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 (Revelation 21:4).
Can you imagine when the need for social distancing will be no more, or when the bans on gathering in restaurants or churches will be a thing of the past? Sometimes when the hard things of life mount, we may describe good things by way of subtraction. The loud voice from the throne does this in the verse above when we are told of the things that one day will be “no more.”
It’s not difficult to imagine why this verse is so often quoted; for the things mentioned in this verse are the very things which serve as the bane of our existence. Death is feared by many, and drives even more to mourning. Pain, both physical and emotional, naturally leads to tears. So, it’s natural for people to treasure words that tell us that these common things will be no more. What is even more precious is that God Himself will wipe away every tear from our eyes. How tender that the Creator of all that is would touch our cheeks to wipe away the tears of disappointment and pain.
For a time in life we may fool ourselves into thinking that life can be lived apart from crying, pain or death; but not for long. Sooner or later pain grabs ahold of us, mourning overwhelms our hearts, and tears spill out of our eyes. And in each of these cases there is something deep within us that longs for a day when these things will be no more. There is much good to be found in this life, but in the end it always disappoints; for it always leads to pain, death and tears. Thanks be to God that the very one who sits on the throne tells us that all these things will one day be “no more” - and He will be the one to accomplish it!
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