Revelation 21:22

21:22-27 Perfect and direct communion with God, will more than supply the place of gospel institutions. And what words can more full express the union and co-equality of the Son with the Father, in the Godhead? What a dismal world would this be, if it were not for the light of the sun! What is there in heaven that supplies its place? The glory of God lightens that city, and the Lamb is the Light thereof. God in Christ will be an everlasting Fountain of knowledge and joy to the saints in heaven. There is no night, therefore no need of shutting the gates; all is at peace and secure. The whole shows us that we should be more and more led to think of heaven as filled with the glory of God, and enlightened by the presence of the Lord Jesus. Nothing sinful or unclean, idolatrous, or false and deceitful, can enter. All the inhabitants are made perfect in holiness. Now the saints feel a sad mixture of corruption, which hinders them in the service of God, and interrupts their communion with him; but, at their entrance into the holy of holies, they are washed in the laver of Christ's blood, and presented to the Father without spot. None are admitted into heaven who work abominations. It is free from hypocrites, such as make lies. As nothing unclean can enter heaven, let us be stirred up by these glimpses of heavenly things, to use all diligence, and to perfect holiness in the fear of God.

Revelation 21:22-27 . And I saw no temple therein — The whole city being, properly speaking, a temple; the Lord God and the Lamb surrounding, filling, and sanctifying the whole, and being more intimately present in every part of it, and with every individual, saint or angel, than had ever been known on earth. And the city had no need of the sun — To give light to its inhabitants; for the glory of God — Infinitely brighter than the shining of the sun; did lighten it — The illustrious manifestation of his presence rendered every other light unnecessary. It seems the whole city appeared to St. John like a luminous object, sending out rays on every side, which he knew to be the consequence of God’s dwelling there in a peculiar sense. And the nations of them which are saved — From the guilt and pollution of sin before they leave this world; shall walk in the light of it — In a higher degree than they could possibly do on earth: for they shall no longer see through a glass darkly, but face to face; shall no longer know in part, but shall know as they are known. And the kings of the earth — Those of them who have a part there; do bring their glory and honour into it — Not their old glory, which is now supposed to be abolished, but such as becomes the new earth, and receives an immense addition by their entrance into this city.

Or the sense may be, as Doddridge thinks, “If you were to conceive all the monarchs upon earth uniting all their treasures to adorn one single place, they could produce nothing comparable to the glory of this city.” And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day — That is, shall never be shut; for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory, &c., of the nations into it — Whatever is most desirable among all nations seemed to meet together to adorn that place, where good men of all nations shall dwell and reign with God for ever. Or all that can contribute to make any city honourable and glorious shall be found in it; as if all that was rich and precious throughout the world was brought into one place. And there shall in nowise enter any thing that defileth — Greek, κοινον , common; that is, unholy; or that worketh abomination — That is impure or vicious; or maketh a lie — Is chargeable with hypocrisy, falsehood, or deceit; but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life — Namely, true, holy, persevering believers. This blessedness is enjoyed only by such, and such as these only are registered among them who are to inherit eternal life.

The Temple, the Light, the Riches, and the Inhabitants of the City, Revelation 21:22-27 22 . And I saw no temple ] The New Jerusalem is on earth though on the new earth: this does not therefore prove that the heavenly temple of Revelation 11:19 &c. has ceased to exist. But He Who dwells from all eternity in that Temple will dwell to all eternity in the New Jerusalem; and will dwell there so manifestly, that there will be no need of an earthly figure of that Temple to symbolise His presence, or aid men to realise it. the Lord God Almighty ] See on Revelation 1:8 , Revelation 4:8 . and the Lamb are ] More accurately, the Lord God the Almighty is the Temple of it, and the Lamb . But the coupling of the Lamb with the Eternal is scarcely the less significant: see on Revelation 20:6 .

And I saw no temple therein: I cannot take temple so strictly here, as those who understand all this but as a description of the blessed state of the militant church, during the thousand years; but understand it of all such worship and ordinances as we serve God in, and by, in this life. For the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it; the immediate fruition of God shall there supply all, God shall be all in all, 1 Corinthians 15:28 . Ordinances are but perspectives, of use in this life to see God at a distance; means, whereby we know in part: there we shall see God face to face, and know him as we are known. The saints there shall want nothing, and therefore shall not need a house of prayer; they shall know perfectly, and therefore will not need any to teach them; they shall always see Christ, and so will need no sacraments whereby to remember him.

(22) And I saw no temple therein . . . —Rather, And temple I saw not in it, for the Lord God the Almighty is her temple, and the Lamb. In Ezekiel’s vision the vast and splendid proportions of the Temple formed a conspicuous part: its gigantic proportions declared it to be figurative ( Ezekiel 48:8-20 ); but the present vision passes on to a higher state of things. “I saw no temple:” Ezekiel’s vision declared that the literal temple would be replaced by a far more glorious spiritual temple. The age of the Christian Church succeeds the age of the Jewish temple-worship; the age of the Church triumphing will succeed the age of the Church toiling; and there the external organisations, helps, and instrumentalities required for the edifying of the body of Christ will no longer be needed. Tongues, prophecies, knowledge, may pass away ( 1Corinthians 13:9 ; Ephesians 4:11-13 ); churches will disappear, absorbed in the one glorious Church; ministries, missionary organisations, helps, governments, may cease. There God is all. The Lord is there—the temple, the sanctuary, the dwelling-place of His people. (Comp. Ezekiel 48:35 .) Every merely local aspect of worship is at an end ( John 4:21-24 ).

22. no temple … God … the temple—As God now dwells in the spiritual Church, His "temple" (Greek, "naos," "shrine"; 1Co 3:17; 6:19), so the Church when perfected shall dwell in Him as her "temple" (naos: the same Greek). As the Church was "His sanctuary," so He is to be their sanctuary. Means of grace shall cease when the end of grace is come. Church ordinances shall give place to the God of ordinances. Uninterrupted, immediate, direct, communion with Him and the Lamb (compare Joh 4:23), shall supersede intervening ordinances.

Verse 22. - And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. No ναός , "inner shrine," or "sanctuary" (cf. Revelation 7:15 ). The whole city is now the ναός (cf. on vers. 16, 17, where the shape of the city is that of the holy of holies). The presence of God pervades all the city (cf. ver. 11); all the redeemed are within the sanctuary, all are now priests (cf. Revelation 20:6 ). There is, therefore, no ναός , or "temple," within the city, for the whole city itself is the temple. The Object of all worship and the great Sacrifice are there (Alford). Revelation 21:22

Revelation 21:22 sq. The proper glory of the city is further described. It has no temple, because there is no need of one; for its temple is God himself and the Lamb. Nor does God, together with the Lamb, have a special dwelling-place in the city, but it is filled with the δόξα of God, everywhere present in it,[4352] and the city itself is indeed the bride of the Lamb[4353] who is immediately present to all the inhabitants of the city.[4354] They, therefore, need not the light of sun and moon; for[4355] the δόξα of God and the Lamb itself fill them with light.[4356] Here where, indeed, the description implies that the δόξα τοῦ θεοῦ corresponds to the sun, and that of the Lamb to the moon,[4357] it does not follow that the same distinction is made also in Revelation 21:11 ,[4358] because there it is only a φωστήρ that is mentioned, viz., the δόξα τ . θ . appears as φωστήρ , because it φωτίζωι ( Revelation 21:23 ). [4352] Cf. Revelation 21:3 ; Revelation 21:11 . [4353] Revelation 21:9 . Cf. Revelation 19:9 . [4354] Cf. Revelation 22:3 sq., Revelation 3:20 . [4355] Cf. Revelation 21:11 . [4356] Cf. Isaiah 60:19 sq. [4357] Grot., Ewald, De Wette. [4358] Züll.

And I saw no temple therein - No structure reared expressly for the worship of God; no particular place where he was adored. It was all temple - nothing but a temple. It was not like Jerusalem, where there was but one house reared expressly for divine worship, and to which the inhabitants repaired to praise God; it was all one great temple reared in honor of his name, and where worship ascended from every part of it. With this explanation, this passage harmonizes with what is said in Revelation 2:12 ; Revelation 7:15 . For the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it - They are present in all parts of it in their glory; they fill it with light; and the splendor of their presence may be said to be the temple. The idea here is, that it would be a holy world - all holy. No particular portion would be set apart for purposes of public worship, but in all places God would be adored, and every portion of it devoted to the purposes of religion.