Life On Earth, Part I

Revelation 4:21, And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them, and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first  things have passed away.”

This passage is often used to keep the believer hanging on in all of life’s struggles. “One day this will all be over; you will be in heaven for eternity.” However, I see it a different way. Humans get to experience mourning, crying and pain; those “negatives” are especially for us, and they are essential to revealing our need and driving us to the Lord. In mourning, crying, and pain, we discover the “God of all comfort.” David said that it was good that he was distressed, for it brought him to a deeper revelation of God, the Father. This life is our only opportunity to discover God’s care, compassion, grace, mercy, and love within the context of our being in need. We are only human one time, and there is no reincarnation. “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). For me, to say that there will be no more mourning or pain encourages me in my experiences on earth.