In Revelation 21, John sees a vision of a new heaven and a new earth. The old earth, with all of its brokenness, has passed away, and the new is here. Not only does John see this, but he hears a voice from the throne that declares that God’s dwelling place is with humans, and He will be with them as their God. The voice promises that at this time, God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Not only that, but death shall be no more!
Really, in this passage, we are intended to see a contrast. The contrast is between the current state of the world and this new heaven and new earth. In our present-day, we experience death, mourning, crying, and pain. We experience the brokenness of the human condition and the traumatic violence that ensues. We commit sin that brings pain and suffering to others. We are harmed by the sin that is done unto us. And every day, when we turn on the news, we hear stories of sin in the world around us. All of these cause death, mourning, crying, and pain. Yet we have hope. We cling dearly to the hope that comes in verse 5: “Behold, I am making all things new.” The former things have passed away, and we will now live in the presence of God. Let us cling to that hope as we go forward today. The hope of things yet to come.