“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 21:4)
Every believer lives with the tension of the “already” and the “not yet.” We already belong to Christ, already taste His grace, and already see glimpses of His glory. Yet we are not yet free from the presence of sin, the reality of death, or the sting of suffering. The promise of Scripture is that this tension will not last forever—there is a day coming when all pain will end, and every sorrow will be undone.
Revelation 21:4 gives us a vision worth holding onto in the darkest seasons. This is not a vague hope or a poetic wish—it is a certain future, secured by the blood of Jesus. The same hands that bore the nails for our redemption will one day wipe away every tear. The language is tender and personal, reminding us that God’s comfort will be both cosmic in scale and intimate in detail.
Knowing that suffering will end does not erase the ache of today, but it reframes it. Our trials become temporary in light of eternity, and our endurance takes on eternal significance. This hope strengthens our hearts to keep following Christ, even when the road is steep, because we know it is leading somewhere glorious.
In that future day, we will see the full redemption of all things—the curse reversed, creation renewed, and our bodies glorified. No more hospital rooms. No more graves. No more goodbyes. Only joy in the presence of the One who has made all things new. That reality will not simply comfort us—it will overwhelm us with worship.
Until that day, we live as people of hope. We grieve, but not as those without hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). We endure, knowing that each step is bringing us closer to the end of pain and the beginning of endless joy. One day, suffering will be a distant memory, and the goodness of God will be our eternal present.
Cross-References
- Isaiah 25:8 – He will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces.
- Romans 8:18 – The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to be revealed to us.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 – We shall always be with the Lord.
Questions for Reflection
- How does the promise of an end to suffering change how you endure trials now?
- What part of God’s coming kingdom are you most longing to see?
- How can you live today in light of eternity?
Prayer Prompt
Lord, thank You for the promise that suffering will one day end. Help me to fix my eyes on the joy set before me and to live in the hope of Your coming kingdom.
This devotional is adapted from An Uninvited Visitor: The Suffering We All Face and God’s Grace In It by D.C. Robertsson. Available on Amazon: amazon.com/dp/B0FMPKM7ZF
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