Until God Wipes Away the Tears

Until God Wipes Away the TearsOn this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine-- the best of meats and the finest of wines.On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken. In that day they will say, "Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation." Isaiah 25:6-9 (NIV)Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." Revelation 21:1-4 (NASB)No matter where you go in the world you will find tears, mourning, crying, pain, and death. By the time you get to the 25th chapter of Isaiah it is clear that God holds every nation, all peoples, and His own people responsible for their contribution to the sea of grief filled with tears. Tears, pain, and death caused by pride, oppression, exploitation, corruption, greed, godlessness, worship of false gods, violence, the thirst for power, evil desires, the exaltation of self, and a lack of kindness and compassion.I rejoice in the fact that God promises real hope beyond this seemingly unbreakable cycle of tears, grief, and death. Most Christians, dare I say most people, would welcome no more mourning, crying, pain, and death. But not everyone will experience the glorious day when God wipes away the tears. We need to not just be quick to claim the promises, we need to also remember who can claim those promises, namely those who order their lives according to God’s heart, God’s will, God’s ways, and God’s Son Jesus Christ. God’s judgment will fall on the unrepentant, those who fail to love, those who turn a blind eye to the poor and suffering, those who ignore or pervert justice, and those who reject the Christ life.It seems both the Prophet Isaiah and the Apostle John got the same glimpse of what God is working toward. I wish it would come sooner than later except that so many still need time to repent. I wish I would not have to make another hospital visit, counsel one more couple whose marriage is falling apart, respond to another humanitarian crisis in some way, or conduct another funeral service. I have to be careful not to lose myself in singing of all the glorious things God has prepared for those who loved His appearing (2 Timothy 4:8) while the world around me is crying. As much as we yearn for no more tears we need to remember what to do until then.Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable.Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the LORD.Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. Romans 12:15-21 (NLT)Until the day of no more tears we must not forget that, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). I do not necessarily need anything else to mourn over or shed tears for and I am sure you probably don’t either, but who and what we mourn over and are able to weep with and for does define us –  and should define us – “Jesus wept” (John 11:35).To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans