And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
This verse comes from the very last chapter of the Bible, in a vision of a fully restored creation that the book of Revelation calls the new Jerusalem. The 'curse' being lifted refers all the way back to the opening chapters of Genesis, where humanity's rebellion against God introduced pain, death, broken relationships, and separation from God into the world. Here, at the end of the entire story, that curse is completely and permanently undone. 'The Lamb' is a title used throughout Revelation for Jesus, referencing his sacrificial death on behalf of humanity. The image of God and Jesus reigning together in the same city as their people — with no separation, no distance, no curse — is a picture of full restoration: purpose recovered, relationship unbroken, every broken thing finally made right.
God, the world feels very far from this verse most days. But thank you — genuinely, thank you — that this is where it's all heading. That the curse ends. Help me live today with that ending in view, and give me the courage to act like restoration is real even when I can't yet see it. Amen.
The Bible begins with a garden and ends with a city. It begins with a curse — the slow unraveling that enters the world when everything goes wrong between humanity and God — and ends with three words that carry the weight of the whole story: no more curse. Whatever that phrase stirs in you — the loneliness that has followed you for years, the pattern you cannot seem to break, the grief sitting just below the surface on good days, the sense that the world is fundamentally, irreparably off — this verse says there is an actual end to it. Not management. Not coping mechanisms. An end. That's easy to say and harder to hold on a Wednesday when nothing has changed and the thing that was broken yesterday is still broken today. But this is the destination the whole Bible is building toward — God and his people in the same city, the curse gone, the distance closed, every wrong thing made right. If you find it hard to believe right now, that's honest. But let this verse do what it was written to do: give you something real to aim toward. The story isn't over yet. And the ending is better than you've probably allowed yourself to imagine.
The 'curse' in this verse traces back to Genesis 3, when humanity first broke relationship with God. What do you know about that story, and what would a full reversal of that curse actually look like in your daily experience?
When you picture a world with 'no more curse' — everything restored — what specific brokenness, in your own life or in the world around you, do you most deeply long to see healed?
This verse says God's servants will 'serve him' in the restored world. Does eternal service sound appealing, or does it feel complicated? What might meaningful, joyful service look like in a world without brokenness?
How does having a hopeful vision of where all of history is heading actually change — or struggle to change — the way you live and treat people in the ordinary moments of today?
What is one broken thing in your life or your community that you could take a small, concrete step toward restoring this week, as a faint echo of this larger hope?
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.
Revelation 21:4
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.
Revelation 21:3
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
John 14:3
For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Revelation 7:17
And I saw no temple therein : for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
Revelation 21:22
If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
John 12:26
His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Matthew 25:21
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Psalms 16:11
There will no longer exist anything that is cursed [because sin and illness and death are gone]; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve and worship Him [with great awe and joy and loving devotion];
AMP
No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.
ESV
There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him;
NASB
No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.
NIV
And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.
NKJV
No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him.
NLT
Never again will anything be cursed. The Throne of God and of the Lamb is at the center. His servants will offer God service—worshiping,
MSG