Revelation 7:17

My Notes

What Does Revelation 7:17 Mean?

John describes the eternal care of the Lamb for the redeemed: 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.

The Lamb which is in the midst of the throne — the Lamb occupies the center of the throne — the position of supreme authority. The one who was slain (5:6) now rules from the throne's center. The Lamb is not peripheral to God's rule. He is at the heart of it. Authority and sacrifice are unified: the slain Lamb is the reigning king.

Shall feed them (poimaino — to shepherd, to tend as a shepherd) — the Lamb shepherds his people. The word poimaino means more than providing food. It means total pastoral care — guiding, protecting, nourishing, leading. The Lamb who was a sacrifice becomes the Shepherd who provides. The reversal is complete: the one who was led to slaughter (Isaiah 53:7) now leads his flock.

Shall lead them unto living fountains of waters — the Lamb guides his people to living water — water that flows, that is fresh, that never stagnates or runs dry. The fountains (pege — springs, sources) are living (zao — alive, flowing). The imagery echoes Psalm 23:2 (he leadeth me beside the still waters) and John 4:14 (a well of water springing up into everlasting life). The thirst of the redeemed is permanently satisfied.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes — the most tender image in Revelation. God himself — personally, directly, with his own hand — wipes tears from eyes. The wiping (exaleipho — to smear out, to obliterate) is complete: all tears. Not some. All. Every tear shed in suffering, grief, loss, persecution, and pain is personally removed by God. The act is intimate — a parent wiping a child's face.

Revelation 21:4 expands this promise: 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. The wiping is permanent. The tears do not return.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What does the Lamb being both sacrifice and shepherd — slain and now feeding — reveal about the nature of Christ's care?
• 2.How does being led to 'living fountains of waters' describe the permanent satisfaction the redeemed experience?
• 3.What does God personally wiping away tears communicate about the intimacy of his care for your suffering?
• 4.What tears are you carrying that this verse promises will one day be wiped away — and how does that promise sustain you now?

Devotional

The Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them. The Lamb — the one who was slain, the one who bled, the one who was sacrificed — is now the Shepherd. The sacrifice became the caretaker. The one who was led to slaughter now leads his people to living water. The reversal is the gospel in a single image: the Lamb who died for you now lives to feed you.

Shall lead them unto living fountains of waters. Living water — flowing, fresh, endless. Not a stagnant pool. Not a finite supply. Fountains — springs that bubble up from an inexhaustible source. The Lamb leads you there. He does not just point the direction. He leads — walking ahead, guiding, bringing you to the place where your thirst is permanently, completely, eternally satisfied.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. God. Personally. With his own hand. Wiping tears from your eyes. The image is a parent bending over a crying child — close, gentle, personal. And the wiping is all tears. Every tear. The ones you cried in grief. The ones you cried in pain. The ones no one else saw. The ones you thought would never stop. All of them — wiped away by God's own hand.

This is where everything is heading. The Lamb shepherding. The living water flowing. The tears being wiped. The suffering that defines so much of your present experience has a destination — and the destination is this: the Lamb feeding you, the water satisfying you, and God personally removing every trace of every tear you ever cried.

Whatever you are crying about right now — whatever grief, whatever pain, whatever loss — it has an expiration date. The hand of God is coming for those tears. And when he wipes them, they do not come back.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture