On April 8, 2024, many in the Central and Eastern US were able to see a total solar eclipse. Millions of Americans picked up some "eclipse watching glasses" so they could watch the sun directly as the moon moved in and then moved on. I was one of those who did not buy the glasses, because I didn't plan on looking directly at the sun. But, I snuck a peek into the sky a time or two and was quickly reminded just how blinding the light of the sun is. Then some scriptures came to mind:
- Revelation 21:23 says heaven will not have a sun or a moon. No need for it, because the glory of God will illuminate the whole earth, and the lamp that is the source is the Lamb: Jesus himself.
- In Acts 26:13, Paul describes his encounter with Jesus as, "a light from heaven brighter than the sun."
- And in 1 Timothy 6:16, Paul describes God as "the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see, to him be honor and eternal power."
The triune God of grace we worship is described by a lot of things in scripture – he's a rock, a fortress, a shelter, a hen covering us with her wings, a fountain, a king, bread, water, a consuming fire, breath/wind, sacrificial lamb, helper, lion, and on and on I could go. But when scripture talks about where God lives, it describes a light that is so intense you wouldn't be able to approach it – one that will illuminate the entire new heavens and new earth to the point where one day, God will look at the sun (which we all had to shelter our eyes from yesterday) and say, Thank you sun, but I'll take it from here!
There's an old song called "Do Lord," that says, "I've got a home in glory land that outshines the sun..." Note to the reader: Just because it's an old hymn doesn't mean it's biblically accurate! :) It's not our home that outshines the sun – it's the Source! The song should say, "I've got a Savior whose glory outshines the sun!" The glory of the resurrected Christ, there on the road to Damascus, shining brighter than the sun for only for a few moments, blinded Saul for 3 days. That same glory of Jesus is going to be the Lamp that never goes out in that fully realized kingdom of heaven. There will never again be night, because the Source of our Light in that place is not something created that will eventually burn out.
It's no wonder we will need new bodies to be able to comprehend it all.