… I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them;
Revelation 21:3-6 RSV
HE will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.”
And he who sat upon the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
And 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 from the fountain of the water of life without payment.
Verse 3 suggests Ezekiel 37:28.
God will make his abode in the glorified Israel, the spiritual Israel, the New Israel, inclusive of ALL THE REDEEMED OF ALL AGES.
The great goal, or objective, of all salvation is that of unmarred fellowship between God and his people.
“A GREAT VOICE FROM THE THRONE” This is the voice of authority that again and again has echoed in this prophecy.
The tabernacle of God is with men … Note the bypassing of the temple.
More and more, right through the end of the New Testament, it is clear that the vaunted temple of the Jews was their idea, not God’s, and that, as in the monarchy, God accommodated with it, despite its not being his will from the first.
The highly symbolical nature of this language is evident in the truth that if “literally” there is no more crying, then there would also be no tears.
It is so easy to fall into literalism, like the little girl who heard this read and exclaimed, “God certainly must have a big handkerchief!” Of course, what is meant is that there will be no causes of tears.
Descriptions of eternal blessedness are often figurative or couched in negatives because the realities are inconceivable to us in our present state.
Compare this with Isaiah 25:8; 65:19.
The long agony of mankind shall at last be resolved in the blissful joy of eternal life with God.
How can we imagine a life which bears none of the marks so indelibly stamped upon it here? The “first things” are passed away indeed!
In Verse 5, God himself is the speaker here, somewhat of a rarity in Revelation.
“Behold, I make all things new” Only God can create anew.
This is a hard blow to proud, humanistic, naturalistic man who believes that he is capable of building a better tomorrow through research, applied technology, etc.
Leagues of Nations, United Nations, conferences on human rights, five-year plans, or hundred-year programs are all foredoomed to defeat and frustration.
Only God can make new.
The making of all things new is such a super-colossal conception that John seems to have been completely astounded by it, and needed to be prompted to keep on writing.
“The words are faithful and true” seems to carry the thought that no matter how stupendous and impossible such things may appear to people, God will nevertheless certainly create all things new!
God continues to speak…
The creation of all things new is here referred to as a past event, by the prophetic tense, showing that it is as certain to happen as if it had already occurred.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega”
As the book opens, so it closes, with the solemn assurance of the certainty and unchangeableness of God’s eternal promises (Revelation 1:8).
Here is a list of the promises in Revelation to those who overcome.
- To eat of the tree of life (Revelation 2:7).
- Not to be hurt of the second death (Revelation 2:11).
- To eat of the hidden manna (Revelation 2:17).
- To receive a white stone with a new name (Revelation 2:17).
- To have authority over the nations (Revelation 2:26).
- To receive the morning star (Revelation 2:26).
- To be arrayed in white garments (Revelation 3:5).
- Not to have his name blotted out of the book of life (Revelation 3:5).
- To have his name confessed before God and the angels (Revelation 3:5).
- To be made a pillar in the temple of God (Revelation 3:12).
- To have a new name written upon him (Revelation 3:12).
- To sit down with God in his throne (Revelation 3:21).
- To drink the water of life freely (Revelation 21:7).
- To be God’s son and to have God for his God (Revelation 21:7).
