Study # 4     THEY WHO OVERCOME SHALL INHERIT
They who don’t overcome are in deep trouble!
     REV 21:7 "He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. REV 21:8 "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part {will be} in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
     Jesus declares that those who overcome will inherit the New Jerusalem, of which He was speaking, and all things connected to it. In addition to that, God will be the overcomer's God. In addition to that, the overcomer will become God's son. For God to really be our God, the minimum requirement is to overcome. In order to inherit all things, the minimum requirement is to overcome. To be identified as a son of God, the minimum requirement is to be an overcomer.
     When we are born again, we all have the potential to inherit all things. Even our inheritance has been designated for us in heaven. The Holy Spirit has been given to us as a pledge of our inheritance. On God's part, our inheritance is set aside for us already. Now all we have to do to receive our inheritance is to overcome.
     We are all sons of God by faith in Jesus Christ. Now all we have to do to take our place as sons is to overcome. God has already predestined us for the throne. Now all we have to do to sit upon that throne is to overcome. 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.  All is accomplished on God's part. In order for us to participate in God's predestined plan all that is required is for each of us to overcome.
     In this presentation of eternal facts, Jesus divides all people up into two groups. Those who overcome and those who don't. Those who don't overcome fail because of at least one of these eight iniquities. (1) Cowardly (2) Unbelieving (3) Abominable The Greek says " Having become foul". (4) Murders (5) Fornicators (6) Sorcerers (7) Idolaters (8) All liars. The Greek says "The false ones". The pretenders or hypocrites or those who live a lie.     From this one verse we can see 8 things that need to be overcome. We will look at these things later.
     For many years the church has inaccurately taught that our eternal salvation is secure through faith alone plus nothing. It has assured believers that overcoming only has to do with rewards. It is possible to be saved but have no rewards because we didn't grow, produce something, or work in God's vineyard. From these and many other verses it is clear that overcoming is the minimum requirement to escape the lake of fire which is the second death. One of the rewards of overcoming is to escape the lake of fire.
     The church has inaccurately related overcoming the world with overcoming all these things listed in Rev 21:8. 1 JOHN 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world-- our faith. 1JO 5:5 And who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?  From Rev. 2 & 3 it is clear that Jesus is writing to the various churches that were born of God and believed that Jesus was the Son of God. They must have overcome the world. Still they were admonished to overcome or something unpleasant would happen to them. What exactly were they admonished to overcome? Whatever was lacking in each church!  For example, in the church at Laodicea, Jesus warned if they didn't overcome He would vomit them out of His body. Since this is very serious it is important that we know what it means to overcome.
     The New American standard dictionary says that "to overcome" means to prevail, to come off victorious, to overpower. It comes from a root word that means " victory". The phrase, then, would say to him who conquers, or to the victorious, or to the victor. This is an active word that requires performance. This is not just a passive believing.
     In ROM 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. In this verse we see the active quality of overcoming. The picture is of a battle where evil is out to overcome the Christian but the Christian is to conquer evil with good. The Christian must come off victorious over evil and not be overcome by evil.
     2 PET 2:20 For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. It is one thing to overcome the world by faith but the battle doesn't end there. The world then attacks the believer and tries to entangle the believer again in it's trap. The Christian must be in a continual state of overcoming and not trust in the beginning state as a once and for all victory.
     1 JOHN 2:14 I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.  It requires a growth and maturity in order to win the battle over the evil one. It also requires a daily, active battle or a continuing warfare in our conflict with the evil one.
     REV 12:11 "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death.  This scripture gives us the chilling reality of what it means to overcome the evil one. This is not merely believing that Jesus is the Son of God but it is laying down your life to personally establish that testimony. This is an active testimony and not a passive believing.
     Now we can look at the seven churches of Asia that are given as examples for us. The problem was that there were areas that these churches had not yet overcome. We want to see that overcoming was not an option that would provide additional rewards if they decided to go ahead and conquer. There is no suggestion that these churches would be accepted whether they overcame or not.
     REV 2:1 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: REV 2:2 'I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot endure evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them {to be} false; REV 2:3 and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary. REV 2:4 'But I have {this} against you, that you have left your first love. REV 2:5 'Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you, and will remove your lampstand out of its place-- unless you repent. REV 2:6 'Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 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 1:20 "As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. Each lampstand is a functioning church. It was the light of the area in which it stood. To remove the lampstand is the same as removing the church. No lampstand, no church. If you go to Ephesus today you will find no church there and the city is in gross darkness. The city, as well as the country, is Muslim.
     This church had several very strong attributes and only one area that needed strengthened. Still the Lord said they had fallen and if they didn't get it right, He would come and cancel out there existence. He would remove the lampstand.
     The church at Ephesus had -7- strong points. (1) They were a working church that stood strong in perseverance. (2) They couldn't endure evil men. They didn't put up with any monkey business. (3) They had the good discernment to identify false Apostles and put them to the test. (4) They stood fast during persecution and suffering. (5) They suffered and endured for His Name sake. (6) They didn't get weary. (7) They hated the same things that Jesus hated. Men trying to rule over other men, as lording it over the flock.
     Today, we would consider a church like this to be an enviable people that were moving out into the things of God. We would never suspect that Jesus was about to take away their license to operate.
     Their only weak point was that they had left their first love and some deeds they did in the beginning that are not identified. They had overcome in seven difficult areas and failed in only one. What this reveals is that Jesus is not grading on a sliding scale. His church must really and absolutely overcome in every area. A B+ is not acceptable. We might even be tempted to give this church an A-. Jesus' bride is not going to have defects. The disturbing thing about His rebuke is that the whole church is treated as one unit. As one lampstand and not as individuals.
     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.'  In this verse, it appears He is speaking to individuals and encouraging them to press on and overcome. He who overcomes will receive the right to eat from the tree of life that is in the Paradise of God. The tree of life is in the New Jerusalem. To participate in the activities of the New Jerusalem, it is necessary to be an overcomer. It appears that Jesus is still encouraging individuals to overcome and become a member of the Bride of Christ, the New Jerusalem, even though the corporate group may be disqualified.
     REV 2:8 "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this: REV 2:9 'I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. REV 2:10 'Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. REV 2:11  '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.'
     The church at Smyrna didn't have any areas where they had fallen and needed to repent. The warning that Jesus gave just had to do with the great suffering that was coming. The Devil was going to bring about a severe testing that would take away their physical life. He encouraged them to be faithful until death and He would give them the crown of life. In order to encourage them, He reminded them that He also was killed but he was then raised again in resurrection life.
     If they persevere, accept death and overcome, they will not be hurt by the second death. The inference is that if they don't go all the way into overcoming, they will be hurt by the second death. The second death being the lake of fire. In other words, to escape the lake of fire, it is necessary to accept martyrdom and remain faithful. Is that " GOOD NEWS" or " BAD NEWS"? It depends on whether you are an overcomer or not!
     REV 2:12 "And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this: REV 2:13 'I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith, even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. REV 2:14 'But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit {acts of} immorality. REV 2:15 'Thus you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. REV 2:16 'Repent therefore; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth. 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.'
     The offence of this church was that there were a few people in the group that taught bad doctrine. The sharp two edged sword in Jesus' mouth is the word of God.  Because they had departed from the word of God , He was going to come and make war against the church with the Word Of God. He would attack them in their weakness.
     This church was in a very hostile environment. Right at the place that Satan had established his throne and in his dwelling place. However this church stood fast, did not deny the name of Christ, did not deny the faith, even when one of their number was put to death. The fact that they lived in such a hostile environment, right in Satan's territory and in the place of his authority, the standards were not lowered. God was holding the church responsible for the false teaching of the few. His council was to repent, set things right or they would face the sword of the Lord. Is this good news or bad news? It is good news to those who repent.
     REV 2:18  "And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this: REV 2:19 'I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. REV 2:20 'But I have {this} against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray, so that they commit {acts of} immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. REV 2:21 'And I gave her time to repent; and she does not want to repent of her immorality. REV 2:22 'Behold, I will cast her upon a bed {of sickness}, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. REV 2:23 'And I will kill her children with pestilence; and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. REV 2:24 'But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them-- I place no other burden on you. REV 2:25 'Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come. 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; REV 2:27 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; REV 2:28 and I will give him the morning star. REV 2:29 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'
     The Lord revealed Himself to the church at Thyatira as The Son of God who can see everything that is going on and He has feet that is able to trample over every enemy. With His eyes He can see their deeds, their love, their faith, their service, their perseverance and that their deeds were greater than they were at first. This was a strong church that was giving an increase. They were not remaining static.
     However there were some in this church that were into occult things. There was a woman in the church that was a false prophetess and was exercising a strong influence over Jesus' bond servants and leading them astray. She refused to repent and now she must face the consequences. She will be afflicted with sickness and those whom she led astray will be sent into great tribulation UNLESS THEY REPENT OF HER DEEDS. All this was to bring a revelation of Jesus Christ to the church at Thratira. The children that were produced by those occult practices were condemned to death. This would bring the revelation that Jesus will search the hearts and minds, and that He will return to every person according to their deeds. Whether good or evil. The good will receive good and the evil will receive evil.
     The ones that He commended were then encouraged to hold fast to their position until He returned. Don't backslide! The one who overcomes and keeps His deeds to the end will receive authority over the nations. The one who overcomes will rule with a rod of iron. However, the overcomer will be broken to pieces in the same way Jesus received authority from His Father. The overcomer will receive "THE MORNING STAR".
     In case the overcomer doesn't really appreciate a morning star or know what to do with one, Rev, 22:16 explains it. REV 22:16 "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star."  What the overcomer is promised is Jesus Christ Himself.
     REV 3:1 "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars, says this: 'I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. REV 3:2 'Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. REV 3:3 'Remember therefore what you have received and heard; and keep {it,} and repent. If therefore you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you. REV 3:4 'But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white; for they are worthy. 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. REV 3:6 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'       The seven lamps of fire are the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars are the messengers to the seven churches. It appears that Jesus is holding the messengers of the church responsible for the condition of deadness in the church or for their personal deadness. From all outward appearances, it looked like they were alive and they had a name that indicated they were alive. However Jesus exposed the reality that they were dead.
     The problem was they had fallen asleep and He was trying to wake them up. If they didn't wake up there were other things that would also die. If they don't wake up, the Lord Himself will come upon them and they won't even know what happened. The evaluation is that their deeds are not complete in the sight of God. The first thing they must do is to remember what they had received, what they had heard and to keep it. ( Or do it).
     In this church at Sardis, Jesus is not evaluating the church as a unit, but as individuals.
He recognized there were some who were separating themselves from the sleepers and were keeping their garments white. He counts them as being worthy and they will walk with Him in white. Those who were sleeping obviously had soiled their garments and were not counted worthy. Their names will be erased from the book of life.
     But for those who repent and overcome, they will be will be clothed in white garments, Jesus will not erase their names from the book of life and Jesus will confess their names before the Father and His angels. REV 20:15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
     This sounds very serious. Is this good news or bad news? It depends on whether you repent or not.
     REV 3:7 "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this: REV 3:8 'I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. REV 3:9 'Behold, I will cause {those} of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews, and are not, but lie-- behold, I will make them to come and bow down at your feet, and to know that I have loved you. REV 3:10 'Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that {hour} which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell upon the earth. REV 3:11 'I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, in order that no one take your crown. 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. REV 3:13 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'
     Jesus reveals Himself to the church at Philadelphia by these 4 facts. (1) He is Holy (2) He is true (3) He holds the Key of David ( Which means That when He opens, no one can shut and when He shuts no one can open). (4) He is one who knows their deeds.
     He informs the church of what He knows about them. (1) He knows their deeds (2) He knows they have a little power (3) He knows they have kept His word (4) He knows they have not denied His name. For these reasons He is going to set an open door before them that no one can shut.
     The rewards are promised in the future to the other churches but because of this church has kept the word with His same perseverance, He will keep them from the hour of testing. This is explained as the testing that will come upon the whole world. This obviously is speaking of the great tribulation. This could be speaking of the rapture of the perfected church. To assign this “tribulation” to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. is wrong because that did not affect the “whole world”. V 11 indicates the church at Philadelphia has grown to an acceptable maturity that nothing more needs to be completed. The church must now just hold on to what she has, so no one will take her crown. Even at this stage the church must continue to be alert because there is still a danger they could lose the crown they had already won.
     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.
     The indication is, they have overcome and if they hold on to what they have and not lose their crown, they will reap the rewards of the overcomer. The overcomer will become (1) a pillar( a useful, functioning participant) in the temple of God the Father. The overcomer will have (2) the Name of the Father written upon him. The overcomer will have (3) the name of the city of the Father written upon him. The overcomer will have (4) Jesus' new name written upon him. "A pillar in the temple of the Father" indicates that the overcomer is built into the temple and therefore cannot go out again. In the New Jerusalem the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple.
     What is clearly in view here is that these rewards are not given out on the basis of forgiveness of sins but because the redeemed person actually produced something eternal during their stay here on earth. From this it is confirmed that it is not the hearers of the word that enter into the kingdom but those who do the word and endure or persevere in the word in the same way Jesus persevered in God's word during His time of testing. They had a little of God's power but it was sufficient to overcome. "Little power" is no excuse for failure.
     The church at Philadelphia is a great encouragement because it shows us perfection [ full maturity] is not such an impossible goal that none will make it. This church is acceptable to God. That means, with the same perseverance, if we hold to and keep the word of God and not deny the name of the Lord, we also can be overcomers.
     The church at Laodicea is set as a warning and in direct contrast to the church at Philadelphia. REV 3:14 "And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: REV 3:15 'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you were cold or hot. REV 3:16 'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. REV 3:17 'Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, REV 3:18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich, and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and { that} the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. REV 3:19 'Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; be zealous therefore, and repent. REV 3:20 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me. 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. REV 3:22 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' "
     It is a very dangerous thing to try to evaluate ourselves. God sees us as we relate to His eternal standards and evaluates us according to His eternal purpose. Jesus stands as God's witness. He was always faithful and lived in truth. He stood as the creative word at the beginning during the creation, when the eternal purpose of God was established and revealed. Jesus stands as a witness of one who, as man, completed God's purpose. There can, therefore, be no excuse for us to fail or be unfaithful or untrue. Lukewarm, then, means unconcerned, apathetic, indifferent, uninterested, lethargic, and careless. God is blessing us. Why should we be concerned. It is obvious that God is pleased with us because He is blessing us. We are rich, have become wealthy and every need has been met so we need nothing.
     Israel was also blessed. Manna fell from heaven, water came out of the rock, the cloud was shade by day and fire by night, none was feeble among them, the shoes never wore out and the garments didn't get old. God fought their battles and defeated their enemies. God presence went with them. Even though God's blessing was always there, God was angry with them and destroyed them in the wilderness. The blessing speaks about God and His character and not about His people.
     The church at Laodicea had lost their relationship with the Lord. Without that intimacy and communication, they thought they were in great shape. Jesus was left standing outside the church door. Consequently, they didn't know how wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked they were. They thought that temporal, material blessings were the goal. True riches are gold, that has passed through the fire, so that all the impurities are removed but this sounds painful. That is surely something to be avoided. When the eyes get sick, they are blind to eternal realities.
     It appears that the church at Laodicea needed to begin AGAIN at near the beginning. Not much they had was of any value in the Kingdom of God. Still if they repented and got back into relationship with Jesus, there was still an opportunity to press on and overcome. As backslidden as this church was, there was still a possibility of overcoming. Jesus was not yet ready to vomit them out of His body.
     If they overcame all these back sliddings, they could still participate in the New Jerusalem and in the throne of God. The standard of overcoming is the faithful and true witness. They must overcome as He overcame.            
     From this short study it should be clear that the Christian life ,that is acceptable to God, is much different than is generally preached.  To preach these things in a “once saved always saved church” would be totally unacceptable even if preached by Jesus, Himself. Their doctrine would blind their eyes so that only “eye salve” bought from Jesus would cause them to see again. While these messages to the 7 churches are terrifying there is hope of overcoming given to each church. Also we see that some had overcome and were acceptable to God and that is our hope of victory.