In Those Days - Pt. 5

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 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 21:1-4 ESV).

 

The picture I’ve chosen for today’s devotional is the cemetery where my Dad and Mom are buried. Perhaps you can see the headstone clearly enough to read the names. The cemetery is in Houston, Texas. Dad died in 1974, while Mom followed him in 1991. The memorial services were different, but the grief was the same. I knew then, as I do now, that they were in heaven; however, the grief still caused tears to flow freely. Even now, as I write this I am both saddened and joyful. I am sad because I miss them; I am joyful because I believe the truth of our reading today. When the ne kingdom is ushered into being, 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 (v. 4). And, that is the thought I want to leave with you as we close our little study about heaven.   

 

There is a lot to cry about during a lifetime. Sooner or later every family and individual will shed tears for one reason or another. It may be the loss of someone we love, the onset of a lingering disease, the limitations that come with getting older, or a lifelong challenge or disability that keeps us from doing what we want to do. However, those things are temporary for the child of God. They are no more than passing moments, mere seconds, compared to the eternity of peace and joy awaiting all of us.

 

Whatever causes us to cry, in the words of an old song, the day will come when there will be “no more … crying or pain.” The day will come when pain and death and mourning will be gone. Someday, perhaps sooner than we think, God himself will wipe every tear from our eyes. Someday the new Jerusalem will come down from heaven, heaven and earth will be-come one, and God himself will live with his people. And on that day he will make all things new!