EVERY TEAR WIPED AWAY

REVELATION 21:1–4

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away

(Revelation 21:4).

The Bible does not give us much direct information about heaven, and this is doubtless because heaven will be more glorious than we can presently imagine. However, one thing that is clear from Scripture is that God will be with us, and that there will be no more suffering.

I remember from my early childhood that when I was hurt, I would come into the kitchen and cry to my mother. She would take the corner of her apron and wipe away my tears. There is probably no more intimate gesture a human being can make than wiping away the tears of another person.

God Wipes Away Our Tears

When my tears were wiped away as a child, I would be comforted. But the tears always came back later on when I would be hurt again. In this life the tears will come again and again for each of us. What John shows us here in Revelation, however, is that when God comes to be with us in the world to come. He will wipe away our tears permanently. There will be no death, no mourning, no sickness, no sorrow, and no tears in heaven.

The old order will pass away. The world of pain and suffering will be gone. God Himself pronounces, “I am making everything new!” This is not a philosophical deduction; it is a promise from the King of Kings Himself. Beyond this, He seals His promise by saying, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true” (Revelation 21:5).

Then John is shown the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:10–22:5). In all its glories the basic image that comes through is that of unveiled light. “There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light” (Revelation 22:5). In heaven we will be face-to-face with the light of God Himself.

CORAM DEO

Throughout the centuries, the firm assurance of heaven has upheld the saints during times of tribulation and suffering. As you look at yourself today, how much real confidence do you feel you have in these promises? Is heaven a reality to you as your future hope? Or does it seem somehow distant and abstract? If so, ask God today to give you a greater sense of the reality of heaven and to enable you to live in the light of its coming glory.

For further study: Isaiah 65:17–25; Romans 8:18–27; 2 Peter 3:9–13

TABLETALK

from ligonier ministries and teaching and encouraging believers • august 1989

GUILT

Daily Studies From The Teaching Fellowship Of R. C. Sproul

publisher Ligonier Ministries executive editor Ralph D. Veerman editor Robert F. Ingram

creative services Michael S. Beates; David K. Freeland

marketing/production W. David Fox; Melissa Prichard; Gretchen Suskovic circulation Gwen Weber writer Sharon Anderson

LIGONIER MINISTRIES BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Bruce Fogerty

G. Richard Hostetter

Robert C. Legler

Stephen H. Levee, Jr.

C. G. Mills

Archie B. Parrish

Jim Seneff

R. C. Sproul

John Thompson

Ralph Veerman

Luder Whitlock

Charles Colson

(director emeritus)

Published by Walk Thru the Bible Ministries. Inc. under license granted by Ligonier Ministries. Inc. Copyright 1989, Ligonier Ministries, Inc. This Bible study is based upon teaching material by Dr. R. C. Sproul. Unless noted, all Scripture quotations in this publication are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishers.

member evangelical press association

on the cover: Christian, in Bunyan’s classic Pilgrim’s Progress with the weight of sin on his back. Artwork by Michael Mojher.

robert ingram • editor

Coram Deo

“Shame On You!”

The words rang out in the midst of a theology lecture on the Sermon on the Mount. While my professor was not addressing them to anyone in particular, those words had the potential of producing enormous guilt. I prayed that my professor would never have an occasion to confront me personally about something I did wrong. The words and his tone were surely more than my heart could bear. I shuddered and realized in a new way that neither did I ever want to hear the Lord God utter those words over my head.

Guilt causes shame. The biblical concept of shame is related to the state of humiliation due to sin. When we break the law of God. we are ashamed and we feel guilty. The Good News of the Gospel is that while our continuing sin produces guilt, Christ has taken our sin and shame and nailed them to the cross. Ultimately, God will never say to us, “Shame on you!”

Our goal in this issue of Tabletalk is to help our readers in their struggle with guilt. To get the best perspective on this difficult topic, we sent a survey to 1,000 randomly selected Tabletalk readers. We assumed that we would receive a typical survey response of between 20–25 percent. Instead, within two weeks, we received a staggering 53 percent response.

We are grateful to everyone who took the time to respond so promptly. We have been overwhelmed not only by the number of responses but also by their thoughtfulness. Many of you shared heartfelt struggles that touched us deeply. Due to publishing deadlines, we have been unable to compile the survey results for this issue of Tabletalk. However, our October issue will feature Dr. Larry Crabb’s perspective on the most frequent source of guilt for most of the respondents: sexual temptation.

The second most frequent source of guilt for our respondents was a lack of spiritual discipline. Our goal at Ligonier is to encourage those of you who find it hard to maintain a vigorous, disciplined faith. Through our daily Bible study, we pray that our theme of Coram Deo will be grafted onto your hearts, enabling you to live the kind of life before the face of God for which you seldom feel shame. ■

table of contents