Revelation 22:4-5 - Where Grace and Righteousness Rule

One goal of our worship service is to help us see God as we should. We need this weekly because our view of God can be twisted or become clouded, and that can have a harmful effect on our lives.

The apostles recognized this as a struggle for God’s people. The apostle John wrote, “that when [Christ] appears we will be like him, because we will see him as he is.” In other words, we will change so that we see God rightly at all times. The apostle Paul gets at the same point. He states, “Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” Paul meant that we don’t always see ourselves clearly, much less the triune God.

Surely at some point in your life you realized you weren’t seeing things the right way. You were mistaken or misled. You can become mistaken or misled in your view of God – in your understanding of Him and your knowledge of Him.

The Scriptures teach us that when Christ makes all things new, those who trust in Him will have a new mind and a new spirit. And we will finally see God and ourselves with no obstruction. In our whole being, we will have a complete grasp on all the truth and ways of God, and with no obstacles or distractions, we will know and enjoy God perfectly without end.

The book of Revelation encourages us with that hope.

But though the full restoration is yet to come, Christ helps us to rightly see God now. The Holy Spirit enables the people of God to grasp His truth and embrace it by faith. And verses 4-5 in Rev. 22 reveal truths about the future that help us as we live here and now.

On the new earth to come, grace and righteousness will rule, but they are the rule for the redeemed now, because our Ruler is the King of Kings. The kingship of God is the theme through these verses; in fact, verse 3 stated, “the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.”

Now already in this chapter, we’ve seen that abundant life will flow from God to His people, and the curse of sin will be gone, and the redeemed will be cured in mind, body, and soul. There will be no need to try to cover their shame, for Christ has covered their sins. The redeemed will be healed of all pain, and they will praise and honor Him as they should.

And then John says, verse [4] “They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” God’s face is a subject that comes up repeatedly in the Bible, both OT and NT. The wonderful blessing of Numbers 6 says, “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” “Face” and “countenance” are translations of the same Hebrew word. References to God’s face are expressions symbolizing God’s approval – His good pleasure.

Of course, Scripture says you’re a sinner, naturally condemned in the sight of a holy God. How could God ever look upon you with a look of approval? Well, to do so, He would have to be “gracious to you,” showing you undeserved favor.

How could God ever look upon a sinner with good pleasure? Well, to do so, He would have to satisfy the demands of His moral law Himself on your behalf.

But here in Revelation 22, clearly the redeemed will see His face. What’s the importance of seeing God’s face? In one scholar's study of the Greek word that John uses here, he notes that this refers to “the privilege to see and associate with the king.”

Today, we see pictures of our state and national leaders all the time. You might even go to an event where you hear one speak. Still, most of us will never get “facetime” with one of these leaders – no opportunity to interact personally with them. That actually does happen a good bit now, especially during election season, but in the ancient world, where kings ruled, the average person saw the king very little, if ever.

And the odds were even lower that an average person would ever have the opportunity to speak to the king and for the king to know who they were. When the king held court and received guests, you had to be invited. You couldn’t just barge in. Only those deemed worthy to belong were allowed in the presence of the king.

Now notice the second half of verse 4 again. “And his name will be on their foreheads.” This recalls the mark of the beast. In Revelation 13, John saw the number 6-6-6 on the foreheads of God’s enemies. This is symbolic. 7 is a biblical number of perfection; 6 falls short of seven. So, 7-7-7 would be perfect-perfect-perfect; 6-6-6 is failure, failure, failure.

That is the mark of mankind on his own, apart from God’s grace in the work of Jesus Christ. That is the mark of Satan and all who belong to him. That is the identification for all who ascribe to man-centeredness, because all man-centeredness is anti-Christ.

Here in Rev. 22, on the new earth, John sees God’s name on the foreheads of the redeemed. This is more symbolism, and the meaning is clear. They have the mark of Christ. That’s why they see God’s face, because they have the mark not of the beast but of belonging. They belong in the presence of God our King.

I know many people say of all mankind, “We’re all God’s children.” God made all of us, but John wrote that only to those who believed in Jesus Christ He “gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” The Scriptures teach that we are born enemies of God because of our sin. We don’t naturally belong in His holy presence, but according to Revelation 22, somehow some people enter His presence. It’s those who have Christ.

If you have Jesus, you belong in the presence of God our King.  With God, grace and righteousness rule, and so in Christ, He showers you with His grace and He clothes you in His righteousness. Perhaps at some point in your life, you felt like you didn’t belong. Or you wondered where you belong. If you have Christ, you belong to and with the King today.

Now verse [5] describes an interesting scene. John writes “And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light.” This continues the kingly theme. Hebrews 1 says Christ “is the radiance of the glory of God.” This refers to God’s great splendor – His beauty, His majesty – His holy nature shining brightly. And Revelation 21 says that the new Jerusalem – which is the people of God – has “the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.”

Picture the throne room of an ancient king. What do you think such a king might be wearing? Gold and jewels, maybe diamonds. And all of it would give off a glow. He would be radiant. The Lord God is so much more glorious and radiant, because He doesn’t reflect the light, He emits the light. He doesn’t copy the glory of another. He doesn’t borrow from others. He has a glory that is all His own, standing infinitely above the glory of all others.His holy character and ways are radiant, and the redeemed will bask in His radiance.

We get a taste of this in worship together on the Lord’s Day together. God’s truth is proclaimed and embraced, and our souls are lifted up with Him. And when we enjoy rich Biblical fellowship with other believers, God’s glory radiates.

The light of His truth shines brightly, dispelling lies and errors, illuminating our minds, and guiding our souls in this dark land where sin runs rampant. When your view of God is clouded, you begin to believe things that aren’t true. Lies will leave your spirit unsettled; they will steer you into anxiousness, and then you'll be overcome by desperation, and you’ll start to force things rather than resting in God and walking by faith with Him, step-by-step-by-step.

But basking in His radiant glory, we see clearly. 1 John 1 says, “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Now look at the second half of verse 5. John concludes, “and they will reign forever and ever.” Again, this continues the kingly theme. This “reign” came up back in Revelation 20. Have you ever heard that Christians reign with Christ? What does it mean?

Reigning with Christ results from the restoration of how humans were created in the beginning. William Hendriksen points out that in our originally created state in the image of God, mankind “held the threefold office of prophet, priest, and king.” The prophet knows and speaks God’s truth, the priest can come before God in worship, and the king rules and subdues God’s world.

Now, Hendriksen points out that when man was made, “As prophet his mind was illumined so that he knew God. As priest, his heart delighted in God. And as king his will was in harmony with God’s will. This threefold office, lost through the fall, is restored by God’s grace.” When a person is born again by God’s Spirit, he or she can know, love, and obey God.

And Hendriksen adds, “The joyful response of the believer’s will to the will of Christ – that response which is true freedom – is the basic element in this reigning with Christ.” Christians reign with Christ even as we live this life – and in death we will continue to, but with much greater measure.

However, you should never lose sight of this reality: that our reigning is born completely of His power. Sin’s power is broken by the power of God our King, and where sin’s power is broken, He reigns with grace and righteousness, and the redeemed benefit from the His power. His power over sin has given His people over and against sin, even in life right now.

I’ve been stating it throughout this message, but all doubt should be removed and you should understand that for the redeemed in Christ Jesus, this belonging, basking, and benefitting are not just future realities. They are present realities for God’s people. Because of who Jesus is and what He’s done, we now belong in the King’s holy and loving presence, and we now bask in the King’s truthful and gracious radiance, and we now benefit from the King’s power over sin and death – all because of Jesus Christ.

In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul writes, “God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” And this is interesting – scholars note that Paul doesn’t say God has shone “into” our hearts. Rather, He generates this light from within when He effectually calls us.

The WSC says, “Effectual calling is the work of God’s Spirit, whereby, convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, He persuades and enables us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the gospel.” Belonging, basking, and benefitting is based on being born again. It’s based on regeneration – God making us alive in Christ when we were dead in sins.

Have you been born again? Speak to God this morning, trust in Jesus and turn from sin. Believers, we must remember and rejoice in our regeneration every day. We must remember and remind each other that grace and righteousness are the rule for us, because Christ is our Ruler. He is our Lord. Is Christ the Lord of your life today? Surrender to Him.

Let’s bow in prayer.