REVELATION 21:3-4 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. 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.
Verse 3 is talking about God dwelling among us (His people) and reminds us of the fact that Jesus came to earth to dwell among us in the flesh (John 1:14). We also get a nearly identical promise to Israel in Ezek 37:27, 28. 27 "My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. 28 Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.’” Verse 4 is the fulfillment of Revelation 7:17 and Is. 25:8. He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the Lord has spoken. When we get to "former things are passed away" this is speaking about the believer's rebirth through faith in Christ making things new, but also in an eternal state that all things will be made new. 2 Cor. 5:17.
So there are a few things we can draw from these verses. 1 is that we can experience a new life and new things as we walk with God who makes all things new. However, this verse expands to God creating an eternal state of newness for all things. 2. We have God's promise that in the end all tears will be wiped from our eyes and death and sorrow will not prevail. Even to the point that crying and pain will be overcome. 3. God will dwell with His people again and we shall dwell with Him.
Application: I think that when we start looking at the secular world and their reaction to the downfall of man, it's either kind of sheer panic, if they recognize it, kind of a blank cow stare if they are shocked by it but really don't know what to do, or they are completely fine with it because of a false notion that somehow things will right themselves and that the powers that be have their best interest in mind. Christians fall into all 3 categories. This should not be. I was talking with my mom yesterday about the end and current events and all of that. I seem to recall that people have been saying "it's over" pretty much every year since I have been born. She wasn't always saved, but over the years, she has developed a brash confidence about what God is doing. I think a lot of that kind of hit me when I was 10 and sometimes I got caught up in the worry, but not anymore. Whenever things get nuts we have been given instructions on God's plan and our focus on Him is critical. It's good to be aware but not overwhelmed. God will be with us and God will wipe away the tears and pain. The fact that former things will pass away ought to cause a sincerely deeply felt sense of peace that God is in control. From the Christian perspective, everything will be sorted in the end by the King Of Kings. When you have the opportunity embrace what God is doing, rather than fearing what must happen to get there. Seek God's wisdom on how to best prepare and find the words to say to those around you.
Question: Are we so locked into this world that we have forgotten God's promises and His plan?
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