No More Death and Tears
The theory of an immortal soul, suffering forever in an ever-burning
hell, contradicts the biblical teaching that in the new heaven and the new
earth there will be “ ‘no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying’ ” (Rev. 21:4,
NKJV). If the theory of an eternal burning hell were true, then the “second
death” would not eradicate sin and sinners from the universe but only con-
fine them in an everlasting hell of sorrow and crying. And further: in this
case the universe would never be fully restored to its original perfection.
But praise the Lord that the Bible paints a completely different picture!
Read Isaiah 25:8, Revelation 7:17, and Revelation 21:4. What comfort
and hope can these passages bring us amid the trials and suffering
of this present world?
Life can be very hard, unfair, cruel. Some people, so dear to us, are
brutally taken away by the cold embrace of death. Or some people
come subtly into our lives, steal our feelings, and then walk away as if
nothing ever happened. How terrible it is to be betrayed by someone
whom we loved and trusted.
There are moments when, with a broken heart, we may even wonder
if life is worth living. Regardless of our sorrows, however, God is always
eager to wipe away from our cheeks as many tears as possible. But some
of our heaviest tears will continue streaming down until that glorious day
when death, sorrow, and crying will cease to exist (Rev. 21:1–5).
We can trust that in the final judgment God will treat every single human
being with fairness and love. All our loved ones who died in Christ will be
raised from the dead to be with us throughout eternity. Those unworthy of
eternal life will finally cease to exist, without having to live in an “unpleas-
ant” heaven or in an ever-burning hell. Our greatest comfort derives from
the fair way God treats everyone. When death definitively ceases to exist,
the redeemed will shout joyfully, “ ‘Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?’ ” (1 Cor. 15:54, 55, NRSV).
The Lord promised that in the new heaven and the new earth He
would create, “ ‘the former things will not be remembered, nor will
they come to mind’ ” (Isa. 65:17, NIV). This does not mean that heaven
will be a place of amnesia, but, rather, that the past will not undermine
the enduring joy of heaven.
Who hasn’t felt the unfair ravages of human existence here?
Especially in those bad times, how can we learn to trust and, to
the degree possible, rejoice in God’s goodness and love?
