 Corinthians 5:10). But it could also be that Revelation 21:27 indicates that some believers, like the unfaithful servant of Matthew 25:30, will not be allowed into the city. This could be part of the ramification inferred by Revelation 2:11 and 3:5.
In Revelation 2:11, believers, God’s servants, are told that if they overcome they will not be hurt by the second death. This could refer to Christ’s judgment seat, where all the deeds of believers will be judged. Those who have all their deeds burned will still be saved themselves, but “so as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3:15). Perhaps a subset of these will not be allowed into the city.
Revelation 3:5 says that overcomers will not have their name blotted out of the book of life. A believer having their name blotted out could infer a loss of rewards. It could be that they are “hurt” by God’s presence when their deeds are burned, and lose the reward of entering the city. But since deeds are not a part of becoming a child of God, this could not include a loss of being in God’s family and dwelling in the new earth where there is no more pain or death (Revelation 21:6).
We cannot be certain about the details of the new earth, and we are only given a glimpse. But what is clear in Revelation is that believers, God’s servants, who live as faithful witnesses who do not fear rejection, loss, or death will gain immense blessings/rewards that will more than make up for the pain of the fiery trials they endure on earth for living their faith (Revelation 1:3, 3:21, 5:10, 20:4-6, 22:12).
As the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). To live as a faithful witness is to endure rejection from the world. Jesus endured rejection, but “despised” the shame of the world as compared to the “joy” of sitting down “at the right hand of the throne of God” because of His obedience, even to death on the cross (Hebrews 12:2, Philippians 2:8-9).
Revelation exhorts believers to choose to be faithful witnesses, and not fear rejection, loss, or death from the world; and so do the previously referenced passages. Hebrews 12:1-2 exhorts believers to run the race of life with endurance, “fixing our eyes of Jesus” who despised the shame of the world as compared to the promised “joy” before Him. Philippians 2:5 sets the context for the description of Jesus learning obedience even to the point of death by exhorting believers to “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.” In each case, believers are exhorted to follow Jesus’s example of obedience as well as His fixation on possessing the promised blessing of God for living as a faithful witness.
Set to dark mode
Revelation 21:22-27 meaning
John writes in Revelation 21:22: I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple (v. 22).
God will no longer designate a place on earth for His presence to dwell, while He also dwells in heaven, as He did when He instructed Israel to build a tabernacle in the wilderness (Exodus 25:8-9). Rather, God will physically dwell upon the new earth, apparently with His glory completely unveiled. After Israel settled the land, God placed His glory in Solomon’s Temple (2 Chronicles 7:3). Now, God’s presence is physically upon the earth, so He Himself is the temple (Revelation 21:3, 22).
The temple is described as the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. The Lamb is Jesus, the second person of the Trinity. So the Lamb is also a part of the Lord God the Almighty as God. It is likely here that the Lamb is added, because Jesus is not only fully a part of the Lord God Almighty but is also fully human. He came to earth as a human and learned obedience, even to death on the cross as a Lamb (Philippians 2:5-8). As a result of His willingness to follow His Father fully and completely, His name was lifted above every name (Philippians 2:9-10). He was given all authority in heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18).
Through the suffering of death, the Lamb was rewarded to be the “Son” over the earth (Hebrews 1:5, 13). Through the “suffering of death,” Jesus restored the right of humans to fulfill their design, which is to reign in the earth in harmony with God, nature, and one another (Hebrews 2:5-9). Because of His obedience even to death on the cross, Jesus was worthy to break the seals of the scroll that has, at this point in Revelation, led to the end of the old age and the inauguration of this new age with a new earth in which righteousness dwells (Revelation 5:9-10).
John infers that God’s presence will be unveiled, and His glory will fill the city: And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb (v. 23).
The sun and moon were created to govern day and night (Genesis 1:16), providing light for the earth. Yet, in this final reality, the glory of God outshines any created light. Because of the brilliant light coming from God, the city has no need of the sun or the moon to shine on it. This could mean that there is no sun or moon in the new heaven; it is important to recall that John saw not only a new earth, but also a new heaven (Revelation 21:1). However, it could be that there are one or more suns and moons, but none of them are necessary to light the new earth.
Since most of the energy of the current earth ultimately comes from our sun, we can infer now that God Himself is the primary source of energy upon the earth. A lamp requires fuel. It must be lit and tended in order to function properly. In the current earth, most lamp fuel historically comes from photosynthesis, whether that is ancient olive oil or modern petroleum. But now its lamp is the Lamb. Jesus is so bright that He fills the earth with light and energy.
In our current bodies, we cannot approach God or Jesus in unveiled glory. We see this in 1 Timothy, where Paul says this of Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords:
“who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.”
(1 Timothy 6:16)
We see this sentiment in Exodus as well, when Moses asks to see God’s face, and God tells him “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” (Exodus 33:20). Both of these verses tell us that, in our current human state in the present earth, humans cannot be in God’s presence and live.
We can infer the people in the new earth will be completely changed because they will now be able to be in God’s presence. Revelation 21:3 said that God “will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them.” Our new, resurrected bodies will be capable of enduring God’s revealed glory. Paul calls the resurrected body we can look forward to a “spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:44). It seems the nature of this spiritual body will allow believers to be in God’s unveiled glory.
We can presume that those permitted to enter the city will greatly benefit from being in the light of God. Perhaps we will be able to absorb His energy directly? Perhaps His radiance will not only reflect brilliance from the jewels of the walls and the crystals that make up the city, but also radiate in His people?
As we will see in Revelation 21:27, nothing unclean will be allowed into the city. This could partly be because no one required to remain outside the city can survive close proximity to the Lamb whose brilliance is such that it is the lamp of the entire 1500 mile square and 1500 mile high city. It could be that those outside the city are without the capacity to survive being in the unveiled presence of the glory of God and the Lamb.
The phrase its lamp is the Lamb now brings into physical reality Jesus’s claim, “I am the Light of the world” (John 8:12). On the old earth, Jesus was the light to show the way to life (Matthew 7:13-14). In the new earth, He actually provides the physical light as well.
There will be no more night in the new Jerusalem (Revelation 21:25). In the old earth, night concealed danger and bred unrighteousness. In the new Jerusalem, the Lamb’s light continuously fills the city. The inference is that the new Jerusalem will be filled with clarity and fellowship, which is righteousness (2 Peter 3:13).
John now makes a statement that hints at the vibrancy and energy that will fill the new earth: The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it (vv. 24-26).
The Greek word translated glory in verses 24-26 is “doxa,” which refers to something or someone’s essence being observed. An example is 1 Corinthians 15:41, which says the sun and moon have different sorts of glory. This is because the sun and moon a) differ in essence and b) their differing essence can be observed.
What gives a nation or a nation’s king glory in the current earth primarily relates to its people and their accomplishments. Perhaps there are other sorts of glory in the new earth. But regardless of what activities make up the glory of the nations, there is no room for the idea of people sitting around on clouds playing harps. There is a spectacular earth that has been meticulously constructed, inferring creative works. God designed humans to work, so there is every reason to believe that the capacity to work and the extent of accomplishment will expand greatly (Genesis 2:15).
There will still be nations in the new earth. We saw in Revelation 12:5 that the promised Messiah would “rule all the nations.” The Greek word translated nations is “ethnos.” It is most often translated “Gentiles” (examples are Matthew 4:15, 6:32, 10:15, 18). It refers to the peoples of the earth, but typically excludes Israel. Clearly the nations will be admitted into the city because the kings will bring their glory into it and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.
This seems to infer that it will be the kings that lead their people into the city. The kings will bring their glory into the city but it is said that they will bring both glory as well as the honor of the nations into it. The Greek word translated honor is “time,” which is also rendered as “value” or “price.” It would fit well with the idea that the nations will create works that will be brought into the city. This could include works of music, art, construction, clothing, etc.
Perhaps food is part of the glory and honor brought into the city. Revelation 22:2 tells us that the leaves of the tree of life will heal the nations, indicating that people will still have need, but those needs will be fully provided for by God. Perhaps the nations bring food into the city and take “leaves” out of the city to provide immortality for their population.
These works and deeds, along with the accomplishments of the people of the nations, might reflect as the glory and the honor of the nations that the kings bring into the city. Perhaps the kings lead their nations into the city to exchange goods, similar to nations that trade with one another in the current earth. Perhaps the new Jerusalem includes a gathering place where all the nations can exchange many sorts of mutual benefits with one another.
We might get a clue that the nations will primarily dwell outside the city because both its and it in the phrase The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it both appear to refer to the city, the new Jerusalem. If the nations had permanent dwellings in the city, it would not seem necessary to tell us that the nations will walk by the light of the city—that would seem to be a given. The light of the new city comes from the Lamb and the nations will walk by that light.
That there are kings of the earth indicates that there will still be governing order in the new earth. We saw this in Revelation 12:5, which tells us that the Messiah will rule the new earth with a “rod of iron.” This is a reason why the new earth fills with righteousness (2 Peter 3:13). Unrighteousness is not accommodated. Those who are kings of the earth are likely those who gained that responsibility through being faithful stewards (Matthew 25:21) and who overcame as Jesus overcame (Revelation 3:21).
Translations that use the majority text add a clause like “the nations of the saved” as being those who will walk by its light. (The majority text holds that the manuscripts with the most instances of the same text are the most reliable, while other translations hold that older texts are more reliable).
Fortunately, there are very few differences among translations and, as with this difference, there is no change in meaning. Immediate context makes it clear that only the redeemed will be allowed to enter the city that is the new Jerusalem (Revelation 20:15, 21:27).
The sentence In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed is consistent with the Lamb being a constant light for the city that is the new Jerusalem, as we saw in Revelation 21:23. Jesus does not change, and His light always shines. Therefore, there will be no night there. This also infers that one of the ways we will be changed is that the resurrected, spiritual body will no longer need to sleep, or at least not to sleep for long periods.
Perhaps the ability to absorb energy from the Lamb, who is the source of light for the city, will eliminate the need to “recharge” at night for the residents of the city. It will always be daytime in the new Jerusalem.
The absence of night may also be the absence of sin and spiritual darkness. Now only righteousness dwells. There is no more sorrow or death for God’s people (Revelation 21:4). This might be the complete fulfillment of Isaiah’s vision that
“No longer will you have the sun for light by day,
Nor for brightness will the moon give you light;
But you will have the LORD for an everlasting light,
And your God for your glory.”
(Isaiah 60:19)
In the next verse, Isaiah adds “you will have the LORD for an everlasting light.” This equates the Lamb with the LORD. The Hebrew word translated “LORD” in Isaiah 60:20 is Yahweh, the “I Am” of Exodus 3:14. He is the God who made a covenant with Israel, promising to bless them if they kept His commands (Exodus 19:8). And He is the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Jesus is fully God and fully human. As the Lamb, He is the light of the world, now physically as well as spiritually, and the creator of all things (Colossians 1:16-17).
That the gates will never be closed also tells us that there is nothing in the new earth that threatens the security of the new Jerusalem. Further, John adds and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life (v. 27).
The gates will remain open, but apparently there are occupants of the new earth that will not be allowed entrance into the city. This could be due to angelic or human guards. It could also be that the light of the Lamb and the unveiled glory of God is too bright in the city, and these occupants are not capable of entering; they cannot endure the pain of entering.
It appears that in the new earth there will be those who are unclean, as well as a group who practices abomination and lying. These behaviors are similar to the description in Revelation 21:8, which says that people with this sort of behavior’s “part” will be in the “lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” If we connect Revelation 21:8 with Revelation 21:27, it seems that these people are on the new earth. They apparently live there, but are not allowed into the new Jerusalem, even though the gates are always open.
We can piece together a number of clues to come up with a hypothesis or mental-model of how it might be that a new earth in which righteousness dwells, and where there is no more death or pain for believers, might also house the presence of people who dwell in and are consumed by the lake of fire. It could be that the unveiled presence of God, which is death to those on the current earth, but life to the redeemed in the new earth, is a second death to those whose names are not written in the book of life (Exodus 33:20, Revelation 20:15).
“Death” is separation from God’s (good) design. Physical death is the separation of our spirit from our body (James 2:26). It was not God’s design for our spirit and body to be separated. In the new earth, the spirits of believers will be united with a new, resurrected body (1 Corinthians 15:20-22, 42). God’s design was also for humans to work and live in relationship and fellowship with Him (Genesis 3:8-9).
When humans fell, that relationship and fellowship was broken, and required the death of Jesus to restore it. In this life, our relationship is restored when we have sufficient faith to accept God’s promise of eternal life, by having enough faith to look at Jesus, hoping to be healed from the poisonous venom of sin (John 3:14-15). It is the restoration given freely to all willing to ask for a drink of the water of life (Revelation 21:6).
In this life, believers who are redeemed by grace, through faith, enjoy fellowship with God and with one another when we walk in the light (1 John 1:7). That fellowship can be broken when we walk in darkness. In the new earth, the relationship and fellowship between God and His people will be fully restored. Believers will dwell in ongoing, unending fellowship with Him. Even those outside who are those who practice abomination and lying will have no ability to interrupt that fellowship.
This restoration will be the source of the peace/shalom in the new earth (Revelation 21:3-5). This might be in part because of the reign of overcomers who are servant kings, who serve Jesus and reign with Him with a “rod of iron” (Revelation 2:26-27).
It could be that this aspect of the new earth is pictured by the three Hebrews of Daniel 3:24-25. These three were faithful witnesses, refusing to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s idol. So, Nebuchadnezzar threw them into a fiery furnace, then observed them walking in the fire of the furnace with a supernatural being while his own soldiers were perishing from the heat (Daniel 3:19-25). The perishing soldiers might represent the unredeemed, who are eternally slain in the brilliance of God’s glory, while the redeemed enjoy the fellowship of God in His unveiled presence.
Isaiah 14:16 indicates that at some point Satan will be visible to those who pass by. They will wonder that this once-mighty figure is now helpless to impact his surroundings. We know that Satan is thrown into the lake of fire as his eternal destination (Revelation 20:10). There he will be “tormented day and night forever and ever.”
This could indicate a number of things. First, that Satan is at large in the new earth but a) unable to enter the city and b) unable to affect his surroundings. Part of Jesus’s “rod of iron” (Revelation 2:26-27, 12:5) with which He will rule the earth might be to disable Satan from being able to create any impact. It could be that the new earth is so bright to Satan that he might not be able to discern what is taking place in his surroundings; perhaps he cannot see but he can be seen.
Revelation 20:10 could also indicate that there is still “day and night” in the new earth, but no night in the new Jerusalem (Revelation 21:25). There are hints that those who dwell in the new Jerusalem are the overcomers:
This mental model of God’s unveiled presence being the lake of fire to those who are not redeemed could also explain Psalm 139:8, which says, speaking of God:
“If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.”
“Sheol” is the place of the dead in the Old Testament. It could be that rather than the lake of fire somehow being separated from God, it is instead the all-encompassing and unveiled presence of God, which is death to those who are not redeemed and changed through the resurrection power of Jesus.
That the lake of fire is called the “second death” in Revelation 21:8 might indicate that this is a next-level separation from God. It is, perhaps, to be fully immersed in His presence without being able to benefit from or endure it. What is light and life to God’s servants has now become death and torment to those whose name is not in the book of life.
Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life are allowed into the city.
As we saw in Revelation 21:8, those who are “cowardly and unbelieving” will have a part in the lake of fire. We are not told specifically what the lake of fire is. We are told that the beast and false prophet are cast alive into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20) We are told that the devil is cast into the lake of fire where he will be tormented day and night forever (Revelation 20:10). We are told that death and hades are thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14).
If the lake of fire is the unveiled presence of God, then it could be that the devil, and those whose names are not written in the book of life, will have their permanent dwelling in the fully unveiled presence of God. Because they are not redeemed, to them it will be like the fire of the furnace was to the soldiers who were slain in its heat while the three Hebrews comfortably conferred with the Lord within the furnace.
It might be that believers who are “cowardly” will have their cowardice burned away by God’s presence at His judgment seat (1 Corinthians 3:15, 2 Corinthians 5:10). But it could also be that Revelation 21:27 indicates that some believers, like the unfaithful servant of Matthew 25:30, will not be allowed into the city. This could be part of the ramification inferred by Revelation 2:11 and 3:5.
In Revelation 2:11, believers, God’s servants, are told that if they overcome they will not be hurt by the second death. This could refer to Christ’s judgment seat, where all the deeds of believers will be judged. Those who have all their deeds burned will still be saved themselves, but “so as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3:15). Perhaps a subset of these will not be allowed into the city.
Revelation 3:5 says that overcomers will not have their name blotted out of the book of life. A believer having their name blotted out could infer a loss of rewards. It could be that they are “hurt” by God’s presence when their deeds are burned, and lose the reward of entering the city. But since deeds are not a part of becoming a child of God, this could not include a loss of being in God’s family and dwelling in the new earth where there is no more pain or death (Revelation 21:6).
We cannot be certain about the details of the new earth, and we are only given a glimpse. But what is clear in Revelation is that believers, God’s servants, who live as faithful witnesses who do not fear rejection, loss, or death will gain immense blessings/rewards that will more than make up for the pain of the fiery trials they endure on earth for living their faith (Revelation 1:3, 3:21, 5:10, 20:4-6, 22:12).
As the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). To live as a faithful witness is to endure rejection from the world. Jesus endured rejection, but “despised” the shame of the world as compared to the “joy” of sitting down “at the right hand of the throne of God” because of His obedience, even to death on the cross (Hebrews 12:2, Philippians 2:8-9).
Revelation exhorts believers to choose to be faithful witnesses, and not fear rejection, loss, or death from the world; and so do the previously referenced passages. Hebrews 12:1-2 exhorts believers to run the race of life with endurance, “fixing our eyes of Jesus” who despised the shame of the world as compared to the promised “joy” before Him. Philippians 2:5 sets the context for the description of Jesus learning obedience even to the point of death by exhorting believers to “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.” In each case, believers are exhorted to follow Jesus’s example of obedience as well as His fixation on possessing the promised blessing of God for living as a faithful witness.