Hello aff devils

[Antipas]

Originally Posted by BrainWashed

If you read Rev 21:4, which you posted above, you'll see tears, death, sorrow, and crying are associated to the "former things that have passed away." Read the end of that scripture. The tears aren't present tense, they're of past-tense. In the new heaven and earth, tears will not exist as you claim, since they passed away with the former things.

So to answer your question, there will be no tears in the new earth and heaven to wipe away, as they have passed away (former things have passed away- Rev 21:4).

I agree that the tears are associated with the "former things that have passed away". But that isn't the point. The point is timing. Let me ask a question. Exactly when in the timeline of events is God wiping tears away??? Is it before the new heaven and the new earth, with the new Jerusalem descending from God out of heaven? Or is it after the establishment of the new heavens and the new earth, after the new Jerusalem has descended from God out of heaven? Because that would be in the very beginning of the eternal state.

Let's look again together...

Revelation 21:1-4 (KJV)
1 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.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 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: for the former things are passed away.

As you can see, these weeping individuals are in the eternal state. The new heavens and earth have been established and the new Jerusalem has come down. It is declared that God is with men, and that they will be His people. Then we see God move to wipe away tears. Now, we both agree that these tears are associated with those things that have passed away. Probably trials, sufferings, things not yet understood, and yes... even the emotions related to lost loved one's who never entered in. These tears and emotions are quite real, and they are indeed present in these opening moments of the eternal state. Now God wipes the tears from people's eyes. This isn't depicting wiping away memories like ghosting a hard drive. This is far more intimate. He is grieving with them. Like a dear friend holding the hand of a weeping mother in a hospital, wiping away this mother's tears with a tissue until she regains her composure, this is what God will be doing in the opening of the eternal state. This symbol of empathy, care, and comforting symbolize God's desire and God's actions to help us move on from our sorrows, questions, and grief that we might fully embrace and experience eternity with Him.

Above you mentioned that "Hell (the lake of fire) is not in some cast away dimension far from God's presence." Would you entertain the thought that Revelations 14:10 isn't referring to hell? Rev 14:13 reads, Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” Death and hell are still present until they're thrown into the lake of fire - Revelation 20:14. I don't see how this part of your post ties into my initial question.

Revelation 14:10 reads...

Revelation 14:10 King James Version (KJV)
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

Here we see John writing about the "lake of fire and brimstone". You'll notice that this lake of fire and brimstone is "in the presence" of the holy angels and of the Lamb. It is right before the throne. It isn't in some distant parallel dimension that is cut off from the very presence of Christ or something. It is smack-dab right there before the throne.

Now, I don't believe that there is a literal lake of fire. I don't believe there will be a furnace-like ditch wherein the damned are burning in eternal torments right before the throne where we can see and hear their screams when we go before Him to worship throughout eternity. Instead, I see the lake of fire and brimstone as being symbolic.

Jesus said the following...

John 12:32
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

Paul reminds us of what JEHOVAH said in Isaiah...

Romans 14:11
For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

Every human soul will be drawn to the throne of Christ. Every single human soul will bow to Him, and every tongue confess to God. However, I believe that while this will be a blessed and heavenly experience for the saints... for those who have rejected God's authority, love, grace, and mercy... this will be pure Hell. Merely being in Christ's presence will be fiery torment for those who have rejected God. And the more God's authority and love is demonstrated before them, the hotter the flames of shame, failure, and regret. As both the saints and the wicked stand in the presence of Christ, each will experience His presence differently. For the saints, being in Christ's presence is a river and tree of life. For the wicked, it is a lake of fire and brimstone. Heaven and Hell are therefore not actually places... but they are states of being, dispositions of the soul.

Now, this reality began with Christ being given all power and authority, taking the reign, in the first century. The realities of death and hell will one day be fully contained in the lake of fire, for death and hell abide in the wicked. They are all spiritually dead, and they are all in broken relationship with God (hell).

But as it all relates to your question.

You had posted...

Originally Posted by BrainWashed

Yeah, I kinda was thinking about that this morning. I think people like to have the idea of them being able to see someone again when there's a possibility they may never see someone again. Maybe some form of comfort? The bible reads we'll be like the angels of God. I kinda wonder what his angels do. Do they just stand in God's presence and worship? I know we'll be with God for eternity, but doing exactly what........that would be interesting to know.

The notion of never seeing someone again is typically connected to the lost. However, lost or redeemed, the point I'm making is that we will all be in the presence of God before the throne of Christ. As we see in the parable about Lazarus and the rich man, we'll be near those we were near to in life. The rich man didn't have to search around to catch a glimpse of Lazarus resting in the bosom of father Abraham. It appears that we will be able to communicate, and existing with some sense of proximity. However, how we experience that reality in Christ's presence will be heaven or hell. And there is like a great gulf fixed between these two experiences, because they are dispositions of the soul. Although in one sense near to those who are lost, your experiential realities couldn't be further apart. There appears to be a proximity to those who knew in life.