Revelation 21:3-5 describes the moment when God makes his home fully among his people, wiping away their grief and ending the suffering that marked the old world. It is a promise that the story of creation is not abandoned but renewed, with God himself at the center of a restored city and a restored humanity.
The passage comes near the close of the book of Revelation, in the vision that follows the judgment of the wicked and the arrival of a new heaven and a new earth. John, the author, is writing to Christian communities in the Roman province of Asia who were facing hostility, poverty, and pressure to compromise their faith.
3 I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away.” 5 He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” He said, “Write, for these words of God are faithful and true.”
Revelation 21:3-5 (WEB)
Revelation 21:3-5 Summary
The passage opens with a loud voice from heaven announcing a single, sweeping truth: God is coming to dwell with humanity. The language echoes the old covenant promise that God would walk among his people and be their God, but here the promise is pushed to its fulfillment. Nothing stands between God and his people any longer.
The voice then describes what that presence means in practice. Tears are gently wiped away, death is ended, and the sorrows of mourning, crying, and pain are gone. The passage closes with the one seated on the throne declaring that he is making all things new, and an instruction to write down these words because they are trustworthy.
Context of Revelation 21:3-5
The book of Revelation is written in the style of apocalyptic prophecy, full of visions, symbols, and heavenly scenes meant to reveal how God is working behind the turmoil of history. Traditionally the author is identified as John, and the book was written to strengthen believers facing persecution and the temptation to give up on Christ. Its imagery draws heavily on the Old Testament, especially the prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah.
The verses just before this passage describe a new heaven and a new earth and the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God like a bride dressed for her husband. The verses that follow contrast the faithful, who inherit the water of life, with those who persist in rejection and idolatry. Verses 3-5 sit at the emotional and theological heart of this section, showing what life looks like once God’s purposes are complete.
Revelation 21:3-5 Verse by Verse
Isaiah 25:8
He has swallowed up death forever! The Lord the LORD will wipe away tears from off all faces. He will take the reproach of his people away from off all the earth, for the LORD has spoken it.
(WEB)
This verse, written centuries earlier, promises that the Lord will swallow up death forever and wipe away tears from every face. It is one of the Old Testament roots of the imagery in Revelation 21, showing that God’s comfort for his people has long been part of his promise.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.
(WEB)
Paul describes anyone in Christ as a new creation, where the old has passed away and the new has come. The verse connects personal transformation in Christ with the larger renewal of all things that Revelation 21 describes.
A Prayer Based on Revelation 21:3-5
Lord God, you have promised to dwell with your people and to be their God. Thank you that you are not distant from our pain but near enough to wipe away every tear. Be near to those who are grieving today, to those who are afraid, and to those who feel that their sorrow will never end. Help us to trust your promise that death and mourning will pass away and that you are making all things new. Shape our hearts so that we live now in the hope of that day, with patience, courage, and love. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean that God’s dwelling is with people?
It means God will live among his people in a full and permanent way. The language recalls the tabernacle and the covenant promise that God would be with Israel, now fulfilled in a restored creation where nothing separates God from his people.
Does Revelation 21:3-5 mean there will be no more suffering?
Yes, the passage says death, mourning, crying, and pain will be no more. It presents this as the completed result of God’s work, not as a condition that believers must bring about on their own.
Why does God say he is making all things new?
The Greek word used implies renewal in quality and kind, not merely replacement. It points to a restored creation in which the damage of sin is healed, and it gives believers confidence that God’s purposes will reach every part of his world.
