City of Light

Cities are filled with lights. Skylines project light into the dark distance. Streets are dotted with lampposts while headlights appear and disappear. And buildings and homes are lit up from within.

Likewise, the eternal city will be filled with light, but its source will be divine. John writes, “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp” (Rev 21:23) and “There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light” (Rev 22:5).

Prior to the invention of electricity, moonlight was practically useful. But even today, we all need sunlight. Imagine a place without the sun and moon.

“The glory of God” and “the Lamb” far surpass any earthly beams. The sun is destined to expand then collapse, but the light of heaven is unchanging, never dim, always glorious because “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 Jn 1:5) and Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God says, “I am the light of the world” (Jn 8:12).

About seven centuries before Jesus, Isaiah described the heavenly light:

The sun will no more be your light by day,
nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory.
Your sun will never set again,
and your moon will wane no more;
the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your days of sorrow will end. (Is 60:19-20)

In his groundbreaking study of near-death experiences, published in 1975, Raymond Moody writes,

What is perhaps the most incredible common element in the accounts I have studied, and is certainly the element which has the most profound effect upon the individual, is the encounter with a very bright light. . . Despite the light’s unusual manifestation, however, not one person has expressed any doubt whatsoever that it was a being, a being of light. Not only that, it is a personal being. It has a very definite personality. The love and the warmth which emanate from this being to the dying person are utterly beyond words . . . (Life After Life, 51)

It’s unwise to trust every individual who claims to have had a near-death experience. We are on safer ground when considering the patterns in these hyperreal experiences. Dr. Moody compiled data from about 150 NDE cases. During the past 50 years, thousands of cases have been studied and people are still seeing an ineffable light.

No one is claiming that people with NDEs fully entered heaven. They only had a glimpse, perhaps from something like an entryway. But one prominent and consistent feature in their accounts is a brilliant and embracing light.

All of this shows that God is light and he desires people to dwell in his light forever. In the words of Isaiah, “the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end.”

Les Bridgeman

I have served as a high school Bible teacher and counselor in Asia and the U.S. I am passionate about understanding and teaching the Bible. Here’s a link to my book page.