Grace Church Metropolis
New Heaven and New Earth
  • New Heaven and New Earth Part 4
    Revelation 21:4
    A favorite verse

    No Tears.

    Revelation 21:4 (ESV) — 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
    Revelation 21:4 ESV
    He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
    It’s an interesting list.

    Tears Death Mourning Crying Pain

    It’s hard to imagine life without those things.
    We can even become numb to them.
    We do things to ourselves to kill the pain.
    They can become so overwhelming that we harm ourselves.
    Even as a Christian we are not immune
    Every day is a struggle.

    Heaven

    Hard to describe
    Heaven will be so dramatically different from this present world.
    We can describe what is will not be like.
    We can describe how will be different from the world we live in.
    How do you describe heaven?
    A place of rest and peace. (free of struggles)
    Reunion with loved ones.
    A place of beauty (streets of gold)
    Free from pain and evil (sin, sickness, death)
    Being close to God.
    Joy, purpose, wonder
    Simple images (harps and wings.)
    Scripture is our authority
    The first difference.

    No Tears

    (A bonus benefit)
    Revelation 7:16 NIV
    ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat.
    Revelation 7:17 NIV
    For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”
    Again, from the Old Testament
    Isaiah 25:8 ESV
    He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
    Here is an interesting side note.
    Some claim this is a reference to God comforting saints after a record of their sins have been revealed.
    Simply not true.
    Romans 8:1 (NIV) — 1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
    Romans 8:1 NIV
    Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
    This is one of the most powerful passages in the New Testament.
    I will often say that God does not punish us if we sin.
    Read verse 2 and you will see why. We are free
    Christ has paid the punishment for our sins.
    You have been set free from the penalty of sin.
    We have consequences of our sins.
    The greatest being a broken love relationship with God.
    This is why confession and repentance are important.
    This will never be a worry in heaven.
    1 Peter 2:24 NIV
    “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”
    1 Peter 2:25 NIV
    For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

    Say Your Sorry

    Ever needed to apologize?
    In heaven there will nothing you have to be sorry about.
     No sadness, no disappointments.
    There will be no tears of misfortune, tears over lost love, tears of remorse, tears of regret, tears over the death of loved ones, or tears for any other reason.
    Another Difference

    The Death of Death

    Death is the greatest curse of our human existence.
    The bible makes some promises about death.
    1 Corinthians 15:54 NIV
    When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
    1 Corinthians 15:55 NIV
    “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
    Death is cast into the Lake of Fire.
    Satan has the power of death.
    Hebrews 2:14 (NLT) — 14 Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.
    Hebrews 2:14 NLT
    Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.
    But Christ’s work on the cross neutralized that power.
    That’s the power of resurrection.
    Then Satan, the beast, and false prophet are cast into the Lake of Fire Rev 20:10.
    Revelation 20:14 ESV
    Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
    O death where is your victory.

    No Crying Baseball

    Nor in Heaven.

    The grief, sorrow, and distress that produce mourning and its outward manifestation, crying, will not exist in heaven.
    Grief is like a heavy weight resting on your shoulders.
    Jesus has become grief for us.
    Isaiah 53:3–4 ESV
    He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
    Do you see the pattern?
    What Christ did on the cross is mirrored in heaven.
    Here’s another.

    Perfect Holiness

    I meet a man once that said he had reached sinlessness
    It’s only in heaven that we will reach that state.
    Only with glorified bodies
    Again it was Christ that has paved the way.
    On the cross, Jesus was “pierced through for our transgressions”
    Isaiah 53:5 ESV
    But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
    The best kind of healing.
    The healing of our sins.
    It is both physical and spiritual.
    Matthew 8:17 NLT
    This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said, “He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases.”
    Someone has said this.
    The healing ministry of Jesus was a preview of the well-being that will characterize the millennial kingdom and the eternal state.
    The glorified sin free bodies believers will possess in heaven will not be subject to pain of any kind.
    The first has passed away.

    A clean slate

    The ultimate fresh start.

      • Revelation 21:4MEV

      • Revelation 7:16MEV

      • Revelation 7:17MEV

      • Isaiah 25:8MEV

      • Romans 8:1MEV

      • 1 Peter 2:24MEV

      • 1 Peter 2:25MEV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:54MEV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:55MEV

      • Hebrews 2:14MEV

      • Revelation 20:14MEV

      • Isaiah 53:3–4MEV

      • Isaiah 53:5MEV

      • Matthew 8:17MEV

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