Revelation 21:4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. And death shall be no longer, nor mourning, nor outcry, nor will there be pain any more; for the first things passed away.

I thought I had this message already figured out in my head until I started doing a little research on it. I ended up talking, actually debating, with two men on the subject. Both men are Christians, and both are from two different denominations. First I talked to a minister, who is also a Theology professor, about how God will wipe every tear. Then I talked to a Psychologist about why there are tears. Both men reminded me that there is really no way to know precisely how or why things will happen until that day. The Psychologist chuckled and told me to find someone who has already gone up to Heaven and ask them. I laughed and told him that it sounded like a Psychologist just told me to go find a convenient way to go away permanently and find my own answers. Both men are friends of mine and I highly respect their education and the work they do. I also enjoy sparing with them, which they handle with patience and good humor.

My problem was that I wanted to give a reason for the tears and picture a God who personally wipes the tears off of each face. But that would be saying I know exactly how God will do things, which I don't. There are several different possible reasons for the tears. We don't know the exact reason, we just know there will be tears. That's all we really need to know. The why isn't important. The good news is that the tears are wiped away.

This promise is also found in Revelation 7:17 and in Isaiah 25:8. Isaiah is written in Hebrew. The Hebrew word for “wipe away” is machah which can mean to wipe, to blot out, to exterminate. Revelation is written in Greek and the Greek word for “wipe away” is exaleipho which means to wipe off, to blot out, to erase. So it could mean the actual tears are wiped off, or that the reason for the tears is blotted out or exterminated. Albert Barnes, A Presbyterian Minister who lived from 1798-1870, and who wrote commentaries on the Bible, wrote the following statement;

The sense is, that Yahweh would devise a plan that would be suited to furnish perfect consolation to the afflicted; to comfort the broken-hearted; and that would in its final triumphs remove calamity and sorrow from people forever. The fullness of this plan will be seen only in heaven. Albert Barnes notes on the Bible

This is what I finally had to accept. It wasn't easy for me because I wanted God to actually wipe away the tears. I didn't want an angel to wipe my tears, or to just have the problem removed without God personally coming to me to handle it. When I told God how I felt about it, the first thought that came to me was that the reason I felt this way is because of pride. I wanted it done my way and by the Man at the top – the God of the Universe. I forgot what is most important. I'm not ever getting to Heaven without a close relationship with God and there is no room for pride when one is walking with God. There is no room for pride in Heaven. God will take care of me as He sees fit. He will wipe away our tears in a way that we wouldn't want any different. The important thing is that He loves us, wants to live with us, and all our sorrows and tears will be gone. That is the Good News!