Finding Hope in Bible ProphecySample

The Hope of Living in God’s Presence—Revelation 21:3-4

I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Pain and sorrow are so intertwined in the everyday fabric of our lives that we can’t imagine what life would be like without them. All we’ve ever known is what it’s like to live in fallen, mortal bodies in a world held hostage by sin and darkness.

Yet a day is coming when all that will change. The tears we shed—whether from our eyes or in our hearts—will be gone, never to come back.

God Himself will wipe them away and usher us into the new heaven and new earth, where our new bodies will never again know sorrow.

No more crying, no more pain, no more mourning, no more death. How glorious that will be! Never again will we set our heads on our pillows at night, hearts and minds burdened by anxieties that stay with us into the next morning. No longer will the curse of sin plague us. All these things will be forever banished. And that terrible separator known as death? It will be “swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54).

The old things will have passed away, and God will make all things new. The best part of all? We will dwell with God Himself. So amazing is this truth that it is stated four ways in the space of one verse (Revelation 21:3):

• “the dwelling place of God is with man”
• “he will dwell with them”
• “they will be his people”
• “God himself will be with them as their God”

In these words, we find the most wonderful repetition in the Bible—repetition that is meant to fill us with hope! No longer will God seem distant or hidden. We will be in His presence. We will “see his face” (Revelation 22:4). We will have direct, unhindered, intimate, and eternal communion with Him. What’s stunning is that this will happen by God’s design. This is what He wants. It’s fellowship with us that gives Him joy. This reveals just how much He loves us.

Revelation 21:3-4 is a prophecy that provides a glimpse of what we can look forward to as we cross the threshold into eternity. Then comes God’s climactic declaration to the apostle John: “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true…It is done!” (verses 5-6). These prophecies are trustworthy and true. They will come to pass. So strong is God’s guarantee that He is literally saying, “This now stands accomplished. It has been completed.” That is how certain we can be about our glorious future.

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We hope you enjoyed this 5-day plan by Steve Miller! You can keep studying Bible prophecy by reading his new book, Foreshadows, available here.