21:4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
We are seeing the effect of sin and evil when we see tears. It is a wonder in our eternal state that Jesus Christ is able to remove EVERY TEAR for each sin or evil committed by us (Romans 3:21-23-30) or by someone dear to us. It shows that Jesus' earthly sojourn and the price He paid on Calvary truly was for eternity.
This phrase confirms the promise made to the tribulation saints (Revelation 7:17).
Carrying on our theme of the role of water, the absence of EVERY TEAR confirms that there is NO WATER in which evil could possibly dwell in the new earth.
Sin no longer exists in the new heaven and new earth, so there are no wages to be paid (Romans 6:15-23). Christ paid the wages that were due for us (Ephesians 2:1-10). Furthermore, where there is DEATH, by definition, there is no eternity or forever.
The pain starts at childbirth (Genesis 3:16). We continue to experience it throughout our present earthly life. In the new earth and new heaven, these are removed. This brings us to an interesting observation: what if mourning, or crying, or pain were removed from our present earthly life. What would we have left?
For the unbeliever, there is a void. Perhaps that is the reason the unbeliever searches for that mind bending high, for that adrenaline rush, or for that supposed solace of suicide.
For the believer, there is an EXTREME JOY (1 Peter 1:3-8-9). There is a HOPE (Titus 3:1-7-8) for life in the new earth. There is a PEACE (Revelation 6:4, Ephesians 2:11-14-22). If you claim to be a believer and you are not experiencing this JOY, HOPE, and PEACE, please reexamine your faith and commitment to Jesus Christ.
for the OLD ORDER of THINGS has passed away.”
The FIRST THINGS, evil and sin, are gone (verse 1). Even before their downfall in Eden, Adam and Eve were still within "the FIRST THINGS". While they walked and talked with God, they still had the possibility of temptation and sin (Genesis 2:7,8,15-24). Now in the new earth and new heaven with the FIRST THINGS passed away, there is no possibility of evil or sin. We will be living in transformed spiritual bodies (1 Corinthians 15:35-57) that will inherit the imperishable.
[b] Isaiah 25:8