Today's Bible Reading
No More
Revelation 21:4
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
We live in a world of tears, mourning and crying that result from sorrow, death and pain. Sorrows will suddenly surround us and produce a flood of tears. Death will meet us and cast us into indescribable mourning. Pain will find us and lead us to cry out in anguish. These are inescapable realities of life. We could only hope one day to be free from these overwhelming outcomes of this life. Our text reassures us that one day we will.
In these last chapters of the Bible, we are introduced to a new world, one that will be unrecognizable compared to our current one. Everything we know and have known will change. The radiant presence of God in all His glory will dwell among His people (Rev 21:3). All evil doers will be excluded, as only the elect of God will dwell there (Rev 21:7-8, 27). The structure of the city and its walls will beam in brilliance with every ornate jewel adorning it. (Rev 21:18:21). But even more astounding is that in glory there will be an end to all sorrow, pain and death. All that we have suffered and struggled with that has brought tears, mourning and crying will end. These emotional encounters that have indelibly marked our lives in this life will not continue in the next. This is our hope of heaven.
In heaven no one will ever die. There will be no graves dug and no gravestones placed there. Death spares no one in this life, but it will touch no one in the next. Death does not discriminate in this world. All will fall prey to it. Friends, family members, and even your foes will one day find the angel of death coming to collect them. But in heaven none will die. The last enemy death will finally and forever be eradicated. There will never again be a eulogy given or a coffin opened to say our goodbyes. No funeral possession will ever proceed down the streets of gold.
As death is destroyed, so are its effects. We are told that every tear will be wiped away. Tears of heart break and hurt will be gone. Tears of loss will disappear. Tears that spring from sickness and suffering will vanish. The endless tears that arise from days of grief and nights of sorrow will not follow you there. Tears of mental anguish that constantly assail your mind and soul will not find you there. The last tears you will ever cry will be here. There will be no more tears in heaven.
There will also be no pain in glory. No one can claim a pain free life. We all experience pain differently, but no matter the extent of your pain it will not persist in paradise. Many suffer throughout their life languishing in excruciating pain. For some it is the pain of severe loss, for others it is the pain of an incurable disease, while still others suffer from the mental pain of years of abuse. Here is hope for the hurting. This world of pain that has persistently problemed you here will find no place there. In heaven, there is no more pain.
Paul suffered throughout his life. Toward the end of his life he recounts all the persecution, pain and peril that he had experienced in his faith journey. He says, "Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches" (2 Cor 11:24-28). Yet with all the suffering he experienced, he still held to the hope of heaven as he wrote, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us" (Rom 8:18). This is the hope we must have too. A hope of a day when death will be no more, all our tears will be wiped away and all mourning, crying and pain will cease. This is the hope of heaven that we need to carry us into the New Year.
Today rejoice in the hope that you have in heaven. Thank the Lord that there is no death in heaven. Praise Him that all the tears, crying, mourning and pain that we experience here will not follow us to heaven. Thank Him that there is no more there.
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