UNDERSTANDING THE OVERCOMER AND GOD'S PURPOSE
"B" Study # 2

     In other studies we have mentioned that there are many threads that run from Genesis to Revelation and each thread represents an eternal truth. One of these threads is the eternal truth of the overcomer. REV.21:7] "He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. Part of the understanding of the New Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ, The Wife of the Lamb, the government and Kingdom of God is found in the overcomer. It is the overcomer" that will inherit all these things. The "ordinary" believer who accepts his salvation through the sacrifice of Calvary and then lives for himself, will inherit eternal life but not the things spoken of in Revelation 21 &22.
     The word translated "to overcome" is from the Greek word "nikao" it is used of God and is translated"to prevail". It is used of Christ. John 16:33] "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." It is used of believers several times as in I JOHN 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcomes the world--our faith. [5] And who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? Various translators uses "to him who conquers" or "to him that is victorious" or "to the victor" to translate this thought of prevailing against difficulties and winning. There is no suggestion of something easy or automatic. The thought is of pressing forward with fortitude, perseverance, endurance and persistence and emerging as the victor. A series of scriptures that convey this truth is 2 Pet. 1.
     In these studies of the Bride of Christ and the Eternal City of God, we have promised to make the applications practical for everyday life. The problem with some of these terms like the “ overcomers" is that the terms are very abstract and are defined by usage in scripture. For that reason the definitions for "overcomer" vary from preacher to preacher. The diversity of understanding runs from no one is an overcomer except Jesus to we have all overcame through Calvary. It is assumed that overcoming is directly related to eternal life. If you have eternal life then you have overcome death and that qualifies you to be accepted as an overcomer. Others teach that if you are a believer in Jesus you have overcome the world as stated in I John.
     In Jesus' message to the 7 churches of Asia He speaks to each one about overcoming. Each of the "churches" were certainly born again and had eternal life but they were NOT living at the level of overcomers. To some Jesus gives mixed praise with severe censure and rebuke along with promises and threats. There is no thought of "thank God you have all overcome the world". Even a casual reading should convince us that this is a very serious business that Jesus addresses.
     REV 2:7] 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.'
     REV 2:1 1 ] 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.'
     REV 2:17] 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.' REV 2:26] 'And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO him I will give authority over the NATIONS; [27] AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also have received authority from My Father; [28] and I will give him the morning star. [29] 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'
     REV 3:5] 'He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels. [6] 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'
     REV 3:12] 'He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. [ 1 3] 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'
     REV 3:21 ] 'He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. [22] 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."'
     While it is easy to see that "overcoming" has various degrees and various rewards for each level of overcoming it is also clear that ALL these promises are reserved for the one who overcomes and none of these promises are reserved for those who just believe something about Jesus. To assign the reward of the overcomer to the casual believer, has been, and is a great disservice to the church. The reason is apparent. If the casual believer is told that all he must do to become an overcomer is believe, pay his tithe, sit in the pew and don't cause any trouble, he will certainly put forth no effort to overcome. Because of a lack of knowledge he will suffer eternal loss. We should take note that Jesus never withheld this information from the 7 churches.
     In study # I we began to decipher something from the 7 churches to define what it means to overcome. However it will be most helpful if we learn how to gain this understanding from the thread of truth that runs from Genesis to Revelation. This thread of truth will carry within it one part of the "story" that unfolds throughout the scriptures. For example; Jesus said that the law, the prophets and the Psalms all speak about Him. One of the threads of truth that runs through the scriptures is about Jesus Christ. Another thread of truth is about the Holy Spirit that we see in Genesis 1 and in Revelation 22 and everywhere in between, etc. In study # I we used Gideon as an example of the overcomer that acted in behalf of Israel to defeat the Midianites and the Amalekites. After the enemy was rousted all of Israel joined in the defeat.
     The scriptures unfold like a giant tapestry with many threads from one end to the other all woven together with the cross threads that give unity, dimension, color and beauty to the tapestry.
     In other studies we have shown the shallowness of preaching verses and giving an interpretation that doesn't fit into the "eternal story" that unfolds from Genesis to Revelation. God's eternal "story" begins before Genesis 1: 1 and runs through Revelation 22. What we see beginning in Gen I & 2 we see fulfilled in Rev. 21 &22. All the scriptures in between are the preparation and the process of unfolding and fulfilling God's Eternal purpose. To accept God's great salvation while ignoring God's purpose is a common mistake in the church and one of the reasons for the eternal childhood of the believer.
     To preach a "salvation" outside the government and the demands of the Kingdom of God and obedience to the laws of God has been a great disservice to the church. This has led to a selfish and self-centered, juvenile church that wants all the blessing but refuses to pay any price to be disciplined into the Kingdom of God.
     Before we begin our study we must see the principle of the overcomer and the basis of understanding the place that the overcomer has in the plan, the purpose and the Kingdom of God. We should see that the overcomer stands in the place of the whole church and acts in her behalf. It should be clear that most of the church in every age will not pay the price to meet the demands of God or do His will. However, God must have a people in every generation that will do His will and fulfill His purpose because He will judge the nations and the church that has refused to do God's will and walk im His ways.
     PSA 96:13] Before the LORD, for He is coming; For He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, And the peoples in His faithfulness.
     God was able to judge Sodom and Gomorrah because He could find one righteous man in Abraham who walked with God, believed God and did His will. Would God have been able to judge the earth if He could not have found Noah as a righteous man?
     ACTS 17:3 1 ] because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead."
     HEB. !!:7] By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
I COR 6:2] Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world?
     If the whole of mankind is totally corrupt and none are seeking God, who will be the example to the world or who will preach to the world the Gospel of God? Who will live righteously before the world so that God's judgement is just and righteous because they have been shown and they knew the way but refused it. This is the reason that God will judge the nations in righteousness through Jesus Christ. Because God raised Him from the dead no one has any excuse.
     If God could find no one in our generation that would pursue God, seek His face, live righteously and do His will, how could God "righteously" judge this generation? The whole church is supposed to present that witness to the world but God knows that only a few will give themselves that completely to God's work and His will. In this way the "overcomers" will stand for the whole church in every generation. The overcomers will present that witness to the world so that God may righteously judge every generation justly! He will be able to point to the overcomers in every generation as those who fulfilled the plan and purpose of God and because of them He will judge the generations that ignored God. Of course this does not excuse the lukewarm, sleepy or lazy believer from their responsibility as is clear in the message to the seven churches.
     We shall begin in the book of Revelation with the catching up of the overcomes before the great tribulation begins. We shall see that with the “snatching away” of the overcomers [some alive and some out of the grave] the enemy of God can be judged and cast out of heavenly places. Even though the whole church is NOT caught up at that time the overcomers stand in the place of the whole church. The overcomers will have done all that Satan and his kingdom of darkness has refused to do. They have fulfilled God's purpose, brought joy to God's heart because of their obedience and for that reason God can judge the devil and his angels and cast them to the earth.
     THIS IS THE PRINCIPLE OF THE OVERCOMER. When God's time is fulfilled and the faithful, mature, disciplined overcomers from every generation since Calvary are finally snatched away to the throne of God, war broke out in the heavenly places and the devil and his angels are thrown down. Someone will ask "Why wasn't the devil thrown out of heaven many years ago or when Jesus overcame at Calvary?" The answer is simple: The company of overcomers was not yet complete.
     Therefore, let us look more closely at the overcomers in Rev 12. Here the overcomers are called "the man child" but this is just one view of the overcomers. They are also called the bondservants, the Bride, the wife of the Lamb or the manifested sons or even the Kingdom. We must not permit these different terms to confuse the facts because each of these terms are examples and present different views of the same thing. When we study the "overcomers" from the Old Testament we will see these different views from the types and shadows presented.
     REV 12:1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; [2] and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. [3] And another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. [4] And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven, and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. [51 And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. [6] And the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she might be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
     We need to spend some quality time in Rev. 12 until we understand who each of these symbols represent and what their part is in the end time church and the summation of all things of this age. There are many women mentioned in scripture that are significant because they are a picture of the church. In other studies we have seen how Eve is a type of the church being birthed out of the side of Adam. She was "made" out of a rib bone taken directly from Adam. She received her life from Adam because there is no mention of God breathing the breath of life into her. No other part of creation was put together in this way. Eve stands totally unique in her "creation" and there is no parallel creation to compare to her. To hurry on let us just say that the church must receive her life directly from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Last Adam. What she is "built of” is Christ. As Eve was bone of Adam's bone so the church is also BONE OF HIS BONE. While Eve gives this unique look at the church that Christ is "building" so Rebecca and Esther give us another viewpoint. Miriam, Abigail, Deborah, etc. are another viewpoint but each one has special importance in understanding the church AND the overcomers.
     This woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of 12 stars is another picture for us of the church that gives birth to this special "man child". This "story" of the woman and the "man child" is quite unique because of it's position in the book of Revelation. We can see that the Great Tribulation begins in Chapter 5 and it is clear that by the end of Chapter I 1 all things are finished.
REV II: 17 "We give Thee thanks, 0 Lord God, the Almighty, who art and who wast,
because Thou hast taken Thy great power and hast begun to reign. [ 1 8] "And the nations were enraged, and Thy wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to give their reward to Thy bond-servants the prophets and to the saints and to those who fear Thy name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth."
     Then in Chapter 13 we see the Great Tribulation beginning. REV 13:1 And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. [2] And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. [3] And I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; [4] and they worshiped the dragon, because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?" [5] And there was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies; and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him..
     Then again we see the end of the Great Tribulation in Chapter 19. REV 19:19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to make war against Him who sat upon the horse, and against His army. [20] And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which bums with brimstone. [2 1 ] And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat upon the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.
     From Chapter 5 to Chapter I I is the whole tribulation from beginning to end. From Chapter 13 to Chapter 19 is the whole tribulation from beginning to end. These are two visions of the same tribulation but from different viewpoints. The first vision is seen "in Israel" and the second vision is seen out of Israel and among the nations. In this we see the whole world being deceived. In the first vision God seals 144,000 Jews. 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes.
     Now Chapter 12 stands out because it is not included in either vision but is a vision all of it's own. In Chapter 12 we see the whole tribulation from beginning to end and is a capsule, overall view of the full 7 years of the Great Tribulation. Therefore, Chapter 12 is the key to understanding the other two visions and puts everything in the order of unfolding events.
     To try to explain the Book of Revelation as a sequence from Chapter 5 to Chapter 19 creates chaos and confusion because what is explained as ½ way through in chapter 11 becomes the end of the tribulation. To teach that the book of Revelation has 22 Chapters divided 11 and 11 makes no sense at all. First it was men that divided the book up in chapters while God gave it as one total vision in various parts.
     Therefore, the sun-clad woman is pictured as the beginning of the Great Tribulation. These will be the times of "birth pains" and terrible persecutions but will not yet be the worst of the Great Tribulation. This is at the time the Lion of the Tribe of Judah was found worthy to break the seals and open the book. Since He had "overcame" He was worthy to break the seals on this book. [This is my interpretation] and reveal the names of those who are overcomers.
     This time of the "man-child" corresponds to Math 24;6-14 and the beginning of birth pains. Several of these "end time scriptures" have more than one fulfillment. Some teach that
these scriptures were fulfilled in 70 A.D. and no further fulfillment is expected. However, too many things were not fulfilled at that time. For example; When did a third of the trees bum up etc?
     MATH 24:61 "And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. [71 "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. [81 "But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. 191 "Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name. [IO] "And at that time many will fall away and will deliver up one another, and hate one another. [I 1] "And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many. [ 1 2] "And because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. [ 1 3] "But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved. [14] "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come .
     This woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet was standing in heavenly places and she had a crown of authority on her head. At that same time this serpent that had grown to be a dragon who also had 7 crowns and seven heads and 10 horns was also standing in heavenly places. He was there to confront the woman. However, he wasn't worried about or focused upon the woman but was serious about devouring this man child. ( I'm using the term “man-child" from the K.J.V. to make a difference between just some male child) This was at the time of great birth pains and the devil knew that this "man-child" was a serious threat to his kingdom and his deception of the nations. The devil was intent upon destroying this "man-child" as soon as he was born or made manifest.
     If I could be granted a little liberty of interpretation here I will attempt to show why his great interest in the man-child. This man-child represents these "OVERCOMERS" who fulfilled the purpose of God and did all that the devil and his angels and demons refused to do. Therefore, God could begin to judge Satan and his followers because He had the group of faithful bondservants through which He could judge all rebellion in heaven and even all the nations. With this judgement the tribulation could begin.
     REV. 12:5] And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.
     There are 4 references to ruling with a rod of Iron in scriptures. Two are speaking of Jesus and two are speaking of the overcomers.
     PSALM 2:7 He said to Me, 'Thou art My Son, Today I have begotten Thee. [8] 'Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Thine inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Thy possession. [9] 'Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron, Thou shalt shatter them like earthenware."'
     REV 2:26] 'And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO him I will give authority over the NATIONS; [271 AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also have received authority from My Father;
     REV. 19:15] And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. [ 1 6] And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.     
     From this we understand that the "man-child" represents the overcomers who will rule with Christ over the nations with a rod of iron. We should see that the man-child, the overcomers, the bride, the wife, the bondservants and the manifested sons are all speaking of the same thing but from different viewpoints. Each represents different preparation.
     The man-child is a picture of a small group of overcomers that now is hidden in the woman, the church, but will be made manifest and then be immediately caught up to the throne of God. The overcomers is speaking of those who battle through every situation with perseverance and don't look back. The bride speaks of our preparation, qualifying, beauty and love relationship. The wife is speaking about our intimacy, sharing the secret things, sharing burdens and walking together through all situations. The bondservants speak of irrevocable consecration, serving because you love the master and the master's family, having an open ear and functioning wholly in the interest of the master and not for personal gain. The manifested sons are speaking of coming to the maturity set by the Father, be adopted into His family as a responsible son, being given the Father's name to act in His behalf and receiving the inheritance. While each of these types appear to be different they speak of the same thing but viewed from a different perspective.
     From this picture it is clear that the man-child is speaking of that small company of overcomers ( from every generation since Calvary) that are out of the woman, the visible church. While the woman and the “man-child” were one they were not the same. He was in her but until the birth he was unseen to the natural eye. The picture also shows us that the devil is not so concerned about the woman but he is very disturbed about the birth of these overcomers. He must destroy the overcomers at any cost so he stops his other activities just to watch for the overcomers to manifest. Since the catching away is so sudden very few will even know what happened. Also this is a small group from each generation.
     Satan's activity will suddenly be focused upon the woman that gave birth to the man-child. However, God has a place of safety prepared for the woman to keep her for 42 months, 1260 days or 3 ½ years. At the same time that the man-child is caught up to the throne of God a great war breaks out in heaven. The devil is overcome and thrown down to the earth.
     Satan directed his attention toward the woman and began a terrible persecution of another group delivered from the woman. This group overcame the evil one by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony but they didn't try to save their life and were killed. They are resurrected in the middle of the great tribulation and are seen in Revelation 7:9-15.
     Satan again fixed his attention upon the woman but she again escapes to the wilderness where she is kept from his presence during times, time and a ½ time. Another 3 ½ years. Now the earth helps the woman but the devil begins to make war with the next group of offspring. These are also believers who keep the commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
     After this we see the woman no more. She obviously is made up of her offspring. When the last is killed she no longer exists. The other possibility is that after the third part of her offspring are killed she may have taken the mark of the beast and perished.
     This shows that the end time harvest will be in three parts and will coincide with the natural harvests of Israel. First harvest is the "first fruits", then the "main harvest" and after that the "gleanings". The "first fruits" are seen in the man-child snatched away just at the moment the great tribulation begins. . The next group that are killed and gathered into the bams of heaven are a great multitude and represent the main harvest. These are seen in Rev. 7:9-17. The gleanings are seen in the ones killed and gathered into the bams of heaven at the end of the great tribulation.
The facts of Revelation 12 explains very clearly how the three interpretations of the
“snatching away” are seen in the church. A group of sincere believers believe the church will be caught up before the great tribulation. Another large group of sincere believers believe that the church will go through the first 3 ½ years of the tribulation and then be caught up in the middle. Another sincere group believes that the church must go through the whole tribulation and be caught up at the end OR just remain on the earth to rule with Christ during the Millennial reign.
     It is clear that each group has several scriptures to support their belief and can prove their doctrine with valid scriptures. Our understanding is that each group is correct in their interpretation but are unaware that the harvest is in three parts. The first "snatching away" of the first fruits is a "rapture" and the next two are a resurrection. Everyone who will be "saved" after the first fruits are caught up must accept death as their way of deliverance. In not loving their life unto death they qualify in another sense as an overcomer. Then their ascension will be by resurrection.
     While all "these overcomers" will rule with Christ for a thousand years in some capacity, only the first fruits will sit with Him on His throne. However, when we study the bride we will see that these "first fruit" overcomers are the bride of Christ and will make up the New Jerusalem. They will serve in the headquarters of the Kingdom while the others will serve the territory of the Kingdom (the New Earth and the New Heaven). These "first fruits" will also be seen in the bondservants who see His face in Revelation 22: I- 5.
     The conclusion of this study is that there really is a good reason to sanctify our lives, love God with all our heart, seek God while He may be found, lay our lives down for the sheep and make an irrevocable consecration to the Lord to follow the Lamb where ever He goes. There really is a good reason to forget everything that is behind and press forward to respond to the high calling of God. There really is a good reason to become "overcomers" and set the example for the main body of the church. There really is a good reason to surrender every area of our lives to God and be willing to change from what we are to what we must become to fulfill God's eternal purpose and bring joy to His heart. Every day we don't change will be a wasted day as far as the first fruits are concerned. This is NOT our trying to earn our salvation as is commonly charged but paying the price to take our place in the eternal Kingdom of God.
     2 PET 1:2] Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; (3] seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. [4] For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. [5] Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; [61 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; [71 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. [8] For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9] For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. [10] Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long
as you practice these things, you will never stumble; [11] for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. .
     Is verses 5-7 trying to earn your salvation? That is ridiculous! No! The reason we press on in the upward call is to make certain about our calling and God's choosing us and qualifying to enter into the Kingdom.
     While all "saved" people who have part in the first resurrection will rule with Christ for
I000 years and have an assigned part in His eternal purpose not all will rule in the same capacity.
     REV 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
     These obviously went into the Great Tribulation but were killed for their faith and testimony and then were resurrected ( came to life ) and they also reigned with Christ.
     REV 20:6] Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
     All who have part in the first resurrection will be included in the "kingdom of priests". They will be priests that reign in some capacity. However, as in every government there are multiple levels of authority and branches of government. For example there is the President and there is the dog catcher but all are part of government. In the eternal Kingdom there will be no secular jobs or manufacturing and all will be involved in the government in some way.
     We should each be clear that the New Earth, the New Heaven and the New Jerusalem are not "assembled" until after the millennial reign which is just related to this earth. Afterwards the devil will be loosed and he will cause many to fall. It is reasonable to assume that all have to be found faithful during the millennium. Our eternal place may depend upon how we conduct ourselves in this life AND in the millennial reign. The overcomers are immediately caught up to the throne of God just as the Tribulation begins so their place may be sealed. Each of us should be aware that much work MUST be done in every one of us before we qualify as overcomers. There is no free ride.
     While I am accused of feeding the Giraffes and letting the sheep starve, my purpose is to preach as much truth as I see that applies to the church in this time period. If you can't apply these things to your life at this time put it on the pantry shelf and eat it later. It won't spoil! These are eternal truths.