Bible League: Living His Word "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."There are the former things and there are the future things. The former things are destined to pass away and the future things are destined to take their place. What are the former things? As understood in our verse for today, the former things are anything and everything evil that is associated with the present dispensation. The former things include things like death, mourning for the dead, crying about things, and pain. All these evils and every other evil will have passed away. Instead of the present realities they are now, they will become the "former things" that no longer apply. What are the future things? The future things are anything and everything good associated with the future dispensation to come. The future things include everything in the list of our verse. The future things include no more death, no more mourning, no more crying, and no more pain. All these goods and every other good not listed here will have come to pass. Instead of the future things they are now, they will become the present realities of the new age. How do we know all this? We know all this because "a loud voice from the throne" of God told the Apostle John all this (Revelation 21:3). John testified to what he heard by writing it down for our benefit. We know all this because we have believed by faith what John wrote down. We are people who live by faith. We are people who can see beyond John the Apostle to the one who revealed all this to him. We have, however, more than just John's testimony. We have personal experience of the future things he wrote about. Although we have not experienced them in their fullness, we have experienced the "first fruits" of them (Romans 8:23; II Thessalonians 2:13). Although we do not have the fullness of the Kingdom to come, the Kingdom is already here (Matthew 12:28). Already the LORD is wiping away our tears, already He is saving us from death, already He postpones our mourning, and already our crying and pain are alleviated. We know all this, then, from first-hand experience, and we eagerly wait for the day when the fullness of what we know will have come to pass. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingSong of Solomon 4, 5 Song of Solomon 4 -- Behold, you are beautiful, my love NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Song of Solomon 5 -- I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading 2 Corinthians 13 2 Corinthians 13 -- Test yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; Final Greetings NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit.Insight Too often we view prayer as a time for comfort, reflection, or making our requests known to God. But here Paul urges believers to join in his struggle by means of prayer. Prayer is also a weapon in all believers' armor as we intercede for others who join in the fight against Satan. Challenge Do your prayers reflect that urgency? Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Psalm 61:2 When my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.Most of us know what it is to be overwhelmed in heart; emptied as when a man wipeth a dish and turneth it upside down; submerged and thrown on our beam ends like a vessel mastered by the storm. Discoveries of inward corruption will do this, if the Lord permits the great deep of our depravity to become troubled and cast up mire and dirt. Disappointments and heart-breaks will do this when billow after billow rolls over us, and we are like a broken shell hurled to and fro by the surf. Blessed be God, at such seasons we are not without an all-sufficient solace, our God is the harbor of weather-beaten sails, the hospice of forlorn pilgrims. Higher than we are is he, his mercy higher than our sins, his love higher than our thoughts. It is pitiful to see men putting their trust in something lower than themselves; but our confidence is fixed upon an exceeding high and glorious Lord. A Rock he is since he changes not, and a high Rock, because the tempests which overwhelm us roll far beneath at his feet; he is not disturbed by them, but rules them at his will. If we get under the shelter of this lofty Rock we may defy the hurricane; all is calm under the lee of that towering cliff. Alas! such is the confusion in which the troubled mind is often cast, that we need piloting to this divine shelter. Hence the prayer of the text. O Lord, our God, by thy Holy Spirit, teach us the way of faith, lead us into thy rest. The wind blows us out to sea, the helm answers not to our puny hand; thou, thou alone canst steer us over the bar between yon sunken rocks, safe into the fair haven. How dependent we are upon thee--we need thee to bring us to thee. To be wisely directed and steered into safety and peace is thy gift, and thine alone. This night be pleased to deal well with thy servants. Daily Light on the Daily Path Matthew 26:39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will."John 12:27 "Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour '? But for this purpose I came to this hour. John 6:38 "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. Philippians 2:8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Hebrews 5:7,8 In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. • Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. Matthew 26:53 "Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? Luke 24:46,47 and He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, • and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 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