In Revelation 21:23 we read that the New Jerusalem “has no need of the sun or of the moon that they should shine in it, for the glory of God illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.” God is the light, and He is embodied in and shining through the Lamb as the lamp. The Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ as the Redeemer, is intrinsically related to the believers’ enjoyment of the glorious divine light, both now and for eternity (John 1:29, 4, 9; Rev. 21:23). Apart from the Lamb’s redemption, we could not come near the divine light, for God is One “dwelling in unapproachable light” (1 Tim. 6:16). Yet Revelation 22:4 says the believers “will see His face,” and 2 Corinthians 4:6 speaks of God as “the One who shined in our hearts to illuminate the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” It is by the redeeming work of the Lamb that God’s light has become accessible and lovable to the believers.
A picture of this experience is seen in Exodus 33. God tells Moses in verse 20, “You cannot see My face, for no man shall see Me and live.” However, God made a provision for Moses to receive a wonderful vision of His glory by placing him in the cleft of the rock, which typifies the crucified Christ who was smitten with God’s authority (Exo. 33:22-23; 1 Cor. 10:4; John 19:33-34; Rev. 22:1). Just as Moses could enjoy the glory of Jehovah by being placed in a cleft of the rock, the believers may see and enjoy God’s glory by being in the crucified Christ. The believers in Christ can delight in God’s shining through the Lamb, who was crucified for their redemption and who is the lamp containing God as light. Like Moses, each believer can therefore boldly tell the Lord each day, “Please show me Your glory” (Exo. 33:18).
Before our redemption, the penetrating divine light instantly disqualified us from fellowship with God. After our redemption, however, the very light that once disqualified us becomes the way by which we maintain our fellowship with God. According to 1 John 1:7, “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every sin.” Because it is the Lamb of God who shines forth the divine light, this light is not harsh or distressing to the believers but rather is warm, lovely and delightful, both today and for eternity in the New Jerusalem.
Further Reading:
Witness Lee, The Conclusion of the New Testament, Message 431 (Print).
Witness Lee, Life-Study of Revelation, Message 64 (Nook, Kindle, iBooks, Print).
Witness Lee, Life-Study of 2 Corinthians, Message 30 (Nook, Kindle, iBooks, Print).
Holy Bible Recovery Version, all verses mentioned in this post and their corresponding footnotes (Nook, Kindle, iBooks, Print).
(Most references in the Further Reading can also be viewed on www.ministrybooks.org.)
“This light is our redeeming and shining God. We must apply this light to our daily walk.”
“For the building up of the Body of Christ, we need to walk and live under the divine, redeeming, and shining light through the word of God.”
“Because Christ is the light in the church, it is the same today in the church life.”