Revelation Now :
Daily Devotional Bible Studies in Revelation
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Living Water Springs Up from God : Day 32 
Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. (Revelation 7:15-17)
Those who have been faithful will enter into the very presence of God. Jesus said: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (1).
Every Race Tribe People and Tongue
"Serving God day and night" was part of the task of the Levites and the priests (2). Now those who are before the throne of God in this vision are, as we have already seen in verse 9, drawn from every race and tribe and people and tongue. Here is a revolution. In the earthly Temple in Jerusalem no Gentile could go beyond the Court of the Gentiles on pain of death. An Israelite could pass through the Court of the Women and enter into the Court of the Israelites, but no further. Beyond that was the Court of the Priests, which was for priests alone. But in the heavenly temple, the way to the presence of God is open to people of every race. Here is a picture of heaven with the barriers down. Distinctions of race and of status exist no more; the way into the presence of God is open to every faithful soul.
God Spreads His Tent Over Them
Verse 15 says, "he who sits upon the throne will spread his tent over them." That is a perfectly correct translation, but there is more in it than meets the eye. The Greek for "to dwell" is "skenoun", from "skene" which means "a tent." This same word is used when John says that the Word became flesh and "dwelt" among us (2). The Jews always connected this with a certain Hebrew word which was somewhat similar in sound although quite unrelated in meaning.
This was the word "shechinah", the visible presence of the glory of God. Usually that presence took the form of a luminous cloud. So when the Ten Commandments were given, "the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. . . . And the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain" (3). It was the same with the Tabernacle. The cloud covered the tent of the congregation and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter into the Tabernacle because of the glory of the Lord. This was the cloud which guided the Israelites by day and the fire that guided them by night (4). At the dedication of Solomon's temple the glory of the Lord filled it so that the priests could not enter (5).
God's Glory
"Skenoun" always turned the thoughts of a Jew to "shechinah", and to say that God dwelt in any place was to say that his glory was there.
The Jews came to think of God as increasingly remote from the world. They did not even think it right to speak of him as being in the world; that was to speak in terms which were too human; and so they took to substituting the "shechinah", for the name of God. We read Jacob's words at Bethel:"Surely the Lord is in this place" (6); the Rabbis changed that to, "The "shechinah" is in this place." In Habakkuk we read: "The Lord is in his holy temple" (7), but the later Jews said: "God was pleased to cause his "shechinah" to dwell in the temple." In Isaiah we read: "My eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts" (8); the later Jews altered it to: "Mine eyes have seen the shechinah, of the King of the world."
The real meaning of the passage is that God's blessed ones would serve and live in the very presence of his glory. It can be so on earth. He who faithfully works and witnesses for God has always the glory of God upon his work.
Hunger and Thirst
"Hunger and thirst" were everyday emotions in the time of Jesus. Often there was no food to eat. At other times the well would run dry and the rives stop flowing. In Heaven, no one would suffer these common stresses. Shade is also at a premium but in Heaven there is no "scorching heat" from the searing sun. Here, there is only peace.
Lamb of God
The Lamb now becomes the shepherd, a curious transformation, to lead the chosen people to springs of living water, the very presence of God. When you are suffering physically or emotionally, take hope in that God will give you his gift of "springs of living water". The water of life which Jesus brings is refreshment to the soul. God will protect his people. As in the wilderness where the tent like Tabernacle enclosed the presence of God, so here a tent is spread out over the chosen ones. Instead of standing outside, the people are now drawn into the Holy of Holies. There, they are safely protected from any harm.
Meditation
"You've got to have a glory (shechinah) in the things you do. An alleluia chorus in the heart of you."
Words to pray
"All may change but Jesus never, Glory to his name" (9)
Notes
(1) Matthew 5:18 (2) John 1:14 (3) Exodus 24:16-18 (4) Exodus 40:34-38 (5) 2 Chronicles 7:1-3 (6) Genesis 28:16 (7) Habakkuk 2:20 (8) Isaiah 6:5 (9)
"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place."