He will wipe every tear from their eyes,

 

and there will be no more death

 

or sorrow or crying or pain.

 

All these things are gone forever.”

 

Revelation 21:4

 

 

If I could fast forward time, this particular verse would be past tense; because it would have happened many moons and multiple yesterdays ago.

 

But “if’s” and “why’s” are mostly only good for circular questions and unsatisfactory reasoning; and I’d love to hear the strung-together-set-of-words that could completely satisfy either of them.

 

But that said, plus my inability to fast forward time, doesn’t take away one iota of joy when I contemplate the verse’s very literal future happening; and I’ve asked the Lord for a front row seat at his coming event.

 

It’s almost impossible to imagine a world that has no tears, no death, no sorrow, no crying, and no pain; and when God says the word “forever” it has indescribably more meaning than when you or I indiscriminately use it. We don’t know much about forever…not yet, anyway; but its day is coming. And some days, it can’t come soon enough for me.

(Shepherd’s cave, Bethlehem, Israel)