The Quest for Togetherhood

Where has everyone else gone in this family photo?

Think about this passage in Revelation 7 for a second:

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

“Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them,
nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

(Revelation 7:13-17 ESV)

“God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”  What does that even mean?  Does it mean that there will be no more suffering, no more pain?  Does it mean that it will be the end of all sadness and that there will only be joy?

Or does the passage say something more nuanced, more difficult, and yet… more beautiful?  Does it mean that rather, God will comfort me in my grieving, yes, even the grieving that occurs standing before the throne?

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