Today I’d like to share a devotional I read this morning by R. C. Sproul. It’s a short meditation on a few aspects of Revelation 21-22.
The Bible does not give us much direct information about heaven, doubtless because heaven will be more glorious than we can now imagine. The apostle Paul said that “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor. 2:9). However, two things are clear from Scripture: First, God will be with us, and, second, there will be no more suffering.
I remember from my early childhood that when I was hurt I would come into the kitchen and cry to my mother. She would take the corner of her apron and wipe away my tears. There is probably no more intimate gesture a human being can make than that of wiping away the tears of another person.
When my tears were wiped away as a child, I would be comforted. But the tears always came back later on when I hurt again. In this life the tears will come again and again for each of us. What John shows us here in Revelation, however, is that when we are in the presence of God in heaven, he will wipe away our tears permanently. There will be no death, no mourning, no sickness, no sorrow, and no tears in heaven.
The old order will pass away. The world of pain and suffering will be gone. God himself pronounces, “I am making everything new.” This is not a philosophical deduction; it is a promise from the King of kings himself. Beyond this, he seals his promise by saying, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true” (Rev. 21:5).
Then John is shown the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:10–22:5). In all its glories the basic image that comes through is that of unveiled light. “There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light” (Rev. 22:5). In heaven we will be face-to-face with the light of God.
Shane Lems, Covenant Presbyterian Church (OPC) Hammond, WI, 54015
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