4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
This is a glimpse of heaven. No more tears, death, mourning, crying or pain. These are exactly what make life so difficult. Can you imagine an existence without these things? All the negative experiences of life eliminated, only positive things happening. Don’t you want to go there? Wouldn’t you do almost anything to get there? The funny thing is that you don’t have to ‘do’ anything to get there. The ‘doing’ has already been done by Jesus. Our job is to believe, to trust Him. And that is the exact reason so many don’t become Jesus-followers. We want to believe that we can contribute to this task, that we are not completely sinful, that there is some good in us. Our pride won’t allow us to say that we need help, that we are dead in sin, that we are helpless. But if we are willing to live our lives in the knowledge that we can’t do it, we get heaven in exchange. Part of what we learn about heaven from this verse is that the old order of things has lost its ability to rule. There will be nothing to cry about there. No more tears of sorrow or pain, only tears of joy and fulfillment. No more loss or emptiness, only completion and satisfaction. No more God given longings that go unfulfilled. No more rape, robbery or cheating. Those are part of the old order that has passed away. No cancer, heart disease, arthritis, miscarriages or stillborn births. No infidelity, no internet porn, no inappropriate text messages, no sibling rivalries, no in-law problems, no ex-spouse issues. No stubborn children or rebellious teenagers. Everything that you think of that might cause you tears or pain is absent from heaven. Instead you get joy and happiness. These temporary troubles will be replaced with permanent ecstasy. Are you ready to go?
The Arnold Journey 