Revelation 21:3-5 describes the moment when God makes his home with humanity and removes every source of grief, from tears to death itself. It is a promise that the story of creation ends in restored relationship between God and his people, not in escape from the world God made. The passage sits near the close of the Bible, in the vision John records of a new heaven and a new earth.
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 that God’s dwelling is now among people. The language echoes the Old Testament picture of God’s presence in the tabernacle and temple, but here the presence is no longer confined to a building or a holy room. God himself will be with his people as their God, and they will be his people.
From that announcement flow the results. God wipes away every tear, death is gone, and the old order of mourning, crying and pain has ended. The voice closes by declaring that the first things have passed away. Then the one seated on the throne speaks directly, saying he is making all things new, and the command to write these words down underlines that they are trustworthy and true.
Context of Revelation 21:3-5
Revelation is written as an apocalyptic letter by John, who identifies himself as a prophet exiled on the island of Patmos. His original readers were Christian churches in the province of Asia who faced pressure, suspicion and sometimes violence for refusing to bow to the imperial cult. The book speaks to them in symbols drawn from Daniel, Ezekiel and Isaiah, offering a vision of God’s ultimate victory over the powers that oppressed them.
The verses just before this passage describe the arrival of a new heaven and a new earth, with the sea gone and the holy city, New Jerusalem, descending from God like a bride prepared for her husband. Verses 6-8 that follow pick up the promise of living water for the thirsty and warn about the lake of fire for those who persist in rejecting God. Verses 3-5 stand at the center of this movement, moving from the city to the people and from the people to the God who makes all things new.
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 promises that the Lord will swallow up death forever and wipe away tears from every face. It shows that the comfort in Revelation 21 has deep roots in the prophetic hope of Israel, long before John wrote.
Romans 8:18
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed toward us.
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Paul sets present suffering alongside the glory that will be revealed, helping believers see their pain within the larger story of God’s restoration of creation and his people.
A Prayer Based on Revelation 21:3-5
Lord, you have said that your dwelling is with your people, and I thank you that you are not distant from my life. Where I am grieving, I ask you to draw near and wipe away the tears that I cannot wipe away myself. Where I am afraid of death or pain, remind me that these things belong to a past that is already passing away. Make me faithful in the small places where I live, and help me trust that you are making all things new, even now. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does God dwelling with people mean in Revelation 21:3?
It means that God’s presence will be fully shared with humanity, not confined to a temple or a holy place. The language of God being their God and them being his people reflects the covenant relationship found throughout Scripture.
Does Revelation 21:4 mean there will be no sadness in heaven?
The verse says that death, mourning, crying and pain will be no more, which points to the removal of sorrow in the renewed creation. It describes the end of the conditions that cause grief rather than a denial of past suffering.
Why does God say he is making all things new in Revelation 21:5?
The statement reflects God’s commitment to restore and renew creation rather than replace it entirely. The command to write the words down underlines that they are faithful and true for John’s readers.
