The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

The holy city the place of mediation
While we are able to endorse much of the foregoing quotation as true and beautiful, we
could not accept it as a whole. Evidently this writer's thought was that this picture of the
Holy City with the Lord God and the Lamb as the Temple of it describes the eternal state
beyond the reign of Christ. This portion of his interpretation we think is erroneous, for
none of the visions given to St. John were intended to picture the details of the state of
eternity beyond the final redemption of all the saved. Again we assert that this symbol of
the Holy City, which in another sense will also be the great symbolic Temple, will be the
meeting place--the place where mediation will be effected between God and fallen
humanity; and the statement, "I saw no temple therein," merely signifies that in this new
arrangement of the future there will be no reorganization or re-establishment of the old,
typical temple with all of its forms and ceremonies, but a wholly new arrangement. The
Lord God and the Lamb will be the Temple of the New Jerusalem or Kingdom institution
in that these will be exalted before all peoples as the first great objects of worship and
praise, and men will be taught through the ministration of the glorified Church, the true
way of access to God whereby they may come back fully into His favor and be given
eternal life. Thus while it will be true of those who will constitute the Holy City of the
future that they will then need no intermediary, no one to intercede for them, but can
commune with God direct, in His very presence, this will not be true of the world of
mankind, for the latter will require the mediation of the Holy City, the Temple class, until
restored to perfection. Then at the close of that mediatorial reign, the Kingdom will be
turned over to God. (1 Cor. 15:24.) All mankind may then worship God directly.
"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 light thereof. And the nations of them which are
saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor
into it."--Ver. 23,24.
Mr. Russell observes that "nothing in this statement indicates that the world will not have
and need both sunlight and moonlight during the Millennial Age, and subsequently, 'as
long as the sun and moon endure.' (Psa. 72:5.)" It will, however, be true that the glorified
Church will not have need either of sun or moon. These luminaries are evidently used in
this vision as symbols, the sun symbolizing the Gospel light and the moon the reflected
light of the Law and the Prophets of the Jewish dispensation. The glorified Church . . .
". . . will have, instead of these, a much more excellent glory, to which the Apostle refers
when he says, 'Now [with all the light, privileges, and opportunities which we enjoy, both
as respects the representations of God through the Law and the Prophets, and through the
instructions and leadings of the Spirit in the present] we see through a glass darkly, but
then face to face; now we know in part; then we shall know even as we are known.'--1 Cor.
13:12."
The glorified Christ and the Church will then be the Sun of Righteousness as foretold (Mal.
4:2; Matt. 13:43); and the nations (the words "of the saved" are not found in the old
manuscripts) will then be given the clear light of truth, unadulterated with error; and as