Many are familiar with God’s promise of no more pain given in Revelation 21:4
He will wipe away every tear
from their eyes, and death will not exist any more -- or mourning, or crying,
or pain, for the former things have ceased to exist.” – Revelation 21:4 (NET)
It is exciting to think that in Heaven, we will never be
hurt in any way that will cause us to shed tears. You will never have pain from
a stubbed toe or accidentally cutting yourself. Can those things happen in
Heaven? God only knows. But if you do, it won’t hurt.
I encourage you to meditate on how nothing can hurt our
resurrected bodies. If we cannot feel pain and cannot die, there will be nothing
to be afraid of in Heaven. The fear of pain or loss drives almost everything we
do in this life. Having fear taken away will be a massive relief, giving us
unlimited possibilities.
The promise of no pain goes beyond physical pain to include
emotional pain. That is why this passage also tells us there will be no grief
or crying. You will never feel pain from someone betraying you or saying cruel
things about you or to you. We also know this because there will be no sin in
Heaven, which means people will always interact in love (see No
Sin Allowed). Even if that were the only difference between this life and
the next, it would still be awesome. But there is much more awaiting us.
There are other implications from the simple promises in this
passage. Not everyone will make it into Heaven. There will be people you knew,
likely even loved, who will be in Hell. When God promises no mourning in
Heaven, it doesn’t only mean there will be no death. It also includes mourning
for those not with us. That is why some translations use the word grief in place
of mourning. This promise means He will somehow take that pain from us. Some
believe we won’t remember those not in Heaven. However, that seems highly
unlikely because it would leave huge holes in your memories. (An upcoming post
will discuss how we will likely remember our lives here, but you can read about
it here
if you want.) I trust that God can accomplish this even if I do not know how He
will do it.
1 Samuel 28:15-19; Matthew 13:40-43; Revelation 6:9, 21:12-14
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