June 28, 2017 HE WHO OVERCOMES
Revelation 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.” Revelation: 3:21: “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”
I would guess that the book of Revelation is the least read book of the New Testament, and I suppose that it is because it is perceived as a book difficult to understand. Certainly, there is some mystery in the account of what John saw when God allowed him to go beyond the natural, and see into heaven. Even though there is some mystery, and perhaps some things we may not fully understand as we read this book, there is much that is easily understood and the over-riding message of the book is evident. Two very obvious truths from Revelation is that God has absolute rule, and that all of heaven worships Him. We also see Jesus being honored as the one that secured the salvation of those who received Him as the Son of God and as Savior. In the midst of the mystery and all the wonder of Revelation, there is a clear and straight-forward message for all believers that has great consequences depending on whether or not we as believers ‘heed’ the message. Throughout this book, there are many references to those who or overcomers in this life on earth. To me, Revelation is like a summary of all of the scriptures of the New Covenant and it magnifies the calling we have to be captivated by, and live by the gospel of the kingdom of God. Because the life we live here has eternal consequences, we cannot afford to take the gospel in a casual manner. Over and over we read “to him who overcomes.” The ‘overcoming’ that we have to do is to overcome sin and all the tactics of Satan to defeat us, just as Jesus did. “He who overcomes, I will grant to Him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” Revelation 3:21. Believers must grasp the fact that God has saved us and has made us new-but the story does not end there! Because we have been saved and made new, we must now choose to walk in our salvation and newness, reflecting the very nature of God-and when we do, we are overcomers. It’s a matter of being who we are as children of God. Whether we know it or not, we are in a continual, major conflict. The world, and Satan, are doing all in their power to cause us to live according to self, and not according to the Spirit of God that has been given to us. We must heed the instructions of 1 Peter 5:8: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Life on earth is the proving ground for our faith. God has called us to be overcomers in this life, and He has equipped us to be just that. Rise up and take your battle station-the war is on!
Revelation 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.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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