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4. God in the Midst of Men (Revelation 21:3-4)
And God Shall Wipe Away all Tears From Their Eyes: The angel describes the father of Jesus Christ as a comforting God. Already the apostle Paul had experienced this mystery and testifies as follows: Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds by Christ. (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)
Jesus, the Son of God, was able by his authority to call blessed those who mourn, because he promised them the Spirit of comfort from the Father who overcomes all sufferings in the world, “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4) A widow, whose only son had died, he commanded not to cry further and raised her son from death, because he had compassion with her (Luke 7:13-15). His heavenly father compared Jesus with an earthly father who waited with longing for his lost son. When he finally saw him from afar come home, the father hurried to him, hogged and kissed him (Luke 15:20). The lost son confessed only with tears in his eyes his sins before his father (Luke 15:21). But the father embosomed his son with the cloak of his righteousness and invited all inmates to rejoice with him about the home-coming of his lost son (Luke 22:22-24).
With his death on the cross Jesus had overcome the root of all misery and carried the sin as the reason of our separation from God. His death comforts us and makes us holy and righteous.
In the completion the holy God will reveal his glory. His love will prove to those without comfort as a healing comfort. He will wipe all tears from our eyes as a mother comforts her children.
Holy people may cry too, for example, because of missed opportunities to serve the Lord, because of lost souls, to whom they had served, but who had hardened themselves against the gospel. Loving people weep tears of compassion, when they think of the excess of suffering martyrs had to suffer. Jesus himself wept over the hardened people of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41) and over the little faith of the upright ones facing the dead Lazarus (John 11:33-38). Who is weeping because two third of the human beings do not yet know Jesus?
As an elder had already testified before the throne of God (Revelation 7:17), in the same way the angel who is describing the completion of the new creation affirmed that God will wipe away all tears from the eyes of the conquerors whose names are found in the book of life of the Lamb. Their questions will become silent when they are in his comforting arms.
The everlasting God is not reluctant to be called a merciful father or to act as a comforting mother embracing her child on her bosom where it may weep itself out. If the compassion of a mother may already heal soul wounds, how much more will the presence of the compassionate God heal completely all sorrow, hardships, despair, pangs of conscience and terrifying reminiscences which may bother saints still in the eternity! In the presence of God all sufferings will come to an end.
The Lord had already assured Isaiah, “I, even I, am He who comforts you” (Isaiah 51:12). His Holy Spirit is a comforting spirit and the advocate of all who are close to Jesus (John 14:16.26; 15:26; 16:7; and other verses). The Lord already revealed himself to the prophet Isaiah as a God who will wipe away the tears from all faces (Isaiah 25:8). If God had revealed himself as the everlasting comforter in the Old and New Testament, how much more will His comfort completely heal all wounds and bitterness from the past and transform it into a holy joy in the eternity!
Islam does not reveal and bestow comfort, but brings endless harm to all who do not submit to its religious law. The expression for long-lasting plague, torture, misery and pain (‘adhab) occurs more then three-hundred times in the Koran. The Islamic believers are commanded to terrorize the unbelievers and to scare them so that they submit to Islam “voluntarily” (Sura al-Anfal 8:60). Islam does not know a god of love and comfort. The followers of Allah act therefore consequently, if they behave cruel in a similar way as their master, who leads astray whom he will and leads in a right manner whom he will (Suras al-An'am 6:39; al-Ra'd 13:27:Ibrahim 14:4; al-Nahl 16:39; Fatir 35:8; al-Muddaththir 74:31 and other verses).
PRAYER: We magnify You and Your Son Jesus because You partake of the sufferings of those persecuted because of their faith in Your fatherhood and Christ's sonship, and those who suffer because of their weaknesses, sins and loss of relatives; yet Your Holy Spirit comforts whoever trusts in the Savior, and confirms to us that all troubles will come to an end by the power of Your eternal love in the new world. Amen.
QUESTION:
- What are the mystery and the impulse in God's comfort?