D
We will not hunger or thirst anymore—Rev. 7:16a:
１
To hunger and thirst is to have a hope that is not yet satisfied; Christ promises that everyone who believes into Him will be satisfied and receive Him as their satisfying life—John 6:35.
２
To contact God the Spirit in our spirit is to drink of the living water, and to drink of the living water is to render real worship to God—4:13-14, 23-24.
E
The beating sun and the scorching heat will not strike us—Rev. 7:16b:
１
The Lamb-God sitting upon the throne will tabernacle over us, overshadowing us with Himself—v. 15b; 2 Cor. 12:9.
２
There is one kind of life that is under God's overshadowing—it is a life that is hidden in God—Psa. 36:7-9; Eph. 6:17; Psa. 91:1; 17:8; 57:1; Ruth 2:12.
３
Christ as Jehovah and also as man is the King who is supplying, caring for, and covering God's people; He is the King for ruling and a man who is like a refuge from the wind and a covering from the tempest, like streams of water in a dry place, and like the shadow of a massive rock in a wasted land—Isa. 32:1-2.
F
The Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd us and guide us to springs of waters of life—Rev. 7:17a:
１
Shepherding includes feeding; under the shepherding of Christ, "I will lack nothing"—Psa. 23:1.
２
We can never improve ourselves, and we need a shepherd to feed us all the time; He feeds the lambs with His experience as the Lamb of God, who is on the throne of God in and for the house of God—vv. 2-6; Rev. 22:1.
G
He will wipe away every tear from our eyes—7:17b:
１
Tears are unavoidable in this age, but our tears are put into God's bottle and recorded in His book—Heb. 5:7; Acts 20:19, 31; Psa. 56:8; cf. Mal. 3:16.
２
Because the Lamb supplies us with waters of life for our satisfaction, the water of tears is wiped away—Jer. 9:1; 2:13; cf. 15:16; Lam. 3:21-25, 55-56.
３
Thank God that the days of sorrow and the things of sorrow will not last; the world is passing away, and we are blessed to drink of the flowing Triune God until we become the totality of eternal life, the New Jerusalem—John 4:14b.
Morning Nourishment
Rev. 7:16-17 They will not hunger anymore, neither will they thirst anymore, neither will the sun beat upon them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and guide them to springs of waters of life; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.To hunger and thirst is to have a hope that is not yet satisfied. Who are the ones who will not hunger and thirst? “Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall by no means hunger, and he who believes into Me shall by no means ever thirst” (John 6:35). “But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall by no means thirst forever; but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into eternal life” (4:14). Christ promises that everyone who believes into Him will be satisfied and receive a satisfying life. It is not us satisfying ourselves with Christ but Christ becoming our satisfaction. The world can only satisfy us temporarily; it can only satisfy us for a moment. It cannot satisfy us forever. “Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall by no means thirst forever” (vv. 13-14). This is the Lord’s word. (CWWN, vol. 37, “General Messages,” p. 9)
Today’s Reading
Today the Lord Jesus can satisfy our heart as much as He will satisfy us on that day in heaven…Once we drink, we are satisfied. This satisfying life can be ours today.If one travels to tropical lands, he will realize the intensity of the striking from the heat and the sun. A brother once said that when a man walks out of the house without his umbrella in a tropical country, he will be sick for a few months…However, if one is inside a house, he will not be hurt by the sun because there is a shelter. Without a shelter, one will be hurt by the heat. The Bible mentions God’s overshadowing as a kind of shelter. There is one kind of life that is under God’s overshadowing; it is a life that is hidden in God (Psa. 36:7-9).
In spiritual warfare, we have the helmet of salvation (Eph. 6:17). Our life is a hidden life. We are hidden under God’s wings on earth today as little chickens are hidden under the wings of their mother. In Psalm 91, we find that those who dwell “in the secret place of the Most High / Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty” (v. 1). The Lord will deliver these ones from many perils. This is a blessed life. We are a sheltered people.
Springs are with God (87:7), while the river of water of life flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev. 22:1). In other words, we are very close to God; we are right beside Him. God leads us to His presence, and the Lamb shepherds us. To put it another way, it is the Lamb who shepherds; it is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who feeds the lambs with His experience as the Lamb of God. We can never improve ourselves. We need a Shepherd to feed us all the time. What a restful enjoyment this is! This again is something that we can enjoy today.
Today we can enjoy the three blessings above. But this does not mean that we will have no tears. We have to wait until we reach heaven before our tears will be wiped away…Our Lord Jesus was completely restful while He was on earth; He could walk through all difficulties. Yet He wept beside the tomb of Lazarus, and He also wept on His way to Jerusalem. Finally, He wept in Gethsemane. Hebrews 5 says that He prayed “with strong crying and tears” (v. 7). This shows that tears are unavoidable in this age. However, our tears are put into God’s bottle and recorded in His book (Psa. 56:8)…Even though tears are bitter, God remembers them; therefore, they are a blessing!
Although we cannot avoid tears today, if we believe in God’s word, we can be satisfied, and we can have God's sheltering and the Lord's shepherding. God has promised that we can enjoy these three items of blessings today. (CWWN, vol. 37, “General Messages,” pp. 9-11)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John,” ch. 6; CWWN, vol. 37, “General Messages,” ch. 2