I saw Heaven and earth new-created. Gone the first Heaven, gone the first earth, gone the sea.
I saw Holy Jerusalem, new-created, descending resplendent out of Heaven, as ready for God as a bride for her husband.
I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: “Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women!
Let’s just stop right here for a minute. Have you ever read a more delicious piece of scripture? God has moved into the neighborhood. I mean can I just have a moment?!?! Can you even imagine anyone choosing to live among us? And God has chosen to do so twice!
They’re his people, he’s their God. He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone.”
Revelation 21:3-5
This is the very heart of the book of Revelation. Most people immediately think of destruction and horror when they contemplate this book. I know there is a bunch of stuff here that is hard to understand or contextualize. But this passage could not be more accessible. All people in all times know pain and tears and death. And God reveals here that the time for these things will be soon over. Seriously, will you take 30 seconds and just try to imagine that?
No pain.
No death.
And not just no tears. God will wipe every tear from our eyes. God himself. Every tear.
My goal in writing is not primarily to convert anyone. But you can study world religions for the rest of your dang life. You can round up every deity worshiped by every person ever in the history of the world. But you will never find another God who will wipe away your tears.