THE GLORIFIED STATE Devotion 16 of 25 "There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for The Lord God gives them light." (Verse 5a) – Tomorrow:
It is no wonder the Spirit says, "Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work" (2 Thess 2:16-17, NKJV). The "hope" that is held out to believers is "good." Our future is bright with the glow of "good things to come" (Heb 9:11). Those who embrace the Lord with zeal, abandoning all competing pursuits, will surely be vindicated in that choice. If we seem foolishly radical now, it is only because our enemies are uncertain of their future. To such we acknowledge that, according to appearance, "We are fools for Christ's sake" (1 Cor 4:10). We have cast our eyes from the defilements of this world to the fair fields of glory. If the prospect of realizing all of our heart's desire seems but a dream, let us dream on! The happy prospect of glory has given us power to live, the ability to think more soundly, and the adeptness to drink from life's most bitter cup without despairing. What a marvelous revelation is set before us in the twenty-second chapter of Revelation! Let us drink from it with joy!
NO NIGHT THERE
Who is capable of comprehending the magnitude of this promise! "There shall be NO night there!" Among other things, life in this world is accompanied by night, both in nature and in spirit. In fact, our entire sojourn in this world is likened to time in the night. That is why we are told, "The night is far spent, the day is at hand" (Rom 13;12). We are not "of the night," but in Christ we are presently occupying the realm of night.
When Jesus comes, He will interrupt the affairs of this world like a "thief in the night" (1 Thess 5:2; 2 Pet 3:10). Until that time, we live amidst uncertainties. We do not even know what a day will bring forth, to say nothing of next year (Prov 27:1). We have a perfect parallel in nature. The light that rules the night is called a "lesser light" (Gen 1:16). In eternity, we will find the glow of grace was greatly diminished in the realm of this world, where faith was perfected. However, while it cannot be said of this world in ANY sense, in the world to come it is true in EVERY sense: "There shall be NO night there."
THE TRAGEDY OF THE NIGHT
The "night" does not speak of good things. It is a time of doubt and question, when watchmen must take their position on the walls of life (Isa 21:11). Jesus spoke of it as the coming night "when no one can work" (John 9:4). Night, in this sense, is something with which the children of God cannot blend. As it is written, "Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness" (1 Thess 5:5). It is true that we ourselves were "once darkness," but in Jesus that is no longer the case (Eph 5:8). The ignorance and depravity belonging to darkness are now contrary to our natures, and we can blend no longer with them.
Glory consists of the ABSENCE of some things, as well as the presence of others. The "night" speaks of everything contrary to us, and against which our faith struggles. To accentuate this, allow me to remind you of common experiences associated with nighttime. Because there is "no night there," none of these things will be there either.
CRYING. "And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night." "O my God, I cry . . . in the night season." "She weeps bitterly in the night" (1 Sam 15:11; Psa 22:2; Lam 1:2). What child of God does not know what this is about? Console your heart, saint of God. "There shall be no night there!"
WEEPING THAT ENDURES. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" (Psa 30:5). There are times when our tears gush during the night, watering our bed (Psa 6:6). These are also times when the helplessness of our flesh is emphasized, and our frailty looms large. What a blessed thing it is to read, "There shall be no night there!"
BITTER REMORSE. No child of God desires remorse. Yet, in this world, we taste of it like Peter did. "And Peter went out, and wept bitterly" (Lk 22:62). What an exceedingly dark night that was! Those with tender hearts know something of that experience. How good to know, "There shall be no night there." The mourning ones will be comforted!
TOILING FRUITLESSLY. No child of God wants anything to do with fruitless labors. However, what believer is there who does not know what it is like to work hard, yet take in little. Remember when the disciples went fishing after Jesus' death? It is written, "and that night they caught nothing" (John 21:3). It was reminiscent of an experience they had at the beginning. "And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing" (Lk 5:5). There are times when we cannot show much for our labors. But that will all end in the glory. "There is no night there."
PRAYER VIGILS. Our blessed Lord was noted for all night vigils in prayer. "And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God" (Lk 6 :12). Before Him, Jacob did the same (Gen 32:24). With the world shut out, and the lurking enemy of the soul near, nighttime has become a season for prayer. It is all part of being in this world. But it will not be so in the world to come. There will be no need for gathering strength in all-night seasons of prayer. "There is no night there."
A TIME OF DEATH. When those close to us leave this world, it is, so to speak, the nighttime. The brightness of the soul's sun has often set as we see those with whom we have sojourned move up higher. It can be said of more that one, "And this woman's child died in the night" (1 Kgs 3:19). It is one of the harder experiences of life. But all of that will behind us when we are ever with the Lord. "There is no night there."
Time does not allow extensive comments on this subject – the night. In bitterness of soul, the Psalmist's sore ran in the night (Psa 77:2). Jacob spoke of being consumed by frost at night (Gen 31:40). Job spoke of "wearisome nights" (Job 7:3). There is a terror associated with the night (Psa 91:5), and strong spiritual desires that surface in the night (Isa 26:9). All of this is part and parcel of living in the body and in the world. But it is only a temporary situation. "There is no night there."
Consider the difficulties associated with the darkness. Presently we wrestle against "the rulers of the darkness of this world" and the "power of darkness" (Eph 6:12; Col 1:13). But all of that will soon be behind us forever. "There is no night there."
PRAYER POINT: Father, I thank and praise You through Jesus Christ for the prospect of unending day!