logo for Sabbath Bible Study using outlined letters with shaded golden page background

Return to Index.

Blessed are They that Mourn
August 9, 2025

 

 

Think back to when you first experienced loss and death in your life. Some of us were so young we didn’t understand the concept of death, or if we were old enough to understand death, we didn’t fully appreciate the hardship of loss. We took cues from those around us, our parents, siblings, and relatives. We saw them with sadness and somehow, we came to understand that sadness is an emotion that people have with loss and death. As we grew our understanding of loss and death deepened, and over time as faith became part of who we are, our understanding of loss and death became connected to the promises of the Bible.

We call the emotions experienced with loss and death mourning. Mourning is not only the physical act of conducting a funeral and burial, but the process of emotionally processing the loss and death of the person so close to us. Even with the promise and hope of eternal life within the household of faith, there is mourning with loss and death. Faith may lessen the pain of the loss and death, but even with faith, we still mourn.

Through the pages of the Bible we can read of those who mourned. Even Jesus mourned when a friend died. David mourned when his treasonous son, Absalom, was killed in a battle. It’s human nature to not think much when an enemy is dispatched through death, even when that death comes in a horrific manner, yet David, a man after God’s own heart, mourned when his son died. Absalom had tried to overthrow his father, not knowing that would not have ever been a consideration of God. By rebelling against his father, Absalom unknowingly signed his own death warrant, even though David wanted life to be spared for those in rebellion. Tragically twenty thousand died that day, and more died trying to navigate the terrain of the battlefield than who actually died in battle.

One of those who was unlucky in the terrain was Absalom, who got caught in a tree branch that pulled him up in the air and away from his mule. Seeing Absalom in a defenseless position, one of the fighters was ready to kill him until he realized it was the King’s son, even though it was the king’s son who rebelled. When Joab heard this, he was flabbergasted because in his mind he thought those in rebellion should die. He took three darts with him and used those darts to fatally stab Absalom in the heart bringing death to him. Absalom was quickly buried near where he was killed.

Cushi would be the messenger to bring news of the death of Absalom to King David and ran to the king’s location, but Ahimaaz also wanted to go and had been told by Joab not to say anything. Ahimaaz ran faster than Cushi and was the first to arrive. When David saw the messenger running, he was questioning if it was good or bad news, and when he understood it was Ahimaaz he thought only good news would be brought to him.

Ahimaaz told David that those who had rebelled against him had been defeated, and David was most concerned with the fate of Absalom. Ahimaaz had no information to share except that he had seen a great fight involving Absalom. When Cushi arrived, he told David that all who rebelled, including Absalom, were dead. Hearing his son was dead brought grief to David, and he mourned the death of his son.

2 Samuel 18:1-33
And David numbered the people that were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them. And David sent forth a third part of the people under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also. But the people answered, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us: but now thou art worth ten thousand of us: therefore now it is better that thou succour us out of the city. And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And the king stood by the gate side, and all the people came out by hundreds and by thousands. And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom. So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was in the wood of Ephraim; Where the people of Israel were slain before the servants of David, and there was there a great slaughter that day of twenty thousand men. For the battle was there scattered over the face of all the country: and the wood devoured more people that day than the sword devoured. And Absalom met the servants of David. And Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away. And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak. And Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest him, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would have given thee ten shekels of silver, and a girdle. And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand shekels of silver in mine hand, yet would I not put forth mine hand against the king's son: for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man Absalom. Otherwise I should have wrought falsehood against mine own life: for there is no matter hid from the king, and thou thyself wouldest have set thyself against me. Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak. And ten young men that bare Joab's armour compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him. And Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel: for Joab held back the people. And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood, and laid a very great heap of stones upon him: and all Israel fled everyone to his tent. Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in the king's dale: for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own name: and it is called unto this day, Absalom's place. Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok, Let me now run, and bear the king tidings, how that the Lord hath avenged him of his enemies. And Joab said unto him, Thou shalt not bear tidings this day, but thou shalt bear tidings another day: but this day thou shalt bear no tidings, because the king's son is dead. Then said Joab to Cushi, Go tell the king what thou hast seen. And Cushi bowed himself unto Joab, and ran. Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok yet again to Joab, But howsoever, let me, I pray thee, also run after Cushi. And Joab said, Wherefore wilt thou run, my son, seeing that thou hast no tidings ready? But howsoever, said he, let me run. And he said unto him, Run. Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and overran Cushi. And David sat between the two gates: and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate unto the wall, and lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold a man running alone. And the watchman cried, and told the king. And the king said, If he be alone, there is tidings in his mouth. And he came apace, and drew near. And the watchman saw another man running: and the watchman called unto the porter, and said, Behold another man running alone. And the king said, He also bringeth tidings. And the watchman said, Me thinketh the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man, and cometh with good tidings. And Ahimaaz called, and said unto the king, All is well. And he fell down to the earth upon his face before the king, and said, Blessed be the Lord thy God, which hath delivered up the men that lifted up their hand against my lord the king. And the king said, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Ahimaaz answered, When Joab sent the king's servant, and me thy servant, I saw a great tumult, but I knew not what it was. And the king said unto him, Turn aside, and stand here. And he turned aside, and stood still. And, behold, Cushi came; and Cushi said, Tidings, my lord the king: for the Lord hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee. And the king said unto Cushi, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Cushi answered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is. And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!

David mourned for his son who wanted him dead, and Jesus mourned for His friend who died. The Son of God mourned the death of His friend, Lazarus, who had been very sick. Lazarus happened to live in the same town as Mary and Martha, his sisters, and knowing Jesus was a friend of Lazarus, they let Jesus know he was sick. Jesus told them that Lazarus would not die from his illness, but that God would use the illness for His purposes, and delayed His arrival by two days. When His entourage was considering a return to Judea, Jesus directed them to travel with Him to see Lazarus, because Lazarus was dead. He told them He needed to see Lazarus to wake him out of sleep.

By the time Jesus arrived, He discovered that Lazarus had already been in the grave four days. Martha went to meet Jesus, but Mary stayed at the house to receive visitors. When Martha saw Jesus, she told him if He had been there earlier, Lazarus would not have died, and Jesus told her that Lazarus would rise again. Jesus then wanted to see Mary and she came to where Jesus was, just outside of town. Mary had been followed by her visitors, and when Mary began to mourn in front of Jesus, her visitors also mourned and with all of the sadness, Jesus wept.

When Jesus was taken to the grave, a cave with a stone across the opening, He told Martha to take away the stone. Martha didn’t want to do that because she knew after four days the body would stink horribly, but the stone was taken away. It was then Jesus cried with a loud voice for Lazarus to arise and come forth. The grave stank because Lazarus had been dead for four days, and yet at the command of Jesus, Lazarus was resurrected from the dead still wearing his burial clothes.

John 11:1-44
Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again. His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again? Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him. These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him. Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already. Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off: And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house. Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him. Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him. The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there. Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught that those who mourn are blessed because they will be comforted.

Matthew 5:4
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Often, we read this verse and think of death because death and mourning are connected in our society as much as death and mourning were connected during the time of Jesus. As Christians, we know worse than physical death is eternal death that is the result of sin. As Christians, we are troubled by the evil we see that is the result of sin, and as we are troubled by the evil around us, we also mourn for the evil and sin in this world. When Jesus announced a blessing on those who mourn, it’s appropriate to apply that blessing on all who are mourning the loss of a loved one, but’s it’s also appropriate to consider what living in a world that has surrendered to evil does to each of us. When Jesus referred to entering into the joy of the Lord, that joy is the result of righteousness. Evil and sin associated with evil does not result in entering into the joy of the Lord. Righteousness leads to joy, and evil and sin lead to the other extreme of emotion, extreme sorrow, what is also called mourning. Those who have lost loved ones and who mourn will be comforted. Those who pursue righteousness and see the consequences of evil and sin, who also mourn, will also be comforted.

We are told in the Book of Psalms that when the righteous cry God hears and delivers them from all their troubles and is with those who have a broken heart. In a passage that foretells that the bones of Jesus would not be broken, we have this comfort given.

Psalm 34:17-22
The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

We are told God helps those who are the outcasts and broken in heart, that He uplifts the meek while casting down the wicked. God comforts those who pursue righteousness and gives no rest to the wicked.

Psalm 147:1-7
Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely. The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite. The Lord lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground. Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:

We are told in life there is a time for everything, including a time to mourn. When a loved one dies, we will mourn, and each of us will mourn in our own way and time. When we see sin and evil, even if that sin and evil does not directly impact us or anyone we know, we will also mourn. There is a time for mourning, and then we will remember the charge of Jesus to seek first the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness as we ultimately seek peace, the eternal peace that will come through the Kingdom of God.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Isaiah prophesied of Jesus who was described as baring our grief and sorrow, who was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. When Jesus wept at the death of Lazarus, He was baring the grief and sorrow of all who were mourning Lazarus. Jesus also bares our grief and sorrow when a loved one dies. Death is the final consequence of being human. There is also grief and sorrow that is the result of sin and evil, and Jesus also bares that grief and sorrow as well having died once for the sins of all.

Isaiah 53:1-6
Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

People mourn when a loved one dies. They also mourn when other types of losses are experienced. In sporting events, sometimes you can see the shedding of a tear when a team loses, or when events will trigger massive changes to the status quo. In the Book of Revelation we are told that the merchants of the earth mourn for the loss of a city called the great city Babylon. The merchants are not crying because of the loss of life of the residents within the city, but because commerce is disrupted, reflecting a future time in our global society where things become more important than people.

Revelation 18:9-20
And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise anymore: The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.

When Paul wrote of mourning to the Corinthians, even though he also discussed death and the resurrection, the mourning Paul wrote of was related to sin. He explained that instead of being puffed up, that they should have mourned the sin that was accepted within their congregation and distanced themselves from that sin by removing those who openly practiced the sin.

1 Corinthians 5:1-7
It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote how he should bewail, or mourn, for those who sinned and did not repent.

2 Corinthians 12:20-21
For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults: And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.

James writes that we need to resist the Devil and submit ourselves to God. He adds to draw near to God and purify our hearts, to be afflicted, to mourn, and weep. We need to live our lives pursuing righteousness knowing that pursuing righteousness leads to entering into the joy of the Lord, and that following sin leads to sorrow and death.

James 4:7-10
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

It’s normal to mourn in time of loss. How each of us mourns may look slightly different. There is no set or right way to mourn, especially when it comes to the death of a loved one. After Jesus died and before He was resurrected, even the followers of Jesus mourned His death.

Mark 16:9-20
Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them. Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

Jesus foretold that his followers would mourn His death. When asked by the disciples of John why His disciples didn’t fast, Jesus told them that as long as they were with Him, they would have no reason to mourn as He also began to explain the New Covenant.

Matthew 9:14-17
Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast. No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

When Paul wrote the Thessalonians, he wanted them not to mourn the death of others who have died in the faith as those who had no hope. Those who have no hope of the resurrection see death as a finality, but we have hope in the resurrection. While there will be sorrow in the death of somebody we know and love for those of us of the faith, we also have hope in the resurrection, that we will one day meet again, knowing that this will happen when Jesus Christ returns to earth.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

When Jesus said, “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted,” Jesus was not talking of just on this side of eternity, but of the joy of the Lord that will come when there is a new heaven and a new earth, When New Jerusalem comes down from heaven looking better than any city ever seen by any person on earth. This future time when all will have entered the joy of their Lord will be a time when God lives with His people as their God on this new earth under the new heaven. It will also be a time when there will be no more tears. There will be no more death. There will be no sorrow, crying, or pain. The former things will have passed away, and mourning will be no more.

Revelation 21:1-4
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

We can take great comfort in this prophecy from the end of the Book of Revelation, and we can have confidence that the blessing given by Jesus to comfort those who mourn is available to us today. We might mourn the loss of a loved one, or we might mourn the sorrow we see that results from sin and evil. Even in mourning, unlike those who are not of the faith who have no hope, we have hope. We have hope of the resurrection when Jesus Christ returns, and we have hope that when there is the new heaven and new earth that all tears will be wiped away. There will be no more suffering and pain. There will be no more sin and evil, and the sorrow that results from sin. And there will be no more death. The blessing given by Jesus will be fully realized at this future time.