“God Shall Wipe Away All Tears From Their Eyes.”

Revelation 21:4

After asserting that our Lord Jesus Christ will, at his second advent, “swallow up death in victory,” the prophet Isaiah gives us this great and glorious promise - “And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it."

In Revelation 21:4, we are told that "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."

Notice the very slight, but very significant difference in the way the two texts (speaking of the same promise) are worded. Isaiah tells us that God will wipe away “tears from off all faces.” He promises us that God will wipe tears from the faces of all who possess eternal life with Christ in everlasting glory. But in Revelation 21:4, the apostle John tells us that “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” By divine inspiration, he gives an added touch of grace. He tells us that our God is not only going to wipe tears from the eyes of all his people, but also that “God shall wipe away ALL TEARS from their eyes!”

Put the two texts together and you have the glorious promise of God in the gospel to every believing sinner. It is just this - WHEN HE IS FINISHED WITH ALL THINGS, OUR GOD WILL HAVE SO THOROUGHLY AND COMPLETELY SAVED ALL HIS PEOPLE FROM ALL THE EVIL CONSEQUENCES OF SIN FOREVER THAT THERE WILL NEVER BE A TEAR IN OUR EYES AGAIN!

Impossible as it is for us to imagine, there is a time coming when we shall weep no more, when we shall have no cause to weep! Heaven is a place of sure, eternal, ever-increasing bliss; and the cause of that bliss is our God! Heaven is a place of joy without sorrow, laughter without weeping, pleasantness without pain! In heaven there are no regrets, no remorseful tears, no second thoughts, no lost causes, no sorrows of any kind!

If the Lord God did not wipe away all tears from our eyes, there would be much weeping in heaven. As we weep now over our sins, we would surely weep forever over all our past sins, -We would, I am sure weep forever over all our wasted opportunities on this earth, our lost loved ones in hell, and our many acts of unkindness to our friends, -Surely, we would weep over the terrible price by which our Lord redeemed us, but “God shall wipe away ALL TEARS from their eyes!” “There shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away!” Who can grasp the fulness of this promise? It is too great, too broad, too incomprehensible for our mortal brains. Yet, it is gloriously true! Our great God shall, in heaven’s glory, remove us from all sin, remove all sin from us, and remove us from all the evil consequences of sin. He will remove us from every cause of grief. He will bring us at last into the perfection of complete salvation and every desire of our hearts will be completely gratified.

Don Fortner