“When is the sun replaced by the light of God’s glory on the new earth?”

“And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did light it, and the Lamb is the light thereof” (Rev. 21:23).

The sun isn’t going anywhere. Revelation 21:23 does not mean that there will be no more sun or moon in the new heaven and new earth, as is commonly taught. Like earth (Psa. 104:5), the sun and the moon will endure forever: “Praise ye Him, sun and moon: praise Him, all ye stars of light…He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: He hath made a decree which shall not pass” (Psa.148:3,6).

Further, a careful reading of Revelation 21:23 shows that it only pertains to the light within the new Jerusalem: “And the city has no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it….” Revelation 22:5 adds that, in the city, “there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light.”

The Apostle John is simply pointing out that the light of the sun and the light of the moon are not needed to illumine that great city because the glory of God is its brightness and light forever (Isa. 60:19). In the new Jerusalem, the glory of God shines brightly for all to see clearly and will outshine the natural lights of the sun and moon, but the sun and the moon will continue to server their purposes as ordained by God to provide their light to the rest of the new earth.

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.