Revelation 21:4 - Out With The Old And In With The New!
Revelation 21:4 - Out With The Old And In With The New!
Revelation 21:4 (NKJV) And God will wipe away every tear from
their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.
There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.
Here we have the assurance of the elimination of five tragic
aspects of human life: tears, death, mourning, crying, and pain.
[Wycliffe Bible Commentary]
People will enjoy a new intimacy with God and the elimination of
those sorrows that sin brings. [Ryrie SB]
The highest promise of all is intimate fellowship with God ...
This fellowship with God in the golden age brings certain things.
Tears and grief and crying and pain are gone. ... "They shall obtain joy
and gladness," said Isaiah of the pilgrims of the heavenly way, "and
sorrow and sighing shall flee away" (Isa 35:10). [Barclay Commentary]
In the new heaven and new earth, any remaining "distance between
God and humanity will be removed. In the Old Testament, the glory of
God was displayed at times as a brilliant light, but human beings
were not able to look directly at it. In the New Testament, people
were able to approach Jesus, but his glory was veiled by his human
form. His disciples got only a brief glimpse of it on the Mount of
Transfiguration. In the new heaven and new earth, the glory of God will be
completely unveiled, and we will be able to see it clearly. Nothing will
hinder us from fully experiencing God. [NIV Once A Day Bible]
What wonderful changes there will be when we enter eternity! God
will dwell personally with His people in a glorious and intimate way.
There will be no more tears, death, or sorrow. All of these came into
the world through sin, but now the curse is removed. God's "It is
done!" parallels Christ's "It is finished!" The same Lord who started
creation will also finish it; He is Alpha and Omega (the first and last
letters of the Gk. alphabet). [Wiersbe Expository Outlines]
Heaven will be a place with no tears - no tears of pain,
sorrow, regret, wounds, loss, hurt feelings, unmet desires, unrequited
love--not even of hay fever or colds. Have you ever really thought about
what a world with no tears would be like? We are so used to tears,
even those who don't cry much themselves. Tears come when we've been
physically hurt - like the child with the skinned knee. Tears come when
we're emotionally spent, when we're grieving, or when we're completely
overwhelmed. Tears come when we say good-bye. Tears come with sadness. Tears
indicate sickness of the body or the heart. They can reveal a loss of
hope. But in heaven there will be no sickness of the heart or body, no
regrets, no pain, no sorrow, no unmet desires, no grief. The world will
be perfect, everything in its place and everyone with what they
need. No tears.
Imagine it. Have faith in it. Envision the hand of God wiping
from your face the last tear you'll ever cry and sending you out to
live in the sunshine. "God will wipe every tear from their eyes."
[The One Year Bible for New Believers re Rev. 7:13-17]
There are not too many things in this world that feel better
than reaping the fruits of your long, hard labor. For parents, their
labor is rewarded when their children grow up and become good,
productive members of society. For college students, this is receiving a
diploma on graduation day. For sports teams, this is winning the
championship.
One day our labor to believe in and follow Christ will also
come to fruition. In this reading, John describes the reward God will
give his followers for their faithfulness. He will take us to our
heavenly home - the new Jerusalem. Living here for eternity will be worth
every sacrifice made, every prayer offered, every trial endured, and
every persecution suffered. Rejoice in Christ's victory and determine
to remain faithful to him.
At the end of history, God will destroy the old heaven and
earth and create new and perfect ones. Those who died in their sins
will be cast into the "fiery lake of burning sulfur," separated from
God forever (Revelation 21:8). In sharp contrast, those who have
been covered with Christ's blood will enter God's Holy City to live
with him in eternal joy. Inside that city the people will hear Jesus
say, "[God] will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be
no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are
gone forever" (21:4). Actually, the end of history is also a
beginning - the beginning of God's perfect world.
Everyone longs for a perfect world, one that is without
suffering, death, or sadness. In this perfect world, we also long for
fulfilling love and justice. All of this seems like an impossible fantasy.
But here it is - God's promised future for all who love him. [The
One Year Through the Bible Devotional by Dave Veerman re vv. 1-6]
There was a woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness
and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her
things "in order", she contacted her pastor and had him come to her
house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him
which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scripture she would
like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in. The woman also
requested to be buried with her favorite Bible. Everything was in order
and the pastor was preparing to leave when the woman suddenly
remembered something very important to her. "There's one more thing," she
said excitedly. "What's that?" came the pastor's reply. "This is very
important," the woman continued. "I want to be buried with a fork in my
right hand." The pastor stood looking at the woman, not knowing quite
what to say. "That surprises you, doesn't it?" the woman asked.
"Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request," said the pastor. The
woman explained. "In all my years of attending church socials and
potluck dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main
course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say,
"Keep Your Fork". It was my favorite part because I knew that
something better was coming.....like velvety chocolate cake or deep dish
apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance! So, I just want
people to see me there in the casket with a fork in my hand and I want
them to wonder, "What's with the fork?!" Then I want you to tell
them: "Keep your fork...the best is yet to come". The pastor's eyes
welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the woman good bye. He knew
this would be one of the last times he would see her before her
death. But he also knew that the woman had a better grasp of heaven
than he did. She KNEW that something better was coming. At the
funeral people were walking by the woman's casket and they saw the
pretty dress she was wearing, the favorite Bible and fork placed in her
right hand. Over and over, the pastor heard the question, "What's with
the fork?" And over and over he smiled. During his message, the
pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the woman
shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what
it symbolized to her. The pastor told the people how he could not
stop thinking about it either. He was right. So the next time you
reach down for your fork, let it remind you, oh so gently, that the
best is yet to come. [source unknown]
SPECIAL DEVOTIONAL ON THIS PASSAGE BY PASTOR SHAWN BOONSTRA:
No More Sickness or Death:
http://www.itiswritten.com/television/episodes/2683 [A Better Way To Live By Shawn Boonstra]
CLOSING TESTIMONY
In preparing this devotional for the New Year, I discovered that
Shawn Boonstra of It Is Written published this video on February 5,
2010. My wife, Helen, died that very day from lung cancer. Our
favorite commentary thought during her last days was the very one quoted
by Pastor Boonstra from a little book called Heaven and entitled:
The Christian's Summer. -- This earth is the place of preparation
for heaven. The time spent here is the Christian's winter. Here the
chilly winds of affliction blow upon us, and the waves of trouble roll
against us. But in the near future, when Christ comes, sorrow and
sighing will be forever ended. Then will be the Christian's summer. All
trials will be over, and there will be no more sickness or death. "God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more
death, neither sorrow, nor crying ... for the former things are passed
away" (MS 28, 1886). {7BC 988.4}
SPECIAL MUSICAL CLIP ON THIS SUBJECT:
Therefore the Redeemed of the Lord:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PGbIsMJj44
Therefore the Redeemed of the Lord:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFOdKTM0INc
SPECIAL VIDEO CLIP ON SEEKING GOD AND FINDING HIM:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
EARTH HAS NO SORROW THAT HEAVEN CANNOT HEAL. [Hymn: Come, Ye
Disconsolate]
