Revelation 22:5, says in New Jerusalem there is “no need of the light of a lamp and of the light of the sun, for the Lord God will shine upon them.”
The Old Testament tabernacle and temple had three sections—the outer court, the holy place, and the holy of holies. The outer court was illuminated by the sun, the holy place by the lampstand, and the holy of holies by God’s presence.
According to this pattern of illumination, the Lord God shining in New Jerusalem indicates that it is the eternal holy of holies (see the related posts).
Exodus 25:10-21 describes the ark and its cover, which were put in the holy of holies. In verse 22 God says, “there I will meet with you.” However, in Old Testament times only the high priest had this meeting with God and only once a year (Hebrews 9:6-8).
In contrast, Revelation 22:4 says that we “will see His face,” that is, we will meet with Him. While we are meeting Him and seeing His face, He is shining on us (22:5). What a blessing for eternity!
Yet, we should not wait passively. Second Corinthians 3:16-18 tells us that when our heart is turned to the Lord, who is the Spirit, we behold and reflect the glory of the Lord with an unveiled face. This is our opportunity now to have a foretaste of New Jerusalem.
More posts about New Jerusalem as the holy of holies:
Fellowship Based on the Lamb’s Redemption in the City of Glory
Come Forward to the Holy of Holies
Come Forward to the Present Reality of New Jerusalem
Photo courtesy of U.S. National Park Service.
New Jerusalem - the Consummation 
Tom Smith
/ February 14, 2013For the Lord God to shine on us is a great blessing. God is light and He carries out His purpose by shining. It was God’s shining in the universe that brought forth the old creation (Gen. 1:3). It is God’s shining in our hearts that makes us a part of His new creation (2 Cor. 4:6). God’s shining today is in the face of Christ. So we need to behold Him every day (3:18) so that we can be transformed into His glorious image. The issue of enjoying His shining today is that we will “see His face”—enjoying His continual shining for eternity in the New Jerusalem. “Lord, keep us looking into Your glorious face every day.”
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Don
/ February 16, 2013Yes, “Lord, keep us looking into Your glorious face every day.”
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