Overcomers

When studying Bible prophecy, we must vigilantly guard against those who value man’s word higher than God’s Word. For example, as you read the letters to the seven churches in Revelation, there is a recurring theme of enduring persecution and being an overcomer just like Jesus. Revelation 3:21 says, “The one who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne.”

However, some believers would rather claim a verse earlier in the same chapter that says, “Because you have kept My word of perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of the testing…” (Revelation 3:10) They say this marks the rapture of Believers and allows them to escape the Great Tribulation, even though this statement was only given to one of the seven churches and it has nothing to do with the rapture.

So what does God’s Word actually tell us? It says the Saints will face great tribulation in the last days, just like the churches of the first century. Even John, who is writing the letters to the seven churches, describes himself in Revelation 1:9 as our “fellow brother and participant in the tribulation…” The verse goes on to tell us that he was in exile for being a Christian.

Jesus tells John to write to Ephesus and say, “To the one who overcomes, I will grant to eat from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:7) What did they need to overcome? Evil people. False teachers. And enduring on account of His name.

To the church in Smyrna, who was also suffering tribulation, it says, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life…The one who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.” (Revelation 2:10-11)

The letter to Pergamum says, “To the one who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna…a white stone, and a new name…” (Revelation 2:17) What did they have to overcome? Remaining faithful even when facing martyrdom. Their town literally housed Satan’s throne, so you can imagine the spiritual warfare they faced.

In Thyatira, Jesus told believers to “hold firmly until I come. The one who overcomes, and the one who keeps My deeds until the end, I will give him authority over the nations…” (Revelation 2:25-26) Did you notice the timing clues? It says the Saints must hold on until the end when Jesus returns.

Sardis is told, “The one who overcomes will be clothed…in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life…” (Revelation 3:5)

Philadelphia is told, “The one 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 on 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.” (Revelation 3:12)

And as I shared at the beginning, Laodicea is told, “The one who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne.” (Revelation 3:21)

If you believe that we get raptured out before the Great Tribulation because of man’s interpretation of one verse that has nothing to do with the rapture, I encourage you to take in the full counsel of Scripture. The theme of Revelation is the wrath of God on the wicked but also the wrath of Satan on the Saints, and that is why Jesus told each of the seven churches that they must be overcomers and endure until the end.

Will you be an overcomer?

If you would like to dive deeper into the prophetic timing of events described in Revelation and numerous other passages throughout Scripture, check out my article Prophetic Events Timeline.

 

All Scripture taken from New American Standard Bible. Photo credit: Chalermphon, Lightstock.com.