Friday, December 8, 2017

No More

"'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.'
He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!' Then He said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.'
He said to me: 'It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.'" (Revelations 21:4-8)
One of the things that helps make unbearable suffering bearable is the knowledge that there's an end to it, whether on earth or in Heaven. God will remove every cause of tears. There will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain in Heaven. Free of suffering. Free of sickness. Free of sadness. Free of sin. Free of evil. This truth is guaranteed by our faithful and trustworthy God. This is a reversal of the curse (in Genesis 3). Christ makes all things new. We Christ's followers will get to enjoy all Heaven's benefits. We will have a blessed, glorious, incorruptible eternal life with Christ and a reunion & forever communion with our loved ones who are also Christ's followers and all other Christians from the beginning of time. We will be in a state of personal perfection and blissful joy. 

"It is done."--The reward of the righteous is accomplished. "The whole election of grace is completed; every individual vessel of mercy is called by grace; all the saints are brought with Christ, and their bodies raised, and living saints changed, and all together are as a bride prepared for her husband; and the nuptials are now solemnized; all the promises and prophecies relating to the glorious state of the church are now fulfilled; the mystery of God, spoken by his servants, is finished; the kingdom of Christ is complete, and all other kingdoms are destroyed; the day of redemption is come; the salvation of the saints is perfect; what was finished on the cross, by way of impetration, is now done as to application; all are saved with an everlasting salvation." (John Gill)



Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. Jesus was present at the world's beginning (first creation); Jesus will also be present at its end (at the creation of a new heaven and a new earth). He will freely give water from the spring of the water of life to those who have thirsted after His righteousness and salvation.


Those in Christ who fight the good fight and persevere to the end will inherit the kingdom of Heaven and all things in it and will enjoy God Himself for eternity. But the cowardly (those who refuse to trust Jesus as their Lord & Savior out of fear), the unbelieving (those who refuse to believe in Jesus), the vile (abominable), the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts/witchcraft, the idolaters and all liars...all the unrepentant will face their second death (spiritual death) in Hell.



Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for these wonderful promises that give me hope, comfort, and joy! Please help me to be so rooted and grounded in You that I never lose heart. Please help me to set my heart and mind on things above, not on earthly things. Please guide me and empower me to reach out to the unsaved and tell them about the gospel of Your grace. Please open their eyes to see their sin, their need for You to save them, and their need to repent and surrender their lives to You before it's too late.

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