Revelation 22:5

And there shall be night no more; and they need no light of lamp, neither light of sun; for the Lord God shall give them light; and they shall reign for ever and ever.

And there shall be night no more ... All of the dread and fear of the darkness which have dogged the steps of humanity through the ages shall disappear in the light and bliss of heaven. "The saved will need no sun nor lamp, because of the light of the divine glory with them."[20]

And they shall reign for ever and ever ... "It is not said that they shall reign over anyone."[21] The millennial notion of the saints reigning over people is carnal, secular, and unbiblical. The reigning will be over themselves in perfect control of all their abilities and powers in the true service of God in whatever activity God may assign to them, exactly the same kind of reigning they are doing now. When taken with the statement in Revelation 22:3 that, "His servants shall serve him," it is clear enough that, "Paradise is not only the absence of evil but the privilege of serving God in his presence forever."[22] It is a false view that looks upon heaven as a place of idleness and inactivity, as some have imagined:

I go where the loud Hallelujah's are ringing, But I shall not take part in the singing. Then weep not for me, friends, if death do us sever, For I'm going to do nothing forever and ever.[23]

Maybe such a view has comfort in it for people who are oppressed and overworked, but it is nevertheless a false view.

This verse concludes the vision of the new Jerusalem, the Paradise of the redeemed. The wonders and glories of it surpass all imagination and leave the mind numb in the contemplation of it.

Let us leave it here in all its glory; for there are times when silence is better than speech, when worship and wonder should supplant the words of men. Here is the final glory.[24]

[20] Isbon T. Beckwith, op. cit., p. 767.

[21] Leon Morris, Tyndale Commentaries, Vol. 20, Revelation (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1969), p. 257.

[22] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Revelation (Chicago: Moody Press, 1968), p. 123.

[23] Donald W. Richardson, The Revelation of Jesus Christ (New York: Pillar Books, 1964), p. 140.

[24] Charles M. Laymond, The Book of Revelation (New York-Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1960), p. 146.