Who would not want God to wipe every tear from their eyes and remove causes for mourning, crying, and grieving—even death—from their life?

The visions that the narrator describes include the previous heaven and earth that have “passed away” before the new can be experienced and received. In the new dwelling place, God does not just visit but lives with human beings. As Eugene Peterson writes in The Message, “Look! God has moved into the neighborhood.” God no longer merely watches or intermittently engages but participates in all aspects of human lives. I imagine that people who cohabit the world with the Divine will then face death and losses of all kinds so differently that we will not mourn, cry, and suffer pain as we do now. Perhaps the seer of these marvelous visions is trying to help us imagine how we can experience such new blessings here and now, as long as we are willing to make room for God. We do not need to wait any longer if we are willing to see how all things and people can be made new.

In addition to imagining, it is essential to trust in the Alpha and Omega for power and provision. While readers receive no details about how the Almighty will eliminate human suffering, we hear that we will receive a taste of satisfaction like the thirsty receiving water from the spring of life. When Yahweh says, “It is done,” we can trust that all things are made new, most especially our lives. The challenge to us all is to be ready and willing to trust and accept with confidence the new and great blessings God offers us.