In the church age, the lamps are the seven Spirits, but when we arrive in the New Jerusalem, the lamp will be the Lamb. “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the lamp thereof” (Rev. 21:23, Gk.). God is the light, and the Lamb is the lamp. This means that God is in Christ, shining out over the city. Today, God Himself through the Spirit is shining on the stands with all the churches. In eternity, the entire New Jerusalem will be a golden lampstand. If we read Revelation 21 and 22 properly, we see that the New Jerusalem is a mountain of gold, just like a golden stand. The throne of God and the Lamb is on the top. This is God in Christ shining out as the light. Christ is the lamp, and within this lamp is God as the light Therefore, Christ shines out God, and the city shines out Christ. Then the whole earth will walk in the light of the city.
Why is the Holy City so bright and full of light? It is because this city is saturated with the water of life and nourished with the tree of life. “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life” (Rev. 22:1-2a). In other words, life will fill, saturate, and permeate this city. The city will be full of life, so that life will be the light of men. Our God is the light, His Christ is the lamp, and we are the golden lampstands holding the lamp shining out the light. This is a corporate entity composed of the mingling of divinity with humanity. This is the Body-Christ, full of life; and this life is the light.
Now we must come to Revelation 12. The woman in this chapter describes the people of God. “And there appeared a great sign in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars” (Rev. 12:1, Gk.). To understand this woman, I would suggest that you read The Glorious Church by Watchman Nee. In this book, Brother Nee tells about four women. The first is Eve in Genesis 2. The second is the church as the counterpart of Christ in Ephesians 5. The third is the wonderful, universal woman in Revelation 12. Then, eventually, the fourth woman is the Bride, the New Jerusalem, in the last two chapters in the Bible. Brother Nee points out that the woman in Revelation 12 denotes all God’s chosen people, from the patriarchs, through Israel, to the church. There are three stages. This woman is clothed with the sun. This means that her main part is covered with the sun, which signifies the church age. Under her feet is the moon. The moon signifies the age of the law. And upon her head are twelve stars. The stars signify the patriarchs. Both the patriarchs and the law are in the night. Before Jesus came, it was night. The patriarchs were the stars, and the people of Israel were the moon. Then, when Christ came, it was the dawning of the day. Therefore, the church age is clothed with the sun.
All God’s selected people as a whole are this woman. She is full of light. In the whole universe, there are only three kinds of light bearers: the sun, the moon, and the stars. All these are on or around the woman. This is God’s people. They are full of light, like the sun, moon, and stars. The church must be like this. We are not only God’s people; we are the greater part of God’s people. We are not the stars or the moon; we are the sun. This is wonderful!
The New Jerusalem shines the brightest of all, because she bears the glory of God. “And he carried me away in spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal” (Rev. 21:10-11, Gk.). The sun will still shine during the time of the New Jerusalem, but there will be no need of the sun, because of the brightness of the city. “And there shall be no night there; and they need no lamp, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light” (Rev. 22:5, Gk.). Suppose the electric light is burning in our room in the morning, and then the sun begins to shine in the window. At such a time the light becomes useless because of the brighter shining of the sun. These verses do not mean that there will be no sun in the New Jerusalem, but that God will be the light, and His light will swallow up the sunshine. His light will become the light of the city, so that in the city there is no night. God will shine there day and night as the greatest light. With the shining of the divine sun, there will be no moon, and there will be no night. However, outside the city, there will still be day and night.
The New Jerusalem is a picture, showing us how the Body-Christ, the church life, should be full of light. We should be filled and saturated with light. Many of us have been in various denominations and free groups. When we were there, we all sensed that there was no light. We could participate in all kinds of sports and worldly entertainments, and never experience any shining. Yet on Sunday, we could dress properly and go to “church.” There was absolutely no light there. But one day we came to the genuine church life. From the very first meeting, there was light. The more we opened to the Lord and called on His name, the more the light shined. Day by day in the church life we are under the shining of the sevenfold intensified Spirit. The church is the lampstand holding the lamp, and the lamp has seven eyes as a flame of fire. In the churches Christ is walking and observing with his seven flaming eyes; so the churches are full of light. Everyone is exposed. Some would try to hide, but there is no place to hide. In the church there is a heavenly flashlight, shining all the time. None can escape. The more we try to hide, the more we are exposed. The wisest way is to come to the light. The heavenly flashlight is not to hurt us, but to heal us. We need the shining of the light of life.
Whether we are the church or not does not depend upon what we say or what others say. It depends altogether upon the light. The light is the very presence of Christ. When He is here, who can deny the light, and who can escape the light? Praise the Lord! In the church there is no night, for Christ as the day is here! There is no need for anyone to manage or control. He is here! Where there is light, there is order. Where there is darkness, there is confusion. In the church life we are all under the control of the light, for here there is the shining of Christ. We are all under His sunshine. “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine upon thee” (Eph. 5:14, Gk.). Hallelujah! This is the lampstand with the proper shining of the lamp.