April 28, 2025 - Revelation 21:4 -"No More Tears"

Revelation 21:4

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

Consider how this is a word of comfort and consolation to those sinners that the LORD Jesus has redeemed, and God the Father justified. Here, in the closing visions of the Revelation, John beholds the beauty of the New Jerusalem — the church of Jesus Christ, fully adorned and glorified by His grace. This is no mere fantasy of some distant future; it is the triumphant announcement that in Christ, through His finished work, the former things — the law, sin, curse, and condemnation-have truly and forever passed away (Romans 8:1).

The sovereign grace of God shines bright in this promise. It is God  Who shall wipe away all tears. Man cannot wipe away his grief. Religion cannot cleanse away guilt. Moral reformation cannot undo death’s sting. It is God Himself, in Christ, by sovereign mercy, Who personally wipes the tears from the eyes of His chosen. What tender, personal care this reveals! Our God is not afar off. The cross of Calvary was not some cold transaction; it was the outpouring of divine love upon a people foreknown, predestinated, redeemed, justified, and called.

At this time, the apostle John was writing this book, to a people on the brink of terrible upheaval: the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70, the final collapse of the old covenant order. Death, sorrow, and crying abounded in the judgments that fell. Yet amid the shaking of heaven and earth, there was a kingdom which could not be moved (Hebrews 12:28). Christ, by His death and resurrection, had already obtained eternal life for His elect. The “former things” — the age of law, shadow, temple, and sacrifice — had given way to the everlasting Gospel, the true reign of Christ as King and Priest over His house forever.

Even now, in this Gospel era, the believer walks in this glorious reality. For the child of God, death is no more — for Christ is the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25). Sorrow is swallowed up in His joy (John 16:22). Pain yields to the healing balm of His presence. Though the outward man perish, the inward man is renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16). And even the tears we shed in this pilgrim journey are not tears of despair, but are wiped away with Hope, for we know our full redemption draws near (Romans 8:15-25). This precious promise points not merely to some future heaven, but to the present victory of Christ’s kingdom. The old things — sin’s condemnation, Satan’s tyranny, the fear of death — are forever gone for those who are in Christ. The Lamb reigns. The New Jerusalem — His blood-bought bride — shines with His glory now. And the final consummation, when we shall be glorified fully in His presence, is but the unfolding of what He has already accomplished.

Here then is our comfort and joy as we live out our God-ordained days in our earthly pilgrimage, here and now. God Himself has wiped away our tears. The work is done. The war is won. The former things have passed away. Rejoice and be glad in Him Who sits upon the throne, Who says, "Behold, I make all things new" (Revelation 21:5).