Revelation 22:5; They Shall Reign Forever

Revelation 22:5 (KJV)  And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. 

The climaxing privilege of God’s servants is that of joining in the eternal reign of God – and they shall reign for ever and ever. 

This is an extension of the promise of a thousand-year reign given earlier (Revelation 20:4; 6). Their eternal reign coincides with the eternal reign of Christ (Revelation 1:6; 3:21; 11:15, 17; 12:10; cf. Luke 1:33).

Revelation 1:6 (KJV)  And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 

Revelation 3:21 (KJV)  To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

Revelation 11:15 (KJV)  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. 

Revelation 11:17 (KJV)  Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. 

Revelation 12:10 (KJV)  And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 

Luke 1:33 (KJV)  And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 

This is the eventual fulfilment of God’s command for man to rule over whom God’s servants will rule, but presumably it will be “the nations” (v2) who will continue to populate the new earth just as Adam and Eve did the old earth before the Fall (Seiss).

The promise of the eternal rule marks the end of John’s visional experiences that began at Revelation 4:1.

Revelation 4:1 (KJV)  After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. 

It is an appropriate note of triumph with which to terminate the account of the New Jerusalem. Many factors have required that the realisation of the promises lie exclusively in the future.

[Robert. L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22 – An Exegetical Commentary, Moody 1995, 488-489]