The Future of Crying

It’s okay to cry. Perhaps the most obvious verse to prove this is John 11:35, “Jesus wept.”

And not only did Jesus cry, so did the the apostle Paul.

Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears. (Acts 20:31; cf. vv. 19, 37)

And then even Paul’s protégé, Timothy, cried (presumably not a “weakness” on Timothy’s part). In Second Timothy 1:4, Paul wrote to Timothy, “As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.”

Jesus cried. Paul cried. Timothy cried. It’s okay to cry.

But what is the future of crying? Consider two Bible verses.

In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 8:12b)

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. (Revelations 21:4)

There is a children’s sermon written by J.C. Ryle that I think about often. I share the outline occasionally because it is so memorable. It’s titled, “No More Crying,” and can be found in his book The Two Bears, but also numerous places for free online. The following is an extended excerpt from that sermon to help you to think about the future of crying — including your future relationship to tears.

I am going to tell you of three places about which the Bible says a great deal. It doesn’t matter much what we know about some places; but it matters much to know something about these three places.

There is a place where there is a great deal of crying. What is this place? It is the world where you and I live. It is a world full of beautiful and pleasant things. . . . But still it is a world where there is a great deal of crying. It is a world where there are many tears.

There was crying in Bible times. There is crying now all over the world. Little babies cry when they want something or feel pain. Boys and girls cry when they are hurt, afraid or corrected by their parents. Grown up people cry sometimes when they are in trouble, or when they see those die whom they love. Wherever there is sorrow and pain, there is crying. . . .

Crying came into the world because of sin — it is the cause of all weeping, and tears, and sorrow, and pain upon the earth. . . . See now, my beloved children, how much you should hate sin. . . .

There is a place where there is nothing but crying. What is this place? It is the place where all bad people go when they are dead. The Bible calls this place hell. There is not laughter and smiling; there is nothing but weeping. There is no happiness. Those who go there cry night and day without stopping. They never go to sleep and wake up happy. They never stop crying in hell . . 

My heart’s desire and prayer to God for you is, that you may not go there. So I want you to know some things that you must think about. . . . Do you love Jesus Christ? You ought to love him. . . . He died that your sins might be forgiven. . . .

There is a place where there is no crying at all. What is this place? It is heaven — the place where all good people go when they are dead. There, all is joy and happiness. There are no tears. Sorrow and pain and sickness and death are not there. . . . There will be no sin in heaven. There will be no bad tempers, no unkind words, no hateful actions. The devil will not be allowed to come in and spoil the happiness. There will be nothing but holiness and love forevermore.

Best of all, there can be no crying in heaven because the Lord Jesus Christ is there . . . He will take you in His arms and wipe away all tears from your eyes. . . .

Dear children, do you want to go to heaven? . . . First, you must have your sins forgiven and your hearts made new and good. The only One who can do this for you is Jesus Christ. He can wash away your sins because He died for sinners. He can make your hearts new by putting the Holy Spirit in them. . . .

He was very kind to children when He was on the earth; ask Him to be kind to you. Say to Him, “Lord Jesus, save me.”