Revelation 22:5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The righteous, according to the word of Christ, will shine like the sun (Mt 13:43). They will have the Lord of glory as their illumination and King. Having come to reign with Him, they will be governed by Him eternally, and they will need no light of lamps or of the sun.

For neither the night of sin will ever come, nor will the mist of unrighteousness descend. Living in such blessing, men will have no need of the words of any teacher. Established in such fullness, they will then leave behind the light of every other knowledge. The Lord Himself will make them supremely knowledgeable and experienced. For every knowledge they desire is revealed in the radiance of His face. And they will rule with all wisdom and truth.

The light of God produces unceasing radiance. And the saints will reign, plainly, unto the ages of ages. The most wise Daniel also bears witness to this: "The saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, and unto ages of ages" (Dan 7:18).

There will be no bodily weakness there, no nightly rest, and no light of fire, when God will be all in all. He is the true light and the eternal rest of the saints. These words may also be understood figuratively. There is no need there for the summons of the prophets or the preaching of the law, which are now called a lamp in a dark place. For when all things are fulfilled, the promise will be accomplished in the contemplation of God.

Its inhabitants will be all the heavenly powers and the saints, who have become the throne of God because the Master rests upon them. They will see God face to face, according to the Apostle (1 Cor 13:12). To see God means to have in the heart not passions, but love. The seal of this love will be on their foreheads. They will need neither the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, for they themselves, according to the word of Christ, will be illumined by the King of Glory.

All this points to the uninterrupted and most complete communion of the members of the heavenly Church with their Master, joined even to the vision of His face. This bond of the heavenly inhabitants with their Master, weakened by nothing and never ceasing, will be the source, or cause, of their eternal delight and blessedness. With such majestic and beautiful features the holy seer depicted the new Jerusalem, or the triumphant Church of the Lord in heaven, after the fulfillment of the ages.