Revelation 21:22-27

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.  And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.  By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.  They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.  But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.

We use the word “glory” as a synonym for heaven or the new earth.  There is good reason for that usage because heaven will certainly be filled with glory.  This passage refers to three different types of glory that will be present in the New Jerusalem.  Each of these uses of glory teaches us about different realities we will experience in our eternal dwelling.

THE GLORY OF GOD: Temples represent places we go to worship.  The sun appears as the brightest star from the perspective of earth and its visibility distinguishes night and day.  Temples will be unnecessary because God’s presence will be with us so every place and every moment will be like a temple of worship.  His presence and glory will fill the earth with a light like we have never experienced.  As amazingly beautiful as the new earth will be, the most glorious aspect of our eternal dwelling will be the presence of God.  Any beauty or glory seen in creation or mankind is only ever a reflected glory.  God is the only source of true an unbounded glory and we will dwell in His presence forever.

THE GLORY OF KINGS: The experience of heaven will be enriched by the glory God shares with His people.  We are told that we will rule and reign with Christ on the new earth.  There will be nations on the new earth.  Apparently the cultural and racial diversity will continue to exist on the new earth.  There will be kings over these nations, but unlike todays kings, they will reign for the sole purpose of glorifying God.  The glory God reveals in all creation, and all creatures will never be used for self-promotion.  Instead, that glory will all be directed back to God as it has always been intended.

THE GLORY OF NATIONS: There is a richness in the verities of cultures and races that we experience on earth today. These differences are fascinating and instructive to observe and experience.  Unfortunately, many nations and cultures today are living in ignorance of or opposition to God.  Idolatry has infested every culture and all the nations.  Sin permeates our society to devastating effect.  Life on the new earth will continue to have all the richness of cultural diversity without any of the idolatry or sin.  All the nations will only be made up of redeemed believers who have been purified and set free from all sin.  The nations will reflect God’s glory in ways we can only glimpse on today’s earth.

APPLICATION: Rejoice in the assurance we have in Christ that we will experience the glory of God in the ways this passage describes for all of eternity.  Recognize that our current experience of joy on this world will be proportionate to our dedication to living for and reflecting the glory of God.  Strive to eliminate sin from our lives in the power of the Spirit so we can enrich our worship in our current reality.

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