THE GLORIFIED STATE

                   
"And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.  In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. 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. Then he said to me, These words are faithful and true. And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.  Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. Then he said to me, See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God."  (Revelation 22:1-9, NKJV)

Devotion 17 of 25

NO LAMP AND NO LIGHT OF THE SUN
"They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light." 

The lamp and the sun will not be in glory because they will not be needed! In nature, grace, and glory, things that are not needed are not supplied.

The "lamp" is for the night, and "the sun" is for the day. We need them both because of the temporal nature of life, and because of its cycles. The lamp and the sun allow us to adapt to a changing environment. Like Israel of old, we have leadership by both day and night (Ex 13:21).

To put it another way, the fulness of Divine glory is NOT presently with us. What we have is good and necessary, but it is only introductory – the "first fruits" of the glory we will enjoy in the world to come. Because we dwell in earthen vessels (2 Cor 4;7), are in a cursed world (2 Pet 3:10-12), have an "old man" (Eph 2:22-24), and have "the law of sin" within our bodies (Rom 7:23,25), we need help. All of those detriments emit a sort of moral and spiritual fog that causes darkness all around us. Without some supernatural light, we simply are not able to navigate in this world.

Presently, God's Word is "a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psa 119:105). It allows us to navigate through difficult spiritual terrain. A knowledge and understanding of the Word of God is imperative to avoid stumbling and keep on the "narrow" way (Matt 7:14). Too, there is "the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ," which dispels the darkness caused by sin. Additionally, there is "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God" that is seen "in the face of Christ Jesus" (2 Cor 4:16). This also illumines our condition as well as our path. The grandest consolidation of light is found in the Lord Jesus Himself who said, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12). None of these marvelous sources, however, are presently experienced in their fulness. Our natural condition dulls their brightness.

But in the world to come, there will be no need for any adaptation as we presently know it. The "Lord God" Himself will shed light on everything – not indirectly, as now, but directly. There will not be means, as those required now, but the light will be immediate. Nothing will be vague or mysterious. There will be no dark corners, so to speak, where we must navigate by faith. In this world, because we do not fully see the Lord, we cannot fully see life. In fact, both truth and life are only seen correctly to the degree we behold the Lord correctly. No wonder it is written, "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known" (1 Cor 13:12).
 
Clarity of vision has more to do with WHERE we are than what we know. Being in the body and in the world produces a blurred condition, where having a correct focus is attended with great difficulty. Further, while we are surrounded by the temporal order, God Himself cannot dwell fully with us.

All of that, praise the Lord, will be fully corrected in the world to come. With the temporal removed, and our enemies in the lake of fire, the Lord Himself will be able to fully dwell with us. His Presence, or Person, will cause everything to become clear to us. There will be no further need for "lesser lights," whether lamps, or moon, or sun.

In a sense, believers can tell how close they are to God by what they are able to comprehend or understand. Where a fundamental ignorance of God and the things of the Spirit of God exists, there is a vast chasm between the individual and God. Too, as the things of God become clearer to us, we are coming closer to the Lord, drawing near to Him in faith.

Conversely, the clarity of understanding we will have when we are in glory will confirm God Himself is with us. The illumination we possess will be given to us by His Presence, not by secondary means, as it is now received.

All of this assumes there is a longing for this illumination within the saints – and, indeed, there is. Salvation brings this longing to the soul. Wherever the Lord Jesus is received, there comes an increasing appetite and yearning for the truth of God. Where that is missing, death is prevalent. The pulse of spiritual life is directly proportionate to the dominance of hope. Where hope is nourished and maintained, strong yearnings for glory are found – glory, where there is no need of the lamp or the sin!

PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for the indirect light You so graciously shine upon my path now. I also rejoice in the anticipation of glory, when there will be no need for secondary or mediate light.

– Tomorrow: THEY SHALL REIGN FOREVER AND EVER –