Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying… I. THE EXISTENCE, AND EVEN THE DOMINANCE OF PAIN. I do not think that we get to the deepest root of this tree of mystery by the common assertion that it was the sin of man from which all death and pain sprang. It is a significant fact that the higher the nature the more sensitive it is to pain. II. IT IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE FOR US TO DISCOVER SOME OF THE PURPOSES OF PAIN. whose prevalence in this world is so widespread. 1. Take one of the lower signs of human progress by way of example. Think of the increase in knowledge and skill which has followed on the sufferings of the race. 2. Think next of the connection existing between sufferers and sympathy. May it not be a part of God's purpose in permitting pain that it links us together in the bonds of love? 3. Nor must we overlook the effect of pain and sorrow on moral character and on religious faith. Wrongly received, they provoke to sin; rightly received, they lead us to self-conquest, to patience, to sympathy for others, and to fellowship with Christ. (A. Rowland.) Parallel Verses KJV: 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. |
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