Revelation 22:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

NIV: There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

NASB: And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illuminate them; and they will reign forever and ever.

CSB: Night will be no more; people will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will give them light, and they will reign forever and ever.

NLT: And there will be no night there — no need for lamps or sun — for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.

KJV: And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

NKJV: There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.

Once again, John reports that night will not exist in the eternal city. Further, there is no need of lamp or sunlight because the Lord God is the city's source of light (Revelation 21:23). Ancient cities had only fire to create light, making it difficult to drive away the darkness of night. Occasionally, modern cities experience blackouts that plunge residents into darkness and disrupt their everyday way of life. Great joy erupts when power is restored. But a blackout will never occur in New Jerusalem.

Also, God's servants will reign forever and ever. At the beginning of human history, God placed Adam over the created earth. Adam's responsibility was to rule the planet as God's steward (Genesis 1:28–30), but his failure to obey God's command regarding the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil resulted in a curse on the earth (Genesis 3:17–19). When God creates a new heaven and a new earth, He gives redeemed mankind the privilege of ruling with Christ over His creation. Paul told the young pastor, Timothy: "If we endure, we will also reign with him" (2 Timothy 2:12).

Revelation 22:1–5 provides further details of New Jerusalem, which was introduced in the preceding chapter. Based on the language used, some interpreters debate whether New Jerusalem will exist during the thousand-year reign of Christ, providing sustenance for those who live on the earth; or, if it will only appear after the end of the millennium. Either way, in New Jerusalem eternal conditions exist in perfection and peace.

John sees additional images of New Jerusalem. The city's depiction stands in contrast to the ruin experienced during the tribulation, and evokes comparisons to the garden of Eden from the book of Genesis. After this, John relates several commands and messages from Jesus Christ. Among these are a dire warning not to manipulate the words of this message. Revelation, along with the canon of Scripture, ends with a benediction and prayer for Jesus to return.

This passage completes the description of New Jerusalem. Earlier chapters in Revelation described the final judgments against sin and death. Genesis chapter 3 described humanity's loss of paradise; Revelation 22 describes paradise regained. Concluding remarks by Jesus begin in verse 6 and continue through verse 20. Verse 21 records the apostle John's benediction, which marks the end of the New Testament canon.

The word ''revelation'' means ''an unveiling or disclosure.'' This writing unveils future events such as the rapture, three series of judgments that will fall on the earth during the tribulation, the emergence of the Antichrist, the persecution of Israel and her amazing revival, as well as Jesus' second coming with His saints to the earth, the judgment of Satan and his followers, and finally, the eternal state. This content, combined with the original Greek term apokalypsis, is why we now refer to an end-of-the-world scenario as ''an apocalypse.''