God's Promise to His Remnant People

Understanding the Promise of Revelation 21:4

Within God's holy word, there are certain verses that resonate with us depending on life's situations, especially those we are currently experiencing. These verses often become our go-to scriptures. Among them, Revelation 21:4 might just sit at the very top of the list: "And God will wipe every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

How many times have you heard this text quoted during the most difficult or trying circumstances? How many times have you said it yourself, perhaps with eyes swollen from weeping or with your teeth clenched in physical or emotional pain? This scripture might be the ultimate feel-good promise, assuring us that everything will be better soon, that Jesus is coming.

Given that we are currently living in extremely difficult and prophetic times—times full of tension, intrigue, spiraling sin, and epidemic violence—this familiar text needs to become the official mantra of the redeemed church, the Remnant, and needs to be studied in greater detail.

"God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Exactly when, you might ask, in this great sin drama did the first tear fall? Some of you might be shocked to learn that the answer is from the very moment sin appeared. We read from Ellen White's "The Story of Redemption", of the rebellion of Lucifer. She writes, "Angels that were loyal and true sought to reconcile this mighty rebellious angel to the will of his Creator."

She goes on to say, "They urged that Christ receiving special honor from the Father in the presence of the angels did not detract from the honor that Lucifer had heretofore received." Now listen to what she says next: "The angels wept."

The Relationship Between Sin and Tears

This shows that tears existed in heaven at the earliest inception of sin, before this world was even created, and before Adam and Eve had fallen victim to the smooth-talking, lying serpent in the Garden of Eden?

Sin is the causative factor for tears. If you take each of our lifetimes and multiply them by all the individual lifetimes since the world was created, well, that adds up to gallons and gallons of tears. But guess what? They will be no more when our Lord Jesus comes, when God eradicates sin once and for all, and when He officially resets this horribly ruined creation.

"There shall be no more death."

Nothing epitomizes sin, or reminds us of sin quite like death. From the very beginning, God declared that death is the inevitable endgame of sin. Everything else—arthritis, failing eyesight or hearing, degenerative conditions, and diseases—can be understood as just part of that relentless process, which is, in fact, incremental death. We read in Genesis 2:16-17, "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.'"

Implicit in this warning is a deductive conclusion, almost like an arithmetic formula or even a mathematical law: sin equals death. Here are the specifics of why this happens to be true: because of God's perfect, holy character, sin cannot exist in His presence. It says, "For our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:29). At the same time, anything apart from God, who is the source of all life, is separated from that life-giving source. Either way, death is the inevitable consequence.

Ever since man first sinned, death has been an always-present, undeniable component of this fallen world. More than that, it has become the keenest source of our grief. There is not a single one of us who has not been touched by it. We have lost pets, friends, and family members, and we, as believers in Jesus, have tenaciously clung to that promise: "There shall be no more death."

The Promise of Resurrection and Victory Over Death

This amazing hope is inextricably linked to our Savior, Jesus Christ, and His own victory over death. In 1 Corinthians 15:16 Paul writes: "For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished."

But praise be to God, we do not have hope in this life only, do we? Our glorious hope extends to the life that is to come.

Paul continues: "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."

And finally, "Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."

Ever since sin, this world, has been under hostile rule. Jesus, the Prince of Heaven, laid aside his divinity to come to this earth not only to rescue us, but to conquer sin and death, and to return this stolen, hostage held kingdom to His Father, the great ruler of the entire universe.

"Neither Sorrow nor Crying."

Although tears and crying seem virtually synonymous, the word "sorrow" suggests a broader category including depression and regrets.

Are you aware that clinical depression has become a common mental disorder affecting nearly three out of every ten adults in the US at some point in their lives? This all-consuming condition can affect virtually every aspect of an individual's life, making normal, productive, functional, and relational living nearly impossible. Often, regrets and depression go hand in hand. Ruminating on what could have been, should have been, and might have been can rapidly lead to serious overall depression.

This world is all about the here and now, but God promises us tomorrow. He promises us a bright new tomorrow. Listen to these words from Romans 15:13, "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."

"Neither shall there be any more pain."

The sad reality is that in this sin-ravaged world, pain comes in a wide assortment of shapes and sizes. There is emotional pain, physical pain, and spiritual pain. Pain can be both relentless and debilitating. You don't have to go searching for it either, because it's so obviously etched on the faces of people you see everywhere. Sin equals tears, sin equals death, and sin equals pain. But God promises us a time when there will be freedom from all pain.

Just think about it: no clouded eyes or thinly disguised, involuntary grimaces; no brave smiles aimed at concealing a deep hurt; no clenching one's teeth or setting one's jaw in a vain, futile attempt to ratchet up our courage and resolve. We will live in a 100% pain-free universe.

Other No Mores...

These are promises made to us by the one true God, the absolute ruler of the entire universe. But, there are other "no mores" that, although not directly stated, are implied in this text.

For instance, are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Yes? Implicit in this promise is a permanent and eternal respite from any kind of weariness. Listen to these words from Isaiah 40:28-31, "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary. There is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew  their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

The Promise of Ultimate Healing

What is also implied in our "no more" text is the ultimate healing of all sickness. In 2022, the total amount spent in the United States on pharmaceutical medications reached the staggering amount of $574 billion, and that was two years ago, with spending projections going nowhere but up and up. This world is sick, and it's getting even sicker. It's no wonder, then, that during His three and a half years of earthly ministry, Jesus spent an enormous portion of His time healing the sick of their physical afflictions.

Listen to this quote from the inspired pen of Ellen White: "When Christ came to the world, He found that Satan had almost everything under his own control." Why would that not even be more true today?

She continues, "Christ announced His mission at Nazareth. He said, 'The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.' This was His work. He went about doing good and healing all those who were oppressed of the devil. There were whole villages where there was not a moan of sickness in any house, for He had passed through them and healed all their sick. His work gave evidence of His divine anointing. He had come to represent His Father to the world, and love, mercy, and compassion were displayed in every act of His life." (From "Signs of the Times," 1889.)

Everything will be Made New

Revelation 21:1 says, "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away." The fifth verse of that same chapter says, "Then He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.'"

In the new world to come, we won't need to schedule surgeries to replace hips or knees. We won't need to stash reading glasses in various and sundry places to make certain they are always within easy reach when we need them. We won't have to wear sound-enhancing devices in our ears. We won't have brains that so easily and quickly forget names, birthdays, and grocery lists. We will be made new.

"For the former things have passed away."

We often use the phrase "passed away" as a gentle euphemism for dying. That glorious day of our Lord's appearing will be day number one of our new, forever-perfect-in-every-way life, and it will at the same time represent the passing away, the death, if you will, of our old life of sorrow, pain, tears, and sin. Isaiah 65:17 is an Old Testament reflection of Revelation 21:4. It says, "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered nor come to mind."

You see, in the wonderful new earth, there will be absolutely zero inclination to reminisce about the good old days. Do you realize that? Do you know how we do that now? We will have no desire to do that then. You see, we won't live in the past; we will live in the light of a forever future, a forever future with no more tears, no more death, no more sorrow, no more crying, and no more pain. Amen.

If you enjoyed this post, please watch the full video here: "No More"