To better understand the wonderful fullness of the title, it will be helpful to review what the earth was like before the curse. Prior to the curse Adam and Eve walked in the very presence of God Himself, and in the midst of the Garden of Eden was the tree of life. When Satan introduced sin to the Garden and its occupants, God pronounced a curse on Satan, the woman, and Adam. The curse on Satan also announced the coming of Christ, the Seed of the woman, to destroy him.
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:15
Christ’s mission was reaffirmed in the New Testament.
“…For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” I John 3:8b
The curse on the woman included sorrow and pain.
“To the woman He said; ‘I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children…’” Genesis 3:16
The words ‘sorrow’ and ‘pain’ are very close in meaning both in Hebrew and in the New Testament Greek. In Genesis they have the meanings of worrisome, labor, hard work, trouble, grievance, and birth pain.
The curse on Adam also involved hardship and toil.
“Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.” Genesis 3:17
And then the worst aspect of the curse was pronounced. Both Adam and Eve were consigned to death and denied access to the tree of life.
“For dust you are, and to dust you shall return…Therefore the LORD God sent him out of the Garden of Eden…and He placed cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden…to guard the way to the tree of life.” Genesis 3:19, 23-24
Just two chapters of the Bible describe conditions before the curse and just two chapters describe future conditions after the curse is removed, i.e. the renewed earth and New Jerusalem. In other words over 99% of the Bible describes the consequences of the curse and the plan of redemption.
Fast forward to the final two chapters of the Bible and we’ll see the future of ‘pain’ and ‘sorrow’ in the renewed earth and New Jerusalem. Recall that in the original Garden of Eden God dwelt with Adam and Eve, and so it will also be in the future.
“Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God…and I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’” Revelation 21:2-4
The Greek meaning for ‘pain’ in the above passage means labor which demands the whole strength of man. The term also connotes suffering, mourning, grief, and sadness. Not only will God once again dwell with man, man will once again have access to the tree of life inasmuch as death will have been defeated.
“Blessed are those who do His commandments that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.” Revelation 22:14
Therefore, pain, sorrow, and death will be done away with, and in fact, not even remembered.
“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.” Isaiah 65:17
Therefore, the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples will be answered.
“…So He said to them, ‘When you pray, say:
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…’” Luke 11:2
And thus it will be forevermore.
The future of the redeemed is magnificent. It seems such a catastrophe that the majority of mankind will reject God’s plan and provision for redemption.