Revelation 21:3-4 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe 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.”

This passage has been wonderfully comforting to believers down through the centuries. The image it presents, of a God intimately concerned and connected with His people, is striking to say the least. In Revelation 3:20 Jesus promises intimate fellowship with those who will receive Him, and here the Father is saying that the fellowship is for all eternity. Could it possibly get any better than that? I think not. We have such trouble grasping that God desires such fellowship with us! Because we don’t believe it, we don’t seek it, even though such fellowship is the purpose for which we were created. On this earth, various things tend to interfere with that fellowship, but in heaven they will all be taken away. This passage speaks of the removal of tears, death, sorrow, crying out, and suffering, but they can be eliminated only with the removal of their root cause, which is man’s sin. Not all of the suffering, sorrow, etc. that we experience is due to our own sin, but it all finds its origin in someone’s sin. That is hardest to see in what are called “natural disasters,” but they too are products of the distortion caused by man’s fall. In eternity, that root cause will be eliminated, and those who are in Christ will reap the benefits. It has been said, quite correctly, I feel, that believers have been saved from the penalty of sin, they are being saved from the power of sin, and they will be saved from the presence of sin. It’s that “future tense” of salvation that is described here.

I, of course, am in the “present tense” phase of salvation, along with every other Christian, but I certainly look forward to heaven! I know from experience that the more I press in for the fellowship with God for which I am created, the more I will taste heaven even while I am here. As a pastor, I am called to help the believers understand that the same fellowship is fully available to them. I’ve been given a message to deliver this coming Sunday on that subject, but I can’t get it through to them with my own wisdom and words; it would just sound like a fantasy. I need to pray for the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and allow Him to speak through me to hearts that He has prepared.

Father, You know how much I want the believers to press into You for ever-increasing fellowship, but You desire it even more. I pray that indeed, Your will would be done in and among us, so that we may become all that You desire and intend for us, for the salvation of many and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!