Heaven by Subtraction
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”Revelation 21:1 (KJV)
When we imagine heaven, we usually add things: golden streets, beautiful music, reunions. Revelation includes some of that. But it also describes heaven by what is gone.
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.” Then the list goes on. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.”
No more. No more. Those words hit hardest for people who are carrying the things on that list right now. The tears are real. The grief is real. And God says one day it will all be taken away.
Christmas is a season of joy, but it can also make the missing more painful. If that is you this year, read Revelation 21:4 slowly. The baby in the manger came so that one day there would be no more death. That day is coming.
Read it yourself
Read Revelation 21:1–7. Write down everything that will be “no more.”
Which of the things on that list are you most looking forward to God taking away?
Lord, wipe away the tears I carry. I look forward to the day when there is no more death, sorrow or pain. Amen.